Vicki Witt Nutrition & Weight Loss
The Definitive Guide to Balancing Hormones for Lasting Weight Loss within 7 Days
How Hormones Are Affecting Your Weight Loss Success
Hormones have a profound effect on interfering with your weight loss efforts. I know you are all thinking this means female and male hormones, but there is way more to it than that. Female hormones (estrogen and progesterone) or male hormones (testosterone) are important – yes – like that menopausal belly fat or belly fat you gained in your 40's or 50's! But it is also important to consider and balance the following to conquer hormonal weight loss -->
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Blood sugar hormones (insulin, gherlin, leptin)
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Thyroid hormones
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Mood neurotransmitters (brain and gut hormones)
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Sleep hormones (melatonin, growth hormone)
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Hormonal effect on pain and inflammation
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And much more!
Chapter 1:
What is hormonal imbalance?
Importance of Hormonal Balance
Hormonal weight loss requires the correct hormonal balance. This is optimized via the balance of protein's, carbs and fat's every time we eat. This ideal balance takes pressure off the body and adrenal glands and thus harmonizes all systems. You see, we all have different demands effecting our bodies from 3 sources - emotional, mental and physical
Estrogen Dominance
Estrogen dominance is common for both men and women. It happens when estrogen levels are high relative to progesterone or testosterone. Here are some of the symptoms of estrogen dominance:
Estrogen dominance is most common for women during perimenopause, but it can happen at any time. Men can also experience estrogen dominance Estrogen dominance symptoms include:
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Endometriosis
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PMS Symptoms
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Menstrual cramping
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Heavy or irregular periods
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Infertility
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Fibroids
As many as 90% of women will experience symptoms of PMS at some point. These symptoms include bloating, headaches and moodiness. But approximately 5% will experience more severe symptoms. PMS symptoms increase during perimenopause when estrogen dominance becomes more common.
84% of women report cramping during menstrual periods at some time. Estrogen dominance can contribute to more severe menstrual cramping.
Approximately 10 % of women suffer from endometriosis. Endometriosis is most common in women experiencing hormone changes.
Chapter 2: Symptoms:
How to tell if you have hormonal imbalances
So how do you tell if you have a hormone imbalance. Let's look at the symptoms.
Female/ Male Hormone imbalance symptoms
The charts below show common symptoms of female and male hormone imbalances. When estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone are out of balance you can experience several symptoms. Keep in mind that males and females both have all three of these hormones. They are just at different levels. The levels of these hormones vary throughout your lifespan.
Women can experience symptoms of not having enough testosterone. Testosterone levels peak for both men and women around the age of 18 or 19.
Blood Sugar Level Imbalance Symptoms
Symptoms of blood sugar level imbalances are:
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Cravings
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Hunger
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Fatigue
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Anxiety
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Irritability
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Feeling teary or moody
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Binge eating
If your blood sugar levels are too high, you may be diabetic. Incorrect control of medication can lead to highs and lows in blood sugar.
Over 10 % of the US population has diabetes. Even more have prediabetes where blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be considered diabetic.
Digestive System Imbalance Symptoms
Digestive issues are often caused by hormone imbalances. These can be imbalances of gastrointestinal hormones or other hormones. 20 million Americans suffer from chronic digestive diseases and there are millions of cases of acute digestive issues every year.
Symptoms of gut/ bowel imbalances are:
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Constipation
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diarrhea
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Gas
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Not full evacuation
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Bloating
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Reflux
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Irrititable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
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Nausea
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Fatigue
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cramping and pain
You can tell a lot about your gut health from your poops. Refer to the chart below to determine your stool quality. Type 4 is what a healthy stool looks like
When your gut and bowels are out of balance weight loss is difficult. This blog post explains how probiotics help to restore balance so you can lose weight.
Sleep Issues
Over 30% of Americans report they regularly get less than 7 hours of sleep each night. And many report that they are tired during the day.
There are several sleep issues that can be caused by hormonal imbalances:
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hard to fall asleep,
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hard to stay asleep (waking in the night),
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shallow sleep,
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waking up too early,
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pain and sleep apnea.
Unfortunately poor sleep can make it harder to lose weight
Adrenal fatigue
Your adrenal glands produce the hormones cortisol and adrenaline. Chronic stress can lead to adrenal fatigue and your body not being able to produce enough of these hormones. Adrenal fatigue can cause low energy, but it can also lead to other symptoms:
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fatigue,
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cravings – sugar/salt/starch/caffeine,
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sleep issues,
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anxiety,
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gut issues,
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pain,
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female cycle issues
This article explains adrenal fatigue in more detail.
Inflammation
When you experience skin around an injury that is red and swollen, that is inflammation. Inflammation can be systemic or can be caused by pain. When it is systemic it can lead to weight gain. Chronic inflammation can be caused by several factors:
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Food intolerances such as dairy or gluten can lead to gut inflammation
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Stress is a major factor in increased inflammation
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Eating too much starch and sugar contribute to inflammation
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Processed and fried foods also lead to inflammation
Systemic or chronic inflammation is tied to hormone imbalances as both a cause and a symptom. Several health conditions are associated with inflammation:
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Cardiovascular disease
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Diabetes
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Arthritis
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Allergies
Symptoms of chronic inflammation are:
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Fatigue
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Weight gain
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Joint pain
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Skin rash
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Abdominal pain
Chapter 3:
What causes hormonal imbalance or makes it worse
There are several things that cause hormone imbalances and cause that hormonal belly fat. In this section we'll take a look at some of the causes of hormone imbalances.
Poor Diet
Consuming common allergens and intolerances:
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Lactose and dairy:
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Gluten
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Sugar
Consuming foods that you are intolerant to leads to inflammation. Inflammation takes hold of the whole body and weight gain and chronic disease results.
Lactose intolerance is the most common type of food intolerance affecting 65% of the world's population.
Eating processed foods and fast foods
Processed foods and fast foods have been designed to keep you eating more. Unfortunately they are full of additives which can cause several issues. They can cause digestive issues, nervous disorders, respiratory problems and skin problems.
Not eating enough vegetables
When you don't eat enough vegetables you'll experience a lack of minerals, vitamins and fiber. These are necessary for the health of detox pathways in the liver, kidneys and gut. See the infographic for signs of nutritional deficiencies
Eating a vegan diet
A vegan diet may seem healthy, but it's not the best diet for supporting hormone health. A vegan diet can lead to nutritional deficiencies and is likely too low in protein, fat and cholesterol to support hormones.
Not drinking enough water
Your body is composed of 60% water. When you don't get enough water your dody suffers. See the diagram below for some of the benefits of getting enough water.
Consuming coffee and other caffinated beverages
It may seem like that morning cup of coffee is boosting your energy but in reality caffeine acts like a credit card taking out energy but never repaying it, leaving you with a debt. An energy debt.
And drinking coffee from a takeout cup is especially harmful.
Fasting and the keto diet
Intermittent fasting and the Keto diet are popular methods for weight loss.
Intermittent fasting involves a strict period of eating and a strict period of fasting. For example you might fast for 20 hours and have a 4 hour window when you can eat.
With the keto or ketogenic diet you try to achieve a state of ketosis by eating mostly fats and protein. The typical macro ratio for keto is 70% fats, 5% carbohydrates and 25% protein.
Both these methods of weight loss can result in hormone disruptions and they are not likely to help you with long term weight loss.
The keto diet has been linked to several health risks including heart disease, kidney failure, diabetes and cancer.
Alcohol
Consuming alcohol plays havoc with your hormones:
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It raises estrogen levels contributing to estogen dominance
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Alcohol is a liver toxin
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The calories are empty, it has no nutritional benefit and it contributes to weight gain
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It increases your risk of breast cancer, menstrual irregularities, osteoporosis and birth defects
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Alchohol consumption leads to fat storage
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It imbalances your gut flora and microbiota. This leads to cravings and more calories being extracted from food.
Poor Sleep
Poor sleep is a symptom of hormone imbalance, but it's also a cause of hormone imbalances.
Getting too little sleep disrupts insulin, growth hormone and melatonin levels.
When your bedtime is midnight or later your sleep quality will likely be worse, even if you feel like you are getting enough sleep.
You may find it hard to fall asleep, or you may wake in the middle of the night.
The use of electronics at night and poor sleep hygiene can contribute to your poor sleep. If your bedtime varies, you have your phone or your work beside your bed or you consume sugar, starch or alcohol before bed you're not doing yourself any favours.
Stress
Stress can be emotional, mental or physical. You can have one, two or all three at once causing the stress hormone cortisol to create a huge cascade of hormonal imbalances. Watch the hormone video in Chapter 1 for more information.
Not enough or too much activity
Lack of exercise
A lack of exercise leads to stagnant lymph nodes and doesn't allow a detox of hormones and toxins.
Exercise or some type of movement is instrumental in lowering insulin levels and balancing blood sugar levels. It also helps to reduce cravings.
Too much exercise
Overexercising can also be an issue as it overstimulates the body and cortisol levels which can be counterproductive. This leads to stored fat especially around the belly and imbalanced hunger signals.
Xenoestrogens, heavy metals, toxins in environment, mold, illness, adrenal fatigue.
Xenoestrogens
Xenoestrogens are man made chemicals that mimic the effects of estrogen in your body. This can lead to a hormonal disturbance. They are linked to PCOS, endometriosis, and some types of cancer.
Heavy metals and environmental toxins
We are exposed to many chemicals and heavy metals in our foods, cosmetics and even in the air we breath. Exposure to toxins and heavy metals is linked to heart disease, diabetes, cancer, infertility, and liver damage.
Mold
Mold exposure is common. It can lead to nasal congestion, sneezing, and headaches.
Why is this important?
Exposure to these toxins is linked to several illnesses and can also contribute to adrenal fatigue.
Chapter 4: How to naturally fix, improve, heal, treat hormonal imbalances (a holistic approach)
Take a holistic approach
It is important to take a holistic approach and consider the below to ensure optimal health as well as fat loss.
Diet – when it comes to diet, no one size fits all. Far from it. It is important to have the perfect prescription of protein, carb and fat for your uniqueness.
Alcohol – minimize as much as possible. No alcohol is healthy for life and especially weight loss. But it can be managed as part of a healthy lifestyle. Daily alcohol is not advised due to it’s effects on imbalancing estrogen and gut flora.
Sleep - Getting enough sleep is key to keeping hormones balanced to allow your body to shed fat.
Stress - Reduce the amount of stress your body and mind experience to allow your hormones to function properly.
Exercise - Getting the right amount of exercise is key to keeping hormones healthy to allow for weight loss.
Behavior - You can control your behavior, but you might need some support and understanding to help you along the way.
Xenoestrogens - Limiting exposure to xenoestorogens will help balance your hormones.
A customized approach to suit your specific body
Since your situation is unique you can start with this free quiz to see what hormones are causing your weight gain:
Or if you want more information about how my 1:1 programs can help you, book a free nutrition to get more details specific to your body chemistry.
You can also find out more about my weight loss programs here:
San Francisco Weight Loss Program
Chapter 5: How to rid hormonal belly fat
The 4 Key Hormones
There are 4 Hormones involved with belly fat – estrogen, cortisol, growth hormone, insulin.
Addressing these will ensure you get rid of that belly fat once and for all. There are many things you can do to help all of these hormones balance back in to hormone harmony and will be addressed as part of your custom food and lifestyle plan. Everyone is different and so every plan is different.
You may be dealing with one, two, three or all of these hormones. Tailoring to suit you through your hormonal weight loss program, ensures the best results and success.
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Estrogen
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Cortisol
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Growth hormone
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Insulin – balanced diet tailored to you with your prescription of protein, carbs and fats to suit you individually.
What's next
Imagine stepping into the forefront of your health and body evolution to experience your own potential in a brand new and exciting way.
Imagine being guided through a healing process on the most essential, core levels. Imagine it being the exact catalyst of transformation to heal your body so that it completely changes the way you experience and connect with life, how you experience others, and attracts success into your reality.
Imagine how much different your life can be by having the chance to heal your hormonal balance and finally get you into continuous fat burning and optimized metabolism.
Book a free 30 min Assessment call to find out more about the process, and how your handcrafted custom eating and lifestyle plan will do all this and more.
I can’t wait to help you achieve the body and health you desire and love the skin you are in!
Blessings, happiness, and success to you!
Vicki Witt | Clinical Nutritionist | Holistic Coach | Reiki Master | Certified LEAP allergy therapist
Over 25 years of successfully helping you achieve optimal health and weight loss 🍏
vicki.witt@outlook.com | www.vickiwittweightloss.com
BIO: VICKI WITT
Vicki Witt is a Clinical Nutritionist, Holistic Health Coach, and Reiki Master. She has been practicing over 25 years and specializes in holistically customizing diet and lifestyle plans to each individual for weight loss and hormonal control. Her clientele often report they feel the best they have ever felt and wish they had started sooner. One of the USA and Australia's top Nutritionists, she has won multiple awards for her services in the industry.