hormonal weight gain... is it real? :: shared by THE WHOLE JOURNEY

Stress (cortisol) and undereating or eating the wrong foods can be detrimental to our thyroid and halt the production of thyroid hormone.

Symptoms of low thyroid include:

2. Cortisol

Cortisol is the main stress hormone in the body, produced by the adrenal glands. While cortisol is absolutely necessary for our body, there can be too much of a good thing.

Symptoms of high cortisol include: 

Low cortisol conversely can cause:

Insulin can be the main culprit in weight loss resistance and once an imbalance starts it can be a difficult rollercoaster to get off of. Insulin can be quick to become imbalanced due to stress and poor dietary choices, making your cells essentially numb.

Insulin resistance or even just poor glycemic control can lead to symptoms of both hypoglycemia and elevated glucose levels, both which can make you hold on to weight in spite of what you might have thought were your best efforts. 

4. Testosterone

Testosterone is a key sex hormone that is required by both men and women. Testosterone is essential for fertility, muscle mass and growth, fat distribution and bone health. It can be common in women (and men) for testosterone to decline naturally with age; however, it is very important to not take the hormone testosterone without doing a hormone panel.

Taking endogenous testosterone can lead to a build-up of androgenic hormones and unpleasant side effects for women, including facial hair, muscle growth, headaches, mood swings, and weight gain.

Not having or producing enough testosterone can also make you gain weight and not be able to build any muscle. 

On the topic of androgens, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) can also be an issue and influence hormone balance and weight. Typically, this includes high fasting glucose, high sex hormones and their precursors such as testosterone and DHEA.

Symptoms of PCOS include:

Acne
Facial hair
Elevated blood sugar
And weight gain

With PCOS your body cannot clear hormones effectively.

Estrogen is the fifth hormone which is mainly responsible for giving women their figure. Estrogen is made in the ovaries and needs to be in balance with progesterone. There is a delicate line between having too little and too much estrogen.

High estrogen or estrogen dominance can make weight loss very challenging for both men and women.

Signs of High Estrogen:

If you are over 45, be sure to check out our blog about estrogen and to find out if taking bioidentical hormones is a smart choice for you. This hormone should not have been demonized as it has been, especially with regard to our menopausal years. 

When I was in private practice, I saw hundreds of women who were so frustrated because they were not eating much and they were exercising but still not losing weight, or worse, steadily gaining it with no known explanation. 

They felt like their body was being invaded and they were becoming someone different on the outside than they were on the inside. While this is a horrifying feeling, the good news is that it is possible to balance your hormones at any age and to reclaim your sense of self. 

When we are experiencing the above symptoms, it is all too common to add more hormones through bioidentical hormone therapy or other methods. While this can work wonders for some, if we add additional hormones into a stressed body that is already in chaos, the body will often react negatively or will not know what to do with the extra hormones. This results in hormones going through the wrong pathway or not being detoxified correctly, leading to weight gain, anxiety, skin or immune reactions, and added stress. 

There are two strategies we have used with wonderful results in private practice and just recently in the Adrenal ReCode program. (right now its 50% off, ask me for the code!)

These 2 pillars include:

These two well executed, alone, take care of insulin, cortisol, and thyroid hormone by helping to regulate blood sugar, balance stress hormones, and shuttle active thyroid hormone into the cell, therefore creating balance. 

From there, the liver will get healthier and be able to detoxify excess estrogen and you will be able to get the sex hormone balance your body needs because it will be able to pull from healthy stress hormone precursors to create the testosterone it needs.

Over 80% of the population is not able to actually utilize the food they consume into appropriate fuel for the body, which is part and parcel of why our society is so darn tired all the time and reaching for quick fixes like coffee or processed sugar. 

The foods we eat should benefit us to the fullest, revving our cellular energy centers (mitochondria) and brain, and supporting our microbiome. If we can include foods which are synergistic to our adrenals, thyroid, brain, and nervous system, we can then effectively kick-start the healing process.

Nutrients For The Thyroid:

Food sources include:

Nutrients For The Brain:

Amino acids are essential to balance neurotransmitters and play a great role in maintaining a balanced, healthy weight, such as:

Foods and herbs which are great for neurotransmitters include:

The Importance Of Macronutrient Ratios For Hormonal Health

Macronutrients include: 

The issue with diets today: they often cut out one group, such as low-fat, low-carb, high-fat. 

When we do that, we cannot expect our body to succeed long term. 

There is a reason we have three types of macronutrients; they all have important benefits for our health. 

The number one question we get when speaking about macronutrient ratios is, “what percentage do you recommend?” 

The answer to this is so unique and is dependent on your own body's feedback

If you are coming from a low or no carbohydrate diet, start slow with adding carbohydrates back in, like ⅛ cup twice a day. You will need to train your body to metabolize carbs once again, versus storing them as fat. 

Alternatively, if you have been consuming a low-fat diet for a long period of time, see how you feel adding a ½ teaspoon of fat into your meals and gradually work up from there. 

To go into more depth on what to eat and do in order to achieve hormone balance take THE WHOLE JOURNEYS  free mini-course, where sample meal ideas and recommendations are provided along with downloadable recipes.