Even if you are tracking your meals and exercising several times a week, sometimes your weight may not go down, especially if you are over the age of 35. You may even struggle with weight gain, even when you are doing everything right. Before blaming a lack of discipline, consider how your hormones control how your body stores fat and burns calories, and how they regulate hunger. When even one hormone is out of balance, it can impact the effectiveness of everything else you are doing to lose weight.
At Balanced Medical Solutions, we start every medical weight loss plan with comprehensive lab work to find out whether there are any underlying factors to your weight gain. Our $99 evaluation includes bloodwork for thyroid function, testosterone, estradiol, CBC, PSA and more. Once we understand your body and any deficiencies, we can work toward helping you lose weight and keep the pounds off.
About Testosterone
Both men and women rely on testosterone to build and maintain lean muscle. Because muscle tissue burns more calories at rest than fat tissue does, maintaining good muscle tone is one way to improve your ability to lose weight. If testosterone levels have declined due to age or are below optimal levels, you may lose muscle mass, and your resting metabolism may slow. You may also notice that fat accumulates more easily around your abdomen.
According to research published in Translational Andrology and Urology, testosterone deficiency affects an estimated 10 to 40% of men globally, with prevalence climbing from about 12% in men in their 50s to nearly 50% in men over 80. This is another hormone imbalance that we test as part of your standard labs when you come in for weight loss services.
About Estrogen
Estrogen regulates how and where your body stores fat, how it processes glucose and how sensitive your cells are to insulin. When estrogen levels drop during perimenopause and menopause, the body loses one of its key metabolic regulators and begins converting more energy into fat, particularly around the abdomen.
At the same time, low estrogen triggers the body to seek out alternative sources of the hormone, and fat cells are one of those sources, which can make the body resist letting go of stored fat. This shift in fat distribution from the hips and thighs to the midsection also increases the risk of insulin resistance, which further compounds weight gain. Hormone replacement therapy that restores estrogen to balanced levels can help interrupt this cycle and support more effective weight management.
About Your Thyroid
Your thyroid is a small gland at the base of your neck that produces hormones that control your metabolic rate. When thyroid output drops, a condition called hypothyroidism, your body’s process of converting food into usable energy slows down. Calories that would normally be burned get stored as fat instead. In addition to weight gain, those with an underactive thyroid may also experience feeling cold and fatigued, or mentally foggy. Hypothyroidism prevalence increased from 9.5% to 11.7% between the years of 2012 and 2019, and it is an issue that we can identify at Balanced Medical Solutions.
Why Thyroid Testing Matters Early
Because thyroid disorders develop gradually, you may adapt to the symptoms without connecting them to a medical issue. A simple blood test can identify the problem. At Balanced Medical Solutions, a TSH test to check thyroid function is included in every initial evaluation, so you don’t have to request a separate workup or wait months for a specialist referral. If we find that your thyroid levels are out of range during our testing, we will refer you to your PCP for the next steps.
About Cortisol, Insulin and Other Hormones
Cortisol is the body’s primary stress hormone, and it tells your system to hold onto fat when levels are elevated for long periods of time. Times of chronic stress or overtraining can keep cortisol high and drive fat storage around the midsection. It may also increase cravings for calorie-dense food.
Insulin can also impact fat storage. When your cells don’t properly respond to insulin’s signals, a state known as insulin resistance, blood sugar stays elevated and your body shifts into fat-storage mode. Insulin resistance is often seen alongside other hormonal imbalances.
What a Physician-Guided Weight Loss Plan Looks Like
Medical weight loss starts with tests and diagnoses so we can build a treatment plan that addresses any imbalances that may be causing you to hold onto extra weight. Once we have the results of each test, we will design a plan that may include one or more of the following:
- GLP-1 Weight Loss Injections: If you need help with appetite regulation and blood sugar control, GLP-1 injections mimic a natural gut hormone that reduces hunger and slows digestion.
- Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): If your labs show confirmed hormonal deficiencies, HRT can restore levels that support a healthier metabolism. The clinic offers multiple delivery methods for bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT), including injections, topical creams, oral medication and bioidentical hormone pellets under the skin. We also offer TRT via testosterone cypionate for men with low testosterone, as well as safe testosterone boosters when men are still producing enough of their own testosterone but are starting to show an age-related decline.
- Sermorelin (HGH Alternative): Growth hormone decline occurs at roughly 15% per decade after your 20s, according to research published in Endotext (NCBI). That decline contributes to increased body fat and reduced lean muscle. Sermorelin stimulates your body’s own growth hormone production to support fat metabolism and muscle maintenance.
How to Get the Most Out of Your Treatment With the Right Habits
GLP-1 medications, hormone replacement and peptide therapies are helpful for getting you back on track with weight loss when there are deeper and more complex issues impacting your ability to drop pounds. However, all of these work best alongside lifestyle changes that support the health of your body.
Strength training and aerobic training reinforce these treatments by building lean muscle and raising your metabolic rate. Eating adequate amounts of protein will give your body the raw material it needs to support muscle growth and continue burning fat. It is also important to make sure you are getting enough sleep. Growth hormone is released primarily during deep sleep, and poor sleep raises both cortisol and ghrelin, a hunger-driving hormone that makes it harder to lose weight.
At Balanced Medical Solutions in Hayward, CA, we personalize every weight loss plan so that you know exactly what will promote weight loss in your situation. We will encourage you to set achievable and measurable goals as you seek to make lifestyle changes to avoid discouragement and encourage consistency. This will look different for everyone.
Hormonal Weight Loss Support for San Francisco Bay Area Patients
When hormones are working against you, calorie counting and willpower alone won’t close the gap. Balanced Medical Solutions in Hayward, CA has helped thousands of Bay Area residents – from Oakland to San Jose and Castro Valley to San Mateo – reach their weight loss goals and keep it off. We run comprehensive lab work to identify the specific hormonal imbalances affecting your weight to create a personalized weight loss plan. With free follow-up visits for life, you will have long-term support to keep the weight off and always look and feel your best.
Even if you are tracking your meals and exercising several times a week, sometimes your weight may not go down, especially if you are over the age of 35. You may even struggle with weight gain, even when you are doing everything right. Before blaming a lack of discipline, consider how your hormones control how your body stores fat and burns calories, and how they regulate hunger. When even one hormone is out of balance, it can impact the effectiveness of everything else you are doing to lose weight.
At Balanced Medical Solutions, we start every medical weight loss plan with comprehensive lab work to find out whether there are any underlying factors to your weight gain. Our $99 evaluation includes bloodwork for thyroid function, testosterone, estradiol, CBC, PSA and more. Once we understand your body and any deficiencies, we can work toward helping you lose weight and keep the pounds off.
About Testosterone
Both men and women rely on testosterone to build and maintain lean muscle. Because muscle tissue burns more calories at rest than fat tissue does, maintaining good muscle tone is one way to improve your ability to lose weight. If testosterone levels have declined due to age or are below optimal levels, you may lose muscle mass, and your resting metabolism may slow. You may also notice that fat accumulates more easily around your abdomen.
According to research published in Translational Andrology and Urology, testosterone deficiency affects an estimated 10 to 40% of men globally, with prevalence climbing from about 12% in men in their 50s to nearly 50% in men over 80. This is another hormone imbalance that we test as part of your standard labs when you come in for weight loss services.
About Estrogen
Estrogen regulates how and where your body stores fat, how it processes glucose and how sensitive your cells are to insulin. When estrogen levels drop during perimenopause and menopause, the body loses one of its key metabolic regulators and begins converting more energy into fat, particularly around the abdomen.
At the same time, low estrogen triggers the body to seek out alternative sources of the hormone, and fat cells are one of those sources, which can make the body resist letting go of stored fat. This shift in fat distribution from the hips and thighs to the midsection also increases the risk of insulin resistance, which further compounds weight gain. Hormone replacement therapy that restores estrogen to balanced levels can help interrupt this cycle and support more effective weight management.
About Your Thyroid
Your thyroid is a small gland at the base of your neck that produces hormones that control your metabolic rate. When thyroid output drops, a condition called hypothyroidism, your body’s process of converting food into usable energy slows down. Calories that would normally be burned get stored as fat instead. In addition to weight gain, those with an underactive thyroid may also experience feeling cold and fatigued, or mentally foggy. Hypothyroidism prevalence increased from 9.5% to 11.7% between the years of 2012 and 2019, and it is an issue that we can identify at Balanced Medical Solutions.
Why Thyroid Testing Matters Early
Because thyroid disorders develop gradually, you may adapt to the symptoms without connecting them to a medical issue. A simple blood test can identify the problem. At Balanced Medical Solutions, a TSH test to check thyroid function is included in every initial evaluation, so you don’t have to request a separate workup or wait months for a specialist referral. If we find that your thyroid levels are out of range during our testing, we will refer you to your PCP for the next steps.
About Cortisol, Insulin and Other Hormones
Cortisol is the body’s primary stress hormone, and it tells your system to hold onto fat when levels are elevated for long periods of time. Times of chronic stress or overtraining can keep cortisol high and drive fat storage around the midsection. It may also increase cravings for calorie-dense food.
Insulin can also impact fat storage. When your cells don’t properly respond to insulin’s signals, a state known as insulin resistance, blood sugar stays elevated and your body shifts into fat-storage mode. Insulin resistance is often seen alongside other hormonal imbalances.
What a Physician-Guided Weight Loss Plan Looks Like
Medical weight loss starts with tests and diagnoses so we can build a treatment plan that addresses any imbalances that may be causing you to hold onto extra weight. Once we have the results of each test, we will design a plan that may include one or more of the following:
- GLP-1 Weight Loss Injections: If you need help with appetite regulation and blood sugar control, GLP-1 injections mimic a natural gut hormone that reduces hunger and slows digestion.
- Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): If your labs show confirmed hormonal deficiencies, HRT can restore levels that support a healthier metabolism. The clinic offers multiple delivery methods for bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT), including injections, topical creams, oral medication and bioidentical hormone pellets under the skin. We also offer TRT via testosterone cypionate for men with low testosterone, as well as safe testosterone boosters when men are still producing enough of their own testosterone but are starting to show an age-related decline.
- Sermorelin (HGH Alternative): Growth hormone decline occurs at roughly 15% per decade after your 20s, according to research published in Endotext (NCBI). That decline contributes to increased body fat and reduced lean muscle. Sermorelin stimulates your body’s own growth hormone production to support fat metabolism and muscle maintenance.
How to Get the Most Out of Your Treatment With the Right Habits
GLP-1 medications, hormone replacement and peptide therapies are helpful for getting you back on track with weight loss when there are deeper and more complex issues impacting your ability to drop pounds. However, all of these work best alongside lifestyle changes that support the health of your body.
Strength training and aerobic training reinforce these treatments by building lean muscle and raising your metabolic rate. Eating adequate amounts of protein will give your body the raw material it needs to support muscle growth and continue burning fat. It is also important to make sure you are getting enough sleep. Growth hormone is released primarily during deep sleep, and poor sleep raises both cortisol and ghrelin, a hunger-driving hormone that makes it harder to lose weight.
At Balanced Medical Solutions in Hayward, CA, we personalize every weight loss plan so that you know exactly what will promote weight loss in your situation. We will encourage you to set achievable and measurable goals as you seek to make lifestyle changes to avoid discouragement and encourage consistency. This will look different for everyone.
Hormonal Weight Loss Support for San Francisco Bay Area Patients
When hormones are working against you, calorie counting and willpower alone won’t close the gap. Balanced Medical Solutions in Hayward, CA has helped thousands of Bay Area residents – from Oakland to San Jose and Castro Valley to San Mateo – reach their weight loss goals and keep it off. We run comprehensive lab work to identify the specific hormonal imbalances affecting your weight to create a personalized weight loss plan. With free follow-up visits for life, you will have long-term support to keep the weight off and always look and feel your best.
