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Women and Weight Loss: How Hormones Can Help or Hinder Your Diet

Modified on August 4, 2015 at 4:47 PM

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When you look around, it seems like some women drop weight without even trying. In fact, some women can eat anything and still lose weight. But, not you. Why is that? In a word: hormones.

Men and Women Differ

Men and women are very different creatures, if you havenโ€™t figured that out already! For starters, the hormone levels, types, and how they play into weight loss are very different. The dominate male hormone is testosterone. As long as men keep free and total testosterone up in a healthy range, and estrogen is kept in check, most of the male problems are solved. Weight loss is, more or less, simple.

But, females need to balance a multitude of hormones, both estrogens and testosterone, and those hormone levels are constantly changing every day thanks to something you have come to know as โ€œthe monthly visitor.โ€ Aunt flow.

Yep, the menstrual cycle. While something like the Venus diet will help, you also have to take into account the fact that your hormone cycling will drive a lot of your weight loss efforts. Both diet and hormones need to be optimized.

What Your Menstrual Cycle Does For You

The first day of bleeding is considered โ€œday 1โ€ of the menstrual cycle. From there, itโ€™s divided into two phases. First, thereโ€™s the follicular phased. Second is the luteal phase.

Ovulation separates the two parts of the cycle.

During the follicular phase, you are producing higher estrogen levels compared to progesterone, and during the luteal phase, the opposite is true – youโ€™re producing more progesterone.

If youโ€™re trying to lose weight, youโ€™ll want to focus a lot of your efforts into dieting and tweaking during a time when your body is primed for weight loss. Think of this as driving down the highway. If youโ€™re driving down the highway, and you want to maintain speed or increase speed, itโ€™s not going to help you if your foot is on the brake.

Your hormones are sort of like the brake in the weight-loss process. If youโ€™re going to drive, drive when your foot is off the brake.

How To Get Your Foot Off The Brake

Estrogen works to increase fat storage by up-regulating something called alpha-adrenergic receptors in fat depots in the hips and thighs. So, if youโ€™re trying to lose weight, you are probably going to see the best results during certain times of the month – times when estrogen is low.

A low carb diet like The Dukan Diet may also help by throttling alpha receptors, allowing beta receptors to improve fat-burning. If youโ€™ve watched some of your most successful friends and acquaintances, one reasons theyโ€™re probably successful is because theyโ€™re consciously or unconsciously consuming fewer carbs (whether through calorie restriction or direct carbohydrate reduction) in their diet.

What You Need To Know About Fat Distribution

Females tend to distribute fat differently from males. In females, the hips and thighs are where most of the fat ends up. This area also contains a high concentration of alpha receptors, so it makes sense that you would gain the most weight here.

How Age Helps Or Hurts You

As you get older, some people find it more difficult to lose weight. Women are often fooled into thinking that a low-calorie diet and aerobic exercise will help them lose weight. This is sort of backwards. By reducing youโ€™re calorie intake, youโ€™re starving your body of the nutrients and energy it needs to function.

At the same time, you are increasing the energy demands. It seems logical that if you arenโ€™t eating enough energy (food) your body will simply pull from fat stores. And, this can be true, but what often happens is that the body pulls from fat stores around the waist and breasts first, leaving the hips and thighs alone. Then, the body goes after muscle because youโ€™re using a low-energy, steady-state, cardio โ€œburnโ€ to demand calories.

This results in reduced muscle mass, but not reduced fat loss. Ouch. Itโ€™s a double-whammy.

Instead, what you should be doing is increasing your weight-lifting capacity through strength-training, which will preserve muscle mass. Lift heavy and infrequently, perhaps 2 to 3 times per week for no more than one or two hours per week, total. Stick to large, compound lifts like the deadlift, squat, bench press, and overhead press.

Reduce the amount of estrogenic foods you consume, like soy. You should also consider getting rid of plastic food containers which contain substances that mimic estrogens in your body.

Last, but not least, focus on getting more sleep as you get older. Sleep is so underrated but is the single-most important factor in maintaining proper hormone balance and energy levels throughout the day.

 

GUEST BLOGGER: Hazel Frias is a personal fitness coach. She enjoys sharing her health insights on the web. Her articles can be found mainly on health and fitness websites.

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Posted By Guest Blogger
on August 8, 2015 at 10:42 AM
Filed Under: Fashion Advice
Tagged With: Diet, diet tips, dieting, Dukan Diet, fat loss, hormones, menstrual cycle, No Carbs, The Dukan Diet, The Venus Diet, Venus Diet, Weight Loss

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Their standing desk and exercise chair is a GAME CHANGER!! ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿป๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿป

Whether you have a laptop or a desktop pc, being able to adjust your desk at the push of a button and stand for a while is absolutely essential to working long hours at a computer. 

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The bins hold a surprising amount and I love how solid and sturdy this is. Perfect for organizing toys at kid eye level. Itโ€™s also great for seasonal home decor! ๐Ÿคญ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ‚

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What they remember about their childhood is in you What they remember about their childhood is in your hands ๐Ÿซถ๐Ÿป

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This is what our homeschool looks like sometimes. This is what our homeschool looks like sometimes. ๐Ÿฅณ

Canโ€™t believe my oldest son is 13 and outside helping dad do home projects like building a new deck. ๐Ÿคฏ Seems like yesterday he was in his walker on this back deck and it looked a lot better ๐Ÿ˜‚

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Work from home? You need @flexispot_official The Work from home? You need @flexispot_official 

Their standing desk and exercise chair is a GAME CHANGER!! ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿป๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿป

Whether you have a laptop or a desktop pc, being able to adjust your desk at the push of a button and stand for a while is absolutely essential to working long hours at a computer. 

This bicycle chair is designed specifically for this desk and a great way to keep your body moving. You could also use an under desk treadmill like @superun_fitness for even more flexibility! ๐Ÿ’ƒ๐Ÿผ

Just because you have to work at a desk all day doesnโ€™t mean you need to be out of shape. ๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿป๐Ÿ‹๐Ÿผโ€โ™€๏ธ๐Ÿคธ๐Ÿปโ€โ™€๏ธ

Motherhood and working from home is hard. FLEXISPOT makes it easier. 

Check out my blog and search โ€œFLEXISPOTโ€ for more info!!

Comment and tell me how many hours a day you spend sitting! Be honest! ๐Ÿ‘‡๐Ÿป๐Ÿ‘‡๐Ÿป๐Ÿ‘‡๐Ÿป

#motherhood #motherhoodunplugged #workfromhome #athomeworkouts #athomefitness #fitmoms #fitmomsofig
If putting up your Christmas tree brings you joy, If putting up your Christmas tree brings you joy, go for it!! 

Our new @kingofchristmas 7.5' Queen Flockยฎ Artificial Christmas Tree is absolutely amazing! ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿป๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿป

The kids couldnโ€™t be happier so I have no regrets putting our tree up before Thanksgiving. ๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ’๐Ÿผโ€โ™€๏ธ

Follow my shop @fashionablewife on the @shop.LTK app to shop this post and get my exclusive app-only content!

#liketkit #LTKSeasonal #LTKHolidaySale #LTKHoliday #kingofchristmas 
@shop.ltk
https://liketk.it/4n9gW
Loving our new 5 bin storage unit for the playroom Loving our new 5 bin storage unit for the playroom from @guidecraft_official !!

The bins hold a surprising amount and I love how solid and sturdy this is. Perfect for organizing toys at kid eye level. Itโ€™s also great for seasonal home decor! ๐Ÿคญ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ‚

Whatโ€™s your favorite piece of furniture in your house?! 

Tell me in the comments! ๐Ÿ‘‡๐Ÿป๐Ÿ‘‡๐Ÿป๐Ÿ‘‡๐Ÿป

#homedecor #momlife #homeorganization #playroomorganization #playroomdecor #homedecorideas #fallhomedecor
An often-overlooked element to planning your perfe An often-overlooked element to planning your perfect hiking outfit is finding the perfectย minimalist backpack! 

You donโ€™t want to be weighed down by an oversized, clunky backpack that boasts all the bells and whistles but delivers nothing more than unnecessary muscle strain. You want a backpack that is minimal on the outside, functional on the inside, and sustainable all around. Waxed canvas is always a top choice for me!

Iโ€™m obsessed with this backpack from @hellodayowls ๐Ÿ˜

It has that perfect boho minimalist look that I love, in the perfect color for fall. This has become my go-to handbag for autumn. 

Perfect for all our outdoor adventures, hiking in the mountains, exploring the woods with my kids, and everything motherhood throws at me! ๐Ÿฅพ ๐Ÿง—๐Ÿผโ€โ™€๏ธ ๐ŸŒฒ 

Learn more about this bag on my blog ๐Ÿซถ๐Ÿป

#backpacking #outdoorfashion #wildandfreemama #mountainmama #motherhoodjourney #minimalfashion
I miss summer already ๐Ÿ˜ญ Take me back to a bett I miss summer already ๐Ÿ˜ญ

Take me back to a better place ๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿป summer time at @storylandnh !! ๐Ÿฅณ๐Ÿฅณ๐Ÿฅณ๐Ÿฅณ

Canโ€™t wait to go again next year! ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿปโœจ๐Ÿคธ๐Ÿปโ€โ™€๏ธ

#summertime #familytime #familyadventures #motherhoodunplugged #childhoodunplugged
What they remember about their childhood is in you What they remember about their childhood is in your hands ๐Ÿซถ๐Ÿป

#motherhood #motherhoodrising #motherhoodunplugged #motherhoodthroughinstagram #motherhoodintheraw
This is what our homeschool looks like sometimes. This is what our homeschool looks like sometimes. ๐Ÿฅณ

Canโ€™t believe my oldest son is 13 and outside helping dad do home projects like building a new deck. ๐Ÿคฏ Seems like yesterday he was in his walker on this back deck and it looked a lot better ๐Ÿ˜‚

Thankful that @homedepot has great prices so we could finally afford to do this home reno project! ๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿป๐ŸŽ‰

#motherhood #motherhoodunplugged #hereisourhomeschool #motherhoodthroughinstagram
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