The Major Factor That Affects Your Weight Loss

Ever heard of the Endocrine System? ...Anyone?

Live Science says, "The endocrine system is the collection of glands that produce hormones that regulate metabolism, growth and development, tissue function, sexual function, reproduction, sleep, and mood, among other things."

Here's a cool info graphic to offer a visual.

All of these glands must be working together to maintain a healthy endocrine system. There is a lot of activity going on just to keep our bodies running at tip-top shape. But what happens when our endocrine system isn't functioning optimally?

Well, to put it simply, our hormones become imbalanced. Hormones are very important. From cellular function to feeling well to even sleeping well, having balanced hormones matter. 

According to Web MD, here are the potential causes: 
"Increased or decreased levels of endocrine hormone may be caused by:

• A problem with the endocrine feedback system
• Disease
• Failure of a gland to stimulate another gland to release hormones (for example, a problem with the hypothalamus can disrupt hormone production in the pituitary gland)
• A genetic disorder, such as multiple endocrine meoplasia (MEN) or congenital hypothyroidism
• Infection
• Injury to an endocrine gland
• Tumor of an endocrine gland

Anytime there is a problem with the endocrine system, there is a risk of impacting the metabolism. And as we all know, when our metabolism is out of whack, we begin struggling with our weight.

Let's take a look at some of the different types of Endocrine disorders...

Diabetes: This is probably the most prevalent Endocrine disease in the United States. Diabetes (Type 1, 2, Pre-, and Gestational Diabetes) is caused by having too much sugar in the blood, or high blood sugar. Blood sugar is regulated by a special hormone called insulin. Insulin is produced by the pancreas and it's job is to pull glucose (blood sugar) from the blood stream to be either (1) used for energy, or (2) Stored [as fat] for potential energy. 

Glucose transport (via Insulin) from the food we eat, to either fat stores or to fuel our muscles.

Type 1 Diabetes occurs when the body does not produce insulin on its own. Type 2 Diabetes happens when the body becomes insulin resistant. Insulin resistance means that cells fail to respond to insulin the way they used to, resulting in less glucose utilized for energy and more glucose stored in body fat. Unfortunately, once there is a kink in the insulin-response-machine, it becomes much more challenging to lose body fat.

Hypothyroid: Each of us has a small(ish) butterfly-shaped gland at the base of our necks called the Thyroid gland. According to You And Your Hormones, "The thyroid gland produces hormones which regulate the body's metabolic rate as well as heart and digestive function, muscle control, brain development and bone maintenance." 

In other words, your thyroid regulates your energy levels, and it certainly impacts your hormones. 

A Thyroid on a power trip can be a real jerk.

The impacts on your metabolism can and will cause weight gain. "When your thyroid is not functioning well, your metabolism goes down and you start to gain weight," says Anne Wolf, RD, MS, a registered dietitian and researcher at the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville. Can you imagine wanting to work out when you barely have the energy to get out of bed? That is what people with Hypothyroidism go through almost daily. Unfortunately, it seems this group of people are set up for failure in two ways: (1) Lack of energy, and (2) Stunted metabolism.

Adrenal Fatigue: This occurs when the adrenal glands (located on the Kidneys) aren't working at their optimal levels. This is commonly related to intense and prolonged stress in our lives. The magical hormone produced by the Adrenal Glands, is Cortisol. According to Pituitary Network Association, Cortisol does all of this:

• helps maintain blood pressure and cardiovascular function;
• helps slow the immune systems inflammatory response;
• helps balance the effects of insulin in breaking down sugar for energy; and
• helps regulate the metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats.

Cortisol does some cool stuff, huh? It's clear to see that it is important that Cortisol is balanced. Dr Marcelle Pick OBGYN NP says, "Adrenal imbalance causes a number of issues, including an expanded waistline. [..] Normally when we begin to feel hungry, our blood sugar drops and the brain sends a message to the adrenal glands to release cortisol. Cortisol activates glucose, fats, and amino acids to keep our body fueled with energy until we eat. Cortisol maintains blood sugar levels, and insulin helps our cells absorb glucose. When we have longterm stress, both insulin and cortisol remain elevated in the blood, and the extra glucose is stored as fat–mostly in the abdomen."

How interesting that a psychological factor, a largely lifestyle-related factor, impacts our physical health so acutely. Why is this? Well, if you believe in evolution you could find your answer. The scientific community supports that Cortisol levels are related to our Fight Or Flight response. Waaaaaay back in the day, our bodies evolved this FOF response to better handle environmental stressors, but back in the day the humanoid-body believed that all environmental stressors would have a direct impact on us having our next meal.

This can't be good for his blood pressure.

In times of environmental stress, our bodies send out messages to store excess glucose as body fat. Why? Because in the case of the Caveman pictured above, he's gonna need to burn some body fat for energy in order to get away from that angry woolly mammoth. Unfortunately, the adrenals have no way of knowing that we have stressful jobs or that we just haven't been sleeping well. To the Adrenal glands, stress is stress, and its response will be the same. When it comes to fat loss, Deep Visceral belly fat can be a real Meiser when it comes to giving up some of its fat stores for energy. Deep Visceral fat is arguably the hardest fat for the human body to reduce. Once it has accumulated, it will take consistency and dedication to see a reduction in Deep Visceral belly fat.

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: I think it is important to explain that PCOS is named such because of phenotypic expression. The name implies that it is an malfunction is rooted in the ovaries, however that is incorrect. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, PCOS, results in higher levels of androgens; namely the testosterone hormone. PCOS is a hormone imbalance. Center For Young Women's Health says, "In [..] women with PCOS, high insulin levels can cause the ovaries to make more androgen hormones such as testosterone." 

PCOS makes it harder for a person to properly utilize insulin. This condition causes insulin and glucose to build up in the blood stream. High insulin levels lead to insulin resistance (read above) and can result in excess fat-gain. Web MD explains, "High insulin levels increase the production of male hormones called androgens. High androgen levels lead to symptoms such as body hairgrowth, acne, irregular periods -- and weight gain. Because the weight gain is triggered by male hormones, it is typically in the abdomen." 

Final thoughts....

Sometimes weight loss is not as easy as a 21 Day Fix or even helped along with Weight Watchers. Sometimes weight gain isn't because of lazy-behavior or poor lifestyle choices. I recommend that if you are struggling with your weight... be it an inability to lose weight or if you tend to gain weight easily... GO GET CHECKED. Often your endocrine health can be checked with a simple blood test and urine analysis. 

Be an advocate for your own health. If you feel that there is something off about the way your body responds to food, please seek help from your health professional. Do not be afraid to be honest, to not be afraid to ask for testing, to not be afraid to ask for more information.