{"id":7926,"date":"2022-08-30T17:49:07","date_gmt":"2022-08-30T17:49:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neurvanahealth.com\/?p=7926"},"modified":"2024-05-31T19:34:28","modified_gmt":"2024-05-31T19:34:28","slug":"can-hormones-affect-your-weight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neurvanahealth.com\/blog\/can-hormones-affect-your-weight\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Hormones Affect Your Weight?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You\u2019ve eaten healthy, exercised, and maintained a consistent water intake, but the number on the scale still hasn\u2019t shifted, at least not as much as you\u2019d expected it to. Sound familiar? At Neurvana Naturopathic Medicine<\/a>, I work with plenty of women who struggle with similar stubborn weight gain. There are a ton of reasons why this could be happening, particularly your hormones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hormones are powerful chemicals. Too much or too little of one of your body\u2019s many hormones can cause noticeable differences in both your appearance and your overall health \u2014 differences that can manifest as unexpected weight gain. Take a look at how various female hormonal imbalances can impact your weight journey and how we can work together to balance them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are Hormones and Why Do We Have Them?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Hormones are your body\u2019s chemical messengers. They are created in glands located throughout your body and released into your bloodstream to send certain messages. Various bodily systems have specific receptors to recognize and respond to each hormone. They work slowly over time to communicate different bodily processes, such as growth and development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hormones are a key driver of metabolism, the process for converting what you eat and drink into energy. They also play a major role<\/a> in blood sugar regulation, sexual reproduction, and stress response, all three of which can impact weight loss and weight gain. We must have hormones to control and regulate our biological processes, but it\u2019s important to have them at the correct levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Which Hormones Impact Weight Gain and Weight Loss?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A special group of cells called endocrine glands produce hormones. The major female endocrine glands that we\u2019ll discuss in relation to weight gain and weight loss are the adrenal glands, thyroid, and ovaries. When understanding the source of your weight concerns, we\u2019ll specifically monitor the stress hormones<\/strong> produced from your adrenal glands, the function of the thyroid<\/strong> and your levels of thyroid hormone<\/strong>, and your female sex hormones, namely estrogen and progesterone<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Cortisol: The Stress Hormone<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Cortisol is a type of hormone produced and released by your adrenal glands. It impacts several bodily functions and mainly helps regulate your response to stress, known as your fight or flight response. When you\u2019re super stressed out, your body is more likely to produce more cortisol. This is because your body is preparing you for that fight or flight response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you have a lot of cortisol in your body, it\u2019s essentially like you\u2019re preparing to run away from a bear or square up against a mountain lion. So, you tend to have more abdominal weight gain as your body brings in more resources to prepare. However, that response is really not something you should be experiencing daily \u2014 not just for your weight, but truly for your general well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To understand if excess cortisol is to blame for your unexplained weight gain or trouble with weight loss, we\u2019ll start by looking at relevant lifestyle factors and assessing your stress levels. In particular, we\u2019ll analyze the cortisol levels in your blood or urine<\/a> to determine how it\u2019s secreted daily and if there’s a concern with it either being too high or too low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2. Thyroid Hormone: The Metabolism Hormone<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Your thyroid gland is super important to your overall metabolism, or how you get energy from your food. It essentially kickstarts your metabolism and gets your body’s energy pathways working more efficiently. However, the thyroid doesn\u2019t produce just one hormone. There are a few we need to talk about in relation to weight loss and weight gain, specifically the:<\/p>\n\n\n\n