Often, all the efforts of women in losing weight end in nothing. Sometimes it seems that everything is done correctly , but the hated kilograms do not go away. For some women, the first few pounds are the hardest. For others, it is the last 3 kg that does not budge. And , despite all previous efforts , this is enough to make a great desire to throw the scale out of the window and never again measure the size of the waist with a measuring tape. But what if the whole point is that weight loss efforts are heading in the wrong direction?
What hormones interfere with weight loss
Instead of worrying too much about the number of divisions that the scale arrow has deviated , it is better to turn your attention to the amount of hormones in your body , but first you need to know how hormones affect a woman's weight.
You won't believe how much hormones affect your extra weight and ultimately your waist size. For many women, an excess or deficiency of certain hormones really blocks all weight loss efforts. Now for the good news – you can make a few minor changes to your lifestyle and your hormones will work for you of against you.
And now it's time to find out which hormones are responsible for losing weight , plus recommendations on what can be done to balance the hormones that regulate fat metabolism.
1) Hormone Adiponectin
Adiponectin is a hormone that regulates glucose levels , breaks down fatty acids , increases the muscle's ability to use carbohydrates as an energy source , boosts metabolism , and also increases the rate which the body breaks down fat. All these factors are extremely important for those who want to lose weight , or maintain it at a normal level.
Numerous studies show that lack of adiponectin leads to weight gain and obesity . The bad news is that studies have found that the more fat a person has , the less adiponectin they have. On the other hand, a less obese person with a lower percentage of body fat releases more Adiponectin from fat cells.
It is important to deal with increasing low Adiponectin , since this hormone affects more than just weight. So recent studies have found that people with low levels of Adiponectin and who are obese have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes , metabolic syndrome , atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.
Here is what to do in case of low Adiponectin:
To help your body produce more Adiponectin, you must , firstly , take a closer look at your diet.
- should appear on the daily menu : spinach , pumpkin seeds , almonds , avocados and figs.
- You should also increase the proportion of monounsaturated fats and reduce the proportion of carbohydrates.
- In addition, regular exercise , especially for overweight individuals.
2) Hunger Hormone Ghrelin
Have you ever had an irresistible desire something shortly after a meal? Have you ever gotten up at night just to eat a sweet muffin or some greasy chips? If your answer is yes , then most likely you had an elevated level of Ghrelin at that moment .
Ghrelin is often referred to as the hunger hormone. Simply put , the higher the level of Ghrelin , the more you feel hungry . Studies have shown that people injected with Ghrelin ate significantly more than their usual meal.
This specific hormone is mainly produced in the stomach. function is to signal to the brain that the body wants to eat. It also stimulates the brain's pleasure centers , allowing you to remember how delicious the first bite was. That is why it is difficult to stop after eating the first cookie. Researchers call this process the stomach-brain connection.
If you're one of those who think you can get rid of food cravings by fasting , think again. Reducing calories in an attempt to lose weight actually leads to an increase in ghrelin levels. Researchers found elevated levels of this hormone in people even after they spent 12 months on a low-calorie diet. That is, in other words, your body will never get used to less food and will continue to send signals to the brain about the feeling of hunger.
What should be done in such cases?
1. To keep feeling full , you need to saturate your body with healthy fats and proteins.
2. New research has shown that in addition to diet, sleep is a priority factor for ghrelin levels. The more you sleep , the lower your Ghrelin levels. Chronic sleep deprivation increases ghrelin levels , causing you to feel unreasonably hungry between meals. General recommendations state that a person should sleep 7-9 hours a day. Even though is difficult to allocate free time , because there is simply not enough of it to solve all the daily affairs , it is important to allocate enough time for a good rest. If you often cannot fall asleep or sleep poorly , you need to develop the habit of performing a daily relaxation ritual before bed.
3) Hormone Leptin
Leptin is another hormone that strongly influences appetite and weight loss. It is released from your body's fat cells and then signals your brain ( the hypothalamus , to be precise) to decrease your appetite and burn more calories. Leptin mainly signals to the brain that the body is full and has stored enough fat.
In contrast to Ghrelin , Leptin is often referred to as the satiety hormone. The more fat a person has , the more Leptin the fat cells release. Obese people have very high levels of Leptin. It may seem that a lot of fat is good , but it also develops immunity to Leptin.
Leptin immunity is a condition where the brain does not receive an important signal from the hormone about satiety. With such immunity, the body thinks that it is starving , although it is not. It is important to note that the body's immunity to Leptin disappears with weight loss. As you lose weight , Leptin becomes more effective.
What should be done in such cases:
- To increase Leptin levels, you need to clean up your diet and make sure that you have enough time for sleep.
- When it comes to food , you need to make sure that the food has enough healthy fats , proteins and soluble dietary fiber.
- also need to avoid highly processed foods and reduce blood triglycerides ( reduce sweets , reduce refined carbohydrates , eliminate alcohol , eat foods with omega-3 fatty acids , as well as plant foods with fibers , reduce the amount of very sweet fruits , start exercising) .
- In addition , researchers studied the effects of sleep deprivation on Ghrelin , they also found that lack of good sleep had a negative effect on Leptin as well.
- And finally , studies show that reverse leptin resistance .
4) Insulin imbalance
Insulin is an important hormone produced by the pancreas that affects the entire body. It allows the glucose obtained from food to enter the cells of the body for further breakdown and energy , which is necessary for the normal functioning of cells . Insulin also plays an important role in the recovery of the body after intense exercise and in maintaining normal blood sugar levels. are overweight , then most likely you have an unbalanced level of insulin. This negatively affects the breakdown of fat in deposits.
Let's digress and talk about how insulin becomes imbalanced. Insulin and carbohydrates are closely related. The more carbohydrates you eat , the more insulin is released in the body. An excess of insulin allows glucose ( read sugar) to run amok in the body. Instead of using excess sugar to feed muscles after exercise or generate energy for cells , most of the carbohydrates that come from food , the body stores in fat folds. In people who have insulin resistance , there is a feeling that they will never be able to get rid of excess fat.
However , there are several recommendations that should be followed.
- First , you need to cut down on high-carbohydrate baked goods. It is better to get the necessary carbohydrates from fresh fruits and vegetables. But you need to be careful with the amount of fruit you eat. After all , sugar is sugar.
- Also , recent studies have shown that drinking two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar before a high carbohydrate meal helps lower blood glucose levels in people with insulin resistance . The effect is so noticeable that researchers say that vinegar can be as effective as prescription drugs for regulating blood sugar levels.
5) Estrogen Dominance
The hormone estrogen is extremely important for reproductive sexual development , especially in women. He is involved in the formation of the chest , pubis , hips. With his participation, the menstrual cycle in women is also regulated. And these are just minor functions that are assigned to estrogen in the body ( it has many other useful functions).
In women, estrogen is mainly produced in the ovaries. This hormone is also produced by fat cells and the adrenal glands. Throughout a woman's life , estrogen levels are constantly changing. During these changes, it is important to monitor what is called "Estrogen Dominance". This is a condition where a woman may have deficient , normal, or excessive levels of estrogen , but little or no other hormone: progesterone , which balances the effects of estrogen on the body. Simply put , estrogen levels dominate over progesterone levels. One of the symptoms of estrogen dominance is weight gain due to fat deposition.
What can be done to minimize this effect:
- You need to focus on your diet. Eat plenty of fresh vegetables and fiber-rich foods.
- Since estrogen is excreted from the body through the intestines , it is very important to have regular stools with estrogen dominance. With irregular stools, estrogen is reabsorbed through the intestines.
- You can also try a liver cleanse , as it works as the body's natural filter.
6) Hormone Cortisol
When your body is stressed , it goes into a state known as "fight or flight", meaning the body mobilizes to deal with the threat. In this state, the body produces the stress hormone Cortisol. And if in certain situations this is a useful function for the body , then prolonged stress leads to an increase in the level of Cortisol in the body to a level with negative consequences.
Excess Cortisol negatively affects body weight in the following ways:
- There is an irresistible desire to seize stress. Many people overeat or eat unhealthy fast food as a result of stress. This is partly because Cortisol increases food cravings , especially sugary and high carbohydrate foods.
- Fat is deposited. Oh , the hateful fold of fat dangling over the trouser belt. A high level of Cortisol leads to the fact that a greater percentage of fat is deposited in the abdomen.
- Muscle tissue is degraded. Muscles help burn fat and speed up metabolism. Unfortunately lack of exercise is not the only cause of muscle dystrophy. As Cortisol levels rise in the body, muscle tissue begins to be recycled for energy. This affects metabolism and can lead to the growth of adipose tissue.
What should be done to avoid this negative factor?
People are stressed to the max when twirling between work , family and daily routine. Sometimes it is easier said than done , but in order to reduce the level of Cortisol in the blood, you need to find enough time to rest . Here are a few ways you can naturally relieve stress :
- Leave the house for a walk;
- Do physical exercises;
- Practice yoga;
- Do meditation;
- Flip through the magazine;
- Drink soothing tea;
- Eat anti-stress foods;
- Take a cleansing bath;
- Sleep.
7) Hormone Cholecystokinin
Cholecystokinin is known as a gut hormone because it is released in the intestines after you eat certain foods. Once released, Cholecystokinin interacts with the central nervous system and controls the slow digestion of fat and protein. The slower the digestion process , the longer you feel full. Have you ever noticed that after eating protein or saturated with healthy fats , you immediately feel hungry. This is the result of the action of Cholecystokinin.
In one study, subjects were injected with a mixture of Cholecystokinin and Leptin. The researchers found that one daily injection of this mixture of hormones significantly increased weight loss in the subjects.
In this case, there is only one recommendation: You need to eat enough protein and healthy fats with Omega-3.
Hormone Irisin
Irisin is often cited as the exercise hormone because it is more common in physically active people. This hormone was first isolated in 2012 by researchers at Harvard Medical School. And while opinions are divided as some scientists question the existence of this fat hormone , new research shows that this hormone is real and has the ability to reprogram the body's fat cells to burn more energy instead of channeling the excess into body fat.
Researchers have found that when someone does regular physical aerobic exercise , their irisin levels rise. It then converts white fat to brown fat , which is very important for weight loss. This is because brown fat continues to burn calories even after the workout is over.
In addition to normalizing weight, researchers have found that irisin improves brain health and slows down the aging process.
What should be done?
It is important to note that irisin levels do not rise from occasional workouts from time to time. This requires regular aerobic exercise. Don't worry if you feel like you don't have time to go to the gym. There are many exercises that you can do at home without spending more than 10 minutes on it!
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