WEIGHT GAIN; BLAME YOUR HORMONES

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weight gain

If ever there was a time that created a collective weight gain panic, this is it. For weeks we were sheltered inside trying to get through day after day of feelings including panic, loneliness, sadness, and boredom, amongst others. Zoom saw a boom in bodies sheltered under sweats and jammies. From March 8-March 15, online views for homemade bread increased 342%, how to make banana bread by 171% and how to make sourdough starter-518%. Fat memes became pandemic. Curves fattened before the curve flattened.

SOCIAL DISTANCING FROM THE SCALE

Covid-crisis eating was understandable. As was gaining weight from non-stop snacking and becoming best friends with the Door Dash delivery person bringing you pizza and fattening meals you’d normally never chow down on.  But being overweight is a long-time crisis. The obesity rate in the US now tops 40%. Super-sizing everything has led to super-sizing of the national waistline. Belly fat has bulged beyond historical norms. Toilet paper may have been scarce, but people never stayed six feet away from the ice cream freezer or chips aisles.

SCALING UP DIET AND EXERCISE DOESN’T ALWAYS DO IT

But not everyone threw weight gain caution to the wind. And yet, they too gained weight. And this weight gain conundrum existed long before now.  In 2018, the US weight loss industry was worth a staggering $70.3 billion. This figure included couch potatoes with sour cream, cheese and bacon, but it also included the millions of people for whom diets did nothing to help them lose weight. And they tried every diet there was. Every crazy workout out there. Approximately 45 million adults in the United States (about 14% of the population) are members of a gym. But no number of crunches or miles in spin class led to significant weight loss. What the frustrated never knew was that in packing on puzzling pounds, the real enemy they were battling was unbalanced hormones.

A BIG FAT HORMONE PROBLEM

Unbalanced hormones and weight gain go hand in hand. When your hormones are out of balance, losing weight or maintaining weight is almost impossible. Hormones are important for regulating most major bodily processes, so a hormonal imbalance can affect a wide range of bodily functions. Hormones help to regulate heart rate, blood pressure, sleep, reproductive cycles and sexual functions, growth and development, mood and memory and yes, weight. Hormones cause willpower to go by the wayside and food cravings to call the shots.  The ability to metabolize food for fuel is directly connected to your hormones. Some of the worst weight gain hormone culprits are cortisol, insulin, estrogen, testosterone and thyroid. Even a slight disruption in the levels of any of these hormones can cause the body to put on weight and fight like lard to keep it there.

FIRE UP YOUR HORMONES

The medical professionals at Denver Hormone Health have just what it takes to reset hormone levels that have gone awry. With years of experience treating all types of hormone imbalance issues, DHH professionals are experts when it comes to weight management. At DHH they understand what you have been going through and have developed a novel Hormonal Weight Loss Support Program that has successfully helped patients lose, and more importantly, keep the weight off.  The program includes bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, B6, B12 and lipotropic injections, plus exclusive, highest quality weight management supplements. When combined with healthy diet and exercise—which DHH nutrition and fitness experts are there to help with, patients have reported having more energy, faster metabolisms, better weight loss and stronger immune systems. DHH physicians do a full analysis including simple blood tests that pinpoint your exact hormone levels. This allows them to customize a unique treatment plan tailored to each patient’s individual needs. Call Denver Hormone Health for an appointment now. Struggling with weight gain? Don’t wait a minute more.

THE THYROID GLAND; HEARD OF IT, NOT SURE WHAT IT IS?

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There are 14 major glands in the human body essential for conducting a wide range of key biological processes. The thyroid gland is one of them. Your thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland situated at the base of the front of your neck, just below your Adam’s apple, which although not noticeable, is in women, too.  Hormones produced by the thyroid gland — triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) — have an enormous impact on your health, affecting all aspects of your metabolism. These hormones also regulate heart and digestive function, muscle control, brain development, mood and bone maintenance. 

HOPING YOU’RE NOT HYPO

If you’re like a lot of people, when you hear “thyroid”, you hear people who gain weight claiming that their thyroid must be low. Yeah, yeah, you might have thought, thinking that pizza and cheese puffs were the more likely culprit. Well, weight gain is one of the symptoms of what is called hypothyroidism or under active thyroid, a condition in which your thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough of certain crucial hormones.

Hypothyroidism signs and symptoms may include:

  • Fatigue
  • Increased sensitivity to cold
  • Constipation
  • Dry skin
  • Puffy face
  • Muscle weakness
  • Elevated blood cholesterol level
  • Muscle aches, tenderness and stiffness
  • Pain, stiffness or swelling in your joints
  • Heavier than normal or irregular menstrual periods
  • Thinning hair
  • Depression
  • Impaired memory

  • And yes, weight gain

HYPERTHYROID: MORE THAN HYPER ACTIVE

Another condition called hyperthyroidism or overactive thyroid, occurs when your thyroid gland produces too much of the hormone thyroxine. As with hypothyroidism, this condition can mimic other health problems, which can sometimes make it difficult to diagnose.  Like hypothyroidism, it can also include a wide variety of signs and symptoms including:

  • Unintentional weight loss
  • Rapid heartbeat
  • Irregular heartbeat
  • Increased appetite
  • Nervousness, anxiety and irritability
  • Tremors
  • Sweating
  • Changes in menstrual patterns
  • Increased sensitivity to heat
  • Fatigue, muscle weakness
  • Difficulty sleeping
  • Skin thinning
  • Fine thinning hair

FOODS THAT CAN FIDDLE WITH YOUR THYROID FUNCTION

You might be surprised to learn that fatigue, sudden weight gain or loss, or that general “blah” feeling is the result of foods that can impact how your thyroid works. Depending on whether your thyroid is hypo or hyper, these are just some foods that can either help or hinder your thyroid hormones:

  • Kale
  • Gluten
  • Cabbage
  • Brussel sprouts
  • Soy milk
  • Whole wheat bread
  • Sugary foods
  • Processed foods
  • Caffeine
  • Iodized salt
  • Seaweed
  • Leafy greens
  • Nuts-Brazil are best
  • Seafood
  • Yogurt
  • Milk
  • Chicken and beef
  • Eggs
  • Berries

If you do have a thyroid condition, you might want to look into it further.

GET THE UPPER HAND ON YOUR THYROID GLAND

Hypo…hyper…when your thyroid hormones are out of balance at all, it’s easy to feel less than your best. All you have to do is look at some of the effects a thyroid imbalance can blast your body with. But before you worry too much, it might help to know that an estimated 20 million Americans have some form of thyroid disease. Up to 60 percent of those with thyroid disease are unaware of their condition. Which means you could be one of them. So how do you get your thyroid hormones where they’re supposed to be? You make an appointment to see the most experienced hormone specialists in the Denver area; Denver Hormone Health. If it has anything to do with any of the 50 hormones—thyroid included—in the human body, the experts at Denver Hormone Health know exactly how to get them functioning at full speed. Simple tests will tell them where your thyroid levels stand, and from there they create a treatment plan tailored to your specific needs. Let Denver Hormone Health get you back on the path to feeling fit and fabulous. Your thyroid will thank you.

Hormones and Diabetes: It’s Not So Sweet

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Diabetes Basics

Did you know that the medical term for diabetes is actually “Diabetes Mellitus”?  (Although you probably never hear it called that.) Diabetes affects approximately 30.3 million people (9.4% of the population) in the United States, (Tom Hanks, Nick Jonas and Halle Berry to name a few) while another estimated 84.1 million people have prediabetes and don’t know it. What you probably know is that it has something to do with sugar. To put it simply, diabetes is a chronic condition in which the body does not produce enough of the hormone insulin, resulting in high levels of the sugar “glucose” in the bloodstream.

Every Type is Pretty Terrible

There are two main types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2. Both types of diabetes are lifelong diseases that affect the way your body regulates blood sugar, or glucose. Glucose is the fuel that feeds your body’s cells, but to enter your cells it needs a key. Insulin is that key. People with type 1 diabetes  (often known as juvenile diabetes) don’t produce insulin. You can think of it as not having a key. People with type 2 diabetes don’t respond to insulin as well as they should and later in the disease often don’t make enough insulin. You can think of this as having a broken key. Of the two, type 1 is the most severe.

When Hormones Have Their Way

Hormone imbalances definitely influence blood sugar levels. To better understand how hormones affect diabetes, it is important to identify which hormones can impact those levels in the blood. Insulin is the hormone that affects blood sugar levels the most, but it’s not the only one. Glucagon, Amylin, Epinephrine, Cortisol and Growth Hormone are others that are best left to medical minds. Let’s just say when it comes to diabetes, unbalanced, they’re “bad”.  This, we can all understand.

Some Serious Stuff Here

Many people with diabetes often “poo-poo” it, not believing it can really do that much damage. But consider just some of the symptoms and health-related problems:

  • Increased thirst and urination
  • Nerve pain
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Blurred vision
  • Hunger
  • Weight loss or gain
  • Fatigue
  • Dry mouth 
  • Depression
  • Slow-healing wounds, cuts, or sores 
  • Itching skin
  • Increased susceptibility to infections
  • Heart and blood vessel disease
  • Kidney disease

Still think controlling it isn’t something to think seriously about?

Eat This Up

The first thing people think about when it comes to diabetes and diet, is deprivation. No this, no that, and absolutely, positively, never-ever anything sweet. Not so. It’s just all about portion. That box of Valentine candy? Have a small piece or two, just don’t devour the whole thing or dig into a 5-lb chocolate heart. (Cupid won’t die if you don’t). A diet for diabetics is a sensible, healthy diet for anyone; fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and heart-healthy fats. It’s about cutting back on sodium and processed foods. And really cutting back on carbs which are most easily broken down into sugar.  What are a few examples of things you should you totally try to avoid?

  • Frosting (Sorry, but you can ‘t get caught up in the cupcake craze)
  • Bagels
  • Soda (sugar-free is fine)
  • Sugary cereals- (Fruit Loops can really send your blood sugar in loops)
  • Stick margarine
  • Jarred tomato sauce- (Sure, it’s easy, but…Prego is a no-go)
  • Bacon (No more “Bs” in your BLTs)
  • Maraschino cherries (And the sugar-laden cocktails you love them in)
  • Soy sauce
  • Smoothies (Just being green, doesn’t make them healthy)
  • Vanilla cappuccino with whipped cream and hazelnut drizzle (Or any other Starbucks specialty where tons of sugar make them so special.)
  • The devilish duos of anything breaded and fried (bye-bye chicken McNuggets)
  • Fatty red meat (liverwurst’s the worst)
  • Hot dogs

It’s All in the Balance

Before you go bonkers over diabetes, you have to remember that it can be all about hormone imbalances. And imbalances, if treated correctly, by the right medical specialists, can be balanced. The place to start, is getting a good and accurate measure of your hormones, especially those that can contribute to diabetes. And in the Denver area, there’s no better place to do that than at Denver Hormone Health. Every one of the doctors that are at Denver Hormone Health are hormone specialists that know everything there is to know about hormones and getting them back in balance. Simple tests can tell them how they can help you if they determine you’re pre-diabetic or diabetic. Even if it turns out you’re not, they can see if something isn’t in balance with all the other hormones floating through your bloodstream. In any case, all they care about is getting you back to feeling your best. Call the experts at Denver Hormone Health now.

Diabetes doesn’t have to get you down.