So You Wanna Hack Your Fat Hormones
Men's Health South Africa|September - October 2020
In the weight-loss conversation, everyone talks, talks, talks about diet and exercise. Meanwhile, hormones can’t get a word in edgewise. Which maybe makes sense, since hormones aren’t something you’ve thought about since high school. But new science shows that not only are these complex chemicals worth paying attention to as you age, they may also play a key role in how you put on (or take off) weight. Granted, there are dozens of hormones, so we’ve created a crash course on how you can make ten of the big ones work better for you. That sounds complicated. (It’s not.) Here’s how to do it.
Cassie Shortsleeve
So You Wanna Hack Your Fat Hormones

LEPTIN AND GHRELIN

BLAME THESE two hormones when your gut grumbles an hour after you ate dinner. Leptin, a hormone your fat tissues release, alters your appetite long-term by telling your brain when you’ve stored enough fat. Ghrelin, a hormone made in the gut, tells your brain you’re hungry. If either one is out of whack, cravings strike, and a pre-bed bowl of Frosted Flakes quickly follows.

Hack it: Protein, protein, protein. Eating at least 30 grams of the nutrient at each meal reduces ghrelin, which is why you feel so full after housing a rib eye. And then there’s the fact that regularly eating enough protein may lead to increased leptin sensitivity in the brain. Thirty grams is about a palm-sized amount, says registered dietician, Brian St. Pierre, director of performance nutrition at Precision Nutrition. Yes, that includes non-rib-eye vegetarian sources like tofu and tempeh. Frosted Flakes? Not so much.

CORTISOL

LEVELS OF this stress hormone peak in the morning, decline throughout the day, and drop at night. That’s normal. But exposure to chronically high amounts of stress (if you’ve been through, say, a prolonged worldwide pandemic) stimulates production of cortisol, which can cause muscle breakdown and a redistribution of body fat to your gut. “High cortisol levels at night are one of the biggest causes of weight gain, especially belly fat,” says Dr Theodore Friedman, a professor of medicine who has studied hormones for decades.

This story is from the September - October 2020 edition of Men's Health South Africa.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the September - October 2020 edition of Men's Health South Africa.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM MEN'S HEALTH SOUTH AFRICAView All
CAN YOU REMIX YOUR MINDSET?
Men's Health South Africa

CAN YOU REMIX YOUR MINDSET?

YOU KNOW MUSIC ALTERS MOOD. NOW A NEW APP PROMISES THE RIGHT TRACKS CAN SOOTHE STRESS, BOOST PRODUCTIVITY AND LEVEL UP YOUR GYM GAINS.

time-read
2 mins  |
November-December 2024
ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DIET REALLY SO ?
Men's Health South Africa

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DIET REALLY SO ?

AND DOES IT REALLY FIGHT OFF DISEASE? WE LOOK AT THE DATA.

time-read
1 min  |
November-December 2024
THE SEMI-COMPLETE USER'S GUIDE TO...YOUR LUNGS
Men's Health South Africa

THE SEMI-COMPLETE USER'S GUIDE TO...YOUR LUNGS

THEY POWER A WORKOUT, FILTER OUT INVADERS AND WORK FOR US 24/7-UNLESS GERMS, POLLUTANTS, BAD LUCK OR OUR OWN NEGLECT GETS IN THE WAY. TAKE A DEEP BREATH AND DISCOVER HOW TO HELP THEM OUT.

time-read
3 mins  |
November-December 2024
ACTION MAN
Men's Health South Africa

ACTION MAN

THERE WAS NO MIRACLE FIX FOR TIMOTHY FAIRWEATHER'S HEAVIER PROBLEMS. THE SECRET: TAKING SMALL ACTIONS EVERY DAY TO BUILD UP TO MASSIVE RESULTS.

time-read
2 mins  |
November-December 2024
THE MUSCLE SPRINT
Men's Health South Africa

THE MUSCLE SPRINT

CRUSH ALL MAJOR MUSCLE GROUPS, BLAST CALORIES AND SUPERCHARGE YOUR CARDIO WITH THIS DUMBBELL WORKOUT, WHICH HAS AN INTENSE 55-REP LADDER SCHEME THAT MINIMISES REST AND MAXIMISES FUN.

time-read
1 min  |
November-December 2024
THE ULTIMATE SUMMER BODYWEIGHT BURNER
Men's Health South Africa

THE ULTIMATE SUMMER BODYWEIGHT BURNER

BUILD MUSCLE AND STRENGTH AND CHALLENGE YOUR COORDINATION AND ATHLETICISM WITH THIS NO-EQUIPMENT WORKOUT.

time-read
2 mins  |
November-December 2024
RISE OF THE BEASTS
Men's Health South Africa

RISE OF THE BEASTS

THIS YEAR'S MILESTONE TENTH EDITION OF OUR COVER GUY SEARCH DREW 413 GUYS WHO EMBODY SELFLESSNESS, GRIT AND PERSEVERANCE. THEIR ANIMALISTIC DEVOTION TO FITNESS AND TALES OF TRIUMPH WILL INSPIRE YOU TO GREATNESS.

time-read
5 mins  |
November-December 2024
...I LOSE MY COOL?
Men's Health South Africa

...I LOSE MY COOL?

DON'T WHITE-KNUCKLE IT. LEARN TO UNDERSTAND, OWN AND ULTIMATELY TAME YOUR OUTRAGE WITH OUR EXPERT POINTERS. DEEP BREATH, NOW...

time-read
2 mins  |
November-December 2024
MOVING MOUNTAINS
Men's Health South Africa

MOVING MOUNTAINS

LONG HAULS, STEEP CLIMBS, EXTREME COLD AND OTHERWORLDLY LANDSCAPES IN THE CEDERBERG-OUR WRITER TAKES ON THE ELEMENTS AND UNEARTHS A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON A FIVEDAY TREK ALONG PHANTOM PATHS CUT THROUGH BEWITCHING SCENERY.

time-read
9 mins  |
November-December 2024
THE NEW PLYO POWER-UP
Men's Health South Africa

THE NEW PLYO POWER-UP

HOW MODERN TAKES ON AN OLD FITNESS FAVOURITE CAN CALIBRATE YOUR TRAINING FOR AN INSTA-BOOST OF ATHLETICISM AND STRENGTH.

time-read
2 mins  |
November-December 2024