Is Your Weight Gain Caused by Hormones? Here's What You Need to Know
If you've been struggling to lose weight, you may have assumed that your body's extra pounds are caused by a lack of exercise or a little bit more food consumed, but there might be more to the story than meets the eye. Hormones can cause changes in weight, mood, and other aspects of wellness, which means that your hormones may be causing your weight gain-even if you're not overeating!
Read on, to learn about the connection between hormones and weight gain, as well as how to manage hormone-related weight gain.
How Hormones Work
Hormones are natural chemicals that act as messengers in the body. The endocrine glands produce them and release them into the bloodstream, where they travel to various parts of the body and instruct cells what to do.
How Hormone Imbalance Leads to Weight Gain
When your hormones are out of balance, it can cause a variety of problems, one of which is weight gain. If you're carrying around extra weight and can't seem to lose it, it might be due to a hormone imbalance. Here's what you need to know about how hormones can affect your weight.
Many factors can cause a hormonal imbalance, including stress, poor diet, and certain medical conditions. When your hormones are out of balance, it can affect your weight, mood, and energy levels. If you suspect your weight increase results from a hormonal imbalance, consult your health practitioner.
4 Hormones That Cause Weight Gain
Cortisol is called the “stress hormone”. Cortisol is released from your adrenal glands. Adrenal glands release cortisol during the fight or flight circumstances in your body so that you can survive in case of actual, or perceived danger. Cortisol also controls your metabolism and regulates your blood sugar levels. If you are constantly in fight and flight mode, your body will be overwhelmed with cortisol. To dampen your cortisol levels, you may try to snack more often which your body perceives as a coping mechanism with stress. Overeating can lead to weight gain.
Oestrogen. When females experience a drop in oestrogen weight gain may occur. When oestrogen drops in perimenopause and menopausal years, the weight gain may increase. As estrogen reduces, fat storage may shift from hips and thighs to stubborn visceral fat in the abdomen.
Insulin is known as a fat-storage hormone. This hormone is vital as it moves the glucose into your cells. The cells then can make energy, once glucose is inside of the cell. When insulin is out of balance, it becomes problematic for our health. Eating ultra-processed foods and sugar can cause chronic insulin elevation, which can lead to insulin resistance, diabetes, and weight gain.
The thyroid is another weight gain hormone if it does not work properly. The thyroid is known as your metabolism hormone which is able to turn the calories from the food you eat into energy. A low level of thyroid hormone is called hypothyroidism. People with hypothyroidism often find it hard to lose body fat.
How Diet Impacts Health
A healthy diet is an essential part of living a healthy lifestyle. Eating nutritious foods helps promote a person’s overall health and well-being. A good diet can help lower the chance of acquiring chronic diseases like heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, eating a diet high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains while reducing saturated and trans fats can help reduce the likelihood of becoming obese.
Best Supplements For Hormonal Imbalance
There are a few supplements that can aid in hormone balance and weight loss. Maca is a great supplement to take for hormone balance. It helps to regulate hormones and can also improve energy levels.
Ashwagandha is another supplement that can help balance hormones and reduce stress levels.
Omega-3 fatty acids can help balance hormones. It also reduces inflammation. Inflammation is often linked to hormonal weight gain.
Vitamin D is usually deficient in people who are overweight or suffering from insulin resistance. Supplementing with vitamin D may enhance body fat loss.
How To Lose Hormonal Weight
Balancing your hormones is key to losing weight and keeping it off. Luckily, there are a few things you can do to help get your hormones in check.
Limit your consumption of sugar and refined carbs
Limit alcohol intake
Increase your organic fruit and vegetable consumption
Eat sufficient amounts of high-quality protein
Strive for seven to nine hours of high-quality sleep each night
Exercise
Don't stress: try yoga or meditation
Choose glass over plastic food storage containers
Remember, hormone-disturbing chemicals in cosmetics, non-organic food, and housecleaning products may cause weight gain.
Conclusion
Losing weight is hard. Losing weight may be more difficult when hormones are out of balance. Combining lifestyle, diet and supplements may help you to resolve the underlying hormonal imbalances that cause you to gain body fat.
If you are struggling to manage your weight and suspect hormones may be part of the problem, nutritional therapy can help. Book a free discovery call now to find out how nutritional therapy can help balance your hormones and achieve the perfect body composition.
