When To See A Doctor For Weight Management
If you experience rapid weight gain or loss it is time to see your provider. Because weight changes are often a symptom, this one could point to a serious issue.
If you’ve tried losing weight but can’t seem to budge the scale and are feeling frustrated, meet with a provider to discuss your unique health needs is important. If you try a popular diet pattern like intermittent fasting and actually gain weight or notice significant symptoms like fatigue or missing periods arise, its time to check in with your medical provider.
If you notice your hair falling out, a drop in energy, dry or thinning skin, joint pain, mood changes, or any period issues that accompany changes in weightplease get it checked out.
It may be time to test your hormone levels to identify any root causes for your weight loss resistance.
Hormonal Imbalance And Weight Gain
Hormones play an integral role in metabolism and your bodys ability to use energy. Hormone conditions, such as Cushing syndrome, can cause you to become overweight or develop obesity.
People with Cushing syndrome have high levels of cortisol in their blood. This leads to an increase in appetite and fat storage.
Hypothyroidism, if the condition is severe, can also lead to weight gain.
Slight hormone imbalances can happen during menopause. During this transition, many people gain weight because their metabolisms slow down. You may find that even though youre eating and exercising like you usually do, you still gain weight.
The only way to treat weight gain from a hormone disorder is to treat the underlying condition.
During a typical pregnancy, your body goes through major hormonal changes. This is different from a hormonal imbalance.
How To Lose Hormonal Weight Gain
Losing hormonal weight gain starts with finding the hormones affecting your weight. If you have an imbalance caused by an underlying medical issue, getting the right diagnosis and treatment will also be necessary.
Generally, any weight loss goal requires lifestyle changes that include the following strategies:
- A change in diet to reduce calories
- A daily program to maintain activity levels
- Behavior strategies to encourage commitment
- Adequate nightly sleep
Working with fitness professionals can help you find exercises for hormonal weight gain to target areas where you have excess weight.
Medications or hormonal weight gain supplements may also be advised. They can reset hormone levels, treat the effects of abnormal levels, or control underlying problems. Some common treatments include:
- Ovarian cyst surgery for PCOS
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Understand Hormonal Weight Gain And What You Can Do To Lose It
Did you know there is a direct link between your hormones and your weight? This often slips our minds when were traveling the long and difficult road of weight loss. Our bodies need a delicate balance of hormones to maintain a healthy weight for our body makeup.
Its important to have a clear understanding of how your hormones work so you can lose weight and keep it off. Once you recognize the relationship between weight gain and hormones, you can balance your hormones and lose weight healthily and efficiently.
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Does Anything Good Happen
Despite these changes, weight loss isn’t all bad news for your hormones. Some hormones improve after weight loss, doing good things for your health.
For instance, losing weight may:
- Lower estrogen, which can protect from breast cancer.
- Boost testosterone, helping to maintain muscle mass and bone density. It can also improve sex drive in all genders and increase sperm count if a person has testes and is not on androgen blockers.
- Improve insulin sensitivity, reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes .
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The Truth About Hgh For Weight Loss
Can human growth hormone help you burn fat and build muscle?
Can a naturally occurring hormone that promotes growth and development be a dieter’s dream come true? The quest for an easier weight loss solution has some people taking human growth hormone in pills, powders, and injections.
A few small studies have linked HGH injections with fat loss and muscle gain. But the changes seen were minimal — just a few pounds — while the risks and potential side effects are not. And experts warn that HGH is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration for weight loss.
Start Your Weight Loss Program Now And Look Your Best For The Holidays
You no longer need to dread the annual holiday parties and the selfie sticks. If youre struggling to lose weight or maintain your ideal body weight, it could mean you have a hormonal imbalance.
No matter how healthy your diet or how active you are, if your hormones are out of whack, you wont be able to shed those pesky pounds.
At Balance Hormone Center in Norman, Oklahoma, youll find customized weight loss plans designed to target the root cause of your problem. Our primary provider,Gordon Hart, PA-C, and our skilled team of weight loss specialists help you begin your weight loss journey right away, targeting any underlying issues like a hormonal imbalance.
Our specialized team learns all about your life to create the most effective and healthy treatment for you through personalized care and natural treatment methods.
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Hormonal Weight Gain Symptoms
Since hormonal weight gain is linked to many types of imbalances, it can cause different symptoms. The symptoms you have depend on the hormone involved and whether you have too much or too little of it.
In addition to trouble losing weight, common symptoms of hormonal weight gain include:
- A thirst that isn’t satisfied despite drinking water
- “Brain fog,” or an inability to think clearly
Want To Learn More About Your Weight And Hormones
To make an appointment with Drs. McDonald or Wilson at OB/GYN Specialists, call 940-202-0566 today. You can also send us a message here on our website.
Our Denton, Texas, office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 5pm to offer our patients the chance to ask questions, get informed, and start living the lives they most desire.
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The Weight Loss Challenge
Losing weight is hard work for anyone, but it can definitely be more of a challenge when youre dealing with hypothyroidism. Researchers arent exactly sure why this is, but low T3 levels and hormone resistance issues may play a role.
In some cases, knowing how much to eat and discussing the best foods with a dietitian or nutrition professional can be a helpful first step.
What Is Calorie Balance
Calorie balance is the number of calories you consume daily compared to the number of calories you burn. If the amount you eat is less than you burn, you are in a calorie deficit meaning you should lose weight.
Fat loss is generally a longer process for women compared to men, but as with any long-term goal, consistency and adherence are the keys to success. Although calorie deficit is the key factor in weight loss, it does not mean hormones are irrelevant its actually the opposite they can have a massive impact.
Many factors can affect your hormone levels, including:
- Exposure to environmental toxins
And when a hormonal imbalance occurs, losing weight may seem impossible. But keeping an eye on your hormones can help you understand whether they are sabotaging your weight loss.
Our Female Hormone Blood Testprovides a thorough hormone MOT to tell you if your hormones are typical for your age, or whether an imbalance could be affecting your health.
But which hormones are the ones to look at when your weight loss has come to a halt?
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Gain Insight On How Hormone Replacement Therapy Can Help You Lose Weight
Weight loss becomes much more difficult as you get older. No matter how much you diet and exercise, the scale refuses to budge. This can be extremely frustrating, but its important to know that its not your fault. Your hormones are to blame. More specifically, a hormone imbalance has affected the way that your body regulates your weight. But you dont have to bear this heavy burden once you realize that losing weight begins by gaining hormones.
Small Changes But No Weight Loss
When adults with an HGH deficiency resulting from pituitary disease are given HGH replacement, it improves body composition — increasing bone mass and muscle mass and decreasing fat stores.
But it does not cause weight loss in the obese, says Nicholas Tritos, MD, who co-authored an analysis evaluating the effectiveness of HGH for weight loss in obese people.
“Our results showed small improvements in body composition, a small reduction in body fat and increase in muscle mass, but on balance, weight did not change,” he says. “More notable changes are seen when an individual is deficient in growth hormone from true pituitary disease.”
Another study found that HGH therapy was linked to a small decrease in fat and increase in lean mass, but no change in body weight. The researchers concluded that HGH is not an effective treatment in obese people, and said more studies were needed.
Further, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists has warned that the use of HGH for obese patients is not recommended.
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Your Belly Could Get Bigger
It’s the ultimate paradox. Stress makes us want to eat more. At the same time, dieting is stressful. And that may have some unintended consequenceslike belly fat. Several studies have found that diets raise cortisol, a stress hormone that directs fat to your tummy. If that weren’t enough, high cortisol levels also break down calorie-burning muscle, adding another hit to your metabolism.
How Does Leptin Work
Leptin is an appetite suppressant. When everything works the right way, it helps you maintain a healthy weight by balancing the amount of food you eat with how much fat you have.
More specifically, high leptin levels tell your brain âyour fat cells are full,â which makes you less hungry.
If youâve ever been on a diet, you might have noticed that you get hungrier when you cut your calories or start to lose weight. Thatâs in part because typically your body automatically makes less leptin when you lose fat mass. Though, keep in mind that you never lose fat cells. They just get smaller.
But itâs not always about body fat. Simply fasting for several hours can cause your leptin levels to drop.
âIf someone fasts for 8 to 10 hours, your total body fat wonât change much during that time, but the leptin will drop,â Yaleâs Mehal says. âThatâs another way of telling the body Iâm in a relatively low-energy state because I havenât eaten for 10 hours.â
Hunger is complex, says Rutuja Patel, DO, medical director for medical weight loss at the Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital. Hormones arenât the only things that affect it. There are deep seated social and psychological issues that can change the cycle of hunger and satiety, she says: âDoes the food look good to me? Do I really want to eat it? Do I have a circle of friends sitting here ⦠so maybe Iâll eat a little more?â
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Turning On Your Fat Burning Hormones
Losing and maintaining weight is not just about the food and drink you consume versus the energy you put out.
Although energy balance is important, there are other hormonal factors at play that influence your ability to maintain a healthy weight. These hormones can be positively influenced by your nutrition and lifestyle choices.
The hormone that has the greatest connection to weight gain and disease is insulin specifically too much of it. Even if you are eating the recommended number of daily calories, a diet high in sugar and starchy carbohydrates causes raised insulin levels which can result in weight gain as the cells absorb too much glucose and the body converts this into fat. Conversely, a balanced diet based on lean proteins, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, and some whole grains can help to keep your insulin production and weight in check.
Thyroid function plays a vital role in maintaining a healthy weight. The thyroid hormones stimulate diverse metabolic activities in most tissues, leading to an increase in basal metabolic rate. Yet, hypothyroidism, or low thyroid function, is a major player in weight-loss resistance, affecting one in five women and one in ten men. If you have any concerns about your thyroid function, ask your doctor to check your thyroid function.
For information on how we can help with nutrition services, please contact us or call our Private Patients team on 01580 363158.
How Do Hormones Affect Weight Loss
Hormones are chemical messengers that are essential because they control many vital processes in your body. Hormones control how hungry you feel, how your body breaks down food, your sleep and wake cycles, and energy levels. Hormones can therefore influence your ability to lose body fat, maintain muscle, handle stress, and experience hunger.
If you have a hormonal imbalance, either too little or too much of a specific hormone, it can affect your body weight. For instance, if you have a thyroid dysfunction called hypothyroidism, you have an under-active thyroid gland that produces an inadequate amount of the thyroid hormones. Having a reduced production of thyroid hormones is a common cause of weight gain.
Gut hormones also have an extensive role in weight loss or weight gain. An imbalance in intestinal hormones can affect how your body metabolizes food. Gut hormones control insulin secretion and are essential for blood glucose and body weight.
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Can Hormone Imbalance Cause Weight Gain
Yes, certain hormone imbalances can cause weight gain, including:
- Hypothyroidism: This condition happens when you have low levels of thyroid hormone, which causes your metabolism to slow down. This can cause weight gain.
- Cushings syndrome: This is a rare condition that happens when your body has too much of a hormone called cortisol. It results in rapid weight gain in your face , belly, back of your neck and chest.
- Menopause: During menopause, many people assigned female at birth gain weight due to hormonal changes that cause their metabolism to slow down. Its important to remember that this type of hormonal imbalance is natural and an expected part of life.
Several other factors contribute to weight gain. If youre experiencing unexpected weight gain or are concerned about your weight, talk to your healthcare provider.
Your body secretes about 50 hormones that control many critical functions including metabolism, homeostasis , sexual activity, and contraction of the heart muscle.
Think of hormones as messenger molecules that one part of your body makes and then transports elsewhere. Your pancreas, for instance, secretes insulin, a hormone that helps your body utilize glucose for energy.
Hormonal imbalances occur when too much or too little of a hormone exists in your bloodstream. Even small hormonal imbalances can create side effects that resonate throughout your body.
What Hormones Make You Lose Weight
Once you realize how various bioidentical hormones affect the way your body regulates your weight, you can understand why hormone replacement therapy may help with weight loss. When added to a healthy diet and proper exercise, these hormones can help you take off the weight. Hormones that help with weight loss include:
By replenishing your ideal amounts of these hormones through bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, you can get your hormones back in balance and your weight loss back on track.
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Menopause Weight Gain In Stomach
Menopausal stomach weight gain is common. As people age, it becomes easier to gain weight, and extra weight usually gathers around the hips and waist in women.
Weight gain around the abdomen can be dangerous for a womans health because it puts more stress on the area, and being overweight or obese increases a persons likelihood of developing several different diseases and conditions, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure. However, a woman can take certain measures to control weight gain as she goes through menopause.
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How To Keep Estrogen At Optimal Levels
To balance estrogen levels naturally and prevent the weight gain that happens with an estrogen imbalance, youll want to do the following:
- Commit to a regular exercise routine. Many studies, including this 2012 one, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, explain how exercise lowers estrogen levels in obese women.
- Eat your fiber. Fibrous foods help decrease elevated estrogen levels.
- Eat veggies in the cruciferous family. These include broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale, and bok choy. Anything green and leafy is always a good idea, too!
- Reduce your exposure to endocrine disruptors. Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that interfere with our natural hormones. Avoid plastic containers, cans, or water bottles made with BPA. Never microwave plastic.
- Choose organic foods when possible, and choose phthalate-free cosmetics and personal care products.
- Consider bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, which uses plant-based hormones identical to those produced naturally by the human body to keep hormones balanced.
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Consume More Cruciferous Veggies To Improve Estrogen
Since estrogen dominance can be a major contributor to weight gain, eating more cruciferous veggies can really help control excess estrogen.
Cruciferous veggies contain a compound called I3C.
When you eat those veggies, your body converts the I3C into DIM , which is an antioxidant that helps the body get rid of excess estrogen .