If you are not able to lose weight despite your best efforts, hormonal imbalance might be the culprit. Hormones are often ignored by women when they commence their weight loss journey. The emphasis on diet and the frenzy around exercise makes it even easier to neglect our body’s hormonal balance.
Knowing how to reset female hormones for weight loss can prove to be a game-changer if you have reached a plateau in your weight loss journey.
The 9 Key Hormones That Affect Weight Loss in Women
Hormones play a vital part when it comes to regulating weight as they are responsible for regulating our stress and hunger mechanisms which inevitably affect our weight. Once you figure out how to reset female hormones for weight loss, your health journey becomes relatively easier. The following nine hormones have been proven to impact weight and regulating them can be the key towards achieving your desired weight.
1. Insulin
If you are wondering how to balance your hormones for weight loss, starting with insulin might be a good idea. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas and helps to regulate your blood sugar levels. People with insulin resistance, suffer from high blood sugar levels which can lead to obesity and even heart disease.
By knowing how to reset female hormones for weight loss, you can promote insulin sensitivity and prevent your body from getting obese.
2. Leptin
How to reset hormones for weight loss is a matter of how you keep your leptin levels in check. Also known as the ‘fullness hormone’ Leptin is produced by the fat cells in the body that are responsible for regulating your appetite. It signals to your brain that you’re full, which keeps you from overeating. However, obese individuals suffer from leptin resistance meaning that their bodies do not get the fullness signal which leads to unwanted weight gain.
3. Ghrelin
Ghrelin often known as the ‘hunger hormone’ is produced and released from your stomach when it’s empty and has the counter effect of leptin. It increases your appetite, makes you hungry, and signals to the brain that it’s time to eat. Obese individuals are more sensitive to its effects and hence often end up overeating which further negatively impacts their weight.
4. Cortisol
Popularly known as the stress hormone, cortisol is released during stress and regulates the body’s energy levels. Consistently high levels of cortisol can predispose to health problems like diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and weight gain. A high intake of sugary foods and other poor eating habits have been associated with a high cortisol level.
5. Estrogen
Estrogen is a sex hormone responsible for regulating the female reproductive system. It also affects the vascular, immune, and skeletal system. High levels of estrogen have been linked with obesity whereas low levels of the hormone can also cause central obesity, which refers to the accumulation of weight around the trunk. Those who are centrally obese are more predisposed to diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and metabolic syndrome. Hence, maintaining a healthy level of estrogen is integral when you balance hormones for weight loss.
6. Neuropeptide Y
Produced by our nervous system, this hormone binds to the receptors on neurons to regulate our appetite and promote food intake. Hence, excess of the hormone has been linked with obesity and metabolic syndrome.
7. Glucagon-like peptide 1
Glucagon-like peptide 1 monitors our blood sugar levels and promotes satiety by inhibiting the release of neuropeptide Y. Due to its mechanism, it is often a part of medications used to promote weight loss.
8. Cholecystokinin
Cholecystokinin is responsible for protein synthesis (the process by which cells make proteins required for structure and function) and digestion. It is a key hormone for promoting fullness. Once food enters the small intestine, cholecystokinin sends a signal to the brain indicating satiety. Obesity leads to a reduced sensitivity of this hormone meaning that individuals often overeat, further worsening their health.
9. Peptide YY
This hormone is released after eating, circulates in our blood, and attaches to the receptors in our brain to decrease appetite and promote fullness. People with low levels of this hormone have an increased appetite, which can lead to weight gain. Maintaining a normal level of Peptide YY is essential for avoiding obesity.
| Hormone | Main Role | Impact on Weight Loss |
| Insulin | Balanced Blood Sugar levels | Insulin Resistance Leads to obesity |
| Leptin | Signals Fullness to the Body | Leptin Resistance Leads to overeating |
| Ghrelin | Increases hunger | Ghrelin resistance makes weight loss harder |
| Cortisol | Controls energy during stress | Higher cortisol leads to fat pockets in the belly area |
| Estrogen | Regulates female reproductive system | Imbalance leads to central obesity |
| Neuropeptide Y | Promotes food intake | Excess Neuropeptide Y leads to metabolic syndrome |
| Glucagon-like Peptide 1 | Keeps blood sugar levels in check | Promotes weight loss by reducing appetite |
| Cholecystokinin | Supports digestion and protein synthesis | Lower sensitivity to Cholecystokinin leads to weight gain |
| Peptide YY | Promotes fullness | Lower Peptide YY leads to hunger, which in turn causes weight gain. |
Tips Balance Hormones for Weight Loss Effectively
If you are wondering how to reset your hormones, the first thing is to know when your weight gain is hormone-associated. Some signs of hormonal weight gain include unexplainable weight, especially in the abdomen. If you are constantly stressed, eating sugary foods, and not feeling full after eating, you might be suffering from hormonal weight gain. While it sounds concerning, with the right lifestyle changes you can balance your hormones and counter your weight gain.
How to reset hormones to lose weight can sound complicated, but the smallest changes in your everyday life can lead you closer to a more balanced hormone profile. Including omega-3 fatty acids in your diet can improve insulin sensitivity and estrogen levels. Increasing your daily physical activity can also be a stepping stone towards improving insulin sensitivity Moreover, your neuropeptide Y levels also improve with physical activity helping you to shed the extra pounds.
If you want to learn how to regulate hormones for weight loss, it’s essential to create a hormone-friendly diet. This means reducing your sugar intake, incorporating more protein into your diet, and eating nutrient-dense food. A diet high in fiber also promotes fullness which can help you avoid unnecessary eating.
When discussing women’s hormones and weight loss, sleep is a factor that is often neglected. A good quality sleep is integral to ensuring a hormonal balance. Inadequate sleep has been known to promote hunger and cause weight gain. Creating a night-time routine and avoiding screens before bed can help you create a more healthy sleep schedule.
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Top Strategies to Balance Female Hormones and Lose Weight
How to balance your hormones for weight loss is about finding the right diet and the exercises that work best for you. Certain food combinations are more likely to help you achieve a hormonal balance. Similarly, with the right kind of exercise, it is only a matter of time until you can regulate your hormones to lose weight.
The Best Foods to Balance Hormones for Weight Loss
There are multiple food options available that can help you balance hormones for weight loss.
- Vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, and kale can help with detoxifying estrogen.
- Yogurt and sauerkraut contain probiotics that enhance your gut bacteria and help in regulating your body’s estrogen.
- Supplementing your diet with fiber-rich foods such as grains, lentils, beans, and oats is also a great way of ensuring hormonal balance.
- High levels of Cholecystokinin can also help with weight loss, which can be achieved through a diet that is rich in protein like chicken, lentils, and eggs, along with healthy fats such as avocado, salmon and nuts.
Exercise and Hormonal Balance: What Works Best for Women
Just exercising isn’t enough, you need to know what exercises can help you achieve weight loss through hormonal balance. Strength training helps build muscle mass and reduces your cortisol levels. This can help with weight loss as chronically high levels of cortisol are associated with obesity. Combining cardio with weight loss is an even better way of regulating your hormones. Exercise also has a positive impact on sex hormones and can even help increase estrogen levels in post-menopausal women. Exercise is also known to increase the hormone oxytocin which reduces stress and lowers cortisol levels hence increasing mental and physical strength and providing much-needed aid in losing weight.
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Pros and Cons of the Hormone Reset Diet
People who have explored the topic of female hormones and weight loss often experiment with hormone-reset diets. These diets mostly focus on whole foods such as vegetables and lean proteins and do not allow for processed food. The upside of these diets is that they mostly focus on healthy foods and cutting down on your sugar intake which can help balance your hormones.
The focus on protein and whole foods also helps with weight loss. However, in the long run, such diets are not feasible and can even have adverse effects. Not only are they extremely restrictive, but they also cut out healthy food options from your diet, such as fruit and whole grains. These restrictions can lead to nutrient deficiencies like calcium and Vitamin D. Moreover, people following such diets often harbor unrealistic expectations for weight loss which can lead to disappointment.
FAQs
1. How to Balance Hormones to Lose Weight?
If you are asking yourself how do I reset my hormones to lose weight, there’s no one simple answer. However, a combination of lifestyle changes such as a healthy diet, exercise, and getting quality sleep along with stress management can all contribute towards balanced hormones and weight loss.
2. Can Balancing Hormones Help with Belly Fat?
Hormonal imbalance leads to fat accumulation around the abdomen, also known as belly fat. Hence, regulating your hormones can help with reducing your body fat.
3. What Are the Best Supplements for Hormonal Balance?
Some of the supplements that can help with hormonal balance include magnesium, B vitamins, vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acids.
4. How Long Does It Take to Reset Hormones for Weight Loss?
While there is no fixed timeline for hormone reset, with the right lifestyle changes and a little patience, you will inevitably notice signs of weight loss.
Conclusion
All women need to be aware of how to reset female hormones for weight loss. Certain hormones such as insulin, ghrelin, leptin, and cortisol are associated with regulating your weight and their imbalance can predispose to weight gain. Stress management, exercise, a healthy diet, and a sleep schedule are all factors that can help you achieve weight loss through hormone balance.