Hormones and Weight Gain

Female Hormones and Weight Gain

Menopause is a normal process that all women face in their lifetime. It’s important to note that when you do reach menopause, and your hormones change, it is easy to gain weight. However, this is not the only influence of weight gain at this stage of your life. Various factors come into play, leading to the most common effects of an increase of fat stores once your estrogen levels decline.

The role of estrogen during a female’s life

From way back in a woman’s teenage years, her estrogen levels start to speed up, which activates her ovaries, a release of her eggs into her fallopian tubes rendering her ready for re-production. Up until her 40’s to ’50s this process continues until her body decides it is time to morph from reproduction to operation maintenance instead.

When this process changes, it is common for her body to become sensitive to hormonal changes and an amped up ability to store fat, particularly around the dreaded midsection. A change in any one female hormone, through factors like blood sugar levels and stress, can lead to an imbalance of all. This is not just caused by estrogen levels alone.

What are some of the hormones commonly affected by menopause and the cause of female hormone imbalance?

Insulin

Insulin stores fat and is responsible for decreasing the circulation of blood sugar. A low-GI diet is a necessity to keep insulin levels in check. An unsuitable diet will lead to increases and drops of insulin levels and inconsistency over time, promoting insulin resistance. This leads to weight gain as the blood sugar levels are removed from the bloodstream by being stashed into fat cells instead of being used up. Wallah – increased weight!

Cortisol

The stress hormone, it increases blood sugar levels which gives energy to our cells. High levels of blood sugar can spring on resistance to cortisol and body fatigue, so our bodies have a hard time keeping up with using the fuel and in turn, has to stash the fuel into fat stores. It’s important to keep your stress levels under wraps; exercises like yoga and meditation are really good for this. A nice cup of Bondi Beach Tea Co. Unwind Tea might also be all that you need to calm your mind.

Thyroid

Your thyroid is responsible for dictating how much actual energy your cells should manufacture. More carbs and fats are burnt when thyroid levels are increased. A thyroid that is not functioning properly can lead to a backup of energy production and more fat storage. Stress levels may also impact your thyroid.

Leptin

Leptin hormones communicate directly with our brain to tell it when we are correctly satiated. These levels increase when there a more amounts of sugar and fructose in our system. When high blood sugar levels are experienced over time, this can lead to leptin resistance and the inability for our body to determine when we are full. This is a leading factor to overeating.

Some ways to keep your female hormones in check and avoid unnecessary weight gain include, staying active with regular exercise; eating lean meats; sticking with fresh, green vegetables; and choosing clean foods free from chemicals and nasty additives.

If you are worried about your hormone balance, you should also get checked out by a practising medical professional.

If you are feeling the pinch of hormone changes and need a help de-stressing, Bondi Beach Tea Co. offers a range of natural herbal teas that might just do the trick for you. Check out our full range available online, then sit back and sip up.