A Natural Approach to Boosting the Weight Loss Hormones
While many still think that losing weight is simply about willpower, eating less, and exercising more, the latest research on obesity indicates the problem is far more complex, involving many factors, but specifically hormones. Hormones can be the very reason you either lose or gain weight.
One havoc of weight loss due to hormones occurs in premenopausal women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) who often go for years unaware that their weight gain is in part due to this underdiagnosed condition. With PCOS, the ovaries and sometimes the adrenal glands, usually due to dietary reasons such as too much sugar, pump out too much testosterone. This is because estrogen shifts when it senses an excess in its production (due to high insulin levels) causing the woman’s body to shift its estrogen production to testosterone. What can be done? Reduce your insulin spikes and sugar intake altogether. Insulin is the key component for building muscle and regulating blood sugar levels. However, carbohydrates and insulin are linked. The more simple carbohydrates you eat, the more insulin will be released. Hence, optimize insulin (by reducing high glycemic foods) when you aim to reduce weight and regulate your hormones.
The other half involves the “fat-burning hormone,” glucagon. Glucagon signals the body to release stored fat to be used as fuel. Glucagon is the hormone that normally dominates metabolism when you’re fasting, or when you eat fat and protein. It tells the body to make energy from fat and protein. If you are wanting to put your body to a perpetual fat-burning state, it is essential that you keep your insulin and blood sugar levels low. That’s because burning sugar always takes precedence over burning fat. Since your body is accustomed to burning sugar for energy (for it’s number one fuel source), as soon as it is shuttled out of the bloodstream (courtesy of insulin), your body will start begging for it again.
Stimulating the Release of Weight Loss Hormones
So the first thing you need to do to stimulate the production of glucagon is to reduce the simple carbohydrates in your diet and be sure those you choose are low glycemic.For a list of low glycemic foods, click here. But there’s another important step to crank up your body’s production of glucagon: eat a diet enriched with healthy fats. Not only does a well-balanced diet help to buffer the effects of carbohydrates in the body, but it allows for the mind to feel more satiated. There is a specific hormone called CCK that helps your mind achieve the sensation of satiety. Cholecystokinin’s (CCK) most recognized function is its ability to improve digestion. The hormone reduces the rate at which food empties from the stomach, also stimulating bile production in the liver. Bile shrinks the fat droplets, enabling enzymes to more readily break them down. At the same time, cholecystokinin increases the amount of fluid and enzymes released by the pancreas, so the body better digests food. In addition, this hormone increases the sensation of short-term fullness, so appetite during a meal is reduced.
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