6 Signs You’re Struggling With Hormonal Weight Gain

Women struggling with hormonal weight gain and hormonal imbalances often find weight loss to be an uphill battle, working ten times harder than those with balanced hormones. However, it doesn’t have to be this way.

Working with a Naturopath like me can help you address and resolve these hormonal imbalances, allowing you to:

– Lose weight without extreme restrictions

– Alleviate hormonal symptoms (details below)

– Break free from yo-yo dieting

– Maintain a healthy weight for life

Here are 6 Signs You’re Struggling With Hormonal Weight Gain

Hormonal Weight Gain Sign #1: You are experiencing unwarranted weight gain

Many women I work with report that despite no changes in their diet or lifestyle, their weight starts to increase. This increase is most commonly felt through the mid section. This is a key indicator that hormonal imbalances are at play. Hormones significantly influence your weight set point, metabolic rate, and how your body utilises or stores food energy. Unwarranted weight gain may be due to changes in insulin sensitivity, thyroid hormones or other hormones that affect your ability to gain and lose weight.

Hormonal Weight Gain Sign #2: You’re struggling with stubborn mid section weight gain

If you’re noticing persistent weight around your midsection, it could be due to imbalances in progesterone and estrogen (common during menopause), high (or low) cortisol, or elevated insulin levels. These imbalances, particularly cortisol and insulin, are major contributors to abdominal weight gain, especially as women age, leading to feelings of frustration when typical dieting methods fail. Unfortunately, stubborn mid section weight rarely responds to standard methods of eating less and moving more. It is important to uncover and resolve the root cause of mid section weight gain to achieve effective and sustainable weight loss results.

Hormonal Weight Gain Sign #3: You experience uncontrollable cravings

Cravings for carbs, sweets, saltly food, or alcohol often indicate that something is lacking or out of balance. High stress (high cortisol or dysregulated cortisol), nervous system dysregulation, high insulin, and fluctuating blood sugar levels can drive these cravings, resulting in binge eating, emotional eating, and overeating.

Mineral deficiencies and digestive issues are major drivers of uncontrollable cravings. To gain freedom from cravings, it is important to adopt a holistic approach and address hormones, gut health and potential deficiencies.

Hormonal Weight Gain Sign #4: You experience menstrual and/or menopausal issues

Experiencing heavy periods, painful periods, PCOS, endometriosis, or a difficult menopause are all signs of an imbalance between estrogen and progesterone. High estrogen levels or levels that are relatively high compared to progesterone can lead to various symptoms, including:

– Heavy, painful, or irregular periods

– PCOS and endometriosis

– Anxiety, depression, irritability

– Poor sleep, hot flashes

– Cystic acne, especially on the jawline

– Fluid retention

– Stubborn weight gain in the hips, buttocks and thighs

– Excessive cellulite

– Rapid weight gain

Supporting progesterone production, balancing estrogen and progesterone, reducing exposure to synthetic estrogens, and clearing excess estrogen are crucial for effective and sustainable weight loss.

Hormonal Weight Gain Sign #5: You have a diagnosed or undiagnosed thyroid condition

Many women suffer from thyroid disorder symptoms for years before blood tests reveal an imbalance. It is important to address nutrition and lifestyle factors that affect thyroid health and aim to engage in a sustainable style of weight loss that does not further impact thyroid function.

Unfortunately, many women who are diagnosed with thyroid disorders find that even after starting thyroid medication, weight loss remains challenging. Naturopathic support can help. Symptoms of sluggish thyroid function include:

– Weight gain

– Puffiness or fluid retention

– Fatigue, lack of motivation, depression

– Aversion to exercise

– Constipation and bloating

– Lack of appetite in the morning

– Lack of thirst

– Difficulty losing weight despite dieting

Thyroid hormones regulate metabolic rate. Factors like inflammation, stress, restrictive dieting, and high estrogen levels can slow metabolic function. While thyroid medication can help, holistic support ensures your body effectively utilises thyroid hormones.

Hormonal Weight Gain Sign #6: You have a history of restrictive dieting

Restrictive dieting signals your body that there’s a famine or threat, prompting the brain to increase hunger hormones (ghrelin), decrease satiety hormones (leptin), and raise your weight set point. This response often leads to binge eating and falling off track. Repeated cycles of restrictive dieting make your body resistant to weight loss, even when overweight.

To address this, avoid fad diets and work with a practitioner to balance disrupted hormones. A holistic approach, combining nutrition coaching and hypnotherapy, can help reprogram the brain and alleviate intense hunger signals and cravings.

Unfortunately, standard blood tests often fail to accurately reflect hormone health, providing only a snapshot of current blood levels. Your symptoms are the most valuable information you can share with your naturopath, guiding necessary changes for lasting freedom from health challenges.

Summary

Balanced hormones are essential for lasting weight loss success. To achieve hormonal balance, you may need to:

– Adjust your diet

– Regulate your nervous system

– Heal your gut

– Address nutrient deficiencies

– Identify and resolve other contributing factors

While this may sound overwhelming, it doesn’t have to be. I help women balance their hormones and achieve their goal weight simply, safely, and sustainably.

Here are 3 ways I can help:

1. Work with me! Book a consultation in person (Evandale, SA) or AUS + NZ wide online via Zoom

2. Listen to the Holistic Weight Loss Podcast

3. Connect with me on Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube | LinkedIn | Facebook