How to Reset Female Hormones After Weight Loss

Our hormones regulate everything from metabolism to appetite to fat storage, and even how our body responds to stress and exercise. Hormones are all about balance; stressed and calm, hungry and full, tired and energetic, etc. When they’re out of balance, it can cause problems. In the case of your weight, unbalanced hormones can lead to weight gain or make it harder to lose weight, even when you’re eating healthy and exercising regularly.

Some indicators of hormone imbalance, other than unexplained weight gain, are irregular menstruation, low energy, mood swings, sleep problems, acne, hair loss, digestive issues, brain fog, and increased appetite or cravings. 

Understanding how each hormone affects weight management is the first step in fixing hormonal imbalances to create sustainable weight loss. Let’s break down the key hormones that can affect your weight and find out how to reset female hormones after weight loss by actually rebalancing them for effective weight management.

1. Cortisol: The Stress Hormone

Though we almost always hear about cortisol in a negative light, it’s actually an essential part of energy regulation. But if you have chronically high cortisol levels, that’s when it can cause weight gain and other chronic issues like heart disease.

How to rebalance your cortisol: 

• Ensure you’re getting enough sleep 
• Exercise regularly
• Find activities that make you feel calm, like meditation, yoga, or a walk in the park.
• Reduce your intake of added sugars, alcohol, and saturated fats.
• Try a supplement with licorice root, which has been shown to help regulate cortisol levels, potentially limiting stress-related weight gain. Solaray has a supplement called Female Hormone Blend SP-7C that includes licorice root and other active ingredients known to help with hormone balance.
  

2. Insulin: The Blood Sugar Regulator

Insulin is what helps us take the sugar from our blood and bring it into our cells to give them energy. If you eat more sugary foods than recommended, your body becomes overly used to insulin and starts ignoring it, causing insulin resistance. This means that your blood sugar will stay elevated, causing excess fat storage. 

Problems with insulin resistance can also affect other hormones in the body that are associated with hunger signals and fat storage, like GLP-1, peptide YY, or cholecystokinin. 

How to improve insulin resistance: 

• Exercise regularly; even a low-intensity walk counts!
• Make sure you’re sleeping at least 8 hours per night.
• Try a diet low in refined sugars and processed foods, like the Mediterranean diet.
• If you don’t want to dramatically change your diet, try going for complex sugars rather than simple sugars. Simple sugars spike your blood sugar quickly, whereas complex sugars are released slowly for sustained energy. A good example of a complex carb is a whole grain or a starchy vegetable like a potato. 
• Sometimes insulin resistance or problems with other fat-storage hormones can be due to an unbalanced gut microbiome. A probiotic like Ther-Biotic Complete Probiotic 25 Billion CFU from Klaire Labs can help with this, as well as consuming foods high in good bacteria, like kimchi, greek yogurt, or other fermented foods like kombucha. 
• Get a supplement that contains active ingredients like omega-3 fatty acids, chromium, vitamin E, or rosemary extract to help your body become sensitive to insulin again. Nordic Naturals Pro-Omega Blood Sugar is one such example.
  

3. Leptin and Ghrelin: Hunger Hormones

Leptin and Ghrelin are two sides of the same coin. Leptin is the hormone that tells your body that you are full and no longer hungry, while Ghrelin tells your body that you need to eat. When your hunger signals are balanced, you become hungry when you are low on energy and aren’t hungry when you’ve eaten enough. 

How to fix your hunger cues: 

• Get at least 8 hours of sleep per night. Lack of sleep causes the body to crave high-calorie foods because we are seeking energy, and may deactivate your satiety hormone Leptin, activating your hunger hormone Ghrelin instead. 
• Exercise regularly. Cardiovascular exercise can suppress hunger. 
• Eat small meals more regularly so your body isn’t over-producing Ghrelin. Ghrelin levels are lowest right after a meal, even if it’s small. 
• Try taking a probiotic to rebalance your gut microbiome because a healthy bacteria community in your intestines helps properly regulate hunger.
  

4. Testosterone: The Muscle Gain Hormone

Testosterone is often associated with males, but females need it as well, just in smaller amounts. In females, low levels of testosterone can contribute to muscle loss and fat gain. But on the other hand, high levels of testosterone can cause insulin resistance, which also leads to weight gain. Again, we need balance!

How to keep your testosterone in check: 

• Start doing strength training! Not only does it activate testosterone production, but it also helps you lose weight because you’ll have more muscle mass to speed up your metabolism. 
• Try to stay away from simple sugars in favor of a diet with healthy fats and lean protein.
• Manage your stress! High levels of cortisol can spike testosterone levels. 
• Ingredients like licorice root and magnesium can help maintain optimal levels of testosterone in the body. FemGuard + Balance by Designs for Health is a great option for maintaining and balancing your testosterone.
  

5. Estrogen to Progesterone Ratio

Estrogen itself is not typically a big driver of weight gain unless you have significantly more estrogen than progesterone, a condition called Estrogen Dominance. This can be caused by many factors, like PCOS or hypothyroidism. Disturbances in this ratio are highly associated with irregular menstrual cycles. 

How to rebalance your estrogen-to-progesterone ratio:

• Take some time off from intense exercise, or start a low-impact exercise regime that focuses on slow movements and strength; this decreases physiological stress on your body. 
• Other causes of stress to the body include restrictive dieting, which can disrupt the menstrual cycle and cause estrogen dominance. 
• Psychological stress can also mess with your hormones, so try adopting stress-relieving activities like journaling, yoga, or self-care. 
• Vitex and wild yam root are two ingredients that help regulate the estrogen-progesterone ratio. Combine that with milk thistle and dandelion root to support liver function for hormone detoxification, and you’ll be on your way to managing your hormones. Vitanica Pro has a supplement called FemRebalance Pro that can help women rebalance hormones after periods of imbalance, such as after discontinuing birth control or during menopause.

Conclusion

While hormone imbalances can make weight loss challenging, the good news is that many of the strategies for balancing these hormones — from cortisol and insulin to leptin and testosterone — overlap in simple lifestyle changes. By prioritizing quality sleep, engaging in regular exercise, managing stress, and focusing on a balanced diet rich in whole foods, you can support your body’s natural hormone balance. 

Now you know how to reset female hormones after weight loss and how to rebalance hormones for the best shot at healthy weight management, what lifestyle changes will you make to improve your health and wellbeing?

Remember that this isn’t a quick fix, but rather an investment in your long-term health that, when combined with appropriate supplementation if needed, can help you achieve your weight loss goals.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a hormone imbalance cause weight gain?

Yes, hormone imbalances can make it more difficult to lose weight and cause you to store more fat in your abdomen. 

How can I lower my cortisol for weight loss?

Ensure you’re sleeping enough, managing your stress, working out regularly, and avoiding refined sugars and saturated fats; this will help you reduce your cortisol naturally. 

Can supplements help rebalance my hormones?

Yes, many supplements contain herbs, vitamins, and minerals that support hormonal balance by addressing specific deficiencies or helping to regulate key hormones. Combined with healthy habits, you should be able to rebalance your hormones effectively.