Bioidenticals can help balancing Hormones and help with weight loss.
The battle of the bulge is a shared story among women and men in the early 40s.And it’s not just the extra pounds; it’s how and where our bodies gain weight. The fat seems to accumulate around the stomach, buttocks and thighs.
Is it the bad diet? Lack of exercise? Not enough sleep? It all can contribute.
The Usual Suspects: progesterone, thyroid, estrogen and cortisol.
When a woman’s body no longer produces enough progesterone , either in perimenopause or menopause, she has entered a state of “estrogen dominance”. Estrogen dominance causes an increase in what is called “thyroid binding globulin”. When this globulin, the thyroid gland becomes dysfunctional, meaning we can diet and exercise with a vengeance and still not lose the weight.
Progesterone, is the hormone needed to equalize estrogen so that, with a healthy diet and exercise, the body’s metabolism will respond and weight loss can occur. Progesterone has calming effect in women and also can help regulate fluid retention.
The hormonal dysfunction and they are directly proportionate to the degree of estrogen dominance. By supplementing progesterone, we can effectively address some of the biochemical reasons for this weight gain. The goal is to address the excess estrogen and eliminate the hypothyroid condition so that, with a healthy diet and exercise, the body’s metabolism will respond and weight loss can occur.
Also, by putting the estrogen-progesterone in balance, we can reduce weight that is essentially good, old-fashioned water weight caused by bloating. Too much estrogen causes tissues around the abdominal area to retain water.
In younger women, this bloating is most noticeable around their menstrual cycle when their progesterone levels naturally drop to bring on menstruation. As women age and their progesterone levels do not cycle back up during the month resulting in estrogen dominance and non-stop bloating. Progesterone then acts as a natural diuretic, reducing the bloating and promoting weight loss.
The Other Offenders: Insulin and Cortisol.
While estrogen and progesterone are central, there are other facilitating hormones that may be acting up also – most often, insulin and cortisol.
Many women in their thirties experience never before known food cravings and the target of those is sweets. There is a very significant connection between estrogen and progesterone levels and insulin.
Insulin is the hormone made in the pancreas. This long thin organ is neatly tucked away under the left side of our rib cage and controls blood sugar levels. When insulin is released into our blood stream, the blood sugar level drops instantly. If too much insulin is released, the blood sugar level overshoots and drops too low. This sudden drop in blood sugar may leave us feeling weak, queasy, shaky, sweaty and craving sweets.
“Low blood sugar”, but here is where things start to compound. As the body’s production of progesterone decreases and circulating estrogen becomes dominant, insulin is released more rapidly and more often. So we are both unable to properly metabolize calories and, at the same time, taking more in.
Cortisol, is the “stress hormone”, produced in the adrenal glands that sit right above the kidneys. When you are under stress and have high levels of cortisol, your body is physiologically unable to go into a weight loss mode. Elevated cortisol levels make the body believe that there is danger ahead. Your body is programmed to conserve all your fat reserves for impending crisis. Cortisol can also affect the proper production of other hormones.
. Why Do We Need Weight Loss Hormones?
As a woman, your hormone levels are affected by the following:
- The normal fluctuations of your menstrual cycle.
- Postpartum phase
- Perimenopause
- Menopause
- Hysterectomy
- Genetics
At different stages of life, women experience hormonal fluctuations, but key periods of womanhood, markedly the perimenopause stage, is where the hromone challenge starts. This is when the fight of progesterone versus estrogen begins. Others join in – testosterone, thyroxine, epinephrine, glucagon – along with insulin and cortisol. it’s not surprising that most women gain weight in their 30s and continue to gain into their 40s, 50s and beyond!
Men can also experience sudden drops on testosterone, HGH and DHEA levels, causing weight gain, poor stamina, low exercise indurance and accumulation of fat in the abdomen area. They can also have imbalances of insulin, cortisol, glucagon, thyroid or thyroxine, epinephrine.
Men can benefit from supplementation of testosterone, HGH and thyroid.
Hormones can surely help with your weight loss plan and healthy lifestyle!