Hormones and Weight Loss
People think that losing weight is just a matter of following the classic approach: eat less + exercise more = lose weight. Although creating a caloric deficit is necessary for weight loss, it is important to understand how hormones play a role is making sure you are optimized for weight loss so all your handwork and efforts don’t go unrewarded.
Because hormones play a crucial role in energy, metabolism and motivation, achieving hormone balance can help set foundation for maintaining a healthy weight!
Estrogen
Estrogen can be tricky; it can help influence both weight loss and weight gain. Like with anything in life, hormones are about balance
Estradiol (Estrogen) Dominance
Estradiol causes water retention primarily by stimulating the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), a system in the body that leads to increased sodium and water retention in the kidneys. This overall leads to an increase in an increase in weight (through water) and feelings of bloating.
All hormones influence the brain and how we think and feel in one way or another. Estradiol can influence an enzyme called COMT that breaks down excitatory neurotransmitters. A build up of these neurotransmitters can lead to high levels of stress. High levels of stress lead to fatigue, poor dietary decision making and prolonged elevated stress levels and cortisol levels which cause insulin resistance and visceral fat gain.
What to do:
Reduce your body’s estrogen “load” by trying the following strategies:
- Use topical bioidentical progesterone cream or oral sustained release progesterone to help counteract the effects of high estrogen! This is one of the quickest ways to start reducing the effects of estrogen in your body. For many people, this can make a huge difference.
- Eat foods that help your liver detoxify excess estrogen. Vegetables containing a phytonutrient called indole-3-carbinol (I3C) have been shown to improve the production of “good” estrogen and decrease the “bad” estrogen. Learn more in Dr. Randolph’s book From Belly Fat to Belly Flat.
- Consider supplements and blends that help reduce estrogen, containing Calcium D-Glucarate or Diindolylmethane (DIM)
Estradiol (Estrogen) Deficiency
Estradiol has an important role in both energy metabolism, regulating energy intake and fat deposition. Firstly, Estradiol regulates where fat is deposited. Estradiol allows for more fat storage to go t breasts, hips and buttocks (gynoid fat distribution). When there is a deficiency in estradiol the body tends to lean more fat deposition in the abdomen (android distribution).
Secondly, contrary to popular belief estrogen can actually help your metabolism. Estradiol can help regulate an activity call brown adipose tissue thermogenesis (BAT). BAT increases thermogenesis (heat production) through increased energy production and therefore and increase your caloric burn.
Lastly, estradiol helps increase leptin sensitivity. Leptin is the hormone that is release from fat cells that communicate to the brain to help us feel full and satisfied.
What to do:
Have a trained professional analyze your labs and help guide you through the benefits of Bioidentical Hormones Replacement.
Progesterone
Progesterone normally viewed as a hormone that aids in fat accumulation for pregnancy can help aid in hormonal balance that may aid in your dieting efforts.
As mentioned previously estradiol activates the RAAS system leading to water retention and bloating. Progesterone blocks the hormone aldosterone aiding in water and sodium excretion.
While estradiol increases excitatory, possible stress inducing neurotransmitter, progesterone helps to combat this effect. Progesterone acts as a GABA receptor allosteric modulator that when activate make neurons more susceptible to GABAs effects. GABA acts as an inhibitory calming neurotransmitter and natural anxiolytic.
What to do:
Balancing hormones through the supplementation of either topical or oral progesterone replacement can act to stabilize mood, improve fatigue, improve sleep, helping to put you in a position to have the energy and motivation to maintain healthy
Testosterone
Testosterone isn’t just for men. The use of testosterone has many benefits for women including increasing energy and libido. In regards to testosterone and fat loss, testosterone can aid by sensitization of the beta receptor of our fat cells, improves insulin sensitivity and improves muscle protein synthesis.
Testosterone improves insulin sensitivity aiding in our body’s tissue’s ability to use nutrients, reduce blood sugar an inflammation.
Testosterone can increase a process called muscle protein synthesis (MPS). MPS is the body’s ability to create to muscle tissue. Muscle tissue is metabolically active tissue and increase the rate of MPS allows for an easier ability to maintain and gain muscle leading to an increase in our basal metabolic rate (BMR).
Our fat cells have adrenergic receptors that allow for both fat storage (lipogenesis) and fat loss (lipolysis). Alpha receptors are the receptors that cause fat storage or really resist fat loss. The beta receptors are the receptors that when signaled cause fat loss. As we age beta receptors become less sensitive to signaling. Testosterone acts by upregulating beta-adrenergic receptor expression, enhancing the sensitivity of fat cells to lipolytic signals.
What to do:
Make an appointment with one of our providers to have a discussion about the benefits of testosterone replacement.
Take Home
As you can see hormone can have a large impact on weight loss. Although no singular hormone can cause the fat to burn right off, having properly balanced hormones allow you to be in an optimal position to make all your efforts in the gym and the kitchen worth it.
Come see us and let us know how we can help!