Are you trying to stick to your healthy routine as much as possible to lose your extra weight but not getting the desired result?
Maybe you've searched a lot to find out why, which could simply be due to changes in your hormone levels. Hormones are chemicals that the brain sends nerve signals to glands to release. These hormones travel in the blood to different body parts to trigger vital functions. When hormones are released at normal levels, they work precisely, but if they are too low or too high, they can disrupt body functions and shape. This disruption might cause weight gain or loss. This article highlights how different hormones affect body weight.
How do hormones affect body weight?
As mentioned, hormones directly handle many vital functions, support body growth and building, increase muscle mass, and also directly influence body weight and feelings like hunger, fear, excitement, and more.
Since genetics and environment affect normal hormone levels, these hormones can directly impact body weight. If they become imbalanced, it might cause noticeable or excessive weight gain.
However, it's not too worrying because you can manage this by seeing your doctor and eating 300 to 500 fewer calories daily than allowed. You can also overcome these hormonal imbalances by following some tips and health advice that we will discuss next.
Hormones that control body weight:
There are some well-known hormones directly linked to body weight, whose effects on weight gain are clear, and they are:
Estrogen and progesterone hormones:
These are the main female hormones that affect the functions of the female reproductive system. Their levels change during sudden changes in the woman's body like menstruation, pregnancy, menopause, and so on.
Keeping a balance between these two hormone levels helps lose body fat and stay healthy. But when estrogen rises during the menstrual cycle, it causes painful symptoms, tiredness, and weight gain.
Progesterone also directly affects thyroid hormones which cause mood swings a few days before menstruation. This leads to increased appetite, feeling hungry, and wanting more calories compared to the days of the cycle itself when this feeling decreases.
You might not be able to control your strong food cravings, but you can cut your calorie intake as much as possible. Overcoming female hormone fluctuations can only happen by following a healthy diet and exercising regularly.
Cortisol hormone:
It's the stress-fighting hormone, released from the adrenal gland. It helps ease the stress the body feels now and then. But if you're stressed too much for a long time, this hormone is released in big amounts which weakens the immune system, builds belly fat, and leads to weight gain over time.
You can reduce body stress by getting enough sleep every day, cutting back on stimulants, practicing meditation, and doing exercise in general.
Thyroid hormones:
These hormones control your body's metabolism (burning process). The more regularly or highly they're released, the easier it is to lose extra weight. If your thyroid is underactive, it releases low levels of these hormones, causing fat buildup and difficulty losing weight. This can be genetic or environmental. So you should check with your doctor and nutritionist to find the right treatment and diet for losing body fat and excess weight.
How to beat hormonal imbalances in your body and lose extra weight?
If you think fixing hormone problems is impossible, you're wrong. It just takes sticking to a healthy routine and some time before you see health improvements. Some important steps in a healthy routine that help fix hormone imbalances and shed extra weight are:
- Improving diet quality:
More important than just following a diet to lose body fat is the quality it's built on. You should choose a healthy diet rich in protein, minerals, and vitamins, with lower carbs and fats. Eat more fruits, veggies, legumes, whole grains, and complex carbs.
- Reducing exposure to external estrogen hormone:
There are environmental factors that can raise your estrogen levels without you knowing or wanting it. This throws off your female hormone balance and can cause weight gain. To balance hormones and help lose fat, eat veggies like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and other similar ones.
- Daily physical activity:
If you rarely do physical activities, this bad habit can eventually mess up your hormones, cause fat buildup, and weight gain. But if you’re active daily, your hormones stay balanced. This helps you get rid of extra fat and weight, keeps you healthy, boosts your blood vessels and heart, and lowers your blood sugar.
- Reducing stress:
You might think reducing stress is almost impossible if you can’t control what stresses you out. But with some healthy habits, you can reduce stress feelings. These include sleeping 6 to 8 hours daily, doing meditation and yoga. Over time, this helps balance your cortisol hormone in the blood and protects you from weight gain causes. It makes it easier to follow healthy diets that help you lose weight and fat.
