Can Hormone Imbalance Cause Belly Fat?

“Let MRC Dothan Create a Hormone Weight Loss Plan to Reset Your Metabolism”

Yes, by altering natural metabolic processes, hormonal imbalances can cause unintended weight gain by increasing hunger and promoting fat storage rather than burning calories. Uncontrollable cravings for high-calorie, sugary or fatty comfort foods can cause persistent fatigue and low energy. In fact, disruptions to neurotransmitters that are responsible for chemical signaling are key drivers of unexplained rapid weight gain, especially in the face, belly or neck.

A hormonal weight loss plan focuses on balancing sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone as well as insulin, leptin and cortisol to regulate metabolism, hunger and fat storage. Combining a protein-forward menu plan with resistance training, and improved sleep quality can promote fat burning and reduce your risk of unintended weight gain. Disrupted hormone production during menopause or andropause can slow metabolism and promotes abdominal storage of visceral fat.

Weight loss medications like GLP-1 injections mimic natural the fullness hormone ghrelin to slow digestion, lessen appetite, and reduce your overall daily consumption of calories. For menopausal women and men with hypogonadism, hormone replacement therapy can help to redistribute fat, particularly around the hips and thighs for women and stubborn belly fat in men. Moreover, both sexes can lose crucial muscle mass due to sex hormone imbalances. 

Do hormones naturally shift in men and women?

Fluctuating hormonal levels associated with natural aging can change how a man or a woman’s body burns energy and stores fat. For example, declining estrogen in women may lead to weight redistribution moving fat stores from the thighs and hips toward the abdomen. Low testosterone in men can lower metabolic rate and reduce muscle mass that promotes fat accumulation around the midsection, which is typically referred to as belly fat. Obesity alters adipose tissue function in both men and women, which results in leptin resistance, insulin resistance, and sex hormone imbalances. Whereas men normally experience lower testosterone with higher estrogen levels, women typically exhibit higher androgen and estrogen levels. In addition to unintended weight gain, this can lead to reproductive issues as well as metabolic complications. In both sexes, obesity is associated with alterations to thyroid hormone as the body attempts to compensate for a slower metabolism. Plus, dysfunctional stress hormones can create a vicious cycle where cortisol boosts fat storage, especially in adults with excess abdominal fat.

Best Weight Loss Plan for Women Over 40

Metabolic weight loss works by creating a negative energy balance. Yes that’s correct; consuming fewer calories than your body burns forces it to utilize stored fat for survival. So, unlike popular fad diets, the best weight loss plan for women over 40 is a personalized approach that preserves her metabolic rate and focuses on hormonal balance. Although metabolism doesn’t slow until their 60s for most women, important muscle mass that burns calories, even when the body is at rest. Although the immediate calorie burn at rest is low, muscle burns more calories than fat.

A personalized menu plan that focuses on sources of lean protein, healthy fats, and abundant non-starchy, low-glycemic produce is typically recommended for managing menopausal weight gain by eating more nutrient-dense whole foods. Plus, lifestyle-based programs like the Mayo Clinic Diet say that women over 40 need to break old habits that aren’t working at this age and build new ones that do. Generally speaking, shedding unwanted weight gain is a two-phase approach with a “Lose It” phase for a quick start and then the “Live It” phase for long-term, sustainable weight control.

At Metabolic Research Center Dothan, we take a holistic approach to losing weight and restoring metabolic efficiency by tackling the cause of unintended weight gain from every angle. Whereas the most recent study suggest your metabolic rate doesn’t tend to slowdown naturally until later in life, MRC has always offered hormone testing as a key option for both medical weight loss programs and traditional plans that focus on restoring metabolic wellbeing. That’s because undetected hormone dominance or deficiency can make it easier to gain and more difficult to lose it and keep it off.

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The best weight loss programs for women over 40 focuses on restoring hormonal balance, preserving proper metabolic function, and adopting sustainable habits, but not engaging in extreme calorie cutting with a highly-restrictive diet. After 40, poor sleep, high stress levels, lack of exercise, muscle loss, and sugary drinks can have a greater negative impact on fat gain and unintended increases in body weight. However, since increases in body fat with age is not uniform, MRC’s metabolic plans are highly personalized to ensure you reach your unique goals for long-term weight control. If you’re trying to decide whether a prescription-based weight loss plan or a more holistic metabolic weight loss program is right for you, contact MRC Dothan today. One of our weight loss coaches will be in touch to discuss how hormone imbalances, genetic factors and key lifestyle habits may have slowed your metabolism and led to unintended weight gain. After all, hormonal balance can be restored and disrupted metabolic rates can be reset with a personalized approach.