Lime In The Coconut Specialty Compounding Pharmacy: How Hormones Affect Weight Loss

For some people, weight loss is a relatively simplistic process. They watch what they eat in order to avoid consuming too many unnecessary calories, and they exercise regularly. Slowly but surely, the extra weight disappears. For other people, the process is not nearly so simple.

The truth is that there are multiple different factors that affect weight loss - the formula often extends far beyond the simple "calories in minus calories out."

At our Lake of the Ozarks compounding pharmacy, we dedicate a significant portion of our practice to helping our clients achieve their weight loss goals. A few weeks ago, we wrote about five different factors that frequently affect weight loss:

Stress
Inconsistent (or inadequate) sleep schedules
Dehydration
Genetics
Skipping meals

While it's true that these factors can (and do) affect your ability to lose weight, they don't tell the whole story. Keep reading to learn about another factor that has a significant impact on the body's ability to lose weight.

The Power Of Hormones

You probably guessed it - hormones are another factor that significantly influence the way our bodies gain and lose weight. Hormones are natural chemicals that regulate countless bodily functions, including sleep schedules, mood, metabolism, and weight loss/gain.

Women are often extremely aware of the powerful effects of hormones, as they experience the strong hormonal changes that accompany their cycles every month. Men may not be as acutely aware of the power of hormones on a day-to-day basis (although they may witness it in their female family members!) but they can be just as impacted by hormonal shifts in their bodies.

Three Hormones That Impact Weight Loss

Here is a quick look at some of the hormones that are commonly at play in weight loss challenges.

Cortisol
Commonly referred to as "the stress hormone," cortisol is the hormone our bodies release when we are under significant or extended stress. Cortisol triggers the body to convert sugars into fat so that it can be stored in the body for later use. Unfortunately, many of us don't get a chance to use this stored energy, so it continues to build up over time. It is worth noting that stress isn't the only thing that can cause the body to produce more cortisol - a daily cup of coffee can have a similar impact.

Estrogen

Estrogen is fairly well known as the hormone that is primarily responsible for making women, well, women. It plays a crucial role in regulating female body functions such as menstruation, menopause, and female development. However, it also plays a significant role in metabolism and weight loss. Rising estrogen levels are often correlated with insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and weight gain. Estrogen levels can be thrown off balance by exposure to toxic substances, as well as consuming large amounts of meat or soy products.

Leptin

As the hormone that tells our brain when we are full (and consequently when we should stop eating), leptin plays an important role in weight management. Unfortunately, the copious amounts of sugar we consume on a regular basis makes it hard for leptin to do its job. The short explanation is that consuming large quantities of sugar (which is easy to do even if you avoid cookies, cakes, and other desserts) causes the body to produce excess leptin. While this may not sound like a bad thing at first, the truth is that when the body gets too much of a certain hormone circulating in its system, it begins to to ignore that hormone's message.

It Doesn't Stop There

While cortisol, estrogen, and leptin are commonly at play when the body starts to display weight loss challenges, they aren't the only hormones that can impact weight gain/loss. The endocrine system (or the "hormone system") is immensely complex. There are countless different factors that can influence how your body metabolizes sugars and manages fat storage.

If you are having trouble meeting your weight loss goals, it may be worth investigating how hormones might be impacting your situation. If you would like to learn more, we encourage you to reach out to the Lime in the Coconut Specialty Compounding Pharmacy. Our team will be more than happy to assist you however we can!

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