These 10 Hormones Lead to Weight Gain in Females

There is a common misconception regarding weight gain. People tend to focus on the physicality of it all instead of taking in consideration the overall health as well. A really important part of weight loss is having your hormone levels balanced out.

No one ever said that losing those pounds is the easiest task in the world. However, an interesting fact is that the process can actually be harder if your hormone levels aren’t in check.

They are in control of our body’s functions. For example, they take care of our metabolism. Things that can trigger your levels to lose their balance are things like stress, questionable lifestyle choices, gene structure, etc.

Without further ado, here are some of the hormones which are in control of our weight loss process.

1. Leptin

If you go overboard with sweets, the fructose that we consume takes up too much space in the body, which means that later on is converted into fat that our body spreads around the stomach, liver and other parts.

The leptin’s responsibility is to send you signals that you are full and should stop eating. Eating too many sugars makes the leptin to be constantly secreted, which means that you will feel hungry a lot more than the average person.

This leads to gaining weight, which is definitely not good.

How to Treat

First and foremost, you should get enough sleep every night. It is stated that sleep deprivation is one of the reasons for leptin secretion.
Eat often and eat small amounts of food. Eating every two hours is recommended.
No sugar! You should not eat more than three pieces of fruits every day.
Drink water. Keep yourself hydrated as dehydration can also make you feel hungry.

2. Insulin

This hormone, produced by an organ called the pancreas, is a hormone whose main cause is to help store glucose as either fat or energy packs. Thanks to insulin our blood sugar levels are always balanced out.

If you live a lifestyle filled with alcohol, snacks that are not good for you, or artificial sweets, you can develop this phenomenon called insulin resistance.

This means that our muscles lose the ability to identify glucose, which results with the glucose remaining in the bloodstream. This condition leads to diabetes type II and weight gain.

How to Treat:

Talk to a professional and check your blood sugar.
Workout sessions of an average of four hours per week are very important as well.
No alcohol, artificial sweeteners, and no processed foods.
Greens, veggies and fruits before anything else.
Olive oil, nuts, fish should be in your diet as well.
Your diet should consist of meals that contain up to 2200 calories altogether.
Up to 4 liters of water every day is key.

3. Thyroid

Our thyroid glands are located at the base of our necks. They produce hormones that take care of our sleep, our brain development, our metabolism, etc.

Problems that can lead to your weight loss process, if this hormone factory is in trouble, are problems like depression, weight gain, constipation, HBP, heart rate problems, etc. Thyroid issues stem from issues like malnutrition, gluten intolerance, and toxins.

A weight gain up to ten pounds is something to expect if you are experiencing some trouble with this gland.

How to Treat

Iodized salt instead of regular salt is a must
If needed and prescribed by your doctor you need to take thyroid medication
Take fish oil supplements
Take vitamin D supplements
It’s important to avoid raw vegetables. Always cooked ones.

4. Progesterone

This hormone’s levels can go down thanks to stress, menopause or contraception. This can result in weight gain as well as depression.

How to Treat

Talk to a gynecologist and find out which pills for contraception are best for your system.
No processed meats.
Regular exercise is a must.
Avoid stressing out over things.

This hormone is assigned the job of helping you to have a healthy appetite. It also is known for increasing the deposition of fats.

If there are high levels of this hormone in the system, this can definitely trigger weight gain since you will feel hungry all of the time.

5. Estrogen

Problems with your estrogen levels, no matter if they’re high or low lead to gaining weight. When your levels of this hormone are elevated, the cells in charge of creating insulin get triggered.

This results in you becoming resistant to insulin, which results in weight gain.

Women in their 40s usually don’t have very high estrogen levels. The less estrogen your body produces, the more your body is looking for the cells that create it. One of those sources are fat cells.

This leads to weight gain especially on the bottom part of your body. It leads to weight gain because your body makes all of the energy supplies into fat cells, which produce the hormone.

How to Treat

No processed meats.
No alcohol.
Working out is key! Try yoga as well, it might help you relieve the stress from going through menopause.
Oats, greens and fruits.
Talk to your doctor about the changes your body is going through.

6. Cortisol

This hormone is secreted by adrenal glands. This usually occurs when you are stressed out, have anxiety, are angry, or depressed. The main focus on this hormone is providing energy mobilization and regulation.

Cortisol is a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands. It is mainly secreted when you are stressed, depressed, anxious, nervous, angry, physically injured, etc. The two primary functions of cortisol are regulating energy and mobilization.

Thanks to the modern day man’s lifestyle, people are usually under a lot of stress nowadays, which triggers the cortisol to be secreted. That leads to weight gain.

How to Treat:

Making a check list and completing all of the task written is good to relieve stress and feel good.
Divide some time out of your day to focus on yourself. Devote the precious time on pursuing activities and hobbies that you find interesting.
Spend time with people you love and you find interesting. It can be family, friends, whoever fills you up with positive energy.
Be spontaneous and do interesting random activities.
Develop confidence, work on yourself. Speak to a professional about what’s bothering you. Be open to the idea of getting better.

7. Testosterone

This hormones duty is to make our bones and muscles stronger. It improves the libido and helps with burning fat. Women produce the hormone in their ovaries.

Poor lifestyle choices, stress and aging can lower the production of testosterone. This triggers losing bone density, obesity, weak muscle mass, as well as depression. This causes fat to accumulate more.

How to Treat

Talk to a professional and get checked.
Eat foods rich in fiber and make them an active part of your diet.
Regular workouts are a must to balance out and improve your testosterone levels.
Vitamin C and other supplements your doctor prescribes are what you need to get better as well.
No alcohol

8. Ghrelin

This hormone is assigned the job of helping you to have a healthy appetite. It also is known for increasing the deposition of fats. If there are high levels of this hormone in the system, this can definitely trigger weight gain since you will feel hungry all of the time.

If you are on a diet that’s very strict or if you’re fasting, this hormone’s levels will also be elevated.

How to Treat

Eating every three hours every day and having an overall of six meals per day is what is advised for treating this issue.
Fresh greens and fruits, as well as fat foods that are good for you, are important as well.
Eat fresh fruits, vegetables, protein source, dietary fiber, and healthy fats.
A glass of water before every meal is a must.
Consult your doctor if the problem is constant.

9. Melatonin

Melatonin is a hormone that triggers our need to sleep. Thanks to this hormone we can get a good night’s sleep.

If you sleep in a room that is dark, the levels of this hormone will go high naturally, but thanks to stressing out, lack of sleep and other things, your levels of melatonin might experience a misbalance. This is when the weight gain might occur.

How to treat:

Always make sure you’re sleeping in a dark room.
Regular sleeping pattern, sleep at an average of 7 to 8 hours a night.
No food during nighttime.
Get some berries, nuts like almonds and some sunflowers. They contain the hormone.