Have you tried everything from counting calories to different diets that just didn’t help you lose the abdominal fat, that’s been bugging you for years? Hormonal belly fat and inability to lose weight often goes hand in hand. It’s not only about the calories, but your lifestyle in general.
If you have increased abdominal fat due to hormonal imbalance and chronic stress, changing your diet and lifestyle can be crucial in the pursuit of fat loss. Inflammation and life circumstances may lead to chronic stress – chronic stress increase insulin and the enzyme lipoprotein lipase, which increases abdominal fat storage. A sluggish liver metabolism, slow thyroid function, and imbalance in sex hormones also affect our weight. Fortunately, through stress management, an anti-inflammatory diet, exercise, supplements, and liver support it’s possible to get rid of the hormonal belly fat.
In order to address how to get rid of hormonal belly fat, we’ll go through causes, symptoms and how to reduce it through diet and supplementation.
How Do You Know If Your Belly Fat Is Hormonal?
You know you have hormonal belly fat when you have increased abdominal fat in the midsection as well as around the hips. The hormonal fat is often difficult to lose due to hormonal imbalance – even though you eat low fat, salads, and chicken.
Hormonal belly fat due to hormonal imbalance is often seen in combination with chronic stress and an inflammatory diet that affects liver metabolism.Â
The causes of hormonal imbalance and increased abdominal body fat are often linked together in a vicious cycle.
What Causes Hormonal Belly?
Hormonal belly is often linked to a hormonal imbalance due to factors such as chronic stress, estrogen dominance or low estrogen levels, a sluggish liver and poor lifestyle choices.
Chronic stress is one of the most impactful aspects when it comes to hormonal imbalance. Chronic stress means we’re constantly having elevated states of cortisol, which is a steroid hormone, that makes sure our body is in constant fight-and-flight.Â
When we’re in fight-and-flight, other processes slow down and that affects both hormones and neurotransmitter connection in the brain. Chronic stress can lower estrogen levels and affect the estrogen-progesterone ratio negatively.Â
Chronic stress is linked to estrogen and progesterone imbalance and slows down the metabolism (thyroid function). Slow-functioning thyroid or hyperthyroidism can lead to increased abdominal fat.
Progesterone is a precursor to cortisol, which means elevated states of cortisol leads to decreased levels of progesterone. Low levels of progesterone can push the estrogen-progesterone balance out of wrack, which essentially can lead to estrogen dominance.Â
Increased cortisol and insulin release due to chronic stress, creates the lipoprotein lipase, which is a fat-storing enzyme and stores more fat around the abdomen.Â
Furthermore, PCOS for women can lead to higher androgen and insulin levels causing an imbalance in the hormones and can lead to increased body fat.
Our liver has an impact on how we metabolize and break down hormones. Furthermore, the liver is responsible for breaking down and metabolizing food, toxins, chemical, alcohol, etc. These toxins are eliminated through our digestion.Â
Our liver detoxification can become slower due to lifestyle factors such as lack of nutrients and an unhealthy diet with lots of toxins where our liver can keep up the hard work. This can lead to problems breaking down estrogen and essentially lead to estrogen dominance.Â
In order to get rid of your hormonal belly fat, balancing your hormones is crucial for sustainable weight loss. This is done through stress management, diet, exercise, supplementation and eliminating toxins overloading the liver.
How Can I Reduce My Hormonal Belly?
If you’re having increased abdominal fat due to hormonal imbalance and want to heal your hormones in order to lose weight, focusing on stress management, liver health, and diet goes a long way.Â
Personally, I don’t believe in counting calories and that it’s all about calories in – calories out. While that is a part of losing weight and decreasing body fat – stress, slow thyroid functioning and inflammation play a significant role in the equation.Â
Reduce cortisol by minimizing stressors – if it means stressful relations, work environment, healing childhood trauma or change of diet. Stress is often where it all starts. It’s my personal opinion that when we find the root cause of stress and treat the stressors, it’ll create more balance and harmony within.Â
Our diet is just as important as stress management. An inflammatory diet high in caffeine, sugar, alcohol, toxins, processed food, etc. can lead to chronic inflammation, weaken our immune system, and then lead to chronic stress. Stress and diet are closer related than most may think.
Switching to an anti-inflammatory diet can work wonders in balancing hormones, reducing chronic stress and inflammation and getting rid of the hormonal belly.Â
Supporting our liver through cleansing and optimizing our liver health with antioxidants like vitamins C and E, milk thistle, NAC and Glutathione is an important part of balancing hormones.Â
Hormonal Belly Symptoms
The symptoms of a hormonal belly with increased abdominal fat are typically signs of hormonal imbalance.Â
This includes:
- Increased abdominal fat
- Inability to lose weight
- Low thyroid function
- Chronic stress
- Insomnia
- Digestive issues
- Fatigue
- Brain fogÂ
- Mood swings
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Low sex driveÂ
- Abnormal periods
…and the list goes on.
It’s possible to overcome some or all of the unpleasant symptoms by balancing hormones. This can be done through factors like diet and supplementation.
Hormonal Belly Diet
In order to get rid of your hormonal belly fat – your diet is one piece in the puzzle of losing weight. Since hormonal belly fat stems from factors such as chronic stress, inflammation and imbalance in estrogen and progesterone levels, an anti-inflammatory diet is preferred.
An anti-inflammatory diet decreases inflammation which may reduce cortisol in our body – furthermore, it contains nutrients supporting liver metabolism and hormones.
An anti-inflammatory diet contains a high amount of cruciferous vegetables, leafy greens, lean complete proteins, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats.
Use should aim for 800-1000 grams of vegetables both cooked, raw and in juices to fill your body with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.Â
A meal containing complete proteins from lean meat such as grass-fed beef, chicken, turkey, eggs and fish and healthy fats from avocado, nuts and seeds. Complex carbohydrates can be like sweet potato, beans, quinoa, lentils and vegetables.Â
To stabilize blood sugar, you should eat every 3-4 hours and latest one hour from waking up.
Stabilizing blood sugar, managing stress levels and reducing inflammation can do wonders in bringing your hormones back in balance and aid in weight loss.Â
Amino acids from protein, vitamins and minerals support liver metabolism and our cells. A healthy diet combined with strength training can help balance cortisol, increase muscle mass and balance the sex hormones such as testosterone, progesterone and estrogen.
Besides diet, exercise and stress management – supporting your body with supplements can help you get rid of the hormonal belly fat.
Supplements For Hormonal Belly Fat
Supplements can be useful in supporting your thyroid function, sex hormones, cortisol, liver and energy levels. Along with an anti-inflammatory diet, I’ll recommend supplements that support overall health such as:
- Omega 3
- B vitamin complex
- C + E vitamin
- Probiotic
- NAC
- Glutathione
- Milk thistle
- AshwagandhaÂ
- Magnesium
- Coenzyme Q10
- Flaxseeds
What your body may need is individual and cannot be compared to others. It is my recommendation to test your hormones through as DUTCH test before taking any supplementation.
Disclaimer: This article is purely for information and isn’t a self-diagnosis site. If you’re suspecting you have any kind of disease, I’ll recommend you talk to your healthcare provider. The same is applying if you’re considering taking any kind of supplement.
