Why Understanding Your Hormones is The Key to Burning Fat
The long standing focus for weight loss has been calories in vs. calories out. However, there is so much more to building a lean and fit physique that has more to do with fat loss than overall weight loss, and that is largely helped or hindered by your hormones.
While you do need to live in a calorie deficit to lose weight, you also need to be careful that you do so in a way that increases your metabolism. That means gone are the 1200 calorie days of old, and in are the days of eating to fuel your body and your hormones for optimal fat loss!
The Basics
Hormones decide how much weight you lose or hold on to. Basically, they are in charge of your metabolism. When one hormone goes offline or becomes disrupted, other hormones will pick up the slack causing a cascade of imbalanced hormones. This will often cause your body to hold on to fat, or slow down your metabolism. Figuring out which hormone is causing the imbalance will allow you to get it back on track. Once you level out your hormones, your body will be able to metabolize food more effectively. This will increase your body’s rate of burning fuel, which means you will burn more calories and hang on to less fat…all without killing yourself with exercise!
Most diets will “trick” your hormones into fat loss mode for a time, but when your hormones catch on, they will level out and slow down your metabolism. This is when most people find themselves at a weight loss plateau, and realize that to lose more they need to cut even more calories. Unfortunately, there isn’t much room left for cutting when you are only eating 1200 calories per day! Plus, what kind of life is that? I mean, we all want to eat and enjoy ourselves without getting off track, right?
Figuring Out Your Hormones
Figuring out your hormones, how they are out of whack, and what to do to fix that is key to becoming a fat burner for life. It is also key for breaking through your weight loss plateau. Understanding which hormones (ghrelin, cortisol, insulin, etc) are elevated when they shouldn’t be and which are not high enough can play a huge role in the results you see.
Regulating hormones can be as simple as a diet change. Switching out your current, highly processed diet with one that is whole foods based and high in lean protein, fiber, and healthy fats can do wonders for your hormones. In addition, resting, relaxing and finding time to unwind can positively affect hormone levels. In some cases you will want to consult medical personnel to identify and address hormone imbalances if changing your diet doesn’t work!
For guidance on starting with nutrition, check out my 4 week Fat Blast Program. It is designed to help you not only lose weight, but balance your hormones in the process!
The Journey Is Yours!
Krissy