Discover which hormones impact your body weight and how you can restore the proper balance.
There are many forces at work in your body, and they can all make or break your weight loss efforts. The most impactful forces are hormones. Your body has numerous hormones essential for overall health, especially maintaining an optimal weight. Food and exercise don’t just influence your calorie intake but also impact your hormone levels. In fact, hormones impact body weight because they go hand-in-hand with blood sugar control, insulin balance, and metabolism. The following hormones can play a significant role in maintaining your weight.
Thyroid Hormones
Thyroid hormones impact body weight by dictating your metabolic rate. If you have an under-active thyroid, your thyroid gland does not produce enough hormones, decreasing your metabolism and increasing weight gain. However, if your thyroid is hyperactive, you may lose weight at a fast rate and have trouble maintaining a healthy weight.
Insulin
People with diabetes are not the only ones who need to be concerned about insulin. Insulin is a hormone secreted by your pancreas, meant to regulate glucose levels in the body and promote fat storage, especially around the belly. Foods that promote insulin secretion are sugars and refined white flours.
Cortisol
Cortisol is known as the “stress hormone.” This hormone often goes hand-in-hand with insulin and can make weight loss or gain very difficult. When your cortisol levels rise, insulin also tends to rise.
Cortisol is often blamed for inducing “stress eating” or overeating when stressed. This habit, combined with high insulin levels, can be a huge roadblock to losing weight.
Testosterone
Testosterone is the sex hormone in men and reduces body fat while helping with muscle formation. If your body’s testosterone levels drop, you may notice increased body fat, especially in the abdominal area. Testosterone is also helpful for keeping you motivated and capable during your workouts; when your T levels are low, your workouts are much less effective.
Glucagon
Glucagon is the enemy of insulin, as it can have the opposite effect of that hormone. If insulin is down, glucagon is up, and vice versa. Glucagon is known for its ability to burn fat and is secreted when you consume protein. This is why higher protein intake is encouraged during your weight loss plan.
How Can You Balance Your Hormones?
You can take the knowledge of which hormones impact body weight to create a more well-rounded weight loss plan. You can do the following to balance your hormones:
- Eat enough protein during each meal
- Cut down on insulin-stimulating foods like sugar, processed flours, and alcohol
- Exercise regularly to stimulate healthy hormones
- Avoid under-eating and overeating to keep insulin levels balanced
- Eat fiber-rich foods daily to protect against insulin resistance and overeating
Finally, you can also pursue hormone therapy at LifeXMD. In particular, therapy programs that boost your thyroid and testosterone hormone production can significantly impact your health. Our physicians will use the results of your physical exam and blood lab to determine any hormone imbalances, as well as which therapy treatments may be most beneficial.
For All of Your Health and Wellness Needs, Contact LifeXMD Today
LifeXMD is a bioidentical hormone therapy provider that you can trust with all of your hormone, weight loss, supplemental, and aging needs! When you join our trusted family, you gain a support system that you can count on daily. We provide customers with vital medical advice, comprehensive treatment programs, and personalized and attentive customer service in our offices within the states of Florida, Michigan, and Arizona. We do, however, provide Telemed services nationwide which allow us to treat you from the comfort of your home and mail therapies directly to your door. No more embarrassing doctors appointments and pharmacy pickups. We’re significantly less expensive/costly than the brand name medicine due to our compounded medication availability through our FDA licensed pharmacies inside the USA.
For more information about how we can assist you, visit our website, email us, or give us a call at 833-543-3963!
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