Does Hormonal Imbalance Affect Your Weight?

LifeStyleJanuary 25, 2018

With the copious amount of processed foods that people eat and the sedentary lifestyle they live, weight gain and obesity have become global pandemics. Weight gain and obesity makes one prone to terminal diseases. That’s why most people have been trying hard to reverse the inevitable by attempting to lose weight. They even undergo diet programs to lose weight.

However, somehow losing weight proves to be a difficult task. No matter what we do, sometimes the weight and fat won’t budge., which is frustrating. If you’re one of these challenged weight dieters, your hormonal imbalance might be the culprit behind it.

“In general, I try to eat food without added hormones and pesticides, but I’m not so strict that I won’t have a Big Mac once in a while.” – Missy Peregrym

What is Hormonal Imbalance?

Hormones are a natural chemical body messengers that are responsible for growth and development, metabolism, sexual function, reproduction, and emotions. A normal person has a steady amount of hormones in their body. However, if one of these hormones (especially the testosterone and estrogen) are in excess, a hormonal imbalance occurs. Here are the signs you need to look out for if you have a hormonal imbalance:

Headaches

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Chronic headaches and migraines naturally occur to you due to the fluctuations of the hormones in your body.

Mood swings

Mood swings are generally popular with women, especially when they have a menstrual period or when pregnant. But did you know that mood swings occur to men too? Anyone who suffers from a hormonal imbalance experience anxiety, irritability, and depression.

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Weight gain

People who have a hormonal imbalance are also prone to insulin resistance and slow metabolism. Because of this, your body becomes unable to use up all the food you eat efficiently, resulting to some of it being deposited as fats. Men and women struggle against weight gain and fats around the abdomen, hips, and breasts.

Sweating

People with hormonal imbalance sweat a lot more than the normal people. Even if you’re only doing a little thing, it can cause you to sweat profusely.

Cravings

Since people with hormonal imbalance suffer from insulin resistance, they are more prone to cravings. The imbalance of the hormones causes the degradation of their body. For example, these people struggle with activating their “feeling full” hormone. That is why they feel hungry all the time. Apart from that, they are more likely to crave for sweet and salty foods. When this occurs, people get into the risk of binge-eating, which exacerbates their weight gain condition.

Digestion problems

We’ve already said it before that people diagnosed with hormonal imbalance have a slow metabolism. This connects to their ability to digest foods. Because of their slow metabolism, their digestive system slows down. This delays the signaling of the brain that they’re full enough. And as you know, when you’re still not full, you tend to shove more foods than your body could take. This leads to bloating, having a grassy feeling after eating, and stomach problems.

Insomnia and poor sleep patterns

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Since the hormones are in a wreck, one’s ability to sleep properly becomes affected. Most people with hormonal imbalance suffer from insomnia. The cortisol levels in the body continue to increase, leading to stress. And when you’re stressed out, it aggravates your migraine problems and weight gain.

Memory loss

Since you’re not having enough sleep, it affects your body’s natural circadian rhythm. This results in the brain not functioning normally because it lacks the proper rest. This brain malfunction can lead to memory loss and possibly place you at the risk of dementia in the future years.

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Fatigue

Aside from the fluctuation of your hormones, the lack of sleep, slow metabolism, weight gain, and migraines can also contribute to you feeling lethargic and irritable every day. You feel already drained physically, mentally, and emotionally before you even start your day.