Imbalances Can Make You Feel Miserable

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While poor diet and lack of exercise are common causes of weight gain, hormonal imbalances can also contribute to packing on the pounds. To tackle hormonal weight gain, it's important to restore balance hormone production and release.

Hormonal weight gain is reversible or treatable when the underlying cause is identified in a timely manner and correctly managed with guidance. Imbalances in cortisol and thyroid hormones are common culprits for obesity.

It's important to understand that hormones are controlled by your hypothalamus, a section of your brain that acts as the control center for your body. It works hard to maintain a stable state of homeostasis that can make it difficult to lose weight. Low estrogen levels can contribute to gaining fat in the belly area, and stress can also throw your hormones out of whack. So if you're struggling with anxiety or that extra weight around your waist, it could be due to a hormonal imbalance.

Hormones Can Make You Miserable

Balanced hormones result in feeling and looking your best. However, when imbalanced, symptoms like fatigue, sugar cravings, weight loss resistance, bloating, belly fat, insomnia, anxiety, irritability, and chronic stress can make you feel miserable. Common culprits are discussed below:

Estrogen: When estrogen is in balance, fat storage plays an important role in a woman’s reproductive functions. But, when there's too little or too much estrogen released into the bloodstream, problems with weight control becomes more likely.

Progesterone: When there's not enough progesterone, women may experience irregular periods, headaches, mood changes, and even loss of sleep. Men with low testosterone levels may have a low sex drive, hair loss, fatigue, and loss of muscle mass.

Testosterone: Testosterone hormone can increase metabolism, which can lead to weight loss for some men. But, a recent study suggests that testosterone alone does not cause weight gain in men but does alter fat metabolism.

Insulin: Exercise, particularly routines or activities that target belly fat, can help reduce circulating insulin and encourage your liver to break down fatty acids, including visceral fat deposits. So, the fat-storage hormone plays a major role in how effectively and efficiently your metabolism works.

Cortisol: Fat stores from too much cortisol hormone for too long differ from fat storage from a balanced metabolism. Visceral fat is not easily be converted to fuel for the body. It often attaches itself to organs and can cause a hormonal belly that may be hard to lose.

Thyroid Hormone: One of the primary functions of thyroxin is to increase the basal metabolic rate, regulating the amount of energy the body uses at rest. Thyroid hormones also have a crucial role in metabolism regulation. Imbalances can lead to serious health conditions, weight gain or loss, and poor body temperature control.

Hormonal weight gain isn't just about appearance. It can lead to a variety of health issues with serious implications. That's why it's crucial to address and treat the underlying cause of hormonal imbalances. As you age, changes in your hormone levels can also lead to low mood, poor sleep, and feelings of fatigue.

While specific foods may not directly boost hormones like leptin, a poor diet and excess weight can make these hormones less effective and lead to changes in fat-storing cells. which release more leptin during physical activity. Visit MRC online to take control of your hormones and say goodbye to unexplained weight gain.