Have you tried everything to shed unwanted pounds… but nothing has worked?

Maybe you’ve entered dangerous territory hoping for results. But even strict diets, skipped meals, rigorous exercise regimes, meal replacements, smoothies, and fasts have left you feeling stressed, tired and, yes, the same size.

Then, it’s time to better understand your hormones…

What are they?

How are they linked to your waistline?

And how can you halt — even reverse — hormonal weight gain?

What are hormones?

 Hormones are chemical messengers that:

— are released from endocrine glands

— travel through the bloodstream, and

— trigger change in organs and tissues

Hormones are made by endocrine glands; glands like the thyroid gland, adrenal glands, pancreas, the ovaries in women, and the testes in men. These messengers are potent. We don’t need large quantities but, like a seesaw, we require the ideal amount for balanced function.

When these messengers are dysfunctional we, humans, struggle. Many hormone imbalances negatively affect our body size and shape, leading to a paunch, ample love handles, overweight, and obesity. And, yes, they also make it harder for us to shed the bulge. But, there is hope!

By better understanding your hormones you can improve your health and drop excess fat. Especially when you re-balance the hormones that control your hunger…

Control your hunger hormones

 

While different factors contribute to the desire to eat, the hormones, ghrelin and leptin, are key to controlling hunger. When in perfect harmony they help to maintain energy homeostasis, encouraging us to eat correctly to maintain a stable, healthy weight.

Ghrelin is known as the “hunger hormone” because of its role in stimulating food intake and encouraging the body to accumulate fat.

Leptin has the opposite effect to ghrelin. The amount of leptin in the blood acts like a barometer that provides the brain with information about the body’s energy stores. In effect, how much “fatness” exists. When we have too much body fat, leptin rises to adjust our food intake; to switch off hunger. However, it appears this hormone has a longer-term effect, rather than exerting a meal-by-meal outcome.

The aim of the two appetite hormones

In short, the aim is to maintain a stable weight. See, your body doesn’t like large size shifts. The DNA information that you’re built upon was forged in ancient times, when a steady size meant security, safety, and survival.

So, while not quite as simple as it sounds, we can think about ghrelin and leptin as a biological seesaw, balancing body weight over the longer term.

How can you push the balance of these hormones in your favor?

Sleep relaxed and well

We’ll talk about sleep more in a moment, but even one night of stress-related poor slumber has been shown to alter leptin levels. As the authors of the study, Leptin and hunger levels in young healthy adults after one night of sleep loss, found, this combination increased appetite, hunger, and hormonal changes and “ultimately may lead to increased consumption of 'comfort' food and obesity.”

Another study found that those who slept less experienced elevated ghrelin and reduced leptin levels. The authors concluded that the changes to these key hormones probably intensifies appetite and may explain why short sleep is linked to an increase in body mass index (BMI).

Eat well

We are, as the saying goes, what we eat. Yes, including our hormones. Our food choices influence their balance. This is powerful because with such knowledge we can make healthier choices.

How does food affect leptin?

A review study published in the journal, Frontiers in Endocrinology, noted that, “Diets high in fat, carbohydrates, fructose, and sucrose, and low in protein are drivers of leptin resistance.”

Leptin resistance is linked to overweight and obesity. When the level of leptin is too high for an extended period of time, the body can “turn down” the ability of the cells to respond to this hormone. The body becomes resistant to leptin's effects. The signals to “stop eating” become muffled.

How does food affect ghrelin?

A review study called, Ghrelin, food intake, and botanical extracts: A Review, noted that ghrelin level falls quickly after eating a meal. Within 60 minutes, you’ll feel less — or not — hungry. But all diets and foods aren’t created equally.

Low energy dense diets — those that are not high in calories — lower the level of ghrelin. Whereas fat, per calorie, appears to be less effective at reducing ghrelin than carbohydrate or protein. High-fat diets may, then, reduce feelings of fullness and contribute to hunger. This, too, could lead to weight gain.

So, it’s important to choose a diet that counteracts this effect. In particular, a balanced diet with sufficient amounts of healthy carbohydrates and protein.

Improve the quality and quantity of your sleep

 

Sound slumber is a health-giving essential. But often when we think about restless nights, we only consider the consequences in terms of grumpiness and fatigue. It’s so much more!

So, before we dive in, ask yourself:

Do you prioritize sleep?

Do you sleep well?

Do you wake feeling refreshed?

Sleep is an important regulator of hormone function. And sleep is — in part — responsible for your hormones. As the journal article, Sleep and obesity, said, loss of sleep results in “decreased glucose tolerance, decreased insulin sensitivity, increased evening concentrations of cortisol, increased levels of ghrelin, decreased levels of leptin, and increased hunger and appetite.”

It’s no wonder, then, that insomnia is strongly linked to overweight and obesity!

If there is one easy way to shift your hormones into a state that encourages a healthy waistline, it’s sound slumber.

To discover top science-backed ways to boost your shuteye, read 6 Ways To Improve Your Quality Of Sleep. Your hormones and your physique will thank you!

 

Exercise efficiently (not intensely)

 

Have you ever wondered about the effects of exercise on your hormones? Specifically on the hormones that contribute to weight gain?

If not, it's time.

For people who either have an increased sensitivity to glucocorticoids like the stress hormone, cortisol, or increased exposure, stress may be a key player in the development and preservation of obesity.

How is this exercise-related?

Intense exercise raises the level of cortisol. On the flip side, low intensity exercise reduces this hormone.

So, if you’re aiming to improve your hormone balance and shed unwanted pounds a more gentle approach may help. Instead of vigorous cardio workouts five to seven times a week, switch to include some sessions of Yoga, body weight workouts, and walking.

Consult with your health professional

 

The best way to understand exactly what your hormones are doing is to directly test them. But hormones are complex and interdependent. Correctly deciphering the result is important.

A suitably qualified health professional can both order your tests and interpret them for you. This will help you understand what is happening inside you, what hormones might be contributing to weight gain, and what steps you can take to “move the needle” so to speak.

Supplement with HyperBurn

 

Wonderfully, evidence-based supplements are available to support your goals.

HyperBurn encourages weight loss by providing ingredients that support hormone balance and supercharge your ability to shed unwanted fat. These include:

– L-theanine to soothe stress
– L-carnitine tartrate and acetyl-l-carnitine to support a healthy blood sugar level
– Bitter orange extract to enhance metabolism and suppress appetite
– Capsicum extract to improve metabolism and reduce appetite

Each may have a positive effect on hormone balance and your waistline! Combined… Let’s just say our customers love the results!

As Amy R. said about HyperBurn, “I’m in love! After using it for a week, I’m down 4 lbs!!”

Onest Health HyperBurn

The Takeaway

 

There are a range of hormones that can affect your size. Some trigger weight gain, others weight loss. By understanding more about these potent messengers, the impact they have on your waistline, and how you can halt — even reverse — hormonal weight gain, you can take back control of your health and your size. Powerful, isn’t it!