We don’t have enough of the good ones and too many of the bad.
But, what if you looked at your weight loss efforts from a purely scientific standpoint? That’s exactly what Dr. Natasha Turner has done in her newest book, The Hormone Boost: How to Power Up Your Six Essential Hormones for Strength, Energy and Weight Loss.
Dr. Turner recently joined Dr. Mike Roizen (hot off her appearance on The Dr. Oz Show) to share what those six hormones are and how to best optimize them. Your thyroid often gets a lot of attention, but the other five can be equally essential.
So, let’s break them down…
Thyroid. If you’re feeling cold, sluggish, tired, hungry, moody, constipated or unfocused, your thyroid may be to blame. Even if your blood levels fall into what’s accepted as “normal” range, you can still experience symptoms. You want to be in the optimal range. That can be accomplished by eating protein four times a day (but at least 30 grams for breakfast) and making sure you’re getting enough iodine and selenium.
Testosterone. Women need it too! If you’re deficient, you’ll struggle to build muscle (regardless of how committed your efforts) and muscle burns fat. Up your zinc intake for a T-boost and get a healthy balance of protein, carbs, fat and fiber at each meal. Dr. Turner says that people who restrict calories and eliminate most carbs are actually causing more harm, because doing so increases cortisol (a bad guy) and lowers testosterone. Eat starchy carbs at night, as this will improve serotonin levels and enhance your T.
Adiponectin. This hormone is activated by exercise to boost metabolism, burn fat and reduce inflammation. But, you can also increase production by eating fiber at every meal, as well as foods like olive oil and green tea.
Glucagon. Dr. Turner calls this one the “easy fat loss hormone” because it triggers your body to burn fat simply by eating protein. Do you sense a protein theme yet?
The last two are adrenaline and growth hormone, which are stimulated by two very important factors: proper sleep (cool, dark environment) and strength training; specifically with the German Body Composition approach to training, which fosters muscle-building and fat-burning both during and after your workouts and spikes both adrenaline and growth hormone.
Dr. Turner’s final piece of advice: no more snacking! She advises four meals a day, with one occurring at 3:00 or 4:00 p.m. This will keep your energy up and prevent overeating at night.
Sylver Lyning 