5 Hormones That Affect Weight and Tips to Manage

Is your weight loss journey feeling more like an uphill battle with hormones conspiring against you? Our body’s intricate messaging system operates through hormonal signals. Due to their association with appetite, some hormones play an important role in body weight as well. If these become disrupted in any way it can make achieving a healthy balance much harder.

Let’s learn some key hormones that influence our weight-loss efforts, how hormonal weight gain occurs, ways to manage them to maintain a healthy body weight, and what hormone therapy for weight loss is.

What hormones affect weight?

Leptin

In short, leptin helps to reduce appetite, as it signals to our brains that we are full and do not need any more food.

Research shows that many people who are struggling with obesity generally have lower levels of this metabolic hormone than those at healthy weights. Therefore, the hormone leptin plays an essential role in determining one’s weight.

Tips for taking control:

• Getting at least 8 hours of restful sleep every night is essential for keeping leptin levels in check. Take our tips on beating insomnia to sleep better.
• Additionally, physical activities like jogging, walking or swimming can help increase leptin levels too. 
• Some foods and unhealthy fats can increase triglyceride levels and limit the way leptin works. Eating a diet that is designed to lower triglycerides is key to boosting leptin in the body. Berries, as well as unsweetened beverages and healthy oils, like olive oil or high-oleic sunflower oil, are effective for boosting leptin levels.

Ghrelin

Ghrelin acts in the opposite way to leptin. Ghrelin is a hormone responsible for those hunger pangs, sending signals from your stomach telling your brain it’s time for chow. 

Interestingly enough, people with obesity have lower levels of ghrelin but seem more sensitive to its effects. Meaning they are prone to overeating in spite of their hormones suggesting otherwise.

Tips for taking control:

• Choose a sustainable diet to manage your weight. Yo-yo dieting harms your ghrelin levels.
• Furthermore, investing time in cardiovascular activities like walking or running can help keep ghrelin from spiking off the charts during times of stress. 
• Moreover, limiting foods with added sugars and processed carbs can help prevent dramatic swings in blood sugar, which may disrupt ghrelin levels.

Estrogen

When estrogen levels are low, one will experience very distinctive symptoms of hormonal imbalance, plus the metabolism slowing down, causing excess fat storage -especially belly fat– in the body which can lead to weight gain.

Also, when estrogen increases due to certain medications or contraceptive use, it can lead to increased energy expenditure and therefore help in weight loss efforts.

Tips for taking control:

• It is important for women, particularly those aged 55+, to check their estrogen levels regularly, as this helps to reduce estrogen imbalance and therefore prevent consequences such as hormonal belly fat.
• Engaging in some form of stress management such as mindfulness or yoga can help to restore estrogen balance.
• A balanced diet full of fresh vegetables, fruits, and estrogen-resource foods such as flax seeds, sesame seeds, and tofu helps to increase estrogen.

Insulin

The insulin hormone helps to regulate how our bodies use carbohydrates, fats, and proteins from the food we eat. Thus, it also plays a role in controlling weight as it controls how quickly we metabolize these nutrients for energy. 

An adequate level of insulin hormone is essential for healthy metabolism, but an imbalance can lead to bad dietary habits such as overeating or craving excessive amounts of sugary foods.

Tips for taking control:

• Regular physical activities are necessary for maintaining insulin sensitivity.
• Practice mindful eating and assess whether you’re eating because you’re truly hungry or for other reasons.
• Eat protein with each meal to keep blood sugar from rising too quickly. Cut back on or eliminate refined sugars and processed foods for long-term health maintenance.

Cortisol

Cortisol plays an important role in controlling metabolism, blood sugar levels, immune system responses, and other functions. With regard to weight management, cortisol has an impact on how the body conducts daily activities such as sleep patterns, stress levels, and appetite. 

When these factors are thrown off balance, our bodies often produce more cortisol which can then lead to an increase in cravings for unhealthy foods such as fatty, salty snacks or sugary drinks.

Tips for taking control:

• Keep your cortisol levels in check by sleeping at least 8 hours a day.
• Incorporating relaxation routines such as yoga or meditation into your daily schedule will naturally relieve stress and lead to less cortisol production. 
• Eating a balanced diet with plenty of vitamins, minerals, and fiber and reducing caffeine intake can also help reduce cortisol levels. A Mediterranean diet may contribute to a reduction in cortisol levels.

What is hormone therapy for weight loss?

Hormone therapy for weight loss typically involves the use of medications or treatments that target specific hormones in the body to help regulate appetite, metabolism, or fat storage. It’s important to note that hormone therapy for weight loss is not a one-size-fits-all solution and should only be considered under the guidance of qualified healthcare professionals.

Here are some examples of hormone therapies that have been used or studied for weight loss:

• Human growth hormone (HGH) therapy: Human growth hormone is naturally produced by the pituitary gland and plays a role in growth, metabolism, and body composition. Some studies have investigated the use of synthetic HGH as a weight loss treatment, but its effectiveness for this purpose remains controversial and is not approved for weight loss by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
• Thyroid hormone therapy: In cases of hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid), synthetic thyroid hormones like levothyroxine may be prescribed to restore normal thyroid hormone levels. This can help regulate metabolism and potentially aid in weight loss for individuals whose weight gain was caused by the thyroid condition.
• GLP-1 receptor agonists: Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists are medications used to treat type 2 diabetes. They work by stimulating insulin secretion and reducing appetite. Some GLP-1 receptor agonists have shown potential for weight loss and are approved by the FDA for this purpose in people with obesity.
• Testosterone therapy: Testosterone is a male sex hormone that can impact body composition. In some cases of low testosterone levels (low T), testosterone replacement therapy may be prescribed. However, the use of testosterone therapy for weight loss in individuals with normal testosterone levels is not supported by medical evidence and can have adverse effects.
• Estrogen therapy: Estrogen is a female sex hormone that plays a role in regulating body fat distribution. Some studies have explored the use of estrogen therapy for postmenopausal women to manage weight, but the results are inconclusive, and hormone replacement therapy carries potential risks and side effects.

What are fat-burning hormones?

Lipolytic hormones (fat-burning hormones) act by breaking down stored fat cells, which can lead to overall weight loss when paired with a healthy lifestyle. Examples of these lipolytic hormones include:

• Epinephrine, 
• Growth hormone, 
• And glucagon. 

Understanding how these hormones affect our energy utilization is critical for those who seek to lose weight or manage their health long-term.

How to activate fat-burning hormones?

The right kind of exercise and foods can help activate fat-burning hormones which are essential to calorie-burning. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) and strength training two or three times a week are both excellent options if you’re looking to maximize fat burning. 

To both activate your fat-burning hormones and keep your weight-managing hormones in balance, you can follow the personalized workout plan that Fitness Kompanion offers you according to your bodily needs.

Additionally, focusing on proteins can be beneficial as well, since more of the calories from protein are burned when being digested rather than stored as fat like carbs or fats tend to do.

Shedding pounds isn’t just about diet—our hormones are instrumental in reaching our health goals. When they’re unbalanced, it can make managing weight difficult and overwhelming. However, by understanding how these hormones affect you, you can take steps to restore balance and create the lifestyle you desire.