Chronically high levels of insulin can lead to a condition known as insulin resistance, which is linked to an uptick in blood sugar as well as continued elevated insulin levels. Preventing this insulin imbalance is crucial to healthy lifestyle, as it leads to weight gain, and eventually type 2 diabetes.

When insulin levels remain high over an extended period of time, obesity, cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome are often the unfortunate outcome of chronic disease. How do we ensure our insulin levels remain balanced?

First, we need to stop eating too much. When we eat too much sugar, too much fast food, and too many processed carbohydrates, insulin goes haywire.

These elevated insulin levels lead to weight gain and low-grade inflammation. A study published in the journal Diabetes found that even eating too much of these foods in the short term leads to insulin resistance and weight gain. You may also want to restrict carbohydrates in your diet.

According to a study published in the journal Nutrition and Metabolism, a low-carb diet prevents metabolic syndrome and the insulin resistance that causes it.

Other findings show drinking green tea, consuming omega-3 fatty acids from fatty fish , and eating adequate amounts of protein all help balance insulin levels. You can think of leptin as the appetite suppressant hormone. Made within your fat cells, leptin is what is belly fat and makes you feel satiated.

Leptin is like insulin in that it hates the wrong foods. Ever notice how sweets and processed foods leave you feeling empty and wanting for more even after a short period of time?

Eating trans fats and processed foods over the long term eventually leads to leptin resistance. When your body becomes resistant to leptin, leptin levels become too high for normal weight. In fact, overweight individuals who get their leptin levels tested typically find their leptin levels to be as high as four times the normal level.

Other ways to prevent or reduce leptin resistance include:. You can think of ghrelin as your hunger hormone. Like the other hunger hormone, leptin, it communicates with the brain — in this case, telling your brain to eat.

Every time your stomach becomes empty, it naturally releases ghrelin into your bloodstream. This scenario is normal when a person is a healthy diet and maintaining optimal, healthy weight while.

In most healthy weight individuals, ghrelin levels decrease in a way that satiates them and signals their brains to stop eating. If you have a sneaking suspicion your ghrelin levels are in need of some TLC, here are a couple of ways to balance them:.

Created within the adrenal glands, cortisol is known as the stress hormone. The trouble is, we feel stressed out far too often these days, making our bodies produce more cortisol than is optimal.

How is this overproduction of cortisol related to weight gain? First of all, heightened cortisol is linked to overeating hormonal weight gain further on.

A study published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology found that higher than normal cortisol levels were linked to increase risk of overeating and weight gain.

Another study links elevated cortisol levels to an increase in belly fat. Produced within the ovaries, estrogen is thyroid hormone responsible to balance hormones used for optimal functioning of all female reproductive organs.

Estrogen promotes the storage of fat for healthy reproductive years lead to weight gain. When estrogen is balanced, the right amount of fat helps carry out female reproductive functions and women gain weight less.

Overweight women typically have high amounts of estrogen, as do women in the first half of pregnancy. These include Neuropeptide Y NPY , Glucagon-like Peptide-1 GLP-1 , Cholecystokinin CCK, and Peptide YY PYY. They all play an integral role in your ability to either lose weight or gain weight.

This hunger-stimulating hormone is made in the brain and nervous system. It influences appetite, especially for carbs. During times of stress and fasting, NPY levels increase dramatically. Intermittent fasting is fine, but if you fast for longer periods, you could disrupt the delicate balance of NPY levels and sabotage your otherwise healthy lifestyle and weight loss and-loss goals in the process.

GLP-1 is a hormone produced in the intestines when nutrients are digested. This gut hormone supports the balance of blood sugar and helps you feel satiated. Maintain healthy GLP-1 levels by eating enough protein, probiotics, leafy green veggies, and anti-inflammatory foods.

Cholecystokinin CCK is a lot like GLP Yet another hormone found in the gut that has to do with appetite control, PYY needs to be balance hormones remain at relatively high levels in order to prevent overeating gain weight from.

Make sure you focus on a low-carb diet, with plenty of protein and fiber. This type of balanced diet and healthy eating habits ensures the healthy balance of PYY to help prevent weight gain.

Hormones and weight to gain or lose weight this is a tricky subject that requires patience and attention. At SmartFit Weight Loss, we can help you understand hormone imbalances gaining weight, and the range of treatment options available.

Contact us to request an appointment today. Please complete our form or call us at for general questions or to get started. Understand how insulin impacts weight Insulin is one of the most important hormones when it comes to weight loss and weight gain. What you can do: Stop overeating the foods that cause insulin resistance How do we ensure our insulin levels remain balanced?

What you need to know about leptin resistance When your body becomes resistant to leptin, leptin levels become too high for normal weight. Other ways to prevent or reduce leptin resistance include: Consuming an anti-inflammatory diet Supplementing with anti-inflammatory fish oil Committing to a regular exercise routine Getting truly restorative sleep on a regular basis Getting to know ghrelin You can think of ghrelin as your hunger hormone.

How to balance ghrelin levels If you have a sneaking suspicion your ghrelin levels are in need of some TLC, here are a couple of ways to balance them: Eat adequate amounts of protein. Protein helps you feel full and should be consumed with every meal. Studies show how eating protein promotes healthy ghrelin levels.

Avoid sugar as much as possible. As you can see by now, consuming too much sugar disrupts hormonal balance, making weight loss seem an impossible feat. Be sure to read labels. We make it easy for you to participate in a clinical trial for Weight management, and get access to the latest treatments not yet widely available - and be a part of finding a cure.

Generally, the accepted way to lose weight is through the CICO diet, which stands for "calories in, calories out. However, if your body has a hormonal imbalance, calculating your calorie intake won't be very helpful for you. If the scale is not moving after all your efforts, it may be time to try a new approach.

As you age, maintaining a healthier body weight becomes challenging. Most women gain weight as they transition into menopause. Several healthy lifestyle strategies can help you lose hormonal weight:. Exercise more. Being more physically active can help you shed extra pounds.

Exercise can include vigorous aerobic activity cardio , walking an average of minutes every week, jogging, swimming , and strength training. Be mindful of your nutrition.

To gradually lose hormonal weight and maintain your ideal weight, you may have to reduce your calorie intake while monitoring the nutritional value of your food. Avoid processed foods and sugars.

Eat more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables as fiber keeps your digestive system healthy. Limit your alcohol intake.

Alcoholic beverages add more calories to your diet and can lead to weight gain when consumed to excess. Get enough sleep. Poor quality sleep can lead to increased hormone imbalances.

Aim for seven hours of uninterrupted sleep to ensure your body runs optimally. Insulin plays a key role in weight loss and weight gain. The hormone stores fat and decides how much fat the body will hold or convert to energy.

Reducing your carbohydrate intake can also keep your insulin stable. Increased insulin levels eventually lead to weight gain. Leptin is the appetite suppressant hormone. Ideally, this hormone "talks" to your brain, telling it when you are hungry or full. Just like insulin, keeping leptin levels balanced requires you to be on top of your diet.

Remember to eat less processed sugar, include more fiber, exercise more, and consume anti-inflammatory foods.

Ghrelin is the hunger hormone. It sends signals to the brain telling it to eat. Every time the stomach is empty, the body releases ghrelin into the bloodstream.

One way to keep ghrelin levels balanced is to consume more protein. Protein makes you feel full, so you should incorporate it into every meal. Cortisol is the stress hormone. Whenever your body is under any form of stress, it releases cortisol into the bloodstream.

Studies have linked high levels of cortisol to overeating. To lower cortisol levels, reducing your day-to-day stress levels is important. Make time for things that relax you, like meditation, taking a walk, your hobbies, or whatever it is that relieves stress for you.

Estrogen helps in storing fat. When the hormone is balanced, necessary fat keeps female reproductive functions working. Nevertheless, too much or too little estrogen often leads to weight gain, hence menopausal weight changes. To keep your estrogen levels balanced, maintain a regular exercise routine, get quality sleep, and pay attention to your nutrition.

You may be experiencing hormonal weight gain if you have signs of hormonal imbalance. A broad range of symptoms could indicate a hormonal imbalance in the body:. You do not feel satisfied after eating.

If a meal that used to satisfy you is now leaving you craving more, this could indicate your sex hormones are indirectly affecting your metabolism-regulating hormones. The two main players here are estrogen and progesterone. You have high levels of stress.

Under stressful conditions, adrenal glands release cortisol to manage your body's stress levels. When you are under constant stress , excess cortisol will be released, creating an imbalance. You only gain weight on your abdomen. Menopause is linked to low estrogen levels, changing the distribution of fat in the body.

This causes weight gain in the midsection rather than other parts of your body. You have increased sugar cravings. If you constantly find yourself craving sugary food, this may indicate your body is fighting insulin resistance.

Insulin resistance prevents cells from adequately absorbing sugar, thus increasing cravings and leading to weight gain. Various tests check for hormonal imbalances in the body, including:. It is important to understand that hormones influence appetite, the rate of metabolism, and fat distribution.

An imbalance in these hormones causes abnormal metabolism, leading to body fat accumulating. A variety of factors can cause hormonal imbalance. Thyroid and adrenal gland issues are very common causes. Other causes are weight, medications, allergies, and stressful situations.

Many people are unaware of the role hormones play in weight loss and weight gain. Hormones work together to regulate appetite and fat storage.

Fortunately, adopting healthy eating habits and making lifestyle changes can keep these hormones under control. Hormones and weight gain: How to fix the hormones that control your weight Obgyn Associates of Alabama. Antidepressants and weight gain: What causes it?

Mayo Clinic.

They can't make good use of the insulin they produce, so blood glucose levels increase. As a result, the body sends excess glucose to fat cells, and weight gain results.

Leptin is a hormone secreted by fat cells. It acts primarily on the brain, affecting the hypothalamus and brainstem. Leptin helps control appetite and satiety, or a feeling of fullness. Its job is to alert the brain when energy stores in the liver and body fat decline.

While the level of leptin increases with the amount of body fat, there is evidence that some obese people may be resistant to leptin. Having leptin resistance or too little leptin can interfere with these benefits it provides:. Cortisol is a stress hormone produced by the adrenal glands. It controls the processes linked to your "fight or flight" response.

It also helps regulate blood sugar, metabolism, sleep cycles , and inflammation. When cortisol levels stay high due to a medical problem or chronic stress, your body remains set to fight or flight. Higher than normal cortisol levels are linked with abdominal obesity.

When it maintains high cortisol levels for a perceived threat, your body performs the following processes that can increase weight gain:. Often called the "hunger hormone," ghrelin is produced in the gastrointestinal tract.

It controls hunger by working with the hypothalamus to control your appetite. It also tells the pituitary gland to release growth hormone, which destroys fat tissue and supports muscle growth.

Ghrelin levels typically rise before eating and during periods of fasting, when it promotes hunger. Levels decrease after a meal. Obese people usually have lower ghrelin levels than thin people, but may be more sensitive to it. This suggests that the hormone may help with regulating weight, rather than weight gain.

Having a sensitivity to ghrelin could also lead to overeating. The conditions that cause hormonal weight gain vary broadly. These issues often occur due to genetics, aging, or other uncontrollable conditions.

Treating and managing these problems can help regulate hormonal imbalances and control weight gain. Menopause describes the period in a woman's life she has gone without a period for 12 months. During this time, the production of estrogen decreases.

This hormonal shift triggers changes that make weight gain common during this time. The effects of low estrogen levels in menopause that contribute to weight gain include:. Endometriosis is a chronic condition in which uterine tissue grows outside your uterus.

Lesions or patches can grow on your ovaries, fallopian tubes, pelvic area, bladder, or bowel. They remain and bleed and swell during menstruation.

Endometriosis is highly estrogen-dependent. Treatment typically involves suppressing ovulation and menstruation to reduce ovarian estrogen production. While there's no direct link between endometriosis and weight gain, having extra estrogen can lead to the following factors linked to weight gain:.

Treatment with hormonal birth control pills containing estrogen and progesterone can sometimes cause weight gain,. Polycystic ovary syndrome PCOS is a hormonal disorder in which a woman's adrenal glands or ovaries make a higher than normal level of male hormones. The condition results in the production of cysts that grow on one or both ovaries.

Weight gain and obesity are more common among women with PCOS versus those without the condition. Much of this weight gain is associated with the hormonal abnormalities of the condition that can trigger insulin resistance, a known risk factor for obesity.

Hypothyroidism is a disorder that involves an underactive thyroid gland. The gland can't produce enough thyroid hormone to support normal functions. It controls body temperature, fatigue, forgetfulness, and depression. Without enough thyroid hormone, you may have a modest amount of excess weight.

However, there is some thought that the condition is secondary to obesity. Researchers reported a decrease in lean body mass, not fat mass, for people treated for this problem. Controlling thyroid hormone levels caused a release of excess water. This implies that the weight gain in hypothyroidism may be caused by water retention.

People with insomnia have difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or getting productive sleep. It can occur as a temporary or long-term condition. Causes of insomnia can include stress, irregular sleep habits, depression or other emotional disorders , inactive lifestyle, or travel across time zones.

Symptoms of other conditions, such as night sweats in menopause, can also cause insomnia. Research shows that people who don't get enough sleep are prone to weight gain.

Sleep loss is linked to the following factors that can cause excess weight:. Losing hormonal weight gain starts with finding the hormones affecting your weight. If you have an imbalance caused by an underlying medical issue, getting the right diagnosis and treatment will also be necessary.

Generally, any weight loss goal requires lifestyle changes that include the following strategies:. Working with fitness professionals can help you find exercises for hormonal weight gain to target areas where you have excess weight.

Medications or hormonal weight gain supplements may also be advised. They can reset hormone levels, treat the effects of abnormal levels, or control underlying problems. Some common treatments include:. In extreme cases, treatment may involve surgical intervention to treat underlying problems.

When your body becomes resistant to leptin, leptin levels become too high for normal weight. In fact, overweight individuals who get their leptin levels tested typically find their leptin levels to be as high as four times the normal level.

Other ways to prevent or reduce leptin resistance include:. You can think of ghrelin as your hunger hormone. Like the other hunger hormone, leptin, it communicates with the brain — in this case, telling your brain to eat.

Every time your stomach becomes empty, it naturally releases ghrelin into your bloodstream. This scenario is normal when a person is a healthy diet and maintaining optimal, healthy weight while. In most healthy weight individuals, ghrelin levels decrease in a way that satiates them and signals their brains to stop eating.

If you have a sneaking suspicion your ghrelin levels are in need of some TLC, here are a couple of ways to balance them:.

Created within the adrenal glands, cortisol is known as the stress hormone. The trouble is, we feel stressed out far too often these days, making our bodies produce more cortisol than is optimal.

How is this overproduction of cortisol related to weight gain? First of all, heightened cortisol is linked to overeating hormonal weight gain further on. A study published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology found that higher than normal cortisol levels were linked to increase risk of overeating and weight gain.

Another study links elevated cortisol levels to an increase in belly fat. Produced within the ovaries, estrogen is thyroid hormone responsible to balance hormones used for optimal functioning of all female reproductive organs.

Estrogen promotes the storage of fat for healthy reproductive years lead to weight gain. When estrogen is balanced, the right amount of fat helps carry out female reproductive functions and women gain weight less.

Overweight women typically have high amounts of estrogen, as do women in the first half of pregnancy. These include Neuropeptide Y NPY , Glucagon-like Peptide-1 GLP-1 , Cholecystokinin CCK, and Peptide YY PYY.

They all play an integral role in your ability to either lose weight or gain weight. This hunger-stimulating hormone is made in the brain and nervous system. It influences appetite, especially for carbs. During times of stress and fasting, NPY levels increase dramatically.

Intermittent fasting is fine, but if you fast for longer periods, you could disrupt the delicate balance of NPY levels and sabotage your otherwise healthy lifestyle and weight loss and-loss goals in the process. GLP-1 is a hormone produced in the intestines when nutrients are digested.

This gut hormone supports the balance of blood sugar and helps you feel satiated. Maintain healthy GLP-1 levels by eating enough protein, probiotics, leafy green veggies, and anti-inflammatory foods.

Cholecystokinin CCK is a lot like GLP Yet another hormone found in the gut that has to do with appetite control, PYY needs to be balance hormones remain at relatively high levels in order to prevent overeating gain weight from.

Make sure you focus on a low-carb diet, with plenty of protein and fiber. This type of balanced diet and healthy eating habits ensures the healthy balance of PYY to help prevent weight gain. Hormones and weight to gain or lose weight this is a tricky subject that requires patience and attention.

At SmartFit Weight Loss, we can help you understand hormone imbalances gaining weight, and the range of treatment options available. Contact us to request an appointment today. Please complete our form or call us at for general questions or to get started.

Understand how insulin impacts weight Insulin is one of the most important hormones when it comes to weight loss and weight gain. What you can do: Stop overeating the foods that cause insulin resistance How do we ensure our insulin levels remain balanced?

What you need to know about leptin resistance When your body becomes resistant to leptin, leptin levels become too high for normal weight. Other ways to prevent or reduce leptin resistance include: Consuming an anti-inflammatory diet Supplementing with anti-inflammatory fish oil Committing to a regular exercise routine Getting truly restorative sleep on a regular basis Getting to know ghrelin You can think of ghrelin as your hunger hormone.

How to balance ghrelin levels If you have a sneaking suspicion your ghrelin levels are in need of some TLC, here are a couple of ways to balance them: Eat adequate amounts of protein.

Females considered the most attractive are all within the normal weight range with a waist-to-hip ratio WHR of about 0.

Gynoid fat is not associated with as severe health effects as android fat. Gynoid fat is a lower risk factor for cardiovascular disease than android fat. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. What links here Related changes Upload file Special pages Permanent link Page information Cite this page Get shortened URL Download QR code Wikidata item.

Download as PDF Printable version. Female body fat around the hips, breasts and thighs. See also: Android fat distribution. Nutritional Biochemistry , p. Academic Press, London. ISBN The Evolutionary Biology of Human Female Sexuality , p. Oxford University Press, USA. Relationship between waist-to-hip ratio WHR and female attractiveness".

Personality and Individual Differences. doi : Acta Paediatrica. ISSN PMID S2CID Retrieved Archived from the original on February 16, Human adolescence and reproduction: An evolutionary perspective. School-Age Pregnancy and Parenthood.

Hawthorne, NY: Aldine de Gruyter , Exercise Physiology for Health, Fitness, and Performance , p. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.