Insulin, cortisol, estrogen, and thyroid hormones are responsible for your appetite, metabolism, and fat storage. Each has its role, and when overproduced, it creates a biochemical reaction.
For example, too much insulin encourages fat storage, making it difficult to lose weight. These imbalances are very common in women reaching menopause or going through high-stress periods. Poor sleep, unhealthy diets, and aging also cause hormonal imbalances that lead to unexplained weight gain.
Naturopathic practices like diet optimization and exercise address the root cause of weight gain. This helps you reach your goals without having to rely on conventional treatments.
The microbiome also has an important role in hormone and weight regulation. This article will tell you how it affects estrogen processing and insulin sensitivity, helping you lose weight.
Consider getting natural treatment for hormonal imbalance in NYC from a naturopath, as it helps urban women find the source of their weight problems.
Insulin, cortisol, leptin, estrogen, thyroid hormones and ghrelin are the hormones most involved in regulating weight and metabolism.
Here’s what you should expect:
Imbalances of either of these hormones frequently lead to fat accumulation, reduce energy expenditure, and increase your cravings. This is the case once a woman reaches her 40s. At that point, it’s best to get perimenopause support for Manhattan women, as it helps with metabolism regulation and weight loss.
Cortisol imbalances often lead to abdominal weight gain because they interfere with the rest of the hormones.
For example, high cortisol leads to decreased estrogen levels, which are responsible for fat distribution. This causes fat storage to occur around the midsection and increases your cravings for comfort foods.
Urban lifestyle doesn’t make matters easier, as the constant stress and demand worsen this cycle. The body is kept in a constant fight-or-flight state, which leads to even more cortisol.
This exhausts the adrenal glands over time and increases systemic inflammation. This makes it important to address adrenal health to prevent burnout in urban NYC, and subsequently, weight gain.
Cortisol also interacts with other hormones, making it difficult for you to lose weight. It suppresses the thyroid, disrupts progesterone, and affects both ghrelin and leptin. Chronic stress could make you crave food and snacks all the time, to the point where even exercise or a clean diet can’t help.
Estrogen and progesterone shifts cause weight fluctuations in women because they directly affect the metabolism, appetite, and fat distribution. This is common during cycles, pregnancy, and perimenopause. This is why CDC data shows that 50% of pregnant women gain more weight than recommended.
Depending on their moment in the cycle, women experience estrogen dominance and decline. Low progesterone levels also make matters worse. The hormonal changes lead to:
Conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) also cause high androgen levels (testosterone, insulin resistance, and irregular ovulation). This hormonal imbalance leads to central obesity, which is visceral fat stored around the midsection, and sometimes even uterine fibroids. When that happens, women seek fibroids root causes and natural treatments in NYC.
Birth control affects these dynamics, as it supplies the body with synthetic versions of progesterone and estrogen. Clinical studies by M. Rosenberg at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, show that 33% of women experience weight gain after birth control.
Thyroid dysfunctions cause women to develop a decreased basal metabolic rate (BMR). This leads to a condition referred to as hypothyroidism, with Harvard studies revealing that it affects 13% women.
Hypothyroidism comes with various weight-related symptoms such as:
In some cases, the thyroid produces excess hormones, causing the metabolism to rev up in a hyperthyroid state. This causes rapid, unintended weight loss and increased appetite, masking weight loss. The problem is that once this is treated, it leads to rebound weight gain.
Naturopathic treatments like iodine, selenium, and tyrosine are key nutrients that help protect the functions of your thyroid. Consider pairing them with adaptogenic herbs such as rhodiola and ashwagandha, as well as gut health support. This should bring metabolic harmony to your body and promote cycle syncing for energy in Manhattan women.
Insulin resistance might be driving your weight gain because it disrupts your regular lipid metabolism and blood sugar. This leads to higher fat storage and increased cravings or hunger. Insulin resistance slows metabolism, making it more difficult to lose weight.
High-sugar diets contain refined carbs that contribute to insulin issues. Sugary drinks, fast food, white bread, and desserts cause blood sugar spikes, exhausting the regulatory system of the body.
Consider whole foods that support proper insulin production, such as:
Harvard University studies show that vegetables and fruits should make up 50% of your plate, whole grains should be 25% (ideally gluten free ones), and protein should be the last 25%. This type of balanced diet stabilizes insulin levels naturally.
Intermittent fasting (IF) helps reset insulin sensitivity by giving the body a break from the constant glucose intake. This lets the body regulate its insulin response, burn fat, and reduce sensitivity. As such, IF can be beneficial for fat loss in naturopathic protocols.
Time eating windows that support hormone regulation are mostly set for 16:8. This means that you eat for 8 hours and fast for 16. Pay attention to your cycle when you fast, as the endocrine system is sensitive to caloric restrictions in the luteal phase.
In our experience…
It is essential to know that a 16 hour fast can make patients feel worse especially if they are burnt out, exhausted, and have a chronic illness. If you fall into this category, you can aim for a 12 hour fast, which allows you to still reap some benefits of fasting, without pushing you too hard to obtain a 16 hour fast. Listen to your body.
Sleep habits like consistent sleep durations, schedules, and relaxing nighttime routines optimize hormones for easier weight loss. Inadequate sleep disrupts leptin and ghrelin production, which boosts hunger and high calorie intake.
Here are some tips to get better sleep amid NYC’s noise:
Short naps also restore cognitive function. Studies by Oxford Academic show they improve your brain workings by 21%.
Still, naps don’t fully restore hormonal balance, so prioritize nighttime sleep. Learn more about how to balance hormones naturally for better sleep in Manhattan. For many, naps can actually interfere with nighttime sleep, so work with your doctor to see what is best for you. A nap may be necessary when healing from a chronic illness until you are able to eliminate napping completely and sleep adequate 7-9 hours per night.
The gut microbiome metabolizes hormones and influences inflammation tied to obesity. Emerging studies at the Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and more show that gut bacteria have enzymes that break down hormones, including estrogen and testosterone.
During dysbiosis (poor gut microbiome balance), estrogen clearance is disrupted. This leads to estrogen dominance and weight gain, especially around the midsection. Probiotic strategies are a good way to control this.
Naturopaths also see gut health as a hidden cause of acne. If you have frequent breakouts on top of being unable to lose weight, the cause may be hormonal.
Mind-body practices like meditation, breathwork, and even journaling reduce stress hormones and support weight goals. Data from Stanford Magazine shows that 10-20 minutes of meditation per day significantly increases GABA levels, which is the calming neurotransmitter.
Meditation and breathwork have been clinically proven to significantly reduce cortisol levels, which is the main stress response. This is important because high cortisol leads to sugar cravings, disrupted sleep, and belly fat retention.
Busy professionals in NYC can benefit even from short sessions. Consider 5 minutes of box breathing where you inhale for 4 seconds, exhale for another 4, and inhale for 4 again.
Mindful eating also makes the brain aware of each bite you chew, improving digestion and preventing overeating.
Journaling helps identify hormonal triggers by tracking patterns in your mood, weight, and food intake. You can perform emotional tracking for stress, hormonal migraines, and remedies for NYC pros as you go. Having the info right in front of you helps you address it holistically based on the root cause.
Just five minutes of journaling per day is enough to identify clear patterns. For example, a huge craving for sugar or mood swings right before a migraine point to an estrogen imbalance if it happens all the time.
Adaptogenic herbs such as ashwagandha, rhodiola, and maca assist hormonal balance for weight control. Here’s how they do that:
It’s important to consult a professional for the right dosage and potential medicine interactions. Keep in mind that you get the best results if you combine them with a nutrient-rich diet and a regular exercise routine.
Naturopathic testing and plans for hormonal weight challenges are effective because they look for the root cause of your issue. For example, saliva and blood tests reveal imbalances that are otherwise not caught in a standard checkup. We love offering the DUTCH hormone test to patients in order to get a specific reading of their sex hormones and adrenal hormones like DHEA and cortisol.
Customized protocols include a blend of nutrition, herbs, and lifestyle changes for sustainable weight management. This not only helps with fat loss but also prevents rebound weight gain. If you are not satisfied with conventional medicine, try a natural treatment for hormonal imbalance in NYC.
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