How to Fix Your Hormones and Lose Weight

Wondering how to fix your hormones and lose weight naturally without carbohydrate and calorie restriction? Struggling with weight loss is an increasingly common problem among the American people as a whole.

You’ve tried it all. The diets that promise weight loss in less than a month and even hit the treadmill with conviction for months.

Yet, the unwanted belly fat and flabby arms still persist. You can’t help but wonder: “What it is you’re doing wrong? How do you fix your hormones and lose weight once and for all?”

Here’s what’s interesting: your inability to lose weight is probably due to your hormones.

Succinctly put, certain hormonal imbalances have an effect on our overall weight, as well as our mood, energy levels and overall level of health.

Before we take a look at the specific hormones that contribute to weight gain, it is imperative that we understand what a hormonal imbalance is.

An Inside Look On Hormonal Imbalances

We’ve often heard the term, hormonal imbalance, getting thrown around in the medical circles, when we visit our doctor or even among some of our friends.

So, what exactly is a hormonal imbalance and what are hormones anyway? Hormones perform crucial roles within the body.

They act as chemical messengers, which means, that they relay important information throughout the body.

Produced by the endocrine glands such as the adrenals, hypothalamus, pancreas and thyroid, hormones control functions such as hunger, mood and even reproduction.

Examples of hormones include estrogen, progesterone, cortisol, melatonin and testosterone.

They also help regulate body temperature, heart rate, metabolism, sleep cycles and stress levels just to name a few.

A hormonal imbalance takes place when there is too little or too much of a particular hormone in the bloodstream.

Due to the crucial roles that hormones play within the body, a slight change in their normal production can cause major and even life-altering symptoms.

However, if your hormones are properly balanced, your health is sure to thrive.

Now, how can one tell if they have a hormonal imbalance?

Symptoms of Hormonal Imbalances

If you’re looking to fix your hormones and lose weight, you need to keep tabs on your hormones. The only way to do this is to check for the symptoms.

Below are some of the symptoms that indicate a hormonal imbalance:

• Anxiety
• Fatigue
• Insomnia
• Skin issues and changes
• Hair changes
• Weight gain
• Difficulty in losing weight
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Excessive sweating
• Irritability/ mood swings
• Thirst
• Headaches
• Bloating
• Infertility
• The vision becomes blurred
• Tenderness of the breasts
• Depression
• Weak bones
• Unexplained changes in heart rate
• Increased or decreased urination

Notably, the symptoms that you experience are often dictated by the type of gland and hormone that is affected.

For the purposes of this article, we shall be focusing on the type of hormones that contribute to weight gain and/or make weight loss difficult.

Below are the hormones that are responsible for weight gain and difficulty in achieving weight loss.

Hormones That Make People Gain Weight

If order to fix your hormones and lose weight, you need to make sure that everything’s in balance. There are four main hormones that are responsible for weight gain and/or difficulty in losing weight.

By knowing about the imbalanced hormones that are responsible for your weight problems equips you with an effective way of dealing it.

Below are the four main hormones:

• Estrogen: Estrogen is a female hormone that is produced by the ovaries, as well as the adrenal glands. However, it is present in men too, but at lower levels. This is because, estrogen, which is also known as estradiol, is the main sex hormone for women, just as testosterone is for men. Estrogen controls how we react and interact with drink and food.
• Insulin: This hormone is responsible for ensuring normal levels of blood sugar or glucose. If there is too much sugar within the body, insulin is unable to transport glucose to body cells. This is known as insulin resistance, which is a condition responsible for diabetes and obesity.
• Cortisol: Cortisol is a stress hormone that is produced assist as during stressful situations. The more stressed you are, the more it is produced. This, in turn, encourages the body to store visceral fat around your abdomen. Additionally, it causes sugar cravings and food addictions.
• Adiponectin: This is a fat burning hormone. Hence, the less it is produced, the more fat is likely to increase within your body.

Causes of Hormonal Imbalances

Now, what causes hormonal imbalances? You absolutely need to be aware of this in order to fix your hormones and lose weight.

Actually, a number of factors are linked to the imbalance of hormones within our body. Of course, knowing the cause of the imbalance helps one map out the proper way to treat it.

Understanding the cause also allows us to prevent them from occurring in the first place.

There are natural causes of hormonal fluctuations such as puberty, perimenopause and menopause. However, the below causes are due to the choices we make.

Below are some of the major causes of hormonal imbalances:

• Poor diet
• Toxins
• Sedentary and unhealthy lifestyle
• Extreme stress levels
• Poor gut health
• Poor liver health
• Inflammation
• Exposure to toxins

So, now that we’ve highlighted some of the major causes, how do you fix r treat hormonal imbalances?

How To Fix Your Hormones and Lose Weight

• Change your diet: Most of the time, our hormone imbalances are connected to what we eat. When changing your diet, think plant-based foods and high carb diet. For instance, increase your fruit and vegetable intake, which will also increase your fibre intake. The fibre helps in the excretion of certain hormones, such as estrogen, which can help balance it out.
  Fruits is very high in antioxidants and other nutrients. Antioxidants help fight free radicals, which are responsible for inflammation and cell damage.
• Reduce inflammation: One way of reducing inflammation is by changing your diet to a plant-based diet. Healthy whole plant foods reduce inflammation and increase metabolism.
• Do a liver detox: The liver is responsible for regulating and removing different types of hormones from the body. From sex and adrenal hormones to cortisol and thyroid hormones to name a few. If the liver is not functioning properly, you’ll have a hormonal imbalance. A liver detox will help move things along and encourage your hormones to balance out again.
• Gut repair: To repair your gut, you must change your diet, deal with any digestive problems (like Candida, SIBO, IBS, parasites, etc.) and add gut healing supplements, like probiotics to increase your healthy gut bacteria. These healthy bacteria also aid in the proper regulation and production of hormones, such as insulin.
• Sleep more: getting enough sleep not only allows your body to recover and restore, but also keep hormones, such as cortisol, balanced. By getting at least 8 hours of sleep, your body is also able to detox toxins, hormones and other substances from your body effectively.
• Exercise: If you suffer from mild to chronic stress, exercise can help alleviate t symptoms significantly. In fact, getting your blood flowing by exercising helps you think clearer, sleep better and even feel happier. This way, you are also able to make better and healthier life choices.

Based on all the above – what’s your personal plan to fix your hormones and lose weight?

References

Causes of Hormone Imbalance. (n.d.). Retrieved May 29, 2019, from Women In Balance Institute: https://womeninbalance.org/seventh-woman/causes/

Dr Jeff Egler, M. (n.d.). 7 Signs You Have a Hormonal Imbalance. Retrieved May 29, 2019, from Parsely Health: https://www.parsleyhealth.com/blog/hormonal-imbalance-symptoms/

Franziska Spritzler, R. C. (2017, May 15). 12 Natural Ways to Balance Your Hormones. Retrieved May 29, 2019, from Healthline: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/balance-hormones

Hormone regulation. (n.d.). Retrieved May 29, 2019, from The Hepatitis C Trust: http://www.hepctrust.org.uk/information/liver/hormone-regulation

Huizen, J. (2018, April 12). What to know about hormonal imbalances. Retrieved May 29, 2019, from Medical News Today: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321486.php

Sara Gottfried, M. (n.d.). What I Tell My Patients Who Want To Lose Weight: A Hormone Expert Explains. Retrieved May 29, 2019, from Mind Body Green: https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-24654/what-i-tell-my-patients-who-want-to-lose-weight-a-hormone-expert-explains.html

What Are Hormones, And What Do They Do? (n.d.). Retrieved May 29, 2019, from Hormone Health Network: https://www.hormone.org/hormones-and-health/hormones/hormones-and-what-do-they-do

Best Foods For Gut Health: https://www.rawsomehealthy.com/best-foods-gut-health-sibo-candida/

How To Detox Your Liver: https://www.rawsomehealthy.com/detox-your-liver-fatty-liver-disease/