Are you struggling to lose weight? Have you been counting calories, taking diet pills, and exercising but still not seeing results? Don’t despair – the answer could be in your hormones. Your body’s hormones may just be the key to losing for good.
Our bodies depend on a great many things to function properly, including hormones. Our endocrine system creates the hormones we need to grow, regulate our metabolism, and control our moods. When the hormones balance is thrown off, various processes can fail – including weight loss.
Here’s a quick look at five of the most important hormones for weight loss, what they do, and how you can use them to your advantage:
Cortisol
Cortisol is a stress hormone that is essential for blocking pain and regulating your metabolism. It is primarily secreted when you’re under physical or emotional stress and is at its peak during the first two hours of the morning.
Although cortisol is essential for life, too much cortisol can be damaging to your overall health. High cortisol levels slow down your metabolism, meaning your body may be more likely to store fat. It can also make it harder to control cravings, which can lead to overeating.
Leptin
Leptin is one of the most important hormones your body produces, controlling both your fat storage and hunger hormones. Leptin is secreted by your fat cells, which make it the hormone most directly related to your body’s fat storage.
When the leptin levels in your body are low, you may find yourself feeling hungrier than usual, even after eating. Low levels of leptin can make it difficult to lose weight, as your body urges you to eat more than you should.
Measuring your leptin levels is also a key way to alert you to metabolic resistance, which occurs when your body has become resistant to leptin’s signals. This can be caused by various environmental and lifestyle factors, including a poor diet and not exercising. If you’re leptin resistant, you will find losing weight more difficult. I personally use Walk-In-Lab to get my blood work done.
Insulin
Insulin is the hormone released by the pancreas when you eat. It helps to tell cells to absorb and store the glucose in your blood. Without insulin, your cells are unable to take the nutrients and glucose in your food, leading to a buildup of glucose in the bloodstream.
When we eat too much simple carbohydrates (sugary and starchy foods), our pancreas produces too much insulin – leading to insulin resistance. When we’re insulin resistant, the cells in our body stop responding properly to the insulin hormone, meaning the cells will absorb less glucose and resulting in higher blood glucose and insulin levels. Too much glucose in the blood can ultimately hinder weight loss and increase our blood pressure and cholesterol.
Ghrelin
Ghrelin is a hormone created in the stomach and pancreas and is known as the hunger hormone. It works to stimulate appetite and increase feelings of hunger. When ghrelin is released, it tells the hypothalamus that we’re hungry and helps to regulate our meal times.
People with low levels of ghrelin often find it difficult to eat at regular intervals, as the hormone isn’t doing its job to reduce cravings. Too much ghrelin can make it difficult to stick to a healthy food plan, as it increases cravings for high-calorie and high-fat foods.
Saliva Test
The easiest way to check your hormone levels – particularly cortisol and estrogen – is via a saliva test. The test looks at your hormone levels over a period of days and is a convenient way to measure which hormones may be out of balance and preventing you from reaching your weight loss goals.
Saliva tests are relatively inexpensive and easy to take. Simply collect a sample of your saliva and send it in for your results. You can then use the results to determine which hormones may be out of balance so you can take steps to correct it.
Conclusion
Understanding the hormones most essential for weight loss can be the key to helping you reach your weight loss goals. Your body needs proper levels of hormones to properly regulate hunger and metabolism, so it’s important to monitor your hormone levels. A simple saliva test offers a convenient way to check hormone levels, explaining why your diet and exercise program may not be achieving the results you want. With the right levels of hormones, your body may be able to start shedding weight successfully.
Sources:
www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322825
www.healthline.com/health/hormones-and-weight-loss#Takeaway
obesitynewstoday.com/2012/08/14/know-your-hormones-insulin-and-weight-loss/