- Trying to lose weight can be challenging. In order to successfully lose weight, it is important to take many factors in consideration.
- One key factor to effectively weight loss is a healthy hormonal balance.
- Let’s look at the 3 the three main types of hormones, and ways to make sure that they stay in balance.
- A. Type 1: The Hungry Hormones (insulin & cortisol)
- Insulin is very important for your bodily function, but too much of it can cause unwanted weight gain. Excess insulin tells your body to convert unused sugars to fat, while keeping the body from using the fat as energy. This makes losing fat extremely difficult.
- Another belly fat criminal is cortisol. The hormone cortisol is meant to be a stress reliever, but too much cortisol can increase weight gain by increasing levels of the aforementioned insulin. An imbalance of these two hormones can cause a desire for carbs especially late in the night.
- Foods and tips on how to balance the hungry hormones:
- 1. Blueberries: Eat them on a regular basis. They can help the body deal with insulin levels.
- 2. Cinnamon: Adding cinnamon to your food can improve the response of insulin and reduce blood sugar.
- 3. Green tea: Drink more of it as it helps regulate blood sugar and supports fat burning.
- 4. Holy basil: It is a well known stress reliever and cortisol balancer. Add to your food, take as a food supplements or drink as a tea.
- 5. Phosphatidylserine: It can be found as a supplement. A more natural way is to find it in foods such as carrots, rice, white beans, and cabbage. Phosphatidylserine helps relieve the effects of stress hormone on the muscles and brain.
- 6. Practicing Yoga: It can help lower cortisol levels while strengthening muscles.
- B. Type 2: The Moody Hormones (serotonin & dopamine)
- Making sure that serotonin is in balance is very important for effective weight loss. Most people associate serotonin to the brain, but the truth is that most serotonin is produced in the digestive tract. Serotonin helps uplift mood when one feels the “blues”.
- When feeling depressed, we all crave sugars and starches to help produce serotonin.
- Dopamine, the other moody hormone is associated with the pleasure center of the brain. Dopamine is one of the reason food can get addictive, because it is released when eating “pleasurable and delectable” foods.
- Foods and tips on how to balance the moody hormones:
- 1. 5 HTP: It will cause the body to produce serotonin, which helps with carb cravings and overeating. It can be found in supplement form.
- 2. Rhodiola: It helps with mood regulation by stimulating dopamine and serotonin activity.
- 3. Eat more foods that increase serotonin: Brown rice, cottage cheese, peanuts, and sesame seeds.
- 4. Eat more foods that increase dopamine: Almonds, avocados, bananas, and pumpkin seeds.
- 5. Meditation, sex, and exercise: They can help boost serotonin and dopamine.
- C. Type 3: The Sluggish Hormones (low growth hormone, DHEA, and melatonin)
- Low growth hormone secretion has been associated with abdominal weight gain in post-menopausal women.
- Without good levels of melatonin, the fat reducing benefits of growth hormone become nonexistent, and abdominal weight gain becomes a problem.
- DHEA is a hormone that helps reduce the negative effects of cortisol. DHEA also helps the body lose fat and gain muscle.
- Foods and tips on how to balance the sluggish hormones:
- 1. 7-Keto DHEA: It promotes metabolism, helps reduce fat, aids in reducing the negative effects of cortisol, and promotes abdominal weight loss. It can be found in supplement form.
- 2. Melatonin: The supplements can help with regular melatonin production.
- 3. Walnuts: They are an excellent natural source of melatonin.
-
- REFERENCES:
- 1. Turner, Natasha, ND. “What’s Your Hormone Type? Customized Weight-Loss Solutions.” The Dr. Oz Show. N.p., 16 Feb. 2013. Web. 13 Mar. 2013.
- For more on rhodiola.
- For a flat tummy smoothie recipe.
- For the benefits of meditation.
3 Comments