Is A Hormone Imbalance Preventing Weight Loss?
A Hormone Imbalance
Will Sabotage Your Best Weight Loss EffortsOne thing's for sure, a hormone imbalance will make it impossible to lose weight. Your hormones have a powerful impact on your metabolism, appetite, blood sugar control, even your ability to lose body fat. If you exercise regularly, eat a healthy diet, and still struggle to lose weight, a hormone problem may be setting you up for an ongoing cycle of hormone related weight gain. Making sense of your hormone balance will help you develop a long term natural weight loss strategy.
Women, Weight & Hormone Balance ProblemsOverweight women usually have a hormone imbalance. If you are overweight you may have higher levels of estrogen, along with poor estrogen metabolism and low progesterone. A hormone balance causes weight gain, PMS, mood changes and male type facial hair growth. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is strongly linked to hormonal weight gain. The Oral Contraceptive Pill and Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) contain synthetic hormone substitutes that are not natural to your body, and will further disrupt your hormone balance.
What About The Men? If you are an overweight man, you may suffer from a male hormone imbalance. This results in greater conversion of testosterone (the male hormone) to estrogen, leading to greater ‘female type’ weight gain, particularly around the abdomen, chest and butt. This is the last thing you want happening in your body! This is due to greater activity of an enzyme called aromatase, which is found in fat tissue. This enzyme is responsible for converting testosterone into estrogen, thus altering an ideal ratio of estrogen to testosterone.
Insulin – The Fat Storing Hormone Today, the average diet is too high in refined carbohydrates, especially sugary foods, which cause rapid spikes in blood sugar levels. This is a problem, high blood sugar levels are harmful as the sugar settles in areas of the body causing destruction. That is why diabetics experience eye, nerve, kidney and vascular damage. The sugar literally breaks down protein structures within the body. Your body knows this so it closely monitors your blood sugar levels. When blood sugar levels are too high a specialised hormone called insulin is released to control your blood sugar. This prevents your blood sugar from spiralling out of control. Insulin either moves the sugar into the cells for energy, or it is stored as body fat if not required. To put it simply, insulin becomes a fat storing machine when there is an over supply of sugar.
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