It’s hard to resist a quick-fix when it comes to losing weight. Diets that promote rapid weight loss may achieve just that, but at a cost. Here’s what happens to your hormones when you lose weight too quickly, plus how to find long-term solutions for hormonal stability and weight loss.
Your weight and your hormones go hand in hand
There are many hormones that play a role in your food intake and weight control. Here are some of the biggest players:
- Insulin: Created by the pancreas, this hormone controls the amount of glucose in your blood, taking it from food and converting it into energy for your body to use.
- Leptin: Known as the fullness hormone, it tells your brain that you’re satisfied from eating.
- Ghrelin: This hormone is responsible for stimulating appetite and letting you know that you are hungry.
- Cortisol: The stress hormone not only regulates that fight-or-flight response during stressful situations, it also aids in maintaining a healthy metabolism balance, too.
- Estrogen: This hormone helps to regulate metabolism and body weight, and lower levels may lead to weight gain.
- Testosterone: Low testosterone levels can make it harder to lose weight. This hormone also regulates fat distribution.\ Given the myriad of ways that your hormones can contribute to weight gain, a plateau, or other frustrations with the scale, having an understanding of your own hormone levels can be hugely helpful in discovering why weight loss may be so difficult. Regularly checking in through Base’s diet testing plan will let you know how fats and sugars are balanced in your diet, what your glucose levels are, and possible deficiencies that may be causing weight gain troubles through hormonal imbalances.
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The problem with rapid weight loss diets
Diets that cause speedy fat loss can sometimes do more harm than good, particularly when they are not prescribed by a healthcare professional and closely monitored by medical guidance. Take very low-calorie diets (VLCD) for example. These diets requires you to drastically reduce the amount of food you eat, usually to a maximum of 800 calories per day. While some who are clinically diagnosed as obese may be put on a VLCD for a short period of time by a healthcare provider, attempting to do one on your own can negatively impact your hormones.
One study found that after eight weeks of a VLCD the thyroid hormone T3 decreased as much as 66% in participants. T3 is responsible for digestion and metabolic functions. Not eating enough calories could lead to hypothyroidism, a condition that over time can cause weight gain that won’t budge. Translation: Very restrictive diets can backfire, causing weight gain instead of loss in the long term.
To make sure your eating patterns aren’t affecting your thyroid hormones, use Base’s quick finger prick test to monitor thyroid hormone levels and ensure they are stable. You can also use Base’s at-home testing to understand why you’re having difficulty losing weight to begin with, or what’s halted your progress.
3 ways to keep your hormones from messing with your weight loss efforts
Whether you’ve tried a rapid weight loss plan before or not, there are several hormone kinks that can keep stubborn pounds on. Here’s what to do about them.
Steer clear of refined carbs
Make it a point to fill up on whole grains, fruits, and vegetables while limiting white, refined carbs. While all carbs aren’t the enemy, keeping an emphasis on foods like non starchy vegetables (broccoli, asparagus, leafy greens) as well as protein can prevent insulin resistance, which can help keep your weight balanced.
Try HIIT training
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a win-win - it’s often less time working out while you maximize fat burn and maintain hormone levels. HIIT exercises (such as alternating between periods of jogging and sprinting for 20 to 30 minutes or doing 20 seconds of a strength training exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest for three to four rounds) was linked to lower insulin resistance as well as improved glucose tolerance.
Maintain your energy
It can be difficult to do the things you need to do to lose or maintain a healthy weight if you’re always tired or have no energy. The reason you’re so zapped may be due to a deficiency in vitamin B12 or ferritin - a blood protein that contains iron (and could cause anemia if levels are too low). This risk is greater if you’ve recently tried a rapid weight loss diet. Regularly monitoring your nutrient levels that are tied to energy is a good strategy. If your levels are off, you’ll know that making dietary adjustments are necessary to restore energy and set yourself up for long-term weight loss success.
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