How Does The Stress Hormone Cortisol Sabotage Weight Loss
How is this overproduction of cortisol related to weight gain? First of all, heightened cortisol is linked to overeating. Ever notice how you eat when youre stressed? A study published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology found that higher than normal cortisol levels were linked to overeating and weight gain. Another study links elevated cortisol levels to an increase in belly fat.
What Are Bioidentical Hormones
When youre replacing deficient estrogen, its important to respect the wisdom of the body. No drug we give can approach the amazing complexity of the endocrine system. However, you can start by giving a hormone that is identical to the hormone thats missing. We call these bioidentical hormones.
Another important factor is the route of administration. Estrogen is most commonly given as a pill thats taken orally. Its convenient and easy to pop a pill. But easy isnt always the best. If were wanting to mimic the body, how does the ovary deliver estrogen to your tissues? I assure you the ovary doesnt dump a big load of estrogen in your stomach once a day!! A more natural way to take estrogen is by applying it to the skin as a patch or cream. Estrogen taken in a pill form overloads your liver with excessive amounts of estrogen that increase harmful proteins, clotting factors and proinflammatory substances leading to various problems. Let me explain how oral estrogen leads to weight gain.
What Is Hormonal Weight Gain
Hormones are chemical signals;that control a wide variety of different functions in the body. Hormones influence everything from stress levels and mood, growth, sleep, reproduction, and yes, weight and appetite.;
An imbalance in the;hormone levels;in your body, whether it is too many or too few, may cause a number of changes to your body and daily function. When looking at hormones and weight gain, these conditions may be worth discussing with your doctor:;
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How To Balance Estrogen For Weight Loss:
To avoid estrogen dominance, you want to keep a fine balance between your progesterone and estrogen.
Integrative Medicine Doctor Sara Gottfried, M.D., recommends eating a pound of veggies per day, as she states the fiber will help remove any excess estrogen from the body.
Gottfried also recommends that women should aim for 35 to 45 gram of fiber intake per day, increasing their amount slowly so as not to cause stomach upset.
You can also;naturally balance estrogen dominance;by:
- Reducing your red meat intake
- Eliminating excess sugar or processed foods
- Exercising daily to promote detoxification
What You Can Do: Stop Overeating The Foods That Cause Insulin Resistance
How do we ensure our insulin levels remain balanced? First, we need to stop eating too much. Its a known fact that overeating leads to insulin resistance, especially when we eat too much food thats no good for our bodies and minds. When we eat too much sugar, too much fast food, and too many processed carbohydrates, insulin goes haywire. These elevated insulin levels lead to weight gain and low-grade inflammation. A 2010 study published in the journal Diabetes;found that even eating too much of these foods in the short term leads to insulin resistance and weight gain.
You may also want to restrict carbohydrates in your diet. According to a study published in the journal Nutrition and Metabolism, a low-carb diet prevents metabolic syndrome and the insulin resistance that causes it. Other findings show drinking green tea, consuming omega-3 fatty acids from fatty fish, and eating adequate amounts of protein all help balance insulin levels.
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How To Balance Leptin For Weight Loss:
A huge component to balancing your leptin levels is getting enough sleep. When you dont get enough sleep, your leptin levels are lower and you dont feel as satisfied after you eat. Harvard studies show that sleep deprivation reduces leptin levels and actually increases your bodys desire for fatty or carbohydrate-rich foods.
If you suspect a leptin imbalance is to blame for your weight gain, make sleep a priority each and every nightwe should all be prioritizing sleep anyway for its myriad of health benefits. But if weight loss is the kick in the pants you need to start catching more zzzs, then let that be your motivation.
Other ways to balance your leptin levels include:
- Taking an Omega 3 supplement or eat more Omega 3 rich foods such as fatty fish, grass-fed meats, and chia seeds
- Exercising regularly
Your Low Testosterone Levels Are Slowing Down Your Metabolism
You are confronted with an astounding number of toxins each day, including pesticides, herbicides, genetically modified foods, and about six different synthetic hormones in meat. Toxins are lurking in face creams, prescription drugs, processed foods, your lipstick, the linings of tuna fish cans, the fire-retardant materials in couches, and even the air you breathe. The list goes on.
Many types of these toxins, such as pesticides, plastics, and industrial chemicals, behave like estrogen when absorbed in the body. Experts believe that our increasing exposure to toxins helps explain why so many girls are entering puberty earlier and why many boys exhibit feminine characteristics such as developing breasts. Xeno-estrogens, as these particular toxins are called, have been associated with an elevated risk of estrogen-driven diseases like breast and ovarian cancers and endometriosis.
All this fake estrogen overwhelms your body’s testosteronewhich is vital for hormone balanceand contributes to estrogen overload. Testosterone contributes to muscle growth, which in turn supports metabolism. And, as we already know, estrogen overload raises insulin insensitivity. The combination adds pounds to your frame: A study from Sweden published in the journal Chemosphere showed that exposure to a particular type of pesticide called organochloride was linked to a weight gain of 9½ pounds over 50 years.
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Signs Your Thyroid Is Making You Gain Weight
Going up a couple of pant sizes could be caused by any of these ‘healthy’ habits secretly behind your weight gain, but it’s also one of the top symptoms of hypothyroidism. Also called an underactive thyroid, hypothyroidism is a condition in which your metabolism-running thyroid gland doesn’t make enough thyroid hormones to meet your body’s needs.
Hypothyroidism is more common than you would believe; the metabolic disease affects;4.6 percent of the U.S. population and millions of people are currently hypothyroid and don’t know it.
There are over a dozen common symptoms of hypothyroidism, and weight gain is one of the most prevalent.
“Patients with hypothyroidism will have a generalized slowing of their metabolism and reduction in their basal metabolic rate ,” explains Dr. Reshmi Srinath, assistant professor of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Bone Diseases at Mount Sinai.
“This can lead to changes in the way their body expends energy. With a lower metabolic rate, people may gain excess weight eating a similar diet. Some of this may be excess fat, but there may also be fluid retention.” So, even if you’re diligently dieting and working out, you may still gain weight if you have hypothyroidism.
Obvious Signs Of Hormonal Weight Gain And How To Fix It
If you suspect that your hormones are making you gain weight, this article will show you signs of hormonal weight gain and how to fix it.
Hormones have a bigger impact on your body than you may realize. Unbalanced hormones can ruin your mood, cause fatigue, lower your libido, and trigger weight gain.
Dont be too quick to blame your hormones if the scale isnt budging. Most people fail to lose weight due to overeating. According to research, many dieters underestimate their calorie intake, which leads to weight gain.
However, hormonal imbalance can hinder weight loss, especially in women. Women experience more hormonal changes than men due to periods and menopause.
Men also struggle with hormonal weight gain due to poor nutrition, lack of sleep, excessive drinking, lack of muscle, and genetics.
Read on to discover the common signs of hormonal weight gain you should look out for. And then I will show you how to fix these imbalances.
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And Then A Funny Thing Happened After About 2 Years Of Stagnation I Suddenly Started To Lose The Weight Last December
Again, nothing about my life had changed. My eating habits and exercise levels were exactly the same. But over the last 5 months, Ive lost about 20 of the 30 pounds I initially put on.
I should note that I went on the keto diet for the month of March months after the weight loss had already begun. I wasnt doing it for weight loss, but rather as an attempt to get some of my inflammation down and hopefully experience less painful periods .
It worked. I had an amazingly easy period that month. But, keto proved too hard for me to stick to completely, and Ive been mostly back to my regular eating habits ever since.
Yet Ive continued to slowly drop the weight I once put on.
Around the same time the weight started to come off, some of my other symptoms began to ease as well. My skin cleared up, my mood lightened, and my body started to feel a bit more like my own again.
I havent had a hormone panel in over a year. I have no idea how my numbers today would compare to my numbers back when my symptoms first began. I should probably visit my doctor and check.
But at this point, Id be willing to bet anything the balance is different. Even if everything is still in the range of normal, my gut tells me everything Ive been experiencing over the last few years has been hormonal.
And for whatever reason, I think those hormones finally balanced themselves out and settled my body down.
Bioidentical Hormones Can Contribute To Weight Loss In Some Cases
Contrary to popular belief, bioidentical hormones are not an instant weight loss solution. These medications were designed to address symptoms related to menopause, andropause, or hormone disorders. Significantly, estrogen, testosterone, and other hormones are powerful chemicals that have far-reaching effects throughout the body. While certain medications may have an impact on your appetite or metabolism, theyre not designed to facilitate quick and easy weight loss.
The reason bioidentical hormones are so commonly equated with weight loss is that hormone imbalances can result in plenty of weight-related problems. Men with low testosterone and women with PCOS, for example, may experience stubborn weight gain that doesnt seem to respond to typical diet and exercise strategies. Hypothyroidism is another common contributing factor to weight gain.
In some cases, supplementing with the hormones your body needs can help your endocrine system function more effectively, improving metabolism and influencing gradual weight loss. But so many other factors influence your bodys natural resting weight. Indeed, diet and exercise are the most important factors for healthy weight loss in the majority of cases. As such, its important that you speak with a qualified medical professional to determine which factors matter most for your bodyand how they can be combined to help you feel your best.
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Get Your Hormones Checked And Lose Weight
Before we get started, heres a short recap of the tips so far: The first and most crucial piece of advice was to;choose a low-carb diet. The next were;eating when hungry,;eating real food,;measuring progress wisely,;thinking long-term,;limiting fruit,;alcohol;and;artificial sweeteners,;reviewing your medications,;stressing less and sleeping more, eating;less dairy and nut products, stocking up on;vitamins and minerals,;exercising;and finally, getting into ketosis.
This is number fifteen:
You’re Consuming Too Much Sugar
I think of leptin as the hormone that says, “Darling, put down the fork.” Under normal circumstances, it’s released from your fat cells and travels in the blood to your brain, where it signals that you’re full. But leptin’s noble cause has been impeded by our consumption of a type of sugar called fructose, which is found in fruit and processed foods alike.
When you eat small amounts of fructose, you’re OK. But if you eat more than the recommended five daily servings of fruit plus processed foods with added sugaryour liver can’t deal with the fructose fast enough to use it as fuel. Instead, your body starts converting it into fats, sending them off into the bloodstream as triglycerides and depositing them in the liver and elsewhere in your belly.
As more fructose is converted to fat, your levels of leptin increase . And when you have too much of any hormone circulating in your system, your body becomes resistant to its message. With leptin, that means your brain starts to miss the signal that you’re full. You continue to eat, and you keep gaining weight.
If you eat more than the recommended five daily servings of fruit, plus processed foods with added sugar, your liver can’t deal with the fructose fast enough to use it as fuel.
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Hrt And Weight Gain: Is It The Hormones Or Is It Menopause
If youve stepped on a scale recently and been unpleasantly surprised by the numbers, you may be searching for a reason behind your unintentional weight gain. If youve recently started taking hormone replacement therapy for menopause, you might suspect your new hormone regimen is the culprit. Or is it menopause itself?
Both menopause and HRT can cause weight gain as well as redistribution of your bodys fat deposits. But you may be surprised to learn that neither menopause nor HRT guarantees that you will gain weightand many women even lose weight during this time. Given these facts, how can you figure out whats causing you to gain weight and come up with a plan for how to stop it?
While it may not always be possible to isolate the cause of weight gain from confounding factors like aging or lifestyle factors, weight gain doesnt have to be mysterious or inevitable when you are in menopause or undergoing HRT. Understanding the link between HRT and weight gain as well as the effects of menopause on weight will go a long way toward giving you peace of mind as well as an action plan to take control of your weight. Despite how intimidating unexpected pounds can be, the good news is that you are far from powerless to counteract it even during menopause and HRT.
Regain Control Of Your Weight Health And Happiness With Biote Hormone Replacement Therapy In Terre Haute In
Hormonal imbalance can undoubtedly wreak havoc on a persons overall health, happiness, and day-to-day life. From weight gain to chronic fatigue, the frustrating symptoms of unbalanced hormone levels seem virtually endless. If you are looking for a reliable, effective, and long-lasting hormone solution in Terre Haute or Carmel, IN, call Body Bar MD to schedule your private consultation with sought-after wellness expert and board-certified physician Dr. Christy Watson today. We look forward to helping you get the relief you deserve with BioTE bioidentical hormone replacement therapy!
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Ways Progesterone Helps With Weight Loss
- Posted on: Sep 17 2020
- View all 8 responses
Maintaining your ideal body weight can be a frustrating and difficult task. You may have heard or suspected that your hormones have something to do with your inability to lose weight and that may absolutely correct, especially if you a woman after childbirth or have taken birth control pills for several years.; For women, hormone balance involves two hormones: progesterone and estrogen. When both of these are in the body at adequate levels, the body will run optimally, however, its when estrogen becomes too high , a woman will find herself in a state of estrogen dominance, which can wreak havoc on several bodily functions. One of which is the bodys ability to maintain its ideal weight.
Hormones Responsible For Weight Gain In Women
by Ed Hagen | Jul 30, 2018 | Blog1, Women’s Health
Did you know that stubborn fat can be harder to lose if your hormones arent in balance? So its a great idea to get all your hormones in check first.
Which hormones? Here are the hormones youll want to get in check to ensure you can achieve the healthiest weight of your life.
1.Thyroid
The thyroid gland produces three hormones: T3, T4, and calcitonin. Togther, they regulate metabolism, sleep, heart rate, growth and brain development, among other functions.
Sometimes the thyroid doesnt produce the right quantities of these hormones, though, and it can lead to hypothyroidism.
Hypothyroid is associated with constipation, fatigue, depression, slow heart rate, and other symptoms. However, it is also related to weight gain, as your metabolism slows down due to the hormone deficit.
2.Leptin
When your body is 100% healthy, leptin signals that you are full and should stop eating.
But when we overeat foods that are high in sugar or processed foods, the oversupply of fructose is converted into fat, and it gets deposited in the liver, belly and other areas of the body.
That is a problem because fat cells can also secret leptin, desensitizing the body to it and causing the brain to ignore the signal to stop eating. This vicious circle can lead to high levels of weight gain.
3.Insulin
4.Estrogen
Estrogen levels that are too high or too low can cause weight gain.
5.Cortisol
6.Progesterone
7.Ghrelin
8.Testosterone
9.Melatonin
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