If you have followed all the healthy lifestyle rules (and I mean, really followed them), for example, taken out wheat/gluten, dairy, sugar and living an 80/20 lifestyle, plus exercising and getting enough sleep and you still find you aren’t losing weight, there could be another reason (3 of them actually).

You know those dreaded things called hormones? Yep, them. They could be the reason for weight loss resistance…your hormones could be out of whack.

When our hormones are out of balance, it can make weight loss very challenging, if not impossible.

The three main culprits when it comes to having difficultly losing weight (but more importantly how you can reset them) are:

1. Oestrogen

This is the wonderful hormone that gives us hips and breasts, but it also keeps our joints lubricated. Men have this hormone too, but much lower levels.

Both men and women can be at risk of oestrogen overload, which is when you have too much in your body.

So how can you lower your oestrogen levels to help you lose weight?

Eat about 500 grams of vegetables per day. The fibre from the veggies will help excrete the hormone so it doesn’t keep circulating around your body!

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2. Insulin

Did you know that over half the adults in Australia are overweight? (Australian Institute of Health & Welfare) and did you know that 4.2% of Australians have diabetes? (2011-2012)

When you are overweight or skinny fat (this is when you are a normal weight but have too much fat mass), insulin becomes unbalanced and your cells become resistance to the hormone.

When this happens, you experience blood sugar highs and lows, and then you store fat because your glucose regulator is broken.

So how can you reset your insulin?

Have you tried Apple Cider Vinegar? I add it to water and drink it first thing in the morning or add it to olive oil and add it to salad as a dressing.  There are numerous benefits for adding Apple Cider Vinegar into your daily routine, as it can significantly reduce blood glucose levels in people with insulin resistance.

3. Cortisol

Remember this one, we make cortisol when we are stressed! And of course most of us run around stressed all the time – family, kids, work, study etc.

All those stress hormones can wreak havoc over time, which can then make you store fat – mainly in your tummy.

High cortisol levels can be linked to depression, food addiction and sugar cravings = you put on weight, you don’t lose it.

So how you can reset your Cortisol levels?

Most people won’t like to hear this one…but it’s time to stop the coffee, or at least start reducing your caffeine intake. Slowly wean yourself off completely and you will notice you will sleep better and your stress levels will improve too.

Other ideas to try and manage stress is to make sure you exercise regularly – pump some good hormones around your body to kick the bad ones out.

Also look at daily meditation, yoga, deep breathing and taking time for yourself.

Even if you aren’t overweight, doing these things to make sure you keep your hormones on track is also a great idea!

Image courtesy of Shutterstock.com

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