Avoid cravings: 3 hormones should be in balance to lose weight

We have always thought that diet and sufficient exercise are the most important factors for successful weight loss, and that is not entirely wrong – but it is all more complex.

Hormones in particular play a key role in losing weight. They control the feeling of satiety, stress levels and fat storage. If they are not in balance, it can be difficult to lose weight healthily and in the long term.

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Three hormones are particularly important for weight loss

The three hormones that you need to know and understand how they work in your body in order to be successful in your weight loss attempt are cortisol, glucocorticoids and leptin.

1. Cortisol – stress hormone

Cortisol has a rather bad reputation, but it is – to a certain extent – ​​very useful and even important. It warns the body of danger and thus protects it.

It only becomes problematic when cortisol is released permanently.

This can happen when private and/or professional stress dominates everyday life, due to lack of sleep or crash diets with too hard training and insufficient nutrient supply.

The body is then on alert, neglects muscle building and stores water and fat.

2. Grhelin – hunger hormone

Glucocorticoids are produced and released by the gastric mucosa and the pancreas and, as numerous studies have shown, influence the control of the feeling of hunger.

The reason for this is that grehelin affects regions of the brain that are responsible for appetite control. An increased release of grehelin can therefore lead to cravings.

An increased level of glycogen can, for example, be caused by lack of sleep, as a recent study shows.

3. Leptin – satiety hormone

Leptin is also called the satiety hormone because it is stored in fatty tissue and signals to the body that the person is full through increased secretion.

Experts also refer to leptin as the counterpart of grehelin. Similar to grehelin, there is a connection between leptin levels and sufficient sleep. When sleep is lacking, less leptin is released.

That’s why crash diets don’t work in the long run

For successful weight loss, it is important to avoid a permanent release of cortisol, to keep the glycogen level low and the leptin level sufficiently high. This is because the regulation of hunger and satiety plays an important role, especially for long-term weight loss.

Crash diets often bring quick results, but the weight cannot be maintained permanently because it often results in an imbalance in the hormonal balance.

If you have too great a calorie deficit and do too much exercise, your cortisol levels will suffer. Your body switches to survival mode and stores fat and water.

Due to permanently disturbed levels of glycogen and leptin, the feeling of hunger and satiety lose their natural function. Days with cravings and days without hunger become a dangerous vicious circle.

How to keep your hormone levels in balance

As is often the case, the answer is a balanced diet and exercise. But studies have shown that sufficiently long and deep sleep phases also play a crucial role.

This is what you should consider when it comes to nutrition:

• Eat high-fiber foods to control hunger and satiety
• Eat protein-rich foods to build muscle and thereby stimulate metabolism
• Eat nutrient-rich food so that the body is adequately supplied
• The consumption of caffeine, alcohol, trans fats and sugar is declining
• Listen to your natural feelings of hunger and satiety