How to Balance Hormones and Lose Weight
Hormones could be a big part of the picture when it comes to weight management. They control your appetite, how your body converts food to energy and have a say in so many other pathways that regulate weight, so it’s fair to say that a hormonal imbalance might be what’s sabotaging your weight loss efforts. Read on to uncover how to keep your hormones happy and address the weight gain that just won’t budge.
Causes of Hormone Imbalance
First stop is stress. Cortisol is a hormone that modulates our stress response, and stress-induced cortisol response has been linked to weight-gain around the midsection. Not only this, but elevated stress can also mess with your blood sugar levels, triggering overeating, cravings and disrupting your appetite. Studies have found that by integrating something as simple as mindfulness meditation actually lowers cortisol levels in the blood, which has a knock on effect of lowering physical side effects of too much stress, such as shedding those unwanted kgs.
In line with cortisol, getting a good night’s sleep is one of the first steps in maintaining balanced hormones. If you’re not sleeping well, there’s a good chance your hormonal communication signalling will be off. A poor night’s sleep doesn’t only dysregulate your stress levels, but also your appetite hormones, ghrelin & leptin.
Hormones That Effect Weight
Hunger hormones stimulate appetite, increase food intake and promote fat storage, as well as making you more likely to crave sugary, processed foods. Combine this with a decrease in motivation to exercise, you’ve got a cocktail of commotion when it comes to weight loss. Aim for 7-9 hours in a dark bedroom to promote restorative sleep. If you’re struggling with sleep insomnia, reach out – our naturopaths can help.
Supplements To Balance Hormones and Lose Weight
Your plate is your powerhouse for hormone balance. It’s crucial for supporting optimal hormonal function and nurturing your body. Aim to increase your intake of cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, brussel sprouts and rocket. These magical veggies promote liver function and as the liver clears hormones the body no longer needs and is the main detoxification organ – it’s a star player in hormone balance and weight loss. Another thing to be mindful of is how much you’re eating – if your body doesn’t feel like it’s getting enough food, it downregulates the production of sex hormones – isn’t the human body incredible? Ensure you’re treating your body right by nourishing her/him with balanced macronutrients… and enough of them. Aim to reduce or eliminate your intake of; simple carbohydrates (sugar-rich processed foods), coffee on an empty stomach/too much caffeine, A1 dairy and alcohol.
To sum things up – ditch the diet and maintain a balanced, holistic approach to health. This involves stress management techniques and a wholefood approach to diet and lifestyle to keep your cortisol and blood sugar levels at bay, as well as drinking enough filtered water daily and integrating an enjoyable, mindful exercise regime into your routine.
How Our Newcastle Naturopaths Can Help
If you feel like there could be an underlying driver that is impacting your weight management, such as a thyroid issue, insulin resistance, or menopause, get to the bottom of it and “book here” to see one of our expert Newcastle naturopaths. They will take an in-depth case analysis and utilise appropriate functional testing to investigate potential underlying drivers that could be contributing to hormonal imbalance and impacting your health journey.
