How Hormones and Weight Go Hand in Hand
Hormones and weight are intimately tied together. If you’ve tried every diet (honestly and to the letter) and in addition to working your butt off in the gym and nothing seems to help, hormones may be to blame. If you’ve gone through all of the above and you seem to actually gain weight (fat, not muscle), then I’d bet my last dollar that hormones are wreaking havoc.
Here’s the thing…after forty, hormones start going bonkers. Personally, mine all tanked. Low levels of just about everything. Progesterone, testosterone, estrogen, and even thyroid levels. Rock bottom. I didn’t want to get out of bed. Low to no energy. Much harder to lose fat. The works.
But let’s back up a bit and discuss how hormones and weight work together.
Hormones directly affect your metabolism. Metabolism is not only responsible for burning calories, but also turning protein, fats, and carbs into compounds like simple glucose, amino acids, and fatty acids. These compounds are then transported into your cells, which then helps grow and maintain your muscles, and breaks down the fat stored by your body. Hormones are what keeps all of these metabolic functions running smoothly.
There are far too many hormones to name and list all that they do. But here are the primary hormones involved:
Insulin: This is a fat-storage hormone. If you have insulin resistance or block, your cells can’t absorb blood glucose your body creates from the food you eat. When that happens, your liver converts the glucose into fat, which causes weight gain.
Thyroid: Your thyroid is responsible for how fast or slow your metabolism burns calories with hormones referred to as T3 and T4. If it’s sluggish, it can cause weight gain.
Estrogen: Of course, we’re all familiar with this one. As we age, estrogen levels drop off. One form of estrogen called estradiol helps to regulate metabolism and body weight. Low levels of estrogen (estradiol) can lead to weight gain.
Leptin: Otherwise known as the hunger hormone. Normally, when you’ve had enough to eat, leptin signals your brain that you’re full and subsequently, you stop eating. When you’re overweight, fat cells produce excess leptin. When your brain gets inundated with excess leptin signals, it shuts down. Leptin levels continue to rise, receptors stop functioning, your body doesn’t get the leptin signal, you don’t feel full, and you just keep eating. It doesn’t take a genius to know that vicious cycle will make you gain weight.
Cortisol: Otherwise known as the stress hormone. This hormone and weight gain connection might be surprising to some and not so much to others. Many people I know eat when they’re stressed and usually turn to unhealthy snacks. But why? Cortisol stimulates insulin release and maintenance of blood sugar levels. The result? The munchies. The problem is, while a healthy snack might be okay for you to have, that’s not what you want. Cortisol triggers cravings for high-sugar, high-fat, or salty foods. Again, it doesn’t take a brain surgeon.
If you’ve tried everything to lose weight and nothing seems to work, ask your doctor for a blood test with a hormone panel. That would show levels for testosterone, estradiol, T3, T4, progesterone, DHEA (also affects metabolism), and any others your doc might include. This would give a pretty good indication of hormone balance (or lack of), which may be impeding your efforts to lose weight.
I never knew anything about this, and my regular family doctor never mentioned hormones and weight issues. It wasn’t until I met my trainer, who also happens to be an MD. I was a healthy weight, but my progress had stalled. When I told her that I was in perimenopause she immediately ordered blood work with a hormone panel. It wasn’t a surprise that my levels were all low. She prescribed bio-identical hormones (synthetics are the ones you should avoid) and it didn’t take long before energy levels came back up, my mood was brighter, and I started making progress in fitness again.
Unfortunately, insurance doesn’t cover hormone therapy and so, it comes out of pocket. if you do find out that that’s the culprit, you can stop beating yourself up emotionally. Hormones and weight gain are a real thing.
But don’t just throw your hands in the air and give up.
Left unchecked, your weight gain could spiral out of control. Eating clean whole foods and regular exercise still do wonders at battling the hormone issues. But knowledge is power and if you know what the issue is, you can take countermeasures like eating foods which help to balance hormones or meditating and getting enough sleep to reduce cortisol levels. If you can afford it, do the bio-identical hormones. There are options out there.
Giving up isn’t one of them.