Are your hormones to blame for weight gain? Checklist below

An avocado measures her lovely round belly

Have you noticed that you're gaining weight even though you haven’t made any change to your diet and lifestyle? Or it used to be easy to drop a couple of kg by cutting out snacks and exercising a little more but now that doesn't seem to be working. In fact, your jeans just keep getting tighter.

You're definitely not the only one, unfortunately this is a common story, especially as we inch closer to menopause and beyond.

Your hormones such as insulin, leptin, oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone have a big influence on how your body stores and utilises energy. Your hormonal health is influenced by both internal and external stimuli.

This stimuli includes the food you eat, temperature, what kind of light you’re exposed to, the time of year, stress, food security, and overall body health.

Here are some symptoms that indicate your hormones may be out of balance and affecting your ability to lose weight.

Sleep - Is your sleep good or is it disordered, fretful, and interrupted?

Mood - Are you irritable? Teary? Angry? Impatient? Easily Frustrated?

Hunger - Hunger that is hard to satisfy, or you're hungry very soon after your last meal and feel compelled to eat frequently throughout the day

Energy - Feeling flat often, particularly in the mornings and early afternoon

Cravings - unrelenting cravings for all the wrong things, sometimes, or often.

If you are experiencing the above symptoms, rest assured you can take action to improve your hormonal balance, you don't need to continue to suffer. Naturopathic medicine offers herbal and nutritional therapy as well as lifestyle support and motivation to help you revitalise your health and feel you best. You'll also give yourself a better chance of (finally) being able to release that extra weight.

Book in for a naturopathic appointment here. Appointments available in person at Wild Grace Health, South Fremantle or online via zoom. You can email me here if you have any questions. I'd love to help you.

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