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Tag: carbs

Mini Pause #38: How Hormones Affect Weight Loss And Fat Storage

Posted on by stephanie-estima

TL;DR (Too Long; Didn't Read)

Cortisol is usually your bestie, reducing inflammation, feeding your cells, and keeping blood pressure regulated when released in short spurts.

However, when stress is prolonged, you can begin to accumulate fat around the belly, become more puffy and inflamed, and it negatively affects sleep.

I have a favorite moniker (that I may or may not turn into a T-shirt) to counteract long term stress:

  • Hydrate
  • Meditate
  • Ma3turbate

WHY

Many (many) hormones affect our metabolism and our proclivity for fat loss or fat gain. Today we will look at a cortisol that you can get in check almost immediately to help steer the body toward letting go of fat rather than storing it.

It’s imperative as you read this to understand there are no good or bad hormones. I say this specifically because so many people demonize hormones like cortisol, glucose spikes and subsequent insulin release like it is a vampire being caught in the sun.

Say it with me now…all together:

  • CORTISOL IS NOT BAD.
  • GLUCOSE SPIKES ARE A NORMAL PART OF HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY.
  • CARBS DO NOT MAKE YOU FAT.

What I am going to present are scenarios where chronic, unresolved distress can cause a necessary adaptation in the body where we hold onto fat. We are not going to demonize the adaptation, but rather love ourselves enough to change the internal and external environment in which that (appropriate and necessary) adaptation happened.

WHAT

Let’s start with our favorite anti-hero, cortisol.

Cortisol is part of a group of hormones called “counter regulatory hormones.” A counter regulatory hormone is one that basically opposes insulin, and is catabolic in nature. The catabolic effect is often to cause stored glycogen to be released into the bloodstream as glucose, but it extends to other fuel sources as well, like making sure we have adequate amino acids and fatty acids for our bodies to function.

For my Dark Roast Bettys who want to know the other hormones in this category: glucagon, vasopressin, growth hormone, epinephrine and norepinephrine would all be considered counter regulatory as well.

Cortisol is your bestie, always on the lookout for how to reduce inflammation, provide your cells with food, and maintain a healthy blood pressure. In short spurts, cortisol can help boost your immunity and limit inflammation and stress.

Emphasis, double underline and highlight the words “in short spurts.”

As a side note, whenever I’m feeling lonely or even overwhelmed, I remember that, at any given moment, the 1.8 trillion cells that make up my immune system are ready and willing to die for me at a moment’s notice. So are yours. Your body is incredible and you literally have an army at your disposal that would die for you. Let that sink in!

The effects of cortisol can turn into maladaptation if you are:

  • Under a lot of emotional stress
  • Injured or over trained
  • Not sleeping well
  • Have chronic pain

Hmm… Sounds like perimenopause, doesn’t it!

The energy cortisol was once helping feed your muscles now becomes unnecessary and excessive, which can lead to undesirable fat accumulation.

Excessive chronic stress often leads to fat deposition in the midsection, sometimes aptly named “cortisol belly.”

HOW

Recognizing your eye roll before I even say “stress management,” there are a few actionable items that don’t mean hours in a therapist chair and thousands spent (although if that works for you–keep doing it!)

Here are a few suggestions:

  • Drink more water.

By the time you realize you’re dehydrated, it’s often too late. I personally struggle with water intake if it isn't flavored. You can add some LMNT to the water to help with the boredom of plain water and to help your body hold onto the water and reduce muscle cramping

  • Go for a 10-minute walk.

When I am getting agitated about something, 93.2% of the time it’s because I haven't moved in a few hours. Yes, I work out, but I too often catch myself falling into the trap of sitting for extended periods of time in front of my computer. This tip is as much for me as it is for you.

  • Start a luxurious evening routine.

Luxurious doesn't mean expensive. Luxurious means meditative, calming and centering. This helps set the tone for winding down and helps you transition from a hectic day into a deep slumber. You can anoint your face and body simply with olive oil if you like (and what I often do!).

For those who want to know what products I use, I layer a few face products in the evening: The Golden Secrets Youth Facial Oil (use code STEPHANIE10) and Timeline Night Cream (use code STEPHANIE) are two of my current favorites. I also have a tub of olive oil for my body.

  • Orga3m.

Can I say that without Google throwing this into spam? Welp, here goes. If there’s one thing we women can and should be doing on the regular, it's the big O. It’s called se3ual healing for a reason because it’s a mechanical and often emotional release of stress from the body. Your womb is the ultimate alchemizer–it can turn sperm into a baby, and it can release pain in the form of pleasure.

I wrote an entire chapter in The Betty Body on the brain and physical benefits of climaxing for women. Toys, fingers, lube, partners–self pleasure is the ultimate de-stressor.

NOW

So, essentially you can hydrate, meditate, and ma3turbate. Or all three! Pick your pleasure, and try it this week.

For more resources, take a listen to my top favorite BETTER! podcasts on the benefits of female sexuality:

And Dr. Kelly Casperson and Dr. Kelly Brogan will be coming on the show soon discussing similar themes!

Question of the Week

Q: I have been lifting heavy and started experiencing hip pain. A recent MRI shows that I have a tear in my labrum. I am looking for lower body exercises that won’t irritate my labrum tear. 

“RDLs seem ok but lunges and squats are not comfortable. I’m so sad this was supposed to be the year of the butt for me!
I also think I saw you mention working with someone who helped make sure your form was perfect to avoid injury. What sort of person could I look for to help me with form (personal trainers are def hit or miss). I love your newsletters and your posts. You are inspirational with all your gym lifts!”

Thank you for writing in, Kimberly. This will be hard to answer because I cannot see the labral tear but if RDLs seem good it can still be the year of the butt for you!

Actually, RDLs are one of the best exercises for glute and hammie growth. The trick is making the movement all on the hip hinge and eliminating the involvement of the lower back.

A proper hip hinge has the following criteria:

  • As you are lowering the barbell (or weight), imagine your butt going as far back as it possibly can.
  • When it cannot move back any further, that is where you stop the movement. If you’re holding a barbell, it will be somewhere around your mid-shin. The most common mistake is that people continue to lower the bar/weight despite the booty not moving back any further. This engages the erector spinae back muscles, which you do not want.
  • The other thing is to bend your knees a little more than you are likely doing. This will help concentrate the tension in the glutes and hammies.

Depending on where the labral tear is you might also find Sumo Deadlifts comfortable, as well as Sumo Squats. Both of these position your legs at 45 degrees or greater external rotation of the femur. This can heavily bias glute growth, too.

You can try hip thrusts, keeping in mind the majority of the work happens when the glutes are in a shortened position. This is not ideal as an exercise on its own, but coupled with some of the other exercises, it’s a great finisher as you will really “feel” it.

I haven't worked with anyone in a long time, and quite frankly I’m overdue. I draw on my extensive education in biomechanics, my own decades of lifting, and how my own body operates. For example, I have long femurs and have to hinge more at my hips during a squat. It looks uglier, but I otherwise can’t get low enough if I do not.

My best advice is to interview personal trainers, ask local chiropractors (who are generally some of the fittest doctors on the planet) and physical therapists. They will be able to contribute to your rehab and will often have a lot to say about program design.

Fun side note: When I was in chiropractic school, the students (who were all jacked and lean) wanted to create a Doctor’s Olympics with different professions battling it out. If I was a betting gal, it would be on the chiropractors. We are generally beasts who love exercise. I bring this up because it might help with your doctor selection. If your doctor is not lifting, or keeping fit in a way they love, you have to question how they can possibly advise or help you get better.

YOUR TURN!

I’ll be answering your questions every week right here in the Mini Pause! Let me know what’s on your mind. I’ll be checking for both questions and feedback at support@drstephanieestima.com.

What I Recommend: CAROL Bike

All my Bettys know how much I love my weights. But that doesn’t mean that I skimp on cardio—it has an important place in my fitness routine. I’ve been using the CAROL Bike since last year and love it for zone training because I can choose a slower steady-state cadence or a sprint.

It's an AI-powered tool that understands and adapts to your body's needs. Just two 20-second sprints three times a week has been scientifically proven to deliver superior health and fitness benefits compared to regular exercise—in 90% less time.

Research also shows that just these three short workouts reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by 62% and lower blood pressure by 5%. And you can improve your VO2max by 12% in 8 weeks. That means turning the clock back a decade on your main measure of fitness.

Learn more about the CAROL Bike and save $100 with the code DRSTEPHANIE.

Now Open: EVEN BETTER! Premium Membership Subscription

Members have immediate access to numerous content pieces, with more coming online. The membership benefits were designed with input and insights from my community of women. Here's what you'll find within the membership:

  • Early and ad-free access to the weekly Better! podcasts.
  • A downloadable action guide for each podcast episode.
  • Private “Ask Me Anything” episodes based on member questions.
  • Surprise guests and solo shows only for members.
  • My insights from the guest discussion coupled with recommendations you can use to build habits and routines that support your goals.
  • Bonus content beyond the podcast episodes.
  • Exclusive discounts for brands I love.
  • Being a part of a community with like-minded Bettys!

There are several introductory membership options to fit any budget. Subscribe HERE

P.S.

JOIN THE THRIVING IN PERIMENOPAUSE & MENOPAUSE SUMMIT

I’m excited to let you know about a 5-day FREE online event featuring over 40 of the world’s top experts in women’s health and hormones. I’m so honored to be a speaker at the Thriving in Perimenopause and Menopause Summit.

My good friend, Dr. Mariza Snyder, a renowned hormone expert herself and best-selling author of “The Menopause Solution” is the host. She’s gathered people who are at the forefront of perimenopause and menopause research and care and asked them all your most pressing questions—all you have to do is listen in! Register HERE, before all the free spots are filled.

Mini Pause #24: How to Make Friends with Carbs

Posted on by stephanie-estima

Food, Female Athletes & Fertility

TL;DR (Too Long; Didn't Read)

Women need to eat more overall calories to appropriately fuel and perform in their workouts. We want to think about how to maximally take advantage of food by strategically thinking about total calories (and in particular) carbohydrates in the peri-exercise time. In other words, carbs are your friend.

WHY

If you’re an active female who is either lifting weights, engaging in cardiovascular activity, or both, there is a chance you may not be eating enough calories to fuel adequate performance in your sport of choice and your basic, day-to-day functions. This is commonly referred to as Low Energy Availability or LEA.

Lack of food intake is rampant in female athletes because of societal pressures to look a certain way as a female athlete [*][*]. This might be coming from media, including social media (and the dreaded comments section), as well as teammates and coaches who may believe there are perceived performance enhancements if the athlete is leaner.

And you don’t need to be on a team or in a competitive environment to also feel this pressure.

Many women begin working out for aesthetic reasons (I was one of these women), and there is an inherent expectation of body composition changes when combining energy manipulation in the form of caloric restriction and an exercise intervention.

Dieting can mess with our heads.

I have seen this firsthand in females who initially participate in a ketogenic or a low-carbohydrate diet. The results are immediate and welcome! A drop in water weight, the scale moving in the right direction, and we can make the cognitive error that we have found the diet for us.

And it does work.

It works wonderfully while we are metabolically unhealthy or consuming too many calories. Restricting carbohydrates works to reduce total calorie intake, decrease inflammation, and fuel weight loss.

Until it doesn’t.

WHAT

I’ve seen this countless times with women–they love the results of carb restriction so much that they hold onto the idea that that is the only way to drop weight and keep it off.

Clinically I have seen this NOT be the case. After a time, excessive carbohydrate restriction begins to wreak havoc on the thyroid. Dom D’Agostino and I [*] discussed this on the podcast a few years back–excessive carbohydrate restriction often leads to a hypoactive thyroid.

I like to explain this phenomenon–a diet working and then over a period of time it stops working–as exhausting the area under the curve [*]. While this term is used in pharmacokinetics (how long should a drug be dosed for), we can also apply this term to the therapeutic intervention of diet.

Said another way… the diet that heals you isn't the diet you should follow long term.

When women restrict too aggressively with the same intervention for too long, maladaptions can occur.

When you’re in a chronic energy deficit–either through over-exercising or under-eating –your reproductive capacity is downregulated via nutrient-sensing pathways [*], which also can affect your metabolism and body composition.

HOW

After a long period of carbohydrate restriction, if you notice that your weight loss has stalled, or it is feeling harder and harder to stick to it, it might be time for a change.

Change might mean increasing total calories, and reintroduction of carbohydrates specifically.

Realizing the anxiety this may invoke in some of you, think about strategic dosing of carbohydrates in the peri exercise time. Either immediately preceding a workout, immediately after a workout, or both (!) is a fantastic time to consume your carbohydrates.

Remember your muscle is one of the primary sites for insulin activity, glucose storage, glucose utilization, and fat utilization. So timing your carbohydrates around your exercise ensures this fuel will be sequestered and used for muscle activity. You are the most insulin-sensitive immediately after a workout!

NOW

If you are a cycling woman, consider initially increasing carbohydrates (and therefore total calories) in the luteal phase of your cycle. This is the 12- to 16-day period after ovulation, and before your period begins. I detail this in “The Betty Body,” which also has meal plans to show you exactly how to do this.

Typically I am for an initial increase of 10% of total calories to be increased.

If your cycles are irregular and unpredictable, or you are menopausal, you can increase your calories right now irrespective of where you are in the cycle. See how that affects your performance and endurance in your gym sessions.

Question of the Week:

Q: Can you clarify some questions about sunscreen?

This question from Doris about sunscreen comes at a great time. She writes, “Thanks for your podcast episodes on skin health–love them all! Regarding sunscreen: I am a proponent of wearing it daily, but I have some clarifying questions.”

  • If you work indoors all day but in front of computer screens, does that still warrant daily use?
  • How often is it recommended that one reapplies sunscreen?
  • When you are indoors, and then when you are outdoors (and outdoors, when it's April in Toronto and we might not be outdoors for long and the sun isn't strong, and when it's truly summertime)?

Sunscreen is such a polarizing topic, isn’t it?!

I would say that timing and dosing of sun (and of course light) is what’s most important to consider here.

On the one hand, chronic UV exposure (sitting out on a beach all day in the middle of summer, with no sunscreen) is going to increase your risk for skin cancers. And if you do require surgery to remove the cancer, it’s awful, usually induces bad disfigurement and scarring, and the recovery is more difficult than I think people realize.

On the other hand, insufficient sun exposure is a real problem [*] and has direct consequences for human health. As we have moved to working primarily indoors, we do have to be mindful of getting adequate sun exposure.

Here are my best recommendations:

  • Get early morning sun exposure. Go outside in the morning when the sun is low in the sky, full of blue and green lights that rev up our circadian rhythms. You can opt for sunscreen if you like (I do).
  • Indoors, it is less important to be concerned with the application and reapplication of sunscreen if you are not exposed directly to sunlight coming in.
  • Avoid sunbathing between 10 am to 2 pm when the sun is typically at its highest point in the sky and at its strongest. Personally, if I do spend time in the sun, it is usually after 4 pm.
  • Wear a hat with a brim and sunglasses to avoid squinting.
  • If you are lighter skinned and pasty pale from the winter months, be very cognizant of your initial weeks in the sun as you are hopefully developing a little base of color without turning into a tomato.

YOUR TURN!

I’ll be answering your questions every week right here in the Mini Pause! Let me know what’s on your mind. I’ll be checking for both questions and feedback at support@drstephanieestima.com.

What I Recommend: OneSkin

I’m super curious about advances in skin care that target both skin health and anti-aging. That’s why I’m obsessing about the OneSkin product line–especially the tinted facial SPF and the new body SPF with additional collagen support.

Four female Ph.D.-level longevity scientists experienced in stem cell biology, skin regeneration, aging, and bioinformatics founded OneSkin to specifically research the root causes of skin aging. They optimize skin biology at the cellular level.

OneSkin's flagship ingredient, OS-01, is a novel peptide that targets what’s called “cellular senescence” a root cause of why your skin ages.

Learn more about OneSkin peptide science and try the sunscreens for yourself this summer (and all year round). You’ll be SO glad you did! Use code DRSTEPHANIE at checkout to save 15%.