Stop Feeling Guilty About Unexpected Weight Gain

Part 1 of a two part series on Hormonal Imbalance and Weight Loss

Stop feeling guilty about unexpected weight gain, many obstacles (like hormone imbalance) have nothing to do with what you eat or how much you exercise. The common metabolic weight-loss equation of burning more calories than you consume only applies when your body has good hormonal balance. Influenced by hormone levels and enzyme secretion, you metabolism is the rate at which your body uses your daily nutrition. As you grow older, your endocrine tissue may produce less of its particular hormone; or it may produce the same amount but at a much slower rate.

Saliva testing for estrogen dominance

Estrogens are a group of sex hormones that promote the development and maintenance of female characteristics in the human body. When you have too much estrogen compared to progesterone, the estrogen dominance causes a number of negative symptoms, such as weight loss resistance that makes losing weight nearly impossible. Estrogen dominance, which can be identified through saliva testing, may be sabotaging your weight loss efforts and making it more difficult to keep weight off.

DHEA needed to balance other hormones

DHEA has something of a checkered past with regulations being enacted for performance enhancing drugs but this important hormone may have a very useful future in correcting metabolic problems caused by unwanted belly fat. A woman's body relies on adequate levels of DHEA to balance other key hormones like estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. Produced in the adrenal glands, DHEA levels begin to decline with age. Because there is a good chance that DHEA my reverse the age-related accumulation of abdominal fat and help prevent the development of pre-diabetes, elderly men and women should consider supplementation.

Testosterone builds muscles to burn fat

Testosterone hormone works differently in men and in women, so the advice for men doesn’t necessarily apply to women. Both obesity and diabetes are associated with lower levels of testosterone hormone in men, but higher levels of testosterone in women. A decrease in testosterone levels can lead to a loss of muscle mass. Since muscles burn more calories than fat, hormonal balance keeps the metabolism working well but a decrease in muscle tissue could lead to additional weight gain. Research suggests that more than 90 percent of the women over age 45 suffer from low testosterone. This loss, which continues with age, negatively impacts your mental acuity, stamina, appearance and zest for life, as well as your health and wellness.

Importance of saliva testing during weight loss

Maintaining hormonal balance during weight loss takes some effort and requires working closely with your consultant. Saliva testing is one of the most important aspects of this process for the accurate monitoring your body's needs. A single saliva collection allows MRC to test for hormone imbalances that could be the cause of your weight loss problems.