Many people think losing fat is about eating less and exercising more. In actuality that can cause a host of problems. Did you know that there are actually about 15 different hormones that act and interact to metabolize fat? If you get them out of balance, fat loss stops, or even worse, becomes a fat gain! This week we will look at some of these hormones and their role in fat loss.
The most influential fat loss hormone is INSULIN. Insulin is generally thought of as a fat storer. This hormone is most strongly influenced by carbohydrate intake and the over consumption of food in general. Both of these cause a detrimental increase in blood sugar. For the average American, who tends to be sedentary and also over consumes, insulin will increase and remain high. Chronically high insulin levels will eventually cause the body to become insulin resistant which make it more difficult to burn fat. People who are obese and/or have Type II diabetes are insulin resistant and don’t burn fat well. To help combat this problem it is critical to lower the carbohydrate intake and be conscientious of portion sizes.
The next is GLUCAGON. It is a fat burner, and has been called insulin’s good twin. Both of these hormones work together to keep blood sugar and energy needs in balance. It works best to help burn fat when insulin levels are low. The same things that make insulin levels go down also work to bring glucagon levels up.
A third important hormone is GHRELIN. It sort of sounds like a growl and that is what it does; it makes you feel hungry. If you are slightly hungry then you are probably burning fat, but is important to not let your body get too hungry that it sets off the alarm that you are starving. That sends out different hormones that tell you to store fat. To best influence ghrelin, know the difference between physical hunger and emotional hunger and only eat when you are physically hungry. The other way is to not overeat, but stop when you are 80% full.
A fourth one is the THYROID HORMONE. This can be thought of as the metabolic manager. People often think they are born with low thyroid, but this hormone is keenly sensitive to daily lifestyle choices and events. Some of the things that can change the level of this hormone are sleep quality and quantity, what types and how much food you eat, stress levels, and exercise intensity and duration. Since it is so sensitive, it will sabotage your fat loss when you go on a diet and eat less and exercise more. When you eat too little, your thyroid hormone tells your body that there isn’t enough food and it had better save fat. To keep thyroid hormones at levels that allow you to burn fat you need to stop being a chronic dieter.
Another big hormone in the fat loss arena is CORTISOL. This is the stress hormone. Cortisol is like a Jekyl and Hyde. Short term stress can cause an immediate increase in cortisol. This is that “adrenaline rush” sensation. When the stress is gone, the cortisol is reduced. Unfortunately, life is so hectic that our adrenal glands become chronically stressed out and causes us to store fat. Long-term stress leaves cortisol levels either chronically elevated or so low that the body becomes fat and fatigued.
Here is where the other side of cortisol comes in. Cortisol, when released with HGH and testosterone, becomes a fat burner. To positively affect this, exercise at a high intensity for a short period of time – like sprinting - and follow that by low intensity, long duration exercise – like leisurely walking. Make sure to get plenty of relaxing time and sleep if you want to burn fat, too.
As was mentioned, there are about 15 hormones that are important to fat burning. I will cover more over the next week or two. Getting to know your body is vitally important if you are going to hope to achieve your fitness goals. Fat loss and body shape change are not easy, not predictable and certainly not a one-size-fits-all plan. Learning to read the signs your body gives you about your hormones and metabolism can go a long way to reaching your goals.
If you have questions about this or any of the information you read in these articles, please feel free to contact the Canton Fitness Center at 570-673-5813 or message us on Facebook. Remember, Believe in your health. We Do!