The Link Between Hormonal Imbalance And Weight Gain
Underlying health issues and getting older can both cause hormonal fluctuations, making you feel less than your best. A hormonal imbalance can even cause weight gain, along with a few other unpleasant side effects.
Our dedicated primary practitioner, Gordon Hart, PA-C, at Balance Hormone Center, promotes healthy hormone balancing using gentle and effective methods. These compassionate treatments include holistic solutions to help rebalance everything your body needs to stay active, happy, and healthy.
Your High Estrogen Levels Are Expanding Your Fat Cells
Although estrogen is responsible for making women uniquely women, its also the hormone that can be the most troublesome in the fat department. At normal levels, estrogen actually helps keep you lean by goosing the production of insulin, a hormone that manages blood sugar. When estrogen gets thrown off, though, it turns you into a weight-gain machine.
Heres how: When you eat, your blood sugar rises. Like a bodyguard, insulin lowers it by escorting glucose into three different places in your body. When insulin is in good working formnot too high and not too lowit sends a small amount of glucose to your liver, a large amount to your muscles to use as fuel, and little to none for fat storage.
If youre healthy and in good shape, your pancreas produces exactly the right amount of insulin to have your blood sugar softly rise and fall within a narrow range . But when your estrogen levels climb, the cells that produce insulin become strained, and you can become insulin resistant.
Thats when insulin starts to usher less glucose to the liver and muscles, raising the levels of sugar in your bloodstream and ultimately storing the glucose as fat. Your fat tissue can expand by as much as four times to accommodate the storage of glucose.
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Youre Hungry All The Time
Labeled as the hunger hormone, ghrelin tells you when its time to eat and has a significant impact on the size of your appetite. If you were to start fasting tomorrow, skipping breakfast, lunch, and dinner, your body would take notice and as a result begin to release ghrelin, telling you to eat again. On the other hand, if you suddenly began to binge on candy, your stomach would quickly recognize this overconsumption and cut back on ghrelin secretion.
However, research shows ghrelin secretion can become dysregulated when you gain weight. In fact, obese individuals tend to have elevated circulating levels of leptin and decreased levels of ghrelin. Having elevated leptin levels, despite what you may expect, does not always mean you are more likely to stop eating. When you have consistently elevated leptin levels this can lead to dysfunction of leptin receptors which means your brain will not receive the message youre full. This hormonal confusion throws your hunger cues out of whack and you do the opposite of what leptin is designed to do, so you continue to eat without ever receiving the signal to stop, resulting in the undesirable hormonal belly.
Your gameplan:
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Resolve Your Hormonal Weight Gain Issues
If you believe a hormone imbalance may be inhibiting your weight-loss journey, we are here to help you. We specialize in bio-identical hormone replacement therapy and design individual treatment plans for all of our patients.If you have any questions about hormonal weight gain or our program, or send us an email. Were here to help you on your journey to wellness.
How To Test And Track Estrogen Levels
To best way to understand how your estrogen levels are responding to any recent treatments or lifestyle changes is through hormone testing and tracking.
Currently, there are three different ways that you can test your estrogen levels. This includes blood testing, urine testing, and saliva testing. Each method comes with its own pros and cons in terms of the medical support required and the type of information that you will receive in your results.
For example, a blood test at your doctors office or through an at-home testing service like Lets Get Checked will only give you a one-time snapshot of your estrogen levels at the time that you take your test. If you want to know how your levels change over time, you will need to continue testing on a weekly or monthly basis. The downside of this approach is that it can become expensive and time-consuming.
Urine testing with a system like Mira is another option that may be a bit less expensive depending on your situation and insurance. Testing with Mira is as easy as taking a pregnancy test, and the best part is that you will receive your results in real-time. While Mira cannot test for all types of estrogen, it can test for the urine metabolite of Estradiol , which is the most dominant form of estrogen in individuals of reproductive age.
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What Is Estrogen Dominance
First of all, lets get this out of the way. Educating yourself about WHAT is going on in your body and WHY will give you the direction you need to keep going.
Estrogen dominance is a term thats become quite popular, but many dont truly understand what it means. Often we think dominance must mean too much, but this is not the case.
Estrogen dominance is simply an imbalance in the ratio of estrogen to progesterone, in favour of estrogen. This could mean that:
You have excessively high levels of estrogen
You have normal estrogen and low progesterone
You have low estrogen and extremely low progesterone
Therefore, it is possible for women of all ages to be estrogen dominant. There are 3 main estrogens, estradiol, estriol and estrone. For the purposes of this article, Im talking about estradiol- the estrogen that is most important throughout our lifespan. On the flip side, estriol is highest in pregnancy, and estrone becomes the dominant estrogen post-menopause.
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Hormonal Imbalances You Cant Control
Again, even if youre doing everything right and utilizing these tips to try to keep your hormones in balance, you may still require some help from your doctor.
Checking your hormone levels in order to find out which of these are higher or lower and which may require more balance can help. This way, you will know what is creating your weight gain or loss and how you can better manage the issue at home and with your doctors help.
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What Hormone Helps With Weight Loss
Hormones that help with weight loss include: Testosterone: This sex hormone produced by both men and women inhibits fat storage, especially in the abdomen. Estrone: This form of estrogen helps women control their appetite and sugar cravings. Progesterone: This sex hormone facilitates the conversion of stored body fat to energy.
A Neat Way To Burn Calories
Many trainers get too focused on the calories clients burn during their training session and forget about how much they move the rest of the day . This other energy expenditure is called nonexercise activity thermogenesis , and it actually makes up the bulk of calories burned in a days activity.
If your clients are sedentary, ensuring theyre getting enough movement during the day should be a top priority. The suggestion for 10,000 steps is a great place to start. In the short term, apps or fitness trackers can be very effective tools for showing clients how inactive they truly are.
It can take 812 weeks to build new movement habits. Walking to work, taking the stairs, parking as far away from the entrance as possible , or doing a daily or nightly walk with friends or loved ones are all great ways to add more movement into the day.
If you want more context on NEAT, read this resourcenext!
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Hormonal Belly Fat: What Is It And How To Get Rid Of It
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- HORMONESHormonal Belly Fat: What Is It and How to Get Rid of It
Lower belly fat affects many people, and recognizing and understanding its causes can help you burn it off. Sometimes hormones can be the culprit for excess belly fat. As we age or experience lifestyle changes, our hormone levels can fluctuate due to several factors, such as menopause or high stress levels, resulting in a hormonal belly.
Fortunately, many tips and treatment options are available to help you get your hormones in check and lose hormonal body fat to achieve your ideal body weight.
Hormones And Weight Gain: How To Fix The Hormones That Control Your Weight
Did you know that your weight is directly related to your hormones? This is a fact many of us forget as we travel along the often slow and frustrating road to weight loss. To maintain a weight thats healthy for our unique bodily makeup, a delicate balance of hormones is required. If certain hormones are off-kilter, weight gain often results.
In order to lose weight and keep it off we must understand the intricate inner workings of our many hormones. Once we understand the relationship between hormones and weight gain, we can take the proper steps to balance these hormones and lose weight in a sustainable, healthy way.
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Can I Lose Weight With Hrt
There is also no direct connection between HRT and weight loss. However, balanced hormones will allow your body to regulate the metabolism and may make it easier to lose weight if youre operating at a calorie deficit. In other words, it will help your body work the way it should so that weight loss wont be as difficult.
Occasionally, patients gain weight at the beginning of HRT as their hormones get regulated. But this side effect generally subsides within weeks. And while some patients report losing weight with HRT, thats because the work they were already doing to eat a healthy diet and get exercise can finally pay off.
Currently, research shows that theres no correlation between HRT therapy itself and weight. So, theres no reason to fear a treatment that can significantly improve your quality of life.
Of course, not everyone is a candidate for HRT. Thats why its crucial to see a doctor to discuss your medical history.
How Do Our Hormones Affect Our Weight
From a young age, our hormones enact the changes that bring us from young girls to women. During puberty, estrogen is responsible for depositing body fat to our chests, hips, thighs, and butts. It is common for young women to gain about 15 pounds during puberty.
After puberty, our hormones need to stay balanced to promote a healthy cycle each month. Imbalances in hormones can lead to other issues outside of the reproductive system, including unexplained weight gain.
Imbalances in hormones can lead to other issues outside of the reproductive system, including unexplained weight gain.
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Causes Of Hormonal Imbalance
Hormonal imbalance can be the result of a variety of risk factors. Though both lifestyle and diet can contribute to hormonal imbalance, it often develops from illness.
Issues with the thyroid or adrenal glands are a very common catalyst for hormonal imbalance. Thyroid conditions can affect the production of certain hormones. Hypothyroidism, in particular, is linked to significant weight gain. The weight gain and obesity that often comes with hypothyroidism is a result of hormonal imbalance.
Other causes of hormonal imbalance include:
Know Your Iuds: Kyleena Mirena And Copper Iud
In Canada, there are currently two types of IUDs available:
- Copper IUDs also called Non-Hormonal IUDs The copper material of these non-hormonal IUDs prevents pregnancy by creating an environment that is unfavourable to sperm cells. This environment reduces the sperm cells ability to fertilize the womans egg. Learn more about Copper IUD here
- Hormonal IUDs The hormones in these IUDs also produce an environment that is unfavourable to sperm cells. These IUDs make the mucus within the cervix thick. The dense texture of the mucous prevents sperm cells from reaching the egg. In addition to this, the hormones in these IUDs can prevent ovulation. Without ovulation, eggs cannot leave the ovaries. If there are no eggs for the sperm cells to fertilize, pregnancy cannot exist. Learn more about Mirena IUD and Kyleena IUD
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How Do I Know If I Have Hormonal Weight Gain
You may be experiencing hormonal weight gain if you have signs of hormonal imbalance. A broad range of symptoms could indicate a hormonal imbalance in the body:
You do not feel satisfied after eating
If a meal that used to satisfy you is now leaving you craving more, this could indicate your sex hormones are indirectly affecting your metabolism-regulating hormones. The two main players here are estrogen and progesterone.
You have high levels of stress
Under stressful conditions, adrenal glands release cortisol to manage your body’s stress levels. When you are under constant stress, excess cortisol will be released, creating an imbalance.
You only gain weight on your abdomen
Menopause is linked to low estrogen levels, changing the distribution of fat in the body. This causes weight gain in the midsection rather than other parts of your body.
You have increased sugar cravings
If you constantly find yourself craving sugary food, this may indicate your body is fighting insulin resistance. Insulin resistance prevents cells from adequately absorbing sugar, thus increasing cravings and leading to weight gain.
Various tests check for hormonal imbalances in the body, including:
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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Tips For How To Reset Your Hormones
With todays modern lifestyle, hormone imbalances are becoming increasingly common due to stress and other factors. Fortunately, you can make some lifestyle adjustments to your everyday routine to help get your hormones back on track. Here are some top tips for how to reduce belly fat and combat hormonal misfiring:
How Low Estrogen Can Affect Your Body
Estrogen is a very busy hormone for women throughout their lives. Men have some too, but women have more. Estrogen is primarily active in reproductive development and health for women, but its role is far greater than that.
Estrogen is actually a group of sex hormones, each of them performing different roles in womens health and development. Estrogen helps make women curvier than men by making their pelvis and hips wider, and their breast grow.
Estrogen is part of your menstrual cycle, helps you get pregnant, and plays a role in helping you develop bones and grow hair. It also helps regulate your moods and impacts your brain development and structure.
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Causes Of Hormonal Weight Gain And How To Prevent It
Have you been losing and gaining the same 10-20 pounds for the past couple of years? Its now halfway into 2020 and if your New Years Resolution was lose weight and you havent quite reached your goal yet, dont feel too discouraged.
Weight gain and weight loss are influenced by a lot of factors, some of which you may not know about and are out of your control.Keep reading to learn more about the reasons for hormonal weight gain and the steps you can take to prevent it.
Hormones And Womens Weight
Since hormones regularly fluctuate in women and since those fluctuations can cause a variety of symptoms Davis said that hormones are often implicated when other health problems arise, sometimes without justification.
Some hormone-related disorders can cause weight changes. Hyperthyroidism, for example, occurs when the thyroid gland produces too much of the hormone thyroxine, according to the Mayo Clinic. That can result in weight loss or gain.
But that doesnât establish hormones as a driving factor for all weight gain.
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Pregnant women also gain weight in part due to the release of hormones that encourage fat deposits, Davis said. But she said pregnancy is not a womans general state, and therefore the rich hormonal milieu of pregnancy cant be implicated in all weight gain, either.
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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.