Ladies, have you ever noticed that your appetite is strongest just before your period starts? This fluctuation parallels your resting energy expenditure (REE) which increases at the time of ovulation.
REE is defined as the amount of calories you burn when your body is at rest. This is largely controlled by the pituitary gland also known as the master gland because it controls so many bodily functions.
Men are less dependent on diet for bone strength because, thanks to testosterone, their bones are naturally denser. Also, they don’t need as much iron as a woman because they don’t lose blood through menstruation.
Muscular bodies use more energy at rest, so a male’s REE is approximately 10 percent higher than the average female’s REE. Practically speaking, a man burns more calories than a woman while watching the game on television.
A male’s physicality makes it easy for him to maintain a steady weight while eating about 10 percent more than a woman of the same age doing the same physical work.
Another example in the game of hormonal jeopardy is adolescence. Testosterone will cause teenage boys to develop biceps and muscular shoulders while estrogen in girls causes them to develop hips and breasts — fatty tissue.
The female REE is lower because she has less muscle. A woman has to work harder than a man to lose weight because her hormones cause her to carry more fat than a man. Add to this the hormonal fluctuations that come from the monthly menstrual cycle and you have a recipe for weight gain.
In addition, there are outside factors that affect hormone levels — birth control pills, excessive sugar and carbohydrates, and endocrine disruptors in the environment that displace natural hormones.
One thing that can make a big difference in weight fluctuation is reducing the amount of sugar in your diet. Most people don’t realize the devastating effect sugar can have on your hormone levels and thereby your weight.
Reducing sugar in your diet sounds easy enough until you realize there are numerous places for it to hide. Although you may not add sugar, nearly all processed foods contain some form of sugar — high fructose corn syrup, barley malt, evaporated cane juice, sucrose, dextrose… the list of aliases for sugar seems endless.
Many women see an improvement in their health on a sugar-free diet. If you would like to learn more about adopting a sugar-free lifestyle, visit Sugar Cravings and PMS.
Sugar is sweet in taste but it have bitter effects on our body. Many diseases are caused due to sugar.
We must have sugar free diet for healthy living. Anyways, i have got many points related to weight loss which would be beneficial for us. I am forwarding these points to some of my friends.
Thanks a lot for this wonderful post.
Hormones absolutely can play a role in weight gain, but another, frequently overlooked reason for weight gain is the build up of stored toxins and undigested food in the body. That’s why I regularly participate in the Maple Syrup Detox cleanse (also known as the Master Cleanse). It helps me to feel better and manage my weight naturally – I highly recommend you check it out!
Sarah invites you to read . . . Extending the Maple Syrup Detox
I agree with your views. There is a difference between men and women when it comes to weight gain or weight loss. Have you ever tried Acupuncture for Weight Loss? I’ll share an article that might be worth reading: http://ezinearticles.com/?How-Acupuncture-for-Weight-Loss-Can-Revitalise-You&id=4809409
Good luck!
John – Acupuncture Melbourne invites you to read . . . Traditional Chinese Medicine
Many of the worlds population do in fact have huge sugar cravings perhaps due to stress from work or just as a respite from anything they want to get away from. I think that sugar cravings do in fact affect hormone control, as if you are in control of sugar levels you are also in control of your emotions.
rowing machines invites you to read . . . Ultra-Beginner Rowing Training- Gaining Strength One Step at a Time