Excess waist volume can seriously distort the proportions of a woman's figure and is often a direct consequence of certain he alth problems. In other words, until you deal with them, no diet and exercise will help. Therefore, today we offer you to talk about what are the most common hormonal disorders that "donate" women with excess fat in this area.
Adipose tissue in the body is vital: it performs many important functions, in particular it is involved in the synthesis of sex hormones. At the same time, obesity is the main factor in the development of polycystic ovary syndrome and, as a result, infertility, cardiovascular pathologies, diabetes mellitus and a number of oncological diseases.
But back to the waist issue. There are three hormones whose increase in the body is manifested by the accumulation of excess body fat around the waist: cortisol, insulin and prolactin. You may have even heard the term “cortisol belly.”
Cortisol
Cortisol is a stress hormone under the influence of which the body begins to actively store fat cells. At the same time, the so-called insulin resistance, which affects eating habits (attraction to sweet things and fatty foods, ravenous appetite - "I just ate and I'm hungry again") and practically blocks the process of losing weight.
It is important to note that cortisol is produced by the adrenal glands, which respond to stress with a powerful release of hormones. At the same time, stress for them is not only exciting short-term events - on the contrary, nature has planned things so that with the help of hormonal resources we can safely experience various life situations. For our adrenal glands, constant stress, which we often do not consider as such, is much more dangerous. It can be caused by not following the daily routine with going to bed long after midnight, lack of sleep and waking up early with liters of coffee, improper diet with an excess of fast carbohydrates, sedentary lifestyle. In general, everything that has long become the norm for modern man.
Insulin
With insulin, it is also easy to enter a vicious circle: overeating, sedentary lifestyle, unhe althy diet lead to weight gain and insulin resistance, that is, the condition when insulin is not absorbed by tissue cells. As a result, hormonal disorders occur in the body, an "insulin belly" appears (abdominal obesity is diagnosed in women with a waist circumference of more than 80 cm, in men - more than 90 cm), and the high concentration of insulin in the blood blocks more further lipolysis.
Prolactin
Another insidious hormone is prolactin, which slows down metabolism and increases appetite. As a result, in this case we also have weight gain, often in the abdomen, chest and back. To deal with the problem, you need to lower the prolactin levels, but at the same time, the prolactin concentration often magically decreases if you normalize the weight.
How to deal with hormonal belly?
First of all, experts recommend that you get your hormones tested, not only the prolactin, insulin and cortisol mentioned above, but also those of the thyroid gland, the concentration of "bad" and "good" cholesterol, the level of some vitamins and trace elements, vitamin D. After you have done your research, depending on the results, do not waste time on experiments and immediately start working with the cause of excess weight.
These are individual characteristics, but there are also general recommendations: go to bed no later than 11 p.m., get up at 6-7 in the morning, have a normal breakfast (proteins, fats and slow carbohydrates, not coffee with a roll). Eat three times a day, excluding "bad" foods, sweets, products with dyes, sweeteners, preservatives. It is recommended that you avoid snacks that can raise your blood sugar and keep it high. Cut your calorie intake by 20%. Consider taking adaptogens - ashwagandha, vitamin C, cordyceps, shiitake, lemongrass, rhodiola, etc.
Also, don't forget to exercise. Daily walks with 4-5 thousand steps are also suitable. Monitor the stability of your mood, note the sources of stress and try to deal with them, including by excluding "toxic" people in your environment.
