What is hormonal weight gain and how can you stop it?
Shazia Shahani
Biotechnology || Lecturer || Academic Writer || Article and Blog Post writer || Freelancer
Table of Contents
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In your body, hormones are chemical messengers that foster different metabolisms including appetite to mood swings and fat storage alongside the fertility mechanism. Fluctuations in hormone secretions will lead to major changes in body functionality including weight loss or gain.
?Hormones, in normal availability, is essential in order to maintain internal body environment. When they, in balanced quantities, are secreted, your body functions fluently and efficiently. On the other hand, while being in imbalance conditions, body metabolisms either slow down or even stop. So, attaining them back in balanced form is vital if you desire your body functions well.
?Indications of Hormonal Weight Gain
Human body is sensitive towards external as well as internal environment (i.e. Hormonal response). When your body weight increases besides of following a proper diet plan and doing daily exercises, it may be due to imbalanced hormones.?
You can indicate the signs of hormonal weight gain if you observed ones of the following symptoms. These are:
Note: Fat accumulation is consequented in weight gain under hormonal imbalance stress and its distribution is different in both males and females in following ways:
In males; fats accumulated in belly/abdominal area while in women fats distribution is seen in different body areas before and after menopause period.
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Hormones That Control Your Body Weight
It is compulsory to know the hormones’ type and how they control body weight. When you understand the connection between hormones, fats aggregation and its distribution that causing abnormal functions including weight gain, then you’ll be able to control and take steps on the road that directs you in balancing hormone secretions in such a healthy way that it will get helped you to bring your body weight back to its normal level.
The important hormones and how do they function, explained below:
1. ? ? Insulin
Insulin is one of the crucial hormones because it stores sugar and also allows to use the aggregated glucose according to the body's demands. It allows the sugar to pass through the cell walls so that sugar can convert into energy or remain in stored form inside the body.
?Source of Production: Insulin is produced and secreted by the pancreas.?
2.? ? ? Leptin
Leptin is also a hormone with great significance just like the insulin hormone and is considered as an appetite suppressant hormone. It actually speaks to your brain and lets your brain know whether you are hungry or satiated.
Source of Production: Leptin is mainly produced by white adipose tissue, but also by the stomach, skeletal muscle & pituitary gland.?
3.? ???? Ghrelin
Ghrelin is known as hunger hormone. It is a pleiotropic hormone and it lets the brain know that your body needs food by sending signals and it makes you feel hungry. It also promotes fat aggregation.
Source of Production: It is secreted by endocrine X/A-like cells of the stomach & in small amounts by the small intestine, pancreas, and brain.
4.? ?????Cortisol
It is also named; the stress hormone, whenever you or your body feels you under different stressed conditions, this hormone is released in the body and becomes the part of blood. Under a stressful situation, this hormone speeds up the heartbeat rate and energy also. During a ‘fight or flight’ situation, the cortisol is secreted along with the adrenaline hormone.
?Source of Production: It is produced by adrenal glands
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5.? ????? Estrogen
This is basically involved to regulate optimal functioning of female reproductive organs and is known as a sex hormone.
Source of Production: It is produced by gonad organs (i.e. ovaries, corpus luteum, and placenta) and also by non-gonad organs like liver, heart, skin, and brain.
Reasons and Consequences of Hormonal Weight Gain
Many reasons generate conditions/situations to cause weight gain under hormonal stress. These conditions are seen because of genetics, aging, or several other reasons. Different conditions are:
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How to Stop Hormonal Weight Gain?
Generally, the trendy possible way of losing weight is the "calories in, calories out." However, in case of hormonal imbalance reason, the CICO diet is not helpful. The changes in hormones may be found because of age factor, menopause, or health issues.
There are several strategies, could be applied to stop hormonal weight gain.??
Regular Exercise:
Regular exercise makes you physically active, and being more active helps you lose extra weight. Exercise includes cardio activity, swimming, jogging and walking.?
Improving Sleep Habits:
Poor sleep habits can result in hormone imbalances. Sleep quality should be improved. Therefore, 7 hours of sleep with no interruption is compulsory for your body.
Maintain Body Weight: Eat a Healthy Diet:
You should also maintain an appropriate weight. To reduce hormonal weight and to maintain an ideal level, you need to reduce your intake of calories, avoid from processed foods, take Omega-3 fatty acids and eat fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
Take High Protein Food:
To lose hormonal weight, you may take high protein food and fats are also important. These macronutrients keep your stomach full and assist in muscle mass maintenance, additionally, important for the body metabolism.
Conclusion
The body weight increase instead of being reduced without any explainable reason, while putting every effort in it, can make you frustrated. In most of the cases, people do not even know the reason behind weight loss and weight gain whether it is a hormonal role. To regulate the optimal metabolism rate, hormones work together. Additionally, improving eating and sleeping habits can maintain the hormone secretion. If you are still struggling with weight gain problems, then you should visit an endocrinologist and follow his instructions.
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