Are willpower and self-control the real solution to low energy and high weight? Maybe not!
Are willpower and self-control the real solution to low energy and high weight? Maybe not. It might be your (powerful) hormones. Hormones directly affect your blood sugar, metabolism and appetite – things that control your energy and weight.
Let’s go over a few of the critical links between your hormones and how they affect your energy and weight. The links may be stronger than you think.
We hear lots of talk about having healthy, happy hormones these days and for a good reason! Your hormones are part of the master control system of your entire body.
Hormones are compounds made by one part of the body that are used to communicate with another part. For example, insulin is made in the pancreas. When your blood sugar gets too high, insulin is released into the bloodstream. Then, it goes to your muscles and other cells to tell them to absorb the sugar out of the blood (if there is still too much blood sugar, it signals to store it as fat).
Your hormones control not only your blood sugar but also your metabolism and appetite (plus a host of other things). Having healthy blood sugar, metabolism and appetite is a foundation for optimal energy and weight.
So, how do hormones get so out of balance that they begin to zap your energy levels and contribute to you piling on the pounds?
In an ideal world, your hormones would work great, and you’d have loads of energy and be a good healthy weight. But what we often find is that we either have too much or too little hormones released. This is known as hypo- or hyper- “hormone” (i.e. hypo- or hyperthyroidism).
Another problem that we often find is that even if the right amount of hormone is released, the cells they communicate with can start ignoring them. This is known as hormone “resistance” (i.e. insulin resistance).
As you can imagine, if your hormones have such critical jobs, including controlling blood sugar, metabolism and appetite, they can cause issues with your energy and weight.
Your metabolism is key to controlling your energy levels. Metabolism is basically how much energy (calories) your body burns. One of the critical elements of this is…you guessed it, your thyroid hormones.
Your thyroid releases hormones that affect the metabolism of all the cells in your body. If it’s too low and your metabolism goes down (hypothyroid), you may feel cold, hungry and tired. If it’s too high and your metabolism is too fast (hyperthyroid), you may feel hot, jittery and lose weight.
What you want is an ideal metabolism, ideal energy levels to use and an ideal weight. Your thyroid hormones are the master controller here.
Your weight may be controlled by hormones more than you think! Insulin controls your blood sugar and decides whether that sugar will be stored as fat or not. When your blood sugar is too low, you may start craving sugar and carbs.
It is also your hormones that control your appetite. When the hormones ghrelin & leptin get out of balance, you may find yourself wanting to eat because your body thinks you’re hungry and not satisfied. You may also start to crave sugary food, which can drive you to eat more, even when your body doesn’t need it. And don’t forget about that stress hormone cortisol. When it’s too high for too long, it tells your body to store fat. And not just any fat – the dreaded belly fat!
Your body is very complex and uses hormones to control a considerable number of functions. They control your blood sugar, metabolism and appetite, amongst others. These directly affect how much energy you have, how much you weigh and even where your body fat is stored.
Here are a few “hormone stabilising” tips that might help you with both your energy and weight:
• Get regular exercise to use up excess blood sugar before your insulin has your body store it as fat
• Try stress-relieving activities like Pilates or meditation to reduce your (belly-fat inducing) cortisol
• Support your thyroid with iodine-containing vegetables, fish, or even eggs
• Balance your blood sugar with extra fibre from raspberries, avocados or flax seeds
• Reduce blood sugar spikes by replacing your juice or fizzy drinks with fruit-infused water
REFERENCES
http://www.precisionnutrition.com/fast-weight-loss-changes-hunger-hormones
http://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-thyroid
https://authoritynutrition.com/9-fixes-for-weight-hormones/
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