Health and Fat Loss
Lose Visceral Fat by Understanding the Intricacies of Six Critical Hormones
I explain the effects of critical hormones on metabolism for fat loss and healthy weight maintenance.
Hormones Run the Metabolic Show
As I mentioned in several articles before, fat loss and healthy weight management revolve around metabolic hormones.
Even though calories play a role in weight management, actual fat loss, especially visceral fat, happens when we optimize our hormones. I explained why the fat loss has nothing to do with calories, as the significant players are intricate hormones.
Hormones are complex with intricacies. As they are interrelated, pinning down the effects of a single hormone can be difficult unless we have specialist skills.
Even specialists like endocrinologists face challenges with hormones. They rely on multiple tests, analyses, and assessments of patients' medical histories.
Many interrelated hormones affect our metabolism. However, in this article, I highlight only six major hormones that play a critical role in fat loss and weight management.
Understanding the functions of these hormones can give us valuable perspectives in choosing our lifestyle goals for maintaining a healthy weight and body composition.
1 — Insulin
From my reviews and experience, as a master hormone for metabolism, insulin has the most significant impact on fat loss and healthy weight management.
If we learn how to manage and optimize this hormone, we can substantially increase the chance of fat loss.
As I pointed out before, “Fat Loss Isn’t Complex. We Make It Mysterious.” It is all about optimizing hormones.
One of the critical roles of insulin is to manage blood sugar. So, when we can control our blood sugar, we can improve our insulin profile from resistance to sensitivity.
Metabolic syndrome and type II diabetes are insulin-related conditions.
As I introduced it in various articles with practical tips, I will not repeat them. However, this article may provide valuable insights to those who want to understand insulin resistance and insulin sensitivity. Three Tips to Eliminate Insulin Resistance and Shrink Waistline.
2 — Cortisol
Like insulin, cortisol plays a critical role in fat metabolism and weight management.
However, this hormone’s metabolic effect is less known and understood than insulin, as its primary function is managing stress.
The key point is when cortisol is elevated in the bloodstream frequently and for a long time, it indicates that we experience chronic stress.
In addition, elevated cortisol prevents the use of visceral fat for energy even if we don’t consume food, as I explained in an article.
Reviewing the following three articles can provide valuable insights to beginners.
3 — Leptin
Fat accumulation and utilization are closely related to leptin, a signaling hormone for satiety. If we cannot control our hunger and keep eating, using and losing fat is almost impossible unless we work out non-stop.
Similar to insulin, the body also creates resistance to leptin. When we get into a leptin resistance situation, the body loses the effectiveness of this vital hormone, informing satiety.
Therefore, fixing leptin resistance with the help of a specialist medical professional can be a valuable approach to fat loss and healthy weight management.
Time-restricted eating can contribute to leptin sensitivity. I introduced seven practical tips to reduce the side effects of fasting.
4 — Ghrelin
Ghrelin is the opposite of leptin. This hormone makes us feel hungry. When leptin is dominant, ghrelin gets silenced. Watching the effects of ghrelin is vital during the fat loss period. It is not permanent. It comes and goes.
Learning about this intricacy of ghrelin during the early days of fasting practice helped me control my hunger more efficiently. A mindful approach can be helpful in managing the effects of ghrelin.
So, my point is the feeling of hunger comes and goes. However, stress, especially emotional stress, triggers the urge and significantly increases hunger effects.
When we are under constant pressure or sleep-deprived, we feel starving. So, controlling cortisol can contribute to the control of ghrelin.
It is also critical to know that fat loss becomes tough when reducing calories as ghrelin levels significantly increase, leading to starvation.
During starvation, our metabolism slows down, and the leptin levels diminish. Thus, calorie reduction is not an effective way to tap into belly fat. Here is my story of how I turned off the hunger switch.
5 — Growth Hormone
Even though growth hormone looks less relevant to fat metabolism, it impacts losing fat and gaining lean muscle.
The primary function of growth hormone is to build and maintain healthy tissues and repair damaged tissues, especially after an intense workout and injury.
Growth hormone is essential for building muscle. It also boosts metabolism, hence increasing the chance of fat burning. We don’t have to supplement with growth hormones.
As I explained in an article, we can significantly increase growth hormone with three lifestyle changes: Three Tips to Boost Growth Hormone Naturally.
From my experience, high-intensity interval training, calisthenics, restorative sleep, intermittent fasting, and a ketogenic diet made the most significant impact in naturally increasing growth hormone and defining my body after 50 paradoxically.
6 — Sex Hormones
There are several sex hormones, but estrogen for women and testosterone for men are the most common. As we age, the level of these hormones significantly drops.
For example, men with testosterone below the threshold due to testicular failure accumulate belly fat. Therefore, endocrinologists get them started with testosterone replacement therapy.
Research suggests that sex hormones in both women and men are closely related to adiposity and fat distribution in the body.
For example, as pointed out in this paper, sex hormones play a prominent role in determining healthy body composition.
Other Metabolic Hormones
You might also check the following two hormones that affect our fat metabolism.
Adiponectin Matters for Fat Loss and Inflammatory Health Conditions
Lose Fat and Retain Lean Muscles with CCK Hormone
Conclusions and Takeaways
I introduced only six hormones affecting fat loss and healthy weight management. Several other hormones are directly or indirectly related to the six mentioned major hormones.
For example, in another article, I plan to introduce hormones such as cholecystokinin and various neuropeptides and their epigenetic implications in fat loss.
The body and brain are connected through hormones and neurotransmitters. Bodyweight and fat impact our mental health, especially if they pass the threshold and prevent our daily activities.
You may check the article “Three Tips to a Defined Body and Sharp Brain”.
In the meantime, the bottom line is that learning about these critical hormones and creating our lifestyle choices can be helpful for desired fat loss goals and sustainably maintaining healthy body weight.
It is also essential to get our hormones checked by endocrinologists referred by family doctors if they think we might have hormonal imbalances.
I summarized major hormones and neurotransmitters in the attached articles.
A Simplified Overview of Major Hormones
A Simplified Overview of Major Neurotransmitters
I shared my perspectives on the importance of hormones in our health.
Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.
If you are a new reader and find this article valuable, you might check my holistic health and well-being stories reflecting on my reviews, observations, and decades of sensible experiments.
Sample Health Improvement Articles for New Readers
I write about various hormones and neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, GABA, acetylcholine, norepinephrine, adrenaline, glutamate, and histamine.
One of my goals as a writer is to raise awareness about the causes and risk factors of prevalent diseases that can lead to suffering and death for a large portion of the population.
To raise awareness about health issues, I have written several articles that present my holistic health findings from research, personal observations, and unique experiences. Below are links to these articles for easy access.
Metabolic Syndrome, Type II Diabetes, Fatty Liver Disease, Heart Disease, Strokes, Obesity, Liver Cancer, Autoimmune Disorders, Homocysteine, Lungs Health, Pancreas Health, Kidneys Health, NCDs, Infectious Diseases, Brain Health, Dementia, Depression, Brain Atrophy, Neonatal Disorders, Skin Health, Dental Health, Bone Health, Leaky Gut, Leaky Brain, Brain Fog, Chronic Inflammation, Insulin Resistance, Elevated Cortisol, Leptin Resistance, Anabolic Resistance, Cholesterol, High Triglycerides, Metabolic Disorders, Gastrointestinal Disorders, Thyroid Disorder, and Major Diseases.
I also wrote about valuable nutrients. Here are the links for easy access:
Lutein/Zeaxanthin, Phosphatidylserine, Boron, Urolithin, taurine, citrulline malate, biotin, lithium orotate, alpha-lipoic acid, n-acetyl-cysteine, acetyl-l-carnitine, CoQ10, PQQ, NADH, TMG, creatine, choline, digestive enzymes, magnesium, zinc, hydrolyzed collagen, nootropics, pure nicotine, activated charcoal, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B1, Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine, Cod Liver Oil, and other nutrients to improve metabolism and mental health.
Disclaimer: Please note that my posts do not include professional or health advice. I document my reviews, observations, experience, and perspectives only to provide information and create awareness.
I publish my lifestyle, health, and well-being stories on EUPHORIA. My focus is on metabolic, cellular, mitochondrial, and mental health. Here is my collection of Insightful Life Lessons from Personal Stories.
If you enjoy writing and storytelling, you can join Medium, NewsBreak, and Vocal as a creator to find your voice, reach out to a broad audience, and monetize your content.
As part of my creative non-fiction writing goals, I’d like to share a few stories that might warm our hearts with a bit of humor into weighty topics.
Sample Humorous Stories
Finally, After Burning Her House, Georgia Found Enlightenment
Hilarious Tips to Prevent Brain Atrophy and Keep the Gray Matter Giggling
8 Psychological Points I Had to Unlearn and Relearn the Opposite
Based on my writing experience and observations, I documented findings and strategies that might help you amplify your voice, engage your audience, and achieve your desired outcomes in your writing journey.
You may also check my blog posts about my articles and articles of other writers contributing to my publications on Medium. I share them on my website digitalmehmet.com. Here is my professional bio. You can contact me via weblink.
As a writer, blogger, content developer, and reader, you might join Medium, Vocal Media, NewsBreak, Medium Writing Superstars, Writing Paychecks, WordPress, and Thinkers360 with my referral links. These affiliate links will not cost you extra to join the services.
You might join my six publications on Medium as a writer by sending a request via this link. 23K+ writers contribute to my publications. You might find more information about my professional background.
