Struggling With Weight Loss? This Could Be Why
As most everyone knows, trying to lose weight is a struggle. For starters, cutting back on food intake or sticking to a specific diet can be incredibly difficult for many. And while exercise certainly helps, but most people cannot shed fat by exercise alone. It’s easy to overestimate the number of calories burned by various exercises. Additionally, exercise tends to make people hungry, and, whether intentionally or not, people often replace any burned calories by consuming more food.
The weight loss challenge is further compounded by other factors that can work in direct opposition to any pound-dropping efforts. Genetics predispose some people to body compositions conducive to excess fat storage and a particular weight. Aging tends to naturally induce weight gains because our calorie-burning metabolic rate slows down with the passing years. Aging also causes hormonal changes that can lead to significant weight gains for some people.
Naples, Florida Medical Weight Loss Physician Understands the Challenge
Naples, Florida medical weight loss physician Dr. Diane Brzezinski, D.O. understands how all of these factors can compromise efforts by her patients to lose weight or otherwise maintain a healthy weight. In the past decade, Dr. B has increasingly recognized hormonal imbalances as a key factor in many of her patient’s weight management struggles. This recognition comes from her work in the field, but also because medical researchers have uncovered new links in the hormonal role of weight management.
Five Hormones That May Be Causing You Weight Management Problems
Researchers have identified five hormones that can cause weight management issues if left unbalanced. They are:
- Insulin—imbalances in this blood glucose regulator can cause insulin resistance, which can result in significant weight gains.
- Estrogen—levels of this hormone naturally decrease with age, which reduces the body’s effectiveness at utilizing blood sugars and starches, increasing the buildup of fat deposits in the mid-section.
- Testosterone—the aging-related natural loss of this hormone is known to increase body fat in both men and women.
- Thyroid hormones—These hormones are crucial in the maintenance of metabolism, and imbalances can limit the body’s ability to metabolize fats and carbohydrates.
- Cortisol—known as the stress hormone, elevated levels can cause food cravings, especially for foods high in fat, sugar, and salt.
Bringing these hormone levels back into balance can help support weight loss and management efforts. Dr. B relies on bioidentical hormone replacement therapy to balance her patients’ normal hormone levels. Derived from natural plant sources that are biologically identical to our own hormones, the therapy is designed to address numerous health concerns that arise from hormone imbalance. Along with its potential to enhance weight management efforts, hormone therapy can help:
- Ease menopausal symptoms
- Improve sleep patterns
- Help maintain bone density
- Relieve depression and anxiety
- Improve the libido and sexual performance
Dr. B Tailors Weight Loss Programs on Patient-Specific Basis
Dr. B only includes hormone replacement therapy as part of a patient’s weight-loss program if their hormone levels are low. Thus, hormone balancing is just one component of Dr. B’s weight management toolbox. Other tools include meal-replacement programs, close monitoring of daily food intake and activity, and if warranted, specific weight-loss medications. Dr. B tailors every patient’s program based on overall health profile, patient goals, and an assessment of which tools will likely prove most effective.
Consult with Dr. B to Tailor a Weight Loss Program to Meet Your Needs
If you would like to learn if a hormone imbalance may impeding your weight management goals and/or tailor a weight-loss program to meet your specific needs, consult with Dr. B. You can contact Dr. B’s Naples-based Internal Medicine practice today through our easy online form, or by calling (239) 261-9990.