Beyond Calories: 4 “Hidden” Hormonal Reasons You’re Not Losing Weight (And How to Address Them)

Many exercisers track their calories meticulously and go all-out in their workouts but still can’t shed the excess weight.

While a calorie deficit (calories burned versus calories consumed) is important, your hormones play a significant role in fat loss as they impact your metabolism, appetite, and fat storage.

In this article, I share four key hormones that play a crucial role in weight management and share actionable tips on how you can implement lifestyle-based changes to unlock your maximum fitness potential.

4 Hormones That You Should Know About To Maximize Weight Loss Progress

Closely monitor these hormones to ensure you are on the right track:

1. Thyroid Gland: Metabolism Regulator

The thyroid gland produces hormones that regulate how your body uses energy. This includes everything from your heart rate and body temperature to how quickly you burn calories.

When your thyroid gland isn’t producing enough thyroid hormone, it leads to a condition called hypothyroidism, or an underactive thyroid, which can slow down your metabolism. This slower metabolic rate can lead to weight gain or make it incredibly challenging to lose weight.

I know this can sound like a lot. Take the time to read the above paragraph again so you understand the concept deeply. It can save you a lot of trouble in the long term.

People dealing with an abnormal thyroid function report feeling sluggish and tired throughout the day. They also notice a sudden increase in their body weight.

Thyroid issues are medical conditions. You must consult your doctor for proper diagnosis and treatment if you are experiencing persistent fatigue, unexplained weight gain, frequent chills, dry skin, or hair thinning. This often involves blood tests and may require medication.

Although lifestyle changes alone cannot fix an underactive thyroid, adopting healthy habits can support overall thyroid health.

2. Cortisol and Its Impact on Weight

Cortisol is the body’s stress hormone. It is produced by the adrenal gland and plays several crucial roles, including regulating blood sugar levels and helping you cope with stress.

Scientists believe that cortisol is the result of the evolutionary process and is the main hormone behind the fight-or-flight response. Whenever early humans faced life-threatening dangers, their cortisol levels spiked, empowering them to tackle the situation.

Whenever your cortisol levels rise, your body holds onto excess fat to ensure you have enough energy to last through a life-threatening situation.

However, chronic stress has become almost a badge of honor for some people in today’s fast-paced world. Work deadlines and family responsibilities often keep many people in a perpetual state of low-grade alert, increasing their cortisol levels and hindering their gains.

Higher cortisol levels can result in weight gain by increasing appetite and cravings, boosting visceral fat storage, promoting muscle breakdown, and disrupting sleep.

But how can you self-diagnose elevated cortisol levels? I’m glad you asked.

You might be dealing with high cortisol levels if you struggle to fall asleep, constantly feel anxious, irritable, or exhausted despite getting enough rest, notice unexplained weight gain, have trouble focusing, deal with ongoing digestive problems, or get sick more often than usual.

3. Leptin and Ghrelin: The Hunger and Satiety Duo

Leptin is your body’s fullness hormone. It is produced by fat cells and signals to your brain that you have had enough to eat and that you should stop. On the flip side, we have ghrelin, which is often dubbed the hunger hormone. It is produced in the stomach and tells your brain that it is time to eat.

These two hormones usually work in harmony, allowing you to regulate your food intake and maintain a healthy weight. However, chronic overeating and overreliance on highly processed foods can throw this balance out of whack. This usually results in persistently elevated ghrelin levels and constant hunger.

Leptin resistance occurs when your body produces leptin, but your brain doesn’t recognize its signals effectively. This means that your brain won’t know when to stop while you’re eating, increasing the risk of overeating.

Excess body fat and eating processed foods low in nutrients and high in calories are the biggest reasons behind this leptin and ghrelin hormone imbalance.

The combination of constant hunger and lack of satiety makes it incredibly difficult to stick to a calorie deficit, which can hinder your shredding progress.

How to Balance Leptin and Ghrelin

The good thing about breaking through a plateau is that the corrective actions are pretty much the same, irrespective of whether you are trying to balance your cortisol, insulin, thyroid, or leptin and ghrelin levels.

To get your hunger hormones back on track, focus on eating real, unprocessed foods—think veggies, lean meats, and whole grains. Make sure you’re catching enough sleep, keeping stress in check, and savoring your meals slowly. Oh, and don’t skimp on protein; it’s a game-changer for staying full.

However, when it comes to regulating your hunger and satiety hormones, it is important that you avoid restrictive dieting. Although a calorie deficit is necessary for losing weight, cutting down your food intake significantly can lower your leptin levels.

This might seem beneficial in the short term, but it can trigger a rebound effect, leading to increased hunger and potential weight regain.

Focus on cutting calories gradually to keep your progress steady without starving yourself.

4. Insulin and Insulin Sensitivity: The Blood Sugar Regulator

Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas and primarily regulates the amount of glucose (sugar) in your bloodstream.

Whenever your insulin levels are elevated, your body stores more fat.

Carbohydrates are broken down into glucose in your body, and then enter your blood. Insulin optimizes glucose absorption so it can be used for energy or stored for later use.

Sometimes, the pancreas still produces the same amount of insulin (sometimes even more), but your cells become less responsive to its signals. This is known as insulin resistance. In this case, your cells don’t absorb glucose quickly, leading to several health issues.

A diet high in refined carbs and sugar, a lack of physical activity, and excess body weight can all contribute to insulin resistance.

How Insulin Resistance Hinders Fat Loss Progress

Your blood sugar levels remain elevated for long periods when your cells don’t absorb glucose. In response, your body pumps out even more insulin to absorb the glucose. The excess unutilized glucose is eventually stored as body fat.

The sad story doesn’t end here.

Although your body now has plenty of energy stored as fat, your cells are still not getting the glucose they need for immediate energy. This leads to persistent hunger and intense cravings, especially for junk food.

Improve Insulin Sensitivity By Adopting a Low-Glycemic Index (GI) Diet

The Glycemic Index ranks foods based on how quickly they raise blood sugar levels. People with insulin sensitivity should opt for foods with a lower GI, as they are digested and absorbed more slowly.

Plus, increase your fiber intake.

Fiber slows down glucose absorption, preventing rapid blood sugar and insulin spikes. Aim for 25-30 grams of fiber daily.

Ways to Balance These 4 Hormones

Here are a few ways to bring your hormone levels back into a healthy range to promote overall health:

Prioritizing Sleep

Proper sleep can fix several recovery issues, and I have experienced this firsthand with several of my clients.

You break down muscle tissue in the gym. Your muscles grow back bigger and stronger when you are resting and have ample nutrients in your system.

Aim for 8-9 hours of quality sleep daily to prioritize hormone regulation and production. Plus, go to bed and wake up around the same time each day to regulate your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle.

Gentle Exercise

We live in a world where we have been programmed to think that more is always better. But nothing could be farther from the truth.

Advanced trainers should scale back their workouts whenever they experience heightened cortisol levels, as intense, prolonged workouts can contribute to the issue. Alternate between moderate, high, and low-intensity exercises to ensure you’re not constantly pushing your limits.

Nutrient-Dense Diet

Your diet should primarily comprise whole, unprocessed foods.

Focus on fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. These foods deliver all the necessary nutrients to promote optimal health.

Use this TDEE calculator to determine your daily calorie and macronutrient intake goals. Then, break them into three to five meals to ensure that your muscles get a constant supply of nutrients throughout the day.

Stress Reduction

Experts believe mindfulness and meditation are the best ways to control stress and anxiety. Beginners can use apps like Headspace and Calm to kickstart their journey.

Simple, deep breathing exercises done for 5-10 minutes daily can be incredibly effective for soothing your nervous system. All you have to do is inhale deeply through your nose, hold for a few seconds, and exhale slowly through your mouth.

I recommend this to all my clients on a high-intensity training program, and they report feeling much better after each workout.

Yoga, spending time in nature, and making time for activities you genuinely enjoy are other effective ways of controlling your hormone levels. (1)

Limiting Caffeine and Alcohol Intake

Many of us are addicted to caffeine or alcohol (or both!).

Coffee and alcohol can make you feel relaxed initially. However, these can stimulate cortisol release, disrupting sleep and negatively impacting hormone levels.

Basically, if you are doing everything right but are going overboard with these two compounds, it can single-handedly ruin your entire progress. Slowly lower your dependence on coffee and alcohol and aim to completely remove them from your life.

Conclusion

High cortisol levels, insulin resistance, leptin and ghrelin imbalance, and hypothyroidism can all hinder your weight loss progress. By implementing the steps detailed above, you will feel better overall and create a more favorable hormonal environment for achieving your weight loss goals.

If you have any questions about the four hormonal and their role in your fat loss progress, post them in the comments below, and I’ll be happy to help!

References:

1. Abbott R, Lavretsky H. Tai Chi and Qigong for the treatment and prevention of mental disorders. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2013 Mar;36(1):109-19. doi: 10.1016/j.psc.2013.01.011. PMID: 23538081; PMCID: PMC3917559.

---