Are your hormones holding you back from losing weight?

If you believe you are having hormonal issues please consult with your doctor.  I am not a medical professional.  This is what I have experienced and things I have done to balance my hormones.

I often hear from women how much they struggle to lose weight, and there are many factors why you are not losing weight, but a hormone imbalance could just be one of them.  It is very difficult to lose weight during a hormone imbalance.

I know!  For the last 3 years, I have dealt with hormone imbalance, and nothing has worked.  I have been in a calories deficit, working out 5- days a week focusing on strength training and HIIT cardio.

Now, if you have been doing all the right things, such as eating at a calorie deficit, working out, and you’ve been consistent. Then looking into your hormones would be good.

But if you are dealing with hormone imbalance, you might not like what I am about to say, but you have to STOP trying to lose weight.  You will first have to focus on balancing your hormones.

Once you balance your hormones, you can start cutting calories again and focus on burning body fat.  Because trying to keep losing weight without balancing your hormones will only damage them more.  Increase healthy fats and protein and have your carbs in moderation.

Hormones play a big role in our bodies, and they dictate many functions such as our mood, sex drive, appetite, sleep, and stress.

These are some of the causes for women hormone imbalances:

• Menopause
• PCOS
• Pregnancy
• Breastfeeding

Here are some of the signs that you may be dealing with a hormone imbalance:

• Weight gain
• Fatigue
• Depression
• Hair loss
• Irregular periods
• Reduced libido
• Mood swings
• Hot flashes

When you are dealing with hormonal imbalance, the first sign women will notice is weight gain.  Weight gain will be around your stomach, hips, and upper thighs.

Things you should avoid:

• Sugar
• Refined carbs
• Overeating
• Under eating
• Stress
• Cut down on alcohol

These are a few things you can do to balance your hormone naturally:

• Sleep ( 7 -8 hours of sleep
• Eat enough protein at least 1 lb of protein per weight
• Exercise regularly – you want to focus on doing HITT or superset to keep your heart rate up
• Manage your stress
• Consume healthy fats- helps reduce insulin resistance and controls appetite
• Drink green tea – helps boost your metabolism & contain antioxidants
• Omega 3- anti-inflammatory/turmeric is also a great option
• Eating 5 to 6 meals will help you control your blood sugars, rev up your metabolism, and not overeat.

Talk to your doctor if you think you are showing signs of hormone imbalance,  get your hormone levels tested.  I know this can sometimes be hard because I have had my share of difficulties getting the proper analysis.

I would highly recommend you make a list of your symptoms and time frame.  So that when you go to see your doctor you don’t forget to mention anything.  The more details you provide your doctor, the better.

Here is a list of blood work your doctor can do to check your hormone levels.

• Estrogen
• Progesterone
• Follicle-stimulating hormone
• Testosterone/DHEA
• Thyroid hormones

www.verywellhealth.com/hormone-blood-test-for-women-89722

Also, be prepared to hear from your doctor to get yourself on birth control or hormones pills.  I always refused to take any medications, but that is the choice I made.  I preferred to go with a more natural version and focus on nourishing food and exercise.

I know how frustrating dealing with hormonal issues can be, but the only thing we can do is be patient. Don’t give up.  All of the hard work you are putting into yourself is progress. You want to avoid gaining excess weight, so maintaining f during this time will help.

In the meantime, while you work on balancing your hormones, focus on other areas of your life, like changing your mindset around food and building a healthy relationship with food.  It takes time to balance your hormones don’t expect overnight results.