Wrong diet, unhealthy eating habits, lack of physical activity are commonly blamed for weight gain and obesity, but sometimes, we often overlook a few other players which may be clogging your weight loss journey. You may workout regularly, eat a healthy diet, but if still there’s no progress on the weighing scale, do get yourself checked for hormonal imbalance. If you have been having unexplained weight gain and also inability to lose weight, certain hormones in your body may be in a disarray. Do you know certain hormones play a major role in adding extra pounds, especially around the belly area. Usually stubborn fat, also called as visceral fat, which refuses to melt off easily is more likely due to imbalance of hormones. If you are find it hard to lose weight even with doing everything in your might, it would be prudent to get your hormones checked. In this post, we tell you about 11 hormones that directly affect body shape and weight gain.
11 Hormones that Directly Affect Body Shape and Weight Gain:
1. Thyroid: The thyroid gland in our body which regulates metabolism secretes three types of hormones – T3, T4, and calcitonin. When there is an imbalance in these hormones, weight gain is a common symptom along with fatigue and sluggish metabolism.
2. Insulin: Insulin is a fat-storing hormone, secreted by pancreas, which is instrumental in creating new fat cells. Many people believe insulin is needed to regulate blood sugar levels in the body, but it’s also a hormone which triggers creation of new fat cells. When body cells become insulin resistant, your body easily stores extra calories as fat, without burning them off. Whenever you eat high-glycemic food such as high-sugar, refined, processed food cause sharp spike in insulin levels and all those extra calories will most likely get stored in the body as fat deposits.
3. Estrogen: As women begin to age, their estrogen levels drop and it becomes difficult to lose weight and on the contrary, they begin to gain weight. Estrogen is a female sex hormone which regulates menstrual cycle. Lose muscle mass. PCOS is a condition where there is an imbalance of hormones with low levels of estrogen, progresterone imbalance, and high amount of testosterone. One form of estrogen called estradiol decreases at menopause. This hormone helps to regulate metabolism and body weight. Lower levels of estradiol may lead to weight gain. One reason why people might gain weight around menopause is changing hormone levels. This type of fat gain tends to build up in the abdomen and around the organs, where it is known as visceral fat. Insulin resistance, weight gain, are common symptoms of estrogen imbalance. Anorexia can also cause, also strenuous workout may result.
4. Leptin: Leptin sends “satiety” signals to your brains which satiates the feeling of hunger. It is a hormone found in fat cells that regulates the amount of fat stored in the body. It is found that the effect of “leptin” is exactly opposite to that of another hormone “ghrelin” which is the hunger hormone.
5. Cortisol: Losing weight can be immensely stressful for most of us, but it could be one of the reasons why you actually gained weight and are unable to lose it all now. Stress can increase the level of a hormone called cortisol which leads to weight gain. One key tip to shed those extra pounds is to worry less about situations and stay carefree about the same. Don’t make losing weight a job to do, make it a hobby or passion. This will change your outlook towards it and cause less stress inside your mind. In this post, we have listed out 10 Tips to Lower Stress in order to Lose Weight.
6. Ghrelin: Ghrelin is also called the hunger hormone because it triggers appetite and when someone says, they have a “huge appetite,” they have high levels of ghrelin. This hormone is secreted by the stomach, brain, and pancreas. When you have high ghrelin levels, you feel constantly hungry, unable to feel full even after having a large meal. When you are in a fasting state – Usually, when you take lesser calories than the body burns leads to production of this hormone. Therefore, women should consume at least 1200 calories per day and men should take 1500 calories per day. Refined sugar, particularly food stuff with fructose can trigger the production of ghrelin.
7. Progesterone: Through various studies, it has been established that progesterone promotes obesity weight gain as progesterone supports thyroid while increasing body temperature and metabolism
8. Melatonin: We have been stressing on the importance of getting at least 8 hours of sleep every night to effectively lose weight and that’s because “melatonin” which is a naturally-occurring hormone, released from pineal gland in the brain, helps to have a good night’s sleep which helps boosts metabolism, protects muscle from damage, suppresses the hunger hormone, and regulates the circadian rhythm. Circadian rhythm is a clock kind of a setting which controls our sleeping and waking patterns. Melatonin also has antioxidant properties and also aids fat metabolism and improves insulin sensitivity. Melatonin levels rises during sleep, helping us to have a good sleep, also boosts production of thyroid and growth hormone, both of which are necessary for weight loss.
9. Glucocorticoids: These are naturally-occurring steroids in the body which curb the affects of inflammation by suppressing the function of certain proteins that promote inflammation. They also help to determine how the body uses fat and sugar, eventually being a deciding factor in weight gain.
10. Testosterone: Though preliminary blood tests may show all numbers to be within normal limits and in the range, if you look closely, an imbalance between estrogen and testosterone levels can cause weight gain. Low estrogen level and high testosterone can make it difficult for women to lose weight as well.
11. Growth hormone: This hormone is essential for not only weight loss, it also has amazing anti-ageing benefits. It helps in building up of muscle and burning of excess fat. As we start to age, growth hormone declines and we tend to lose muscle mass, and there’s a natural tendency to put on weight, especially around the belly area.
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