Are Your Hormones Causing You To Store Fat?

Sometimes, it feels like you are fighting a losing battle. You do everything ‘right’ and you still can’t lose weight. If you are looking to get nice and lean, what you eat and the exercise you do are really just the surface. Your hormones play a bigger role in this process than you might have imagined. Your body is full of hormones and if any of these are out of balance, you could end up storing fat!

Here are the 4 most common out of balance hormones that may be leading you to store fat!

1. Insulin

If you struggle with your weight, you may have an insulin imbalance. Insulin is responsible for telling our bodies how to store energy. If it is out of whack, this could lead your body to store fat for energy.

How to fix it: Avoid simple carbs and foods that rank highly on the glycemic index. Stay away from breads, pastas, potatoes, and foods with refined sugar or excess fructose. Increase your consumption of high quality proteins.

2. Estrogen

Estrogen is a common, out of balance, hormone for women. Having too much estrogen can lead to weight gain, fat storage and cellulite.

How to fix it: Avoid plastics that contain BPA. BPA has been linked to increased estrogen in the body. Avoid or limit soy intake. Cut alcohol consumption as booze can impact your liver’s ability to  metabolize estrogen. It is also helpful to boost your fiber intake to about 25 to 30 grams per day.

3. Leptin

Leptin is the hormone that tells you when to stop eating. If you don’t have enough leptin, it can lead to overeating and weight gain.

How to fix it: Eat slowly and mindfully which means turning off all electronics and making meal time about your actual meal. Avoiding MSG and chewing your food completely are also helpful. But one of the greatest things you can do for yourself is get enough sleep at night. Your metabolism and the associated hormones, will not function properly without the right amount of sleep.

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4. Cortisol

Cortisol is the hormone produced when your body is under stress. Our ancient ancestors relied on this hormone to help them survive but today, it isn’t necessary. We are bombarded with so many stressful situations that our cortisol levels have been raised to the point where our bodies can no longer handle it. High cortisol levels lead to an increased sugar and carbohydrate cravings. This hormone also breaks down your muscle which slows your metabolism.

How to fix it: Introduce calming practices into your life. Make time to do some yoga or meditate each and every day. Practice deep breathing. Focus on getting more, high quality, sleep. Get out in nature, listen to calming music, eat a well balanced diet. Take care of yourself. And if you need to, don’t be afraid to ask your friends and family for help.

If you believe your hormones are out of whack, you can have them tested by your doctor or holistic health practitioner.

Do you think hormones might be at the root of your struggle?

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