How Do You Know if Hormone Imbalance is at Play for You?

Hands down, the #1 question I get from women is, “Why can’t I lose the weight?” 

Usually, these women are exercising frequently, eating healthy, and yet, their bodies don’t seem to change. 

Let me just start by saying, I know how you feel and I’ve been where you are. As a woman who has struggled with unexplained weight gain, and who has also been on the opposite end of the spectrum as a personal trainer and nutritionist, I can say with full certainty that honey, it’s time to dig a little deeper.

Anyone who tells you that it’s simply “Calories in, calories out” isn’t taking hormones into account, and hormones are a big deal when it comes to your metabolism, your energy, and pretty much everything pertaining to how your body stores fat.

Shall we dive in?

First and foremost, if you aren’t currently doing testing on your hormones at least annually (if not biannually), start now. If your doctor tells you it’s unnecessary, get a new doctor. Sorry, not sorry. Recently, at my own biannual bloodwork, the nurse and I had a chat about the testing I was having. She told me that she had asked both her GP and her OB/GYN if she should have testing done on her hormones at the age of 42 (she was starting to experience trouble sleeping and hot flashes), and was told no. I gave her the same advice I just gave you:

Find a new doctor. 

The truth is, you need to be able to see what your hormones looked like when you were feeling good so that when things go awry, you have something to compare to.

As we age as women, our adrenal glands start to take over for sex hormone production , and our ovaries start to produce less. This often leads to various symptoms, such as weight gain in the belly or in the hips, sleep issues, headaches, low energy, and low libido. And in my experience, most women do precisely what won’t work when faced with these uncomfortable signs:

They work out harder and restrict their food intake. 

No, no, no, sis. This is not the answer! What is the answer? It’s simple. It’s what I call mastering the 4 fundamentals of hormone balance: proper supplementation, sleep, cycle synced nutrition, and cycle synced fitness. For some women, progesterone levels start to drop as early as their 30’s, causing many of the symptoms listed above. Progesterone. also known as a calming hormone, and what supports pregnancy, if in low supply, leads to estrogen dominance. Estrogen dominance is the ratio of progesterone to estrogen, and let me tell you, if you’re in a state of estrogen dominance, you’re likely seeing all the weight gain.

There is a solution for women in this predicament, and the solution involves proper supplementation. Bioidentical hormone therapy, estrogen detoxifiers, liver boosters, and so many more supplements exist to help your body rectify the ratio and get you back in balance. And no, I’m not talking about pharmaceuticals. I’m talking about natural, holistic supplements.

But most women don’t know about all of this. Why? Because even their doctors don’t know. 

In my experience, looking at comprehensive hormone panels and saliva and urine testing of the hormones is something that less than 10% of doctors are familiar with. Thankfully, I found one who is, and it’s been an absolute game changer for me. The Dutch test was introduced into my life a few years ago, and I now consider it part of my annual requirement to track my body and its hormone functions as I age. I also do routine bloodwork on my thyroid (and not just the usual markers) as well as my blood sugar. Thanks to my functional medicine doctor, I’ve learned how to interpret these results, adjust my supplementation accordingly, and increase my quality of life each and every time. 

Combine that with the years I’ve spent researching cycle syncing (specifically, cycle syncing fitness and nutrition), and I’ve mastered 3 of the 4 fundamentals point blank. Sleep, for me, is usually covered by the supplementation, so make that 4 for 4. 

It’s understanding this and mastering this for yourself which gets you to your end result of losing the weight, gaining the energy, and feeling good in your own skin. It starts with:

  1. Finding a practitioner who knows and understands what testing you need and how to interpret it, along with what supplementation to prescribe if needed.
  2. Getting the proper testing. Saliva and urine testing are most accurate!
  3. Supplementing your body according to those testing results, paying special attention also to supplements that aid your sleep and circadian rhythm. 
  4. Cycle SYNC your nutrition. Eat foods higher in omegas and healthy fats during your luteal phase, embrace seed cycling, and ensure proper caloric intake of the right, high quality foods.
  5. Once proper supplementation, synced nutrition, and good sleep are happening, it’s time to add the icing on top: cycle syncing your fitness. 

If you’re a woman who is blindly going to the gym or pushing your body hard 4-6 days a week and aren’t seeing results, or if you’re not an exerciser but you think that exercising is the key to weight loss, girl, I have news for you. Understanding your unique body and fueling it properly so that it functions like a well-oiled machine comes first. 

All of this is why I created SYNC: How to Fuel and Train With Your Hormone Cycle digital course. I cover everything from finding the right practitioner to proper testing, cycle syncing, supplementation, nutrition, and everything in between. You can read more about it here.

In the meantime, if you’re curious as to whether hormone imbalance could be at play for you, I invite you to take my free Quiz.

If you’re in your 30’s to 50’s and you just can’t seem to lose the weight, it’s time we dig deeper and get to the root cause of what’s going on in your unique body. Only then can we master all four fundamentals and live our best, maximum energy life. 

And sis, you deserve that.

xo,

Jenny

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