Many clients come to me saying "I can't get rid of my belly fat" or "I have BINGO arms!" or "What can I do about the Junk in the Trunk?"
Of couse, what they really want is a "magic pill" or meal plan or even fitness plan that will cure this "problem" very quickly, but honestly, its not that simple!
Hanging on to weight is typically tied to HORMONE imbalance...which usually traces back to digestive issues, blood sugar dysregulation, hydration, and sleep!
I've done some reach around the interwebs and here is what I have found about weight gain in specific areas for WOMEN:
TRICEPS
High Insulin - a storage hormone
Excess carbohydrates or sugar consumption
MID-SECTION
2 Hormones:
High Cortisol - our stress hormone
High Insulin - our fat storage hormone (again!)
BOOTY, THIGHS, OR HIPS
Excess Estrogen
Get your estrogen levels checked and look for estrogen dominant signs (anxiety, endometriosis, ovarian cysts, fibroids + more)
You may have been born with a pear-shape, which would be genetic rather than estrogen (but don't count it out!)
CYCLE WEIGHT GAIN
This is probably just water retention!
Try to drink a lot of water to flush it out.
May also be an imbalance of estrogen and progesterone.
BEDTIME
If you stay up late, a hormone called Grelin, will help you pack on the pounds of the food you are using to stay stimulated so late (typically carbohydrates). This hormone usually causes weight gain in the mid-section.
Staying up late will also cause your stress hormone, Cortisol, to be active.
As a sidenote: working out too much can also create the stress hormones to go out of whack.
There is no such thing as a "night owl" once we remove technology and have balanced hormones. If you find you have more energy at night, typically that means your cortisol and melatonin are "swapped" - cortisol should be highest in the AM, not the PM!
Bottom line: Go to bed by 10:30-11 pm at the latest and try to control your stress levels. POWER DOWN at least an hour before bedtime.
Thankfully, hormone balance can be achieved by eating a well-rounded diet FOR YOU, balancing your stress, and making some healthy lifestyle changes.
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Live Life Well,