- The female hormones weight loss connection can be the key to burning stubborn abdominal and lower body fat.
- Estrogen and weight loss are often considered after menopause for women, but it may be an earlier cause.
- Estrogen dominance may lead to insulin resistance, greater fat storage, and fat-burning difficulty.
- Balanced estrogen levels may result in a higher metabolic rate and faster weight loss for both women and men.
You might be doing everything right: reducing processed sugar, cutting down nutrition-void carbs, exercising regularly, eating complete protein, drinking plenty of water, and even managing your stress levels. Yet somehow, you may still be a few pounds away from your weight loss goal.
Talk about frustrating!
What’s worse, you may be putting on inexplicable weight despite your best efforts.
If you’re struggling with weight loss resistance, it might be time to look at your hormones. After all, the female hormones weight loss connection is not unheard of.
If you’re thinking:
“I already checked my thyroid, and there’s no connection between my thyroid and weight gain.”
That’s fantastic! If you already ruled out thyroid issues, you’re already taking control of your health and fitness. The not so good news? There may be other hormones at play, keeping your goal out of reach.
Thyroid hormones are not the only potential causes of weight gain; it could also be estrogen or something else.
A poor-functioning thyroid is a very common -yet often overlooked- cause of rapid weight gain. However, estrogen is another sneaky hormone that has the power to completely break weight loss goals (for both men and women) that does not get as much attention as the thyroid.
Estrogen, the female “sex” hormone can lead to insulin resistance and weight gain or plateau!
If you’re tired of exercising, dieting, and going on calorie restriction without results - you’re in the right place! We’re ready to dive into the female hormones weight loss world and arm you with easy tips to regain balance.
In today’s post, we’ll talk about the estrogen and weight loss relationship, but keep your eyes peeled for our follow-up piece on the other hormones that may also be in the way of your ideal summer body.
Female Hormones Weight Loss - What?
If you’re a woman struggling with fat that just won’t budge, this may not be your first trip down the female hormones weight loss road. However, as we said before, it may be your first time considering estrogen because it just wasn’t in your radar.
Licensed physicians don’t usually look into estrogen levels unless you’re a woman experiencing perimenopause/menopause or trying -and failing- to have a baby. So let’s define the female hormones weight loss connection and why estrogen is so important.
What Are Female Hormones? What is Estrogen?
All humans have hormones regulating bodily systems: from sleep to growth to sex - it’s all down to hormones.
Both men and women share these hormones at various levels, including the ones related to reproduction, libido, and physical gender appearance; specifically, testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone.
However, testosterone is higher in men, making it a typically “male hormone” while estrogen is typically higher in women, making it a “female hormone.”
Estrogen and Progesterone are considered “female sex hormones.” And in this article, we’ll do the same.
Estrogen:
Estrogen is the group of hormones responsible for making women uniquely feminine; it promotes the growth and development of the physical and internal characteristics of the female body:
- Responsible for breast growth, wider pelvis, uterus, Fallopian tubes, egg production.
- Improves and maintains collagen in the skin preventing aging (before menopause.)
- Supports bone strength and prevents bone loss.
- Helps regulate cholesterol in the liver.
- Maintains body temperature (leading to hot flashes during perimenopause.)
- Boosts sensitivity to insulin.
- Increases fat storage in the hips and thighs, making the body more “curvy.”
- Prevents hair loss
- Affects mood and motivation.
As you can see, estrogen does a lot more than help women look female and produce eggs. It is an essential hormone for a healthy life, and it may be the cause of fat storage and breast growth in men. The main hormones in the estrogen family are:
- Estrone (E1)
- Estradiol (E2)
- Estriol (E3)
Talk to your doctor about these if you’re looking for your personal female hormones weight loss connection.
Estrogen and Weight Loss
Any imbalance in the estrogen levels of your body may lead to weight gain and therefore hinder weight loss. Estrogen and weight loss go hand in hand because estrogen activates insulin to help regulate blood sugar.
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High Estrogen Levels: negatively affect insulin production and lead to insulin resistance. Insulin processes blood sugar sending it to three locations: muscles, liver, and adipose tissue (fat storage.)
If you resist insulin, then the amounts sent to each location change, which ends in more fat and weight gain. This is known as “Estrogen Dominance.”
- Low Estrogen Levels: force the body to look for other estrogen sources, such as fat cells. This makes the body transform available energy sources into fat to later gain estrogen from them. This also results in weight gain.
The female hormones weight loss connection then becomes clear:
High and low estrogen levels affect insulin production and keep body fat locked in.
What to do? Simple lifestyle changes that ensure estrogen and weight loss are on best-bud terms, in addition to any hormone therapy recommended by your doctor.
Estrogen Balancing Tips You Can Use Today!
If you suspect estrogen dominance or that your female hormones weight loss bridge is broken try these simple tips to start reducing excess estrogen and process it better. However, in estrogen and weight loss issues, your doctor may have the most personalized advice for you.
#1 Try Meatless Mondays:
A female hormones weight loss connection not many of us make: what your food eats, you eat. Factory farmed raised animals are usually given growth hormones, antibiotics, and steroids which are later released into your bloodstream, becoming xenoestrogens.
Try to reduce your meat intake on a weekly bases and see how you feel. You can also look at grass-fed, organic, meat sources.
#2 Switch to Glass Containers:
What does this have to do with estrogen and weight loss? A lot, actually. Xenoestrogens are chemicals that imitate estrogen in the body, increasing its apparent levels and resulting in hormonal imbalance. BPS and BPA plastics are two of these chemicals that are absorbed and processed as if they were estrogen.
When plastic is exposed to high temperatures (freezing or microwaving), these chemicals break down and seep into the food or liquids around them. This may block the female hormones weight loss bridge you so want to build.
#3 Clear Your Gut
Another one of those interesting female hormones weight loss connections: estrogen -and its excess- is eliminated through healthy bowel movements. Constipation and irregularity keep that excess estrogen in, so eat more fiber and try a probiotic to keep your digestive tract working properly.
#4 Eat More Greens!
Cruciferous vegetables contain phytochemicals that can reduce or block excess estrogen production; this is particularly important in cancer prevention, but can also be a healthy and easy way to activate the estrogen and weight loss function. Additionally, greens have a high fiber content which binds to estrogen and helps release it through feces.
An easy way to get more greens in your diet is to try our green juice, which has 11 superfoods and plenty of greens to get you through the day, plus an excellent liver detox support.
#5 Choose Organic Food and Beauty Products
Pesticides and chemicals used to grow plants, feed cattle and preserve the products we eat and put on our skin can be disruptive to our hormones. Consider going for non-GMO products and natural, pesticide-free, fruits, vegetables, meat, and dairy.
Go for natural lotions and beauty products as well. This is not just good for your female hormones weight loss balancing journey, but for overall health.
#6 Avoid or Reduce Soy
Soy is a natural plant-based estrogen, avoid it or reduce it if you suspect estrogen dominance. Estrogen and weight loss work better when your natural estrogen levels are balanced.
#7 Excercise More!
Good for female hormones and weight loss, exercise breaks down estrogen so it’s easier to get rid of any excess.
#8 Relax and Get More Sleep:
Melatonin the “sleep hormone” helps regulate estrogen levels and decreases estrogen receptors. When you skip on sleep, these levels can go out of control, and the protective effects of melatonin fall significantly. Similarly, reducing cortisol levels the stress hormone (it’s all connected) allows melatonin to and rise and fall at optimum hours.
Learn more about cortisol and sleep deprivation; it may also be connected to weight gain. If you struggle with sleep, try to wind down with our super healthy Gold superfood drink made with stress managing adaptogenic herbs that send you off in the best way.
Bottom Line:
The female hormones weight loss connection is real and varied, it may take time for you to figure out exactly what’s going on with your body if you have plateaued. Consider these healthy trip to keep estrogen and weight loss going at an optimum pace.
Sometimes the smallest changes, like adding more greens or ditching plastic, may have the most dramatic long term results - even if you don’t see it at first. Consult with a licensed physician and use this post as a cheat sheet to talk about your personal needs.
Did you suspect estrogen? Are there other female hormones weight loss connections we should explore? Let us know below!
