IF you’re on a mission to lose weight, seemingly doing everything ‘by the book’, then you might be at a loss as to why you just can’t seem to shift your unwanted fat.
Unfortunately, you can eat ‘right’ and fit exercise into your busy schedule and still not see the results you’re after as various hormones might be sneakily causing you to cling onto flab.
Your hormones might be secretly causing you to store fat, particularly around your middle[/caption]
Dr Bryony Henderson, a GP, obesity management expert and medical director at Numan, tells Sun Health: “Successful weight control requires more than simply lowering calories.
“Years of overeating can dull the brain’s response to leptin, the ‘I’m full’ hormone, so appetite remains higher than it should be.
“Plus, poor sleep or constant stress raises cortisol, a survival hormone that tells the body to store spare energy around the waist.
“Together these hormonal shifts can slow or even stop fat loss in people who feel they are ‘doing everything right’.”
Not sure if your body is secretly storing fat? Look out for these signs…
1. YOU’VE GOT A BIG TUMMY AND THIGHS
Having a larger stomach or thighs could be a sign something is amiss[/caption]
HIGH levels of the hormone oestrogen can cause women to store fat around their hips and thighs, according to registered nutritionist Karen Preece Smith.
“In men, low testosterone can lead to increased body fat, especially in the abdominal area,” she adds.
“This is partly due to the conversion of testosterone to oestrogen by fat cells, which can contribute to hormonal imbalances and fat storage.”
You can combat this by boosting testosterone levels with a diet full of lean proteins (chicken, turkey), healthy fats (olive oil, avocado), complex carbohydrates (whole grains such as oats, brown rice), zinc (found in lean red meat, beans, nuts) magnesium (from dark green leafy vegetables) and vitamin D (in eggs, oily fish).
“Weight training, with a focus on multi-joint compound movements such as squats and lunges, can also stimulate testosterone production for men,” Karen adds.
Women can keep oestrogen levels under control by supporting “liver detoxification”.
Dominika Blonska, a personal trainer, nutrition coach and founder of DEFINE BY DOM, says: “Your liver is responsible for breaking down excess oestrogen.
“To help it out, limit alcohol, drink at least two litres of water per day and eat cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli and cauliflower.
“Improving your gut health will also help with oestrogen elimination.
“You can do this by avoiding inflammatory foods, such as processed products, sugar and seed oils, and eating fibre-rich food, like vegetables, chia and flax seeds.”
Tuck into healthy fats too – think avocado, coconut oil, nuts and sardines.
2. YOUR HANDS AND FEET ARE ALWAYS COLD
Thyroid problems can make your hands and feet feel cold[/caption]
COLD hands and feet can indicate an underactive thyroid or poor circulation in the body.
“Your thyroid, an endocrine gland in your neck which makes and releases hormones, controls your metabolism,” Dominika says.
“So, if your thyroid is slow, so is your metabolism.
“This has an impact on your weight, making it difficult to burn calories and therefore shed the pounds.”
It can also cause other symptoms like fatigue and low energy levels which can contribute to weight gain.
Dominika recommends getting a blood test to check your thyroid hormones.
Book an appointment with your GP who can advise on next steps, which might involve medication.
3. YOU KEEP WAKING UP IN THE NIGHT
Sleep problems could indicate your cortisol levels are too high[/caption]
IF you’re regularly waking up between 2am and 4am, this could be a sign of unbalanced hormones, which can interfere with your weight loss efforts.
Your levels of cortisol, the body’s main stress hormone, might be high due to stress or blood sugar dysregulation, Dominika warns.
“Cortisol usually spikes in the morning between 6am and 8am to help you wake up, however if you’re stressed, this natural rhythm is disrupted so you may end up waking earlier,” she adds.
Research published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology suggests that 50 to 60 per cent of our daily cortisol is released within 30 to 40 minutes of waking.
It means if you stir in the early hours, it can be difficult to nod off again.
A diet that is too strict can backfire. It can slow your metabolism and protect fat stores
Dr Bryony Henderson
Dominika adds that although your blood sugar should remain relatively stable during sleep, if it drops due to not eating enough, eating junk food or even stress, your body releases adrenaline and cortisol to bring it back up.
A lack of sleep can then lead to an imbalance of ghrelin and leptin, making you hungrier so you eat more food – often the wrong kinds of food!
Dr Henderson adds: “Regularly sleeping fewer than six hours also raises evening levels of cortisol, encouraging fat to collect around the abdomen and increasing late‑night hunger.
“Improving your sleep hygiene by going to bed at the same time, keeping the bedroom cool and dark, switching off screens an hour before lights out and limiting caffeine to the morning quickly lowers cortisol and helps the body resume normal fat‑burning.”
4. YOU’VE BEEN DIETING FOR YEARS
Be careful not to drop your calorie intake too low[/caption]
FOLLOWING a diet that puts your calorie intake too low will make you feel hungrier than usual.
But if you’ve been undereating for a while, you might face other problems too.
“A diet that is too strict can backfire,” says Dr Henderson.
“When daily calories fall too much, the body senses a famine, thyroid and sex‑hormone levels drop and cortisol rises, all of which slow the metabolism and protect fat stores.”
How many calories should I be eating?
THE key to a healthy diet is eating the right amount for your body.
This will depend on several factors, including your size, age, gender and activity levels.
If you eat or drink more than your body needs, you will put on weight. If you consume less, you will lose it.
The NHS recommended daily calorie intake for men in the UK is 2,500, while women should have around 2,000.
When trying to lose weight, the average person should aim to reduce their daily intake by about 600 calories, according to the health service.
Personal trainer Monty Simmons says: “If I was going to calculate how many calories someone needs to lose weight, I’d either:
- Download a fitness app like MyFitnessPal, set a fat loss target in there, and track calories; or
- Go to calculator.net, click the health and fitness section, and use the calorie calculator. You enter your age, height, weight, and activity level and it’ll give you an approximate daily calorie burn.
“To lose 0.5kg (1lb) per week, you need to be in a 500-calorie deficit daily.
“To lose 1kg per week, you need to be in a 1,000-calorie deficit.
“Without a calorie deficit, you will not lose weight and if you don’t lose the fat, you won’t see your abs. It’s that simple.”
She adds: “A safer approach is a moderate deficit combined with adequate protein and strength training.
“This gives the body enough reassurance to release stored fat while preserving muscle and long‑term health.”
Plus, Dr Henderson suggests a planned diet break of one to two weeks at maintenance calories, “which can lift the hormones that drive fat‑burning before the deficit is re‑introduced”.
To find out how much you should be eating to hit your goals, you can use an online calorie calculator.
5. YOU’RE CONSTANTLY STRESSED
Constant stress is another red flag[/caption]
THE stress hormone cortisol can play a big part in your slimming success.
Research published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology found a link between elevated cortisol levels and an increase in appetite, which could make weight loss tricky.
Plus, research in the International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders even connected a higher cortisol response with more belly fat, which suggests that higher cortisol may lead to overeating.
Karen says: “When we release cortisol, it activates our sympathetic nervous system response, which in turn lowers the release of insulin and increases blood sugar levels in the body.
“This increases inflammation and makes us metabolically less active and therefore more likely to develop insulin resistance and prone to weight gain.”
‘Refeed days’ can help to negate the negative effects of a low calorie diet
Dominika Blonska
To slash stress levels and kickstart your weight loss, focus on three key areas.
“Prioritise seven to nine hours of sleep a night, reduce screen time (which blocks the sleep hormone melatonin) a couple of hours before bed, and enjoy daily walks in nature,” Karen adds.
A study in the journal Urban Forestry & Urban Greening found that being outside in nature helped to lower participants’ stress levels, heart rate and blood pressure.
6. YOU KEEP CRAVING SUGAR
Craving sugar is a sign you are in ‘fat storage mode’[/caption]
CAN’T stay away from the biscuit tin?
“Craving sugar could be a sign that you are in fat storage mode,” says Dominika.
“It can indicate low leptin or high ghrelin levels, or that you have been in a calorie deficit for a little too long.”
‘Refeed days’ can help to negate the negative effects of a low calorie diet.
This is a temporary break from calorie restriction which involves a controlled day of overeating carbs.
But even with these scheduled pauses, it can be hard to maintain willpower when you’re hungry and your body is screaming out for sugar and salt.
That’s where protein and fibre come in.
Dr Henderson says that a sudden urge for sweets often follows a meal low in protein or fibre, when blood sugar is already dipping, while a craving for salty foods can kick in after heavy sweating when sodium losses are higher or when carbohydrate intake is extremely low.
“Matching the craving to its cause, such as adding lean protein and vegetables to curb sweet impulses or replacing electrolytes after exercise (with an electrolyte drink, for example), works better than relying on willpower alone,” she adds.
The mineral chromium may also help manage cravings too.
Evidence is limited, but research published in the journal Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics found that taking chromium daily reduced hunger, cravings and food intake in healthy overweight women.
It’s found in products like Neuaura’s Bloatburn and Hunger Killa.
