Is Hormone Imbalance Behind Your Weight Loss or Weight Gain Struggle?
Are you one of the millions of women who struggle with their weight? Weight loss is a multi-billion dollar industry, and there is a never-ending list of products, programs and procedures you can buy that will supposedly take the pounds off—but few have long-lasting results. The great news for you is that weight gain is often related to hormone imbalance, so balancing your hormones may be just the ticket to getting your weight back on track.
Far fewer women struggle to put weight on, but for them, hormone balance is often the answer as well. If you eat well but feel too skinny or undernourished, you may be able to stabilize your weight by balancing your hormones.
How Hormones Affect Weight
Cortisol is often called the “stress hormone,” because your body releases it when you’re stressed—but it’s more appropriate to think of it as your energizing hormone. The level in your body should be higher in the morning, so you are energized for your day’s activities, and drop through the day, to a level that is calming, so you are ready for sleep at night. Excessive cortisol can cause feelings of anxiety and fragility, lead to weight gain, particularly around your waistline, and aggravate menopausal symptoms.
Thyroid hormone also helps maintain your weight. Hyperthyroidism, the condition in which your thyroid levels are too high, can cause anxiety, irregular menstrual cycles, and weight loss among other things. Too little thyroid hormone, known as hypothyroidism, is more common in women. Hypothyroidism can decrease your entire metabolism, with symptoms including easy weight gain, lethargy, fatigue, insomnia, headaches, migraines, depression, exacerbated PMS, heavy periods, irregular menstrual cycles, hair loss, dry skin, digestive problems, and constipation. (Are you starting to see how important hormone balance is?)
Estrogen isn’t directly related to weight, but an excess can make it easier for you to gain weight.
Additional Factors in Healthy Weight
Maintaining a healthy weight obviously isn’t just about your hormones. Lifestyle has a big impact on weight, so getting sufficient rest, eating nutritious foods while not overindulging on junk foods, and exercise are all part of a lifestyle that will sustain your ideal weight.
Every body is different, and your needs change over time, so there is no set amount of sleep, calories or exercise that can be prescribed to optimize health for all women. Instead, you must pay attention to your own needs, and make sure that they are met. You don’t have to spend hours a day on the treadmill to maintain a healthy weight, but you have to move your body and eat the appropriate amount of food to supply the energy that fuels you.
Achieving Hormonal Balance
Conversely, no matter how well you eat and exercise, if your hormones are out of balance, you won’t be able to maintain your ideal weight. Despite all the grand claims in the marketing materials for weight-loss products, the clinically-proven solution we have found focuses on helping your body produce the right hormones, in balance, so that your system is able to stabilize. Once that’s achieved, with a healthy lifestyle you will be able to maintain your desired weight.
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