The Weight of Our Stress Hormones

The Weight of our Stress Hormones

Despite what we’ve long been told, and the pervasive amount of food-and fat-shaming in our culture, the number on the scale isn’t always a simple reflection of the number of calories we consume vs. the number we burn.

In fact, the stress brought on by extreme diets and exercise can undermine them entirely—and actually cause weight gain. Often the real key to losing what may be unwanted belly fat, and gaining energy, clarity, and a better mood lies with your… you guessed it  hormones!

Hormone imbalances that have the greatest effect on our weight—not to mention our mood and happiness.

In this article, we look at some most asked questions along with what to do if hormones are out of whack, how to reset your metabolism, break painful food addictions without self-blame, and the most important things we all should know about hormones—regardless of what we may weigh.

Sometimes diet and efforts at the gym just don’t pay off on the scale—do you believe that weight loss comes down to one calorie in, one calorie out?

I think many of us have discovered a long time ago that the calorie-in/calorie-out hypothesis has been widely disproven and remains the greatest misconception people have about diet and weight loss. Calories matter, more to some people than others, but hormones matter more.

Almost anyone who struggles with weight also battles a hormone imbalance. It amazes me how effective weight loss becomes once hormones are back in their sweet spot.

Most diets don’t work for women, because they fail to address the hormonal root causes that are the most common reasons for weight loss resistance, like excess cortisol, insulin and/or leptin blockage, estrogen dominance, a sluggish thyroid,  low testosterone, and problems with the HPA (hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal) control system.

 If any one of these hormones misfires, we are going to have problems with our weight.

 At Hotties Hormones, I developed a protocol, starting first with lifestyle redesign and filling nutrient deficiencies, administering herbal therapies if symptoms don’t resolve, supporting clients with our ‘Body Transformation Plan’ and finally referring clients for  bioidentical hormones if imbalances still exist.

What is the typical hormonal imbalance that causes us to hold onto, or have trouble relinquishing weight?

 Often with women in their 40’s and onwards, I find that the main hormone that’s out of whack is cortisol (which ends up disrupting other hormones, too). Your body makes cortisol in response to stress, but most of us run around stressed too much of the time, and our cortisol is off as a result.

High or dysregulated cortisol levels wreak havoc over time, depleting your happy brain chemicals like serotonin, robbing your sleep, and making you store fat—especially in your belly. High cortisol is likewise linked to depression, food addiction, and sugar cravings.

The root cause of cortisol imbalance is usually a dysregulated HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis, which is the boss of all of your hormones:

 When the HPA is up-regulated, you churn out too much cortisol, with the resulting famous Muffin top, feeling like you’re constantly racing from task to task, feeling wired but tired, quickness to anger and irritability, rapid weight gain.

 Over time, the HPA can get burned out and become down-regulated. Then you feel a lack of stamina, have a tendency to hold a negative point of view, catch colds frequently, and you may experience thyroid problems that improve briefly before you crash again.

 Since the root cause is usually the HPA, the key is to reset it, starting with cortisol. Any other attempts at fixing the hormones will likely fail in the long-term if the wayward HPA is not addressed. Here is my protocol for becoming more objective about your stressors and balancing cortisol in the body

• Look at getting your sex hormones and cortisol levels tested through a Dutch Complete Test.
• Bring in some practises like meditation or yoga to support your mindset.
• Add in some holistic counselling to deal with any past and present stressors in your life.
• Add B Vitamins, Magnesium Glycinate and omega-3s if you’re deficient.
• Take phosphatidyl serine until you perceive less stress and your HPA is no longer hypervigilant.
• Look at taking out inflammatory foods from your diet – join our ‘Body Transformation Plan’.
• Get a massage once or twice per month.
• Limit alcohol and coffee, or ideally switch to green tea, which contains L-theanine, an amino acid that reduces stress without sedation.
• Add in some plant medicine such as adaptogenic herbs – Ashwaganda, American Ginseng, Holy Basil, Licorice and Rhodiola to name a few.
• Surrounded yourself with people who love and support you

Can you break down the other hormones that are problematic for people?

 INSULIN: Insulin is a fat-storage hormone. Insulin resistance or block means your cells can’t absorb the extra blood glucose your body generates from the food you eat—when that happens, your liver converts the glucose into fat. Insulin resistance usually causes weight gain and sugar addiction.

LEPTIN: High leptin causes weight gain and excessive hunger. Leptin is nature’s appetite suppressant. When you’ve had enough to eat, leptin signals your brain to stop eating. When you are overweight, your fat cells produce excess leptin. When your brain gets bombarded with leptin signals from too many fat cells, it shuts down; leptin levels keep rising, receptors stop functioning, your body doesn’t get the leptin signal, and you don’t feel full. You keep eating the wrong foods in an addictive pattern, and you keep gaining weight.

ESTROGEN: Estrogen dominance is when you have too much estrogen compared with its counter-hormone, progesterone. Having too much estrogen in the body causes a number of symptoms, including weight loss resistance, moodiness, PMS, and heavy periods.

THYROID: Your thyroid acts as the gas pedal of your metabolism, managing how fast or slow you burn calories. When the thyroid is sluggish, it can cause weight gain, fluid retention, hair loss or thinning, depression, and constipation, among other problems.

Testing Options

• You can do a blood test to check your insulin and glucose levels – add a HBA1C to check for pre-diabetes.
• Bloods also to check your thyroid but be sure to get a full panel – TSH, T4, T3 and thyroid antibodies – we cannot get a clear picture from a TSH reading and levels need to be optimal to function properly.
• Bloods can also check leptin and Ghrelin levels
• Look at doing a Dutch Complete to check your oestrogen detoxification pathways – this is important!!

Can emotional factors affect hormone levels and thus weight?

Yes, absolutely. We tend to think first of the physical aspects of weight loss resistance, like diet and exercise, yet the emotional, mental, social, and spiritual factors may be even more important.

 I believe hormones affect all of these domains. I always work with clients on their mindset with holistic counselling and emotional health and any blockages that may be there – unless we support our mindset, our body will become ‘stuck’! 

I’ve seen that about 80 percent of my clients have mental and emotional obstacles, beliefs, and attitudes that sabotage their weight loss. Emotional backtalk, are the thoughts and feelings that derail you from eating the best fuel possible and making other wise choices.

Being reactive, or triggered emotionally like a cornered animal, feels bad and side-lines your ability to tap into more advanced emotional resources.

 Unprocessed and/or troublesome emotions can lead to overeating, drinking too much alcohol, binge-watching TV, maybe even using shopping as a balm…generally, to self-medicate – I think we’ve all done many of these!

 When meals are accompanied by guilt, suffering, or anxiety about our food or our bodies (for example, when you’re telling yourself, “I shouldn’t be eating this,” or “I’m blowing it again,”) a physiologic stress response is activated, triggering a fight-or-flight reaction and raising cortisol.

How do you “reset” your hormones, or jump-start your metabolism? Can you do it through diet alone?

 The best way to get your hormones back on track and reinstate a healthy weight is to correct hormonal misfires with changes to the way you eat, move, think, and supplement. Start with diet: In my experience, 80 percent of weight loss is determined by the hormone/food interaction, so you want to eat in a way that optimises your hormones. Here’s my priority list:

CHANGE THE WAY YOU EAT AND DRINK. Remove processed foods, refined carbohydrates, sugars and sugar substitutes from your diet. Eliminate alcohol for 30 days (even a single serving can reduce a woman’s metabolism by more than 70 percent—it’s a temporary effect, but can add up over time if you drink most nights). Look at joining our ‘Body Transformation Plan’ to re-set your metabolism.

Download our free low-inflammatory food plan here.

TARGETED EXERCISE. Make sure to keep moving, and choose forms of movement that you love, but exercise smart.  Avoid chronic cardio. Burst training and adaptive exercise (i.e. Pilates) are more likely to stabilise cortisol than running a half marathon.

Burst training involves short periods of high intensity exercise with moderate-level exercise as recovery. It is incredibly efficient and comes without the cortisol-raising side effect of a long run. Not only that, but it is extremely effective at raising growth hormone, the growth-and-repair hormone that maintains your lean body mass, a crucial indicator of how your body is biologically aging. My suggestions:

• For adaptive exercise (especially important if you have cortisol or thyroid problems): yoga, Pilates, and dance class
• Cross train: Lift light weights twice a week at a minimum to prevent osteoporosis.
• Walk or hike briskly at an effort level of 9 to 10 (out of 10) for 3 minutes, alternating with an effort level of 6 to 7 for 3 minutes, for a total of 30 minutes—a protocol shown to foster weight loss.
• Do what you love and enjoy and keep up a routine.

Which Supplements help to improve hormone levels?

Just reach out to me for recommendations in your area/country – Hotties has a wide varied community. These are just a few recommendations and remember I like to take a personalised approach for my clients.

• A Quality Methylated B Complex – B-group vitamins are essential to the body's stress response. Vitamin B1, B2, B3, B6 and B12 help to maintain a healthy nervous system that allows the body to effectively fight the symptoms of stress. Other B vitamins are needed for energy production to aid the body's stress response.
• Adrenal Complex – containing herbs such as Rhodiola, Withania, American Ginseng, Siberian Ginseng, Licorice, Tyrosine.

• Berberine is the most proven supplement to reset insulin and support weight loss in women. It activates an important enzyme called adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase, or AMP, nicknamed the “metabolic master switch.” Take 300 to 500 milligrams one to three times per day. It works even better when combined with milk thistle.
• Di-Indole Methane (DIM): If oestrgen dominance is proving a problem you can look at taking DIM. This supplement is akin to eating 25 pounds of steamed broccoli. Many women with weight loss resistance have estrogen dominance, a problem that affects 75 to 80 percent of women over thirty-five. Specifically, DIM reduces 2-hydroxy-estrone and 2-hydroxy-estradiol, so that you have more protective estrogens and fewer bad estrogens. Dose is typically 200 mg/day but must be adjusted to the individual.

What Functional Testing should I consider?

Dutch Complete – I think Dutch testing bridges the gap between existing methods to create a much better idea of addressing the needs of women’s hormones. A Dutch Complete which is a comprehensive assessment of both sex and adrenal hormones and their metabolites and also includes the daily free cortisol pattern plus organic acids and melatonin.

Read our blog post here for further information on Dutch Testing and The Importance of Reliable Hormone Testing.

 DNA Testing -  It can guide the best ways for you to eat, move, think, and supplement for hormonal harmony and weight loss. I started genetic testing for my patients (and myself) more than a decade ago, and it can truly help break through hormonal chaos and weight loss resistance.

 For example, changing your food strategy can reset the way certain genes are expressed: You can reduce your carbohydrate intake to reset the ADRB2 gene, which controls your weight changes in response to exercise.

 You can add DNA Health and DNA Food testing together to find what really works for your body.

 GI MAP with Zonulin – (Gut testing) – a one-day stool test that measures the amount of harmful and beneficial bacteria in the gut. It can also determine the different types and quantities of other microorganisms like fungi, viruses, and parasites and any inflammation in the gut such as ‘leaky gut’.

Check out Functional Testing here - tests can be sent worldwide directly to your home and then sent off to the lab. The results are then sent to me of which time we can go through them together.

What causes hormones to go haywire? Is it the natural aging process, stress, having babies…is there a primary culprit?

 The main culprits of haywire hormones are:

• Nutrient deficiencies. For instance, not enough vitamin C can lower your progesterone. Progesterone is nature’s Xanax, so a deficiency makes you feel overwhelmed and anxious. Also our B vitamins are important to regulate hormones.
• Excess toxins. Toxins are everywhere and hard to avoid but by lowering your toxic load, you can really help your weight loss journey. Too many toxins can really mess with your estrogen, insulin, thyroid, and testosterone messages in your body.
• Poor stress coping strategies. Again, the root cause is that the alarm system in the body doesn’t turn off, so you make too much cortisol at the expense of other hormones.
• Age. Women’s hormone levels change throughout their reproductive years and through perimenopause, menopause, and beyond. Common life events, such as menstruation and pregnancy, can throw your hormones off balance, as can medications like birth control pills.
• Poor sleep. Only 3 percent of the population does well on less than 7 hours of sleep. Sleeping 7 to 8.5 hours every night keeps cortisol in check. Alcohol raises estrogen and cortisol levels, robs you of deep sleep, and lowers metabolism by more than 70 percent, as mentioned previously. I always suggest my patients get off alcohol completely for a minimum of two weeks, twice per year, to give the liver a break.
• Gut Health – check your gut health if you are experiencing any problems here – see testing below.

Besides weight gain, or holding onto stubborn pounds, are there other ways imbalanced hormones impact the way we feel? Can you be at your target weight and still need a reset?

 Yes. High levels of the main stress hormone, cortisol, will deplete your happy brain chemicals, such as serotonin and dopamine; 50 percent of people with depression have high cortisol. Past the age of thirty-five, disordered estrogen (excess or low) can cause depression and low libido. The resulting drop in serotonin can sometimes lead to depression or mood swings.

 Low thyroid levels can cause moodiness—approximately 20 percent of people with depression have low thyroid function or hypothyroidism.

 “To slow down aging, it’s important to maintain or improve your lean body mass, since aging begins in your muscles. So, yes, you can be at your target weight and still need a reset.”

Any other tips on breaking food addictions?

 The most common food addiction issues are sugar, flour, and quantity. There is also orthorexia, an unhealthy obsession with healthy food which is more common than you think.

 Food addiction is complex and multifactorial—so the solution requires nuance and feedback. Again, addressing wholeness rather than just the physical aspects is key.

 There aren’t really quick tips, but recovery and transformation do require baby steps in the right direction, and people can change their biochemistry and cravings through personalised, optimal nutrition. Put another way, you can manage your food addiction by resetting your biochemistry:

• Crowd out the bad stuff with more nutrient-dense food. The amount of food you eat affects the balance of brain chemistry, hormones, and blood sugar levels. Over- and under eating creates unstable blood sugar, low functioning thyroid, food allergies, and amino acid and fatty acid deficiencies that can weaken neurotransmitter mechanisms. Your meals should contain enough essential fatty acids and amino acids to build sufficient serotonin and dopamine, both of which help you inhibit your food intake (particularly the intake of carbohydrates).
• Reset your neurohormonal dashboard. Connect with your inner divinity; control your cravings by accessing the true you that’s in your mind and in your heart. How can you do this? Try a ten-minute morning meditation. Commit to a yoga class. Find a way to feed your soul in non-food ways. Close your eyes and focus on nothing but your breathing. If you can control stress with mindfulness and self-care, you have another tool to help break the habit of reaching for food when what you really need is to calm yourself. I can support your mindset with holistic counselling – just reach out here.
• Interrupt your pattern. Your biochemical urges will quiet down if you change up your routine and avoid slippery situations that directly lead to binge eating.

The big takeaway: Hormones dictate what your body does with food. Address your hormones first, particularly cortisol, then match the right nutrient-dense food and the right quantity to your constitution and lifestyle factors.

Just reach out if you would like to speak or an appointment with Toni - we offer 15-minute free consults if you would like to have a chat first or you can go ahead an book a full appointment.