Most women tend to believe that, in order to lose a couple of pounds, or more, a strict diet and plenty of physical exercise can do the trick. In most cases, this is true, but what happens when, despite all efforts undertaken, the pounds simply refuse to go away – quite on the contrary, actually? Doctors tell us that, before setting off on the “grand mission” of losing weight, we should also make sure we’re not hormonally imbalanced as this too could be a reason for weight gain.

While hormones are often not included in dietary plans, mostly because of their complexity and of the need to adapt each regime to the individual for whom it is destined, it is a known fact that even the slightest imbalance can tip the scales considerably. This is precisely why specialists are advising us we see a doctor as soon as possible, should we notice that our sustained efforts towards losing weight are not returning the anticipated results.

Of course, the first indication that it’s not something we’re doing that makes the pounds pile on is the other symptoms of hormonal imbalance, like persistent fatigue (the kind that does not disappear even with proper sleep and rest) and otherwise unexplainable mood swings. If this is the case, a visit to the doctor to have our hormonal levels checked should be first on our priorities list.

While the causes for hormonal imbalance are many, such as pregnancy, menopause, stress, lack of sleep, a poor diet, energy drinks, addictions, surgery or blood loss, major illness, or environmental toxins, it is believed that such a “condition” can be pinpointed in time more or less accurately by the sufferers themselves. Normally, its onset is simultaneous with a major change in one’s life and, most often than not, triggers uncontrollable or unexplainable weight gain. Because of all this and the many possible implications, it is recommended that we see a doctor the moment we even suspect something is wrong with our body.