Hormones That Help You Lose Weight

by Healthoria.com

Losing body fat isn’t just about calories and exercise. Much of how we use the food we eat and burn the fat we have stored is controlled by hormones. Some hormones can promote fat loss, and other directly inhibit the break down and use of stored body fat.

Here’s the most important weight loss hormones, and how you can influence them.

Insulin

Good or Bad: Elevated insulin has been linked to weight gain and obesity

What it does

Insulin is important for building muscle, muscle recover, and maintaining healthy blood sugar levels. The amount of insulin produced is directly linked to the type and amount of carbohydrates you eat every day. Too much insulin, however, directly inhibits how you use and store fat.

Maintaining healthy levels

Avoid high sugar foods, and try to get your carbohydrates from slow digesting foods like fruit and vegetables.

Glucagon

Good or Bad: Glucagon is good for fat loss

What it does

Most of our hormones will have natural counters enabling your body to return to a balanced state instead of staying at extremes. Glucagon is the hormone best viewed as the opposite of insulin. Insulin stores carbs and fat, while glucagon breaks down fat and carbs for use as energy.

How to increase

Eating high protein, low carbohydrate meals can influence the release of the glucagon hormone.

Ghrelin

Good or Bad: Elevated Ghrelin is bad for weight loss

What It Does

Ghrelin is produced in your stomach and has been linked to sending hunger signals to your brain. When your Ghrelin levels are elevated, you’ll continue to feel hungry even after eating. Studies have shown prolonged calorie restriction has a direct correlation with ghrelin levels. The longer you stay on a diet, the more your body tries to get you to eat.

How To Decrease

Cardio vascular exercise is a natural way to decrease your ghrelin levels.

Leptin

Good or Bad: Neutral. You want normal levels to continue losing weight.

What it does

Leptin is released directly from your fat cells telling your brain to eat less and burn more calories. The more fat cells you have the more leptin is produced. On the surface this sounds good for weight loss, but too much leptin can decrease sensitivity. When you produce too much leptin, your brain will dismiss the signals and effectively ignore this calorie burning hormone.

How To Increase Effectiveness

You don’t want to increase the production of leptin, but you do want to increase the sensitivity to leptin. This will make the hormone produced more effective. You can increase sensitivity by getting enough sleep, and increasing foods high in antioxidants like berries and vegetables.

Adiponectin

Good or Bad: Elevated adiponectin is good for fat loss.

What it does

Like leptin, adiponectin is released directly from your fat cells. The leaner you get the more of this hormone is produced. It’s been linked to boosting metabolism, and increasing the efficiency of using carbohydrates for energy. It can also help control and curb your appetite.

How to increase

The lower your body fat the more adiponectin is produced. Exercise, limiting simple carbohydrates and eating more monounsaturated fats can help reduce body fat and increase this hormone production.

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