What Hormones Affect Weight Gain

Stopping Hormonal Weight Gain

There are things you can do to prevent hormonal weight gain, and most of them, you probably already know!

Eating a healthy diet, establishing an exercise routine, and cutting out excessive inflammatory foods like sugar are all important things you can do. Other important things you can do are maintaining a healthy gut by taking a probiotic, quit smoking, establishing a sleep schedule and cutting out inflammation-causing alcoholic beverages.

It seems too easy, but itâs the same advice Dr. Dorr shared as well: âThe key is to stay active, eat whole â not processed â foods, get good sleep and find ways to best handle stress.â

He also suggested considering hormone replacement therapy:

âMany people choose hormone replacement therapy, and it is very important that you are taking hormones that are meant to be in your body, that they are delivered the right way and that they are the right dosing for you. The key is to achieve the right levels of these hormones for each individual.â

Pros & Cons Of Weight Loss During Menopause

Maintaining or reaching a healthy weight is advisable at any stage in life, however, there are important factors to consider when losing weight during menopause. Extreme weight loss, such as that often seen during yoyo dieting, can lead to a loss in bone mineral density . It is therefore very important to get healthy in the right way and to take the necessary steps to aid bone health with nutrition and supplements. You can read all about how weight impacts menopause symptoms and bone health here.

Are you struggling with menopause or worried about perimenopause symptoms? Get in touch today to book an appointment with one of our doctors and find out how bio-identical hormones can make a difference for you. Dont forget to too, for all of the latest news, advice and information.

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Hormones That Can Cause Gain Weight

There are 7 main hormones I focus on when my clients are struggling with stubborn fat, motivation, mood swings, and weight gain. They are the hormonal superstars that regulate metabolic functions, namely hunger, satiety , and if youre burning or storing it. These 7 hormones literally make or break your ability to lose weight and feel great. If any of these hormones are imbalanced, you can gain weight because they start to impact others.

This is an overview of how these 7 hormones impact your mood, energy, metabolism, and food choices which can ultimately lead to weight gain and stubborn fat. Too much stress and sleep affect these hormones that trigger weight gain, too! That means dieting and exercising like a pro, but you can gain weight if youre not sleeping enough or youre too stressed.

HORMONE #1 LEPTIN

Leptin tells your brain that youre full and regulates metabolism so you burn more fat when your body needs to. You need at least 7 solid hours of sleep so your brain knows youre okay and will sustain natural metabolic functioning and balance.

The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism concluded sleep duration influences leptin production, because sleep modulates a major component of the neuroendocrine control of appetite. That means poor sleep can affect your hunger and eating before bed can affect your ability to sleep!

HORMONE #2 CORTISOL

HORMONE #3 GHRELIN

HORMONE #5 INSULIN

HORMONE #6 GLUCAGON

HORMONE #7 GROWTH HORMONE

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Hormones Incidental In Weight Gain

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, hormones can control everything from metabolism and energy levels to growth and development. Hormones play a role in weight, experts told USA TODAY but they are not the primary driver of weight gain, as the post claims.

Dr. Artur Viana, clinical director of the Metabolic Health & Weight Loss Program at Yale University, said that while hormones are involved in obesity, they are not the sole cause. Robert Lustig, professor emeritus of pediatrics at the University of California-San Francisco, told USA TODAY theres an ongoing debate in the nutrition field over the extent to which hormones contribute to obesity.

Is obesity a problem of energy balance, or is obesity a problem of energy storage? he said. If its a problem of energy balance, its all about calories. If its about energy storage, then the question is: Whats storing it? And the answer is one of two hormones: insulin and cortisol.

For example, when blood sugar rises, the hormone insulin goes up, allowing sugar to exit the blood and enter cells where it is needed. But when cells receive more sugar than they need, fat begins to accumulate. However, insulin itself doesnt cause weight gain.

Lustigs recommendation for people looking to lose weight is simple: Stop eating sugar.

Thats numbers one, two and three, he said. Get rid of the sugar, get rid of the sugar, get rid of the sugar.

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Understand How Insulin Impacts Weight

Insulin is one of the most important hormones when it comes to weight loss and weight gain. Made by the pancreas, insulin is responsible for storing blood sugar, or utilizing it, depending upon your bodys needs of the moment. After you eat a large meal, a substantial amount of insulin releases itself into the bloodstream. It also enters the bloodstream as needed throughout the day, ensuring that blood sugar levels remain stable.

Another key function of this essential hormone is fat storage. Insulin decides how much fat to store, and how much to convert for energy expenditure. Chronically high levels of insulin can lead to a condition known as insulin resistance, which is linked to an uptick in blood sugar as well as continued elevated insulin levels.

Preventing this insulin imbalance is crucial, as it leads to weight gain, and eventually type 2 diabetes. When insulin levels remain high over an extended period of time, obesity and metabolic syndrome are often the unfortunate outcome.

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Hormones That Can Cause Your Fatigue Weight Gain And Mood Changes

Something we know for sure is this we all have hormones. These chemical messengers in your body are sent to your organs and tissues to perform a certain function. The communication that happens between your hormones and organs control major metabolic processes within your body, such as mood, energy, weight, temperature regulation and even digestion. An imbalance in these little guys are often what causes us to look at our health a little more closely, because its only until they are not working optimally that we remember we even have them.

Well discuss some of the most common hormone imbalances we see in our patients. Sometimes when you identify one hormone imbalance, you may find that it could be linked to another hormone imbalance, giving you the pieces of the puzzle you have been looking for!

1. Thyroid:

What you may experience with suboptimal thyroid:

• Feeling tired and exhausted

What you may experience with an imbalance in cortisol:

• Poor stress response

What you may experience when insulin resistance is present:

Can Thyroid Hormone Be Used To Help Me Lose Weight

Thyroid hormones have been used as a weight loss tool in the past. Starting or increasing thyroid hormone to cause thyroid hormone levels to be elevated is unlikely to dramatically change weight. Studies have shown that excess thyroid hormone treatment can help produce more weight loss than can be achieved by dieting alone, but includes the risk of major negative consequences from the use of thyroid hormone to help with weight loss, such as the loss of muscle protein, loss of bone, and/or heart problems. Furthermore, once the excess thyroid hormone is stopped, any weight loss is usually regained.

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Pillar : The Inflammation

Women with hormone imbalances may also experience some level of chronic inflammation, usually due to physical or emotional stress that can be triggered by hormonal changes themselves. This in turn can lead to premature aging, autoimmunity, and other chronic illnesses that could develop into more serious health complications.

What You Need To Know About Leptin Resistance

When your body becomes resistant to leptin, leptin levels become too high. In fact, overweight individuals who get their leptin levels tested typically find their leptin levels to be as high as four times the normal level. Whats more, its really difficult to balance leptin levels once theyve become resistant.

With leptin resistance, communication between the brain and leptin is impaired, so that your brain doesnt understand that its full, and tells your body to keep eating. Its as if your brain thinks youre starving when in reality, youre just leptin resistant.

To reverse leptin resistance or prevent it from happening to you in the first place, lets talk food, drink, and supplements. Everything in your body impacted by what you put into it, and leptins no different. Sugar, in particular, can cause leptin levels in your body to skyrocket, so youll want to eat less sugar. Other ways to prevent or reduce leptin resistance include:

• Committing to a regular exercise routine
• Getting truly restorative sleep on a regular basis

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Roles Of Other Factors In Weight And Girth Changes

shows the mean change in weight from baseline to the last measurement of PEPI participants by treatment assignment in subgroups defined by age, ethnicity, smoking status, alcohol intake, and physical activity. Included in this table are P values from regression analyses for assessing relationships between weight change and each baseline characteristic. Of the factors besides treatment assignment, only age , overall physical activity , leisure physical activity , and work physical activity had statistically significant univariable associations with weight gain. Similar analyses were performed for hysterectomy status, years since menopause, and prior postmenopausal hormone therapy, which did not have statistically significant associations with changes in weight or girths.

The forward regression algorithm used to develop a multivariable predictor model indicated that hormone treatment , older age , and greater activity were each independently associated with less weight gain. In addition, an independent negative association of weight gain with alcohol consumption was of marginal statistical significance in the multivariable model. Ethnicity, hysterectomy status, time since menopause, smoking status, prior hormone therapy, and individual activity domains were not significantly associated with weight gain after controlling for these other factors.

Mean changes in waist and hip girths for participants grouped according to baseline characteristics

How Is Hormonal Weight Gain Diagnosed

An evaluation with an endocrinologist can help determine if a hormonal condition is the underlying cause of weight gain. Declining estrogen, adrenal disorders, hormonal resistance, thyroid imbalance, and several other hormonal imbalances can lead to weight gain. Laboratory tests give endocrinologists insight to hormonal imbalances when combined with your symptoms and presentation, but it doesnt always tell the whole story. Blood and urine results can be influenced by many things. For this reason, we suggest special evaluations to see how metabolic information relates to the lab data.

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Midlife Fitness For Women

Your female clients have a lot of questions, and AFAAs Midlife Fitness for Women has the answers. In this online course, youll focus on the physiology of women during and past midlife, including the stages and symptoms associated with menopause and the potential long-term effects of estrogen deficiency . In addition, you will learn programming strategies for this population.

REFERENCES

Agnihothri, R.V., et al. 2014. Moderate weight loss is sufficient to affect thyroid hormone homeostasis and inhibit its peripheral conversion. Thyroid, 24 , 1926.

Arent, S. 2018. Assessing body composition, performance metrics & biomarkers. Dr. Bubbs Performance Podcast, Season 2, Episode 12. Accessed Jan. 4, 2019: drbubbs.com/season-2-podcast-episodes/2018/3/s2-episode-12-assessing-body-composition-performance-metrics-biomarkers-w-dr-shawn-arent-phd.

Belfort, R., et al. 2005. Dose-response effect of elevated plasma free fatty acid on insulin signaling. Diabetes, 54 , 164048.

Boden, G., et al. 1991. Effects of fat on insulin-stimulated carbohydrate metabolism in normal men. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 88 , 96066.

Chao, A.M., et al. 2017. Stress, cortisol, and other appetite-related hormones: Prospective prediction of 6-month changes in food cravings and weight. Obesity , 25 , 71320.

Ferrannini, E., et al. 1983. Effect of fatty acids on glucose production and utilization in man. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 72 , 173747.

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Can An Endocrinologist Help With Weight Loss

An endocrinologist can very often help you reverse weight gain that is associated with hormonal imbalances. Potentially useful interventions include lifestyle changes such as exercise, diet modification, or stress management, as well as treatments such as testosterone or thyroid hormone replacement. Medications may be able to help with weight gain-related symptoms such as increased appetite, or to moderate excessive hormone levels.

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How Estrogen Replacement Therapy Can Help With Belly Fat During Menopause

Recent studies show that menopausal women on hormone therapy tend to have less body fat, especially visceral belly fat. Because estrogen affects how your body distributes fat, low estrogen levels can contribute to gaining fat in your belly area. However, estrogen replacement therapy can help your body redistribute this fat to different areas on your body, rather than your abdominal area. This is a key benefit of estrogen therapy, as belly fat specifically increases your risk for many negative health consequences.

In addition to fat redistribution, estrogen replacement therapy may help add to a healthy exercise regimen. Researchers have found that menopausal hormone replacement therapy may help the effects of exercise on body fat. Additionally, estrogen replacement therapy can help you feel well enough to exercise regularly. Therefore, if you have symptoms of menopause that interfere with your life and also notice youre gaining more belly fat than you used to, talk to your hormone doctor about your options. In many cases, hormone replacement therapy can help you feel better and improve your overall health.

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Signs Your Hormones Are Causing Weight Gain

Several different factors can cause belly fat, including gender, age, dietary habits and amounts of physical exercise and hormonal misfiring. So how can you tell if hormones are the cause of your abdominal weight gain? While you can look out for some signs, its important to discuss any of your questions with a doctor to identify the root cause. Sometimes its not always so obvious and can vary from person to person.

Here are a few warning signs and symptoms you can look out for to help identify the cause of your belly fat:

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What Are The Treatments For Hormonal Weight Gain

There are a number of treatments available to help reduce and reverse hormonal weight gain. Your doctor will work with you to determine the best course of action for you.

Potential treatments include:

Hormonal imbalance can be treated through hormone replacement therapy. If you have symptoms of a hormonal imbalance, its important to see your doctor. Treating hormonal imbalance can help prevent the health risks associated with weight gain.

Causes Of Insulin Resistance

• Overweight or obesity. Excess weight is a leading risk factor for developing insulin resistance.
• Sedentary lifestyle. Multiple studies have shown that physical inactivity can lead to insulin resistance. In this study, subjects on bed rest experienced a 67% increase in bed rest after just five days.
• Older individuals are at a greater risk of developing insulin resistance.
• Alcohol and foods high in carbohydrates have also been linked to insulin resistance.

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Hormones That Affect Your Weight

A large number of hormones important to your body can significantly affect your weight. It can help to talk to your doctor about your weight concerns and to find out if, perhaps, your hormone levels may be imbalanced enough to lead to the problem. Below, youll find some of the most common hormones that can cause weight fluctuations.

The Relationship Of Hormones And Weight Gain

Maintaining a healthy weight can feel like a Catch-22. Being overweight or underweight affects your hormones and can throw them out of whack. But hormone imbalances can be the reason your weight is fluctuating.

So, what are hormones, and why are they messing with your weight?

Hormones are chemical messengers in your body. They are messengers that travel through your bloodstream to reach tissues and organs. Hormones are essential in coordinating and controlling bodily activities.

Your body may accidentally over or underproduce hormones. When this happens, your endocrine system becomes unbalanced.

The most common complaint of hormonal imbalances is weight gain. Even when dieting and exercising regularly, people with hormonal issues continue to experience unexplained weight gain. Other warning signs of a hormonal imbalance include:

• Mood swings and depression
• Fertility problems
• Weakness and fatigue

Hormone problems are very prevalent, especially in women. A survey found that out of 2,000 American women, 47% percent reported symptoms of hormonal imbalances.

Lets explore the different hormones that affect our body weight.

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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

Reduce Exposure To Hormone Disruptors

Toxins are one of the most common reasons why hormonal weight gain occurs.

You see, toxins cause inflammation, which basically throws your body into a state of confusion.

The most common source of toxins is the food we eat.

Food toxins that contribute to hormonal weight include:

• Processed and genetically modified fats
• Processed sugar
• Processed meats

So, if you want to lose weight fast and reverse hormone-related weight gain, reduce your consumption of these foods and ingredients.

This single step will make a tremendous difference in your bodys ability to shed excess pounds.

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