Our work here at Optimal Bio is focused around optimizing your hormones in order to live your healthiest and best life. Something that goes hand in hand with hormones is weight loss and/or gain and metabolism. How these things are related is a frequently asked question for us, and it’s important to understand that oftentimes the most common and often sign of hormonal imbalances is weight gain. 

Hormones serve as chemical messengers in your body. They facilitate most bodily functions, including how your metabolism works and your hunger levels. Imbalanced hormones likely will lead to fluctuations in your weight. Balanced hormones, on the other hand, allow your body to efficiently use energy from food, making it easier to maintain weight by eating a healthy diet and exercising. This is why we can never stress enough how important it is to pursue a balanced diet, prioritize sleep, and exercise regularly in order to achieve optimal health. 

There are a handful of reasons why hormonal imbalances lead to weight gain; furthermore, testosterone and estrogen imbalances, a problematic thyroid, and menopause are all things that play a role here. Additionally, common symptoms of hormonal imbalances are fatigue, depression, and anxiety - all of which cause low energy levels making it hard to stay active. 

There are five things we like to focus on in order to manage our weight. 

1. The first - get your sleep. This is when your body heals. Poor sleep affects every single other aspect of your well being and it is impossible to maintain a healthy lifestyle (and consequently a healthy weight) if your sleep is off. 
2. Fueling your body with the proper nutrients is key - 5% of our weight is exercise and the other 95% is how we eat and what we eat. Our world today is so focused on diet culture and quick fixes; however, you don’t want a diet - you want a lifestyle. It is so important to eat well and rotate your nutrients. The best place to get your supplements is from the food you eat - make sure you are incorporating lots of colors, grass fed meats, and all organic produce when you can. 
3. While that 5% for exercising seems small, it is still vital. Moving your body 3-6 times a week is ideal. A tip: don’t do the same thing over and over. Don’t run the same loop each week. Don’t lift the same weights continuously. Keeping it versatile prevents your body from plateauing physically. 
   1. Exercise is an essential component to controlling weight and is vital for health. It can also be very helpful in reducing some of the problems caused by hormone imbalances. You can increase activity to alter your gut microbiome, change how you extract calories from food and reduce fat storage.
4. Decrease your stress. Find something or somewhere that reduces your stress and integrate that into your daily routine. 
5. Lastly, replace what you have lost. Refueling your body is so important. Antioxidants, vitamins, and supplements are all things that will only improve your vitality. 

*For a more in depth look at these five recommendations, listen to our Optimal Bio podcast on Weight Gain here. 

If you are experiencing weight management challenges or other health problems that may be associated with a hormone imbalance, contact our office today for more information on BHRT and to learn more about certain lifestyle changes that will help you on your journey to optimal wellbeing. 

Contact Optimal Bio Today for Help

Want to learn more about balancing your hormones? Optimal Bio is happy and willing to help.

Optimal Bio provides Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy for men and women. We provide hormonal imbalance testing and solutions to some of the most common medical issues associated with aging and current environmental factors. We are committed to finding your perfect hormonal balance, custom-tailored to your body, so you can have the energy, health, and vitality you desire. Contact us today or visit us at one of our 7 office locations: Cary, Southern Pines, Wilmington, Charlotte, Charleston, Charlottesville, or Greenville.