How Hormones Really Affect Weight Loss And Fat Storage
While you might blame hormones for your mood swings at certain times of the month, did you know that the food you eat and the exercise you do also impacts your hormones? Our hormones play a huge part in weight loss and fat storage, which is something that our team at Braxton Fitness often discusses with clients. This is one of the key reasons that many people struggle with weight loss, but there are ways in which you can work to overcome these issues. Let’s take a look at how hormones really affect weight loss and fat storage so that you can look and feel your best at any stage in your life.
How Do Hormones Impact Our Weight?
Hormones are powerful chemical messengers which can make or break your weight loss journey. As well as controlling your blood sugar and insulin balance, they also impact your metabolism, which controls how much fat you lose or gain. When it comes to discussing hormones and weight loss, there are three main hormones that you’ll want to know about. Firstly, insulin is the hormone that is secreted by the pancreas. It aims to regulate sugar levels and promote fat storage. For anyone who struggles with belly fat, insulin is likely to be the culprit of this, especially if you are eating a diet that’s high in sugars and refined white flours.
Glucagon works against insulin, so when one of the levels is up, the other is down. This is a fat-burning hormone that you’ll secrete after eating protein. Finally, as far as weight loss, cortisol, which is the stress hormone, also plays a huge role in this. Insulin and cortisol work hand in hand, and when your stress levels are up, insulin levels are raised. That’s why many people find they gain weight or can’t lose weight during a period of chronic stress. Weight loss isn’t just about how much you eat or how often you work out, as your hormones also impact whether you are able to reach your target weight.
Other Hormones Which Impact Weight Loss
As well as these three main hormones which impact your weight loss journey and working with different types of trainers, there are others that play an important role in this task. If you are constantly feeling hungry, leptin and ghrelin may be to blame for this. Leptin is the weight-regulating hormone that’s made by fat tissue. Ghrelin is released in your stomach and also encourages your appetite to increase. However, it also works to break down fat and increase muscle.
The sex hormones, including estrogen and testosterone, are also involved in weight gain and loss. While they don’t play such an important role as the other hormones we’ve mentioned, for many men, low testosterone is a reason for weight gain. Once these levels are restored, you’ll be able to lose weight at a quicker rate. For women, estrogen plays a role in how we use glucose for energy. It also impacts our insulin sensitivity and the foods that we should eat to gain energy. Men are also impacted by this hormone in the same way that women are affected by testosterone. Make sure you focus on stress reduction and a balanced diet to avoid upsetting the balance of testosterone and estrogen in your body.
The thyroid gland is an area that’s received more attention from medical professionals in recent years. It’s located at the lower part of the front of your neck. It controls your metabolic rate and the speed at which your body burns calories. If you are really struggling with your weight loss journey, you may find that you need to speak to a medical professional. They might find that you have a condition such as hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism, which can be treated to assist with restoring your hormone levels to a normal level.
How to Achieve Hormonal Balance for Weight Loss
Now that you know a little bit more about the importance of balanced hormones for weight loss and fat storage, you might be wondering how you can achieve hormonal balance. Firstly, we recommend reducing your consumption of insulin stimulating foods. These include white sugar, alcohol, and processed flour. Instead, focus on adding glucagon stimulating foods to your meals. These include chicken, fish, turkey, yogurt, eggs, protein powder, and cottage cheese. One way that anyone can support their hormonal health is by consuming more essential fatty acids. As well as fish, seeds, and nuts, you could also take a daily supplement for this reason.
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Keeping hydrated each day is an easy way to improve your hormonal health. Focus on consuming two liters of water a day, which you can top up with green tea to boost your metabolism. As far as reducing the impact of stress on your body, exercise is the best way around this. It’s an easy way to lower cortisol response, and you can find a way to work with any type of personal trainer at Braxton Gilbert Fitness to combat this issue. A good night of sleep can also assist with this, and it’s shown to help control secretion and improve weight loss. Try to fill your day with as many stress-relieving activities as you can, which could include meditation, cuddling a pet, or just spending time in nature. By using all of these tips shared here, you’ll be able to take control of your hormonal health. In turn, you’ll notice a difference in your weight loss journey and feel more in control of your health and fitness.
As you can see, hormones really do play a huge part when it comes to weight loss and fat storage. By working to achieve hormonal balance and reduce stress in your life, you can achieve your target weight this year. We recommend focusing on reducing stress in your life to lower your cortisol levels, as this is one of the most common reasons we see for weight gain among our clients. For more information about working with a personal trainer to reduce stress and achieve your target weight, contact our team at Braxton Gilbert Fitness Mobile for more information.