No one can say that weight gain is just because of what you eat or how much you work out. Your hormones can often be partly to blame for weight gain. Did you know that if your hormones are out of whack, it can be harder to lose stubborn fat? So it’s smart to get your hormones under control first.
How about hormones? Here are the hormones you need to keep in check to make sure you can reach your healthiest weight.
1. Thyroid
T3, T4, and calcitonin are the three hormones that the thyroid gland makes. Together, they control many things, such as metabolism, sleep, heart rate, growth, and brain development. Sometimes, though, the thyroid doesn’t make enough of these hormones, which can cause hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism can cause constipation, tiredness, depression, a slow heart rate, and other problems. But it can also make you gain weight because the lack of hormones slows down your metabolism.
2. Lepti
When your body is completely healthy, leptin tells you that you are full and should stop eating. But when we eat too many processed or high-sugar foods, the extra fructose is turned into fat and stored in the liver, belly, and other parts of the body. a problem because fat cells can also release leptin, which makes the body less sensitive to it and makes the brain ignore the message to stop eating. This circle of bad habits can cause a lot of weight gain.
3. Insulin
The pancreas makes insulin, which helps glucose get into the cells of your body so it can be used as energy or stored as energy reserves in your fat cells.
Overeating processed foods, fruit, alcohol, artificial sweeteners, and unhealthy snacks can lead to insulin resistance, a condition in which your cells stop responding to insulin, leaving glucose to flow through your bloodstream until you stop it. In the end, that causes people to gain weight and get Type 2 diabetes.
4. Estrogen
Having too much or too little estrogen can make you gain weight. When you have a lot of estrogen in your body, it can irritate the cells that make insulin. This makes you less sensitive to insulin and makes your blood sugar go up, which makes you gain weight.
Low levels of estrogen can also lead to weight gain that is hard to lose. During menopause, which happens to women later in life, this often happens. Since the ovarian cells aren’t making estrogen anymore, the body starts looking for it elsewhere. One source is fat cells. So, what does the body do to make things right again? It starts turning all extra sources of energy into fat, which makes you gain weight, especially in your lower body.
5. Cortisol
Cortisol is a steroid hormone made by the adrenal glands. It is mostly released when we are stressed, sad, worried, angry, or hurt physically. Cortisol controls how much energy you have and how you use it. But high levels can cause hyperinsulinemia, more visceral fat buildup, and maturation of fat cells. All of these things can make you gain weight.
6. Progesterone
Progesterone and estrogen must be in the right amounts for the body to work right. A drop in progesterone can be caused by menopause, stress, eating foods with antibiotics and hormones, or taking the birth control pill. All of these things can cause a drop in progesterone, which can lead to weight gain and depression.
7. Ghrelin
This is the hormone for hunger. Ghrelin makes you hungry and makes you put on more fat. It is mainly made by the stomach, but also by the small intestine, pancreas, and brain. When ghrelin levels in the blood are high, weight gain can happen. People who are overweight are especially sensitive to ghrelin, which makes them want to eat more. When you’re on a strict diet or fasting, your Ghrelin levels can also go up.
8. Testosterone
Yes, women make testosterone, but not as much as men do. It helps burn fat, makes muscles and bones stronger, and makes you more sexually active. In women, this hormone is made by the ovaries, but stress and getting older can lower testosterone levels. That can cause more stress and inflammation, which can make you gain more fat.
9. Melatonin
The pineal gland, which is deep in the brain, makes melatonin. It helps keep your circadian rhythm steady, so you can sleep and wake up at the right times.
When your melatonin levels naturally rise at night, growth hormone is released. Growth hormone helps the body heal, build lean muscle, and improve bone density. But if your circadian rhythm is thrown off, you don’t get enough sleep, or your room isn’t dark enough at night, your body starts a stress response, which can lead to inflammation-induced weight gain.
10. Glucocorticoids
An important part of the healing process is inflammation. But long-term inflammation can cause some bad things to happen, like weight gain. Inflammation can be lowered by glucocorticoids. But they also control how your body uses sugar, fats, and proteins. Glucocorticoids, on the other hand, don’t like sugar or glucose as fuel for your body, and they stop your body from using it as a source of energy. So, where do you stand? With higher blood sugar levels because of insulin resistance, and if it’s not treated, usually obesity or even diabetes.
