Understanding How the Body Talks Through Extra Weight

Usually, we are more concerned about the extra weight we have, than about understanding the idea that WHERE our extra weight is located is a crucial message from our bodies.

Are you someone that tends to gain weight around your midsection, or around your butt? What is your fat storage pattern?

We tend to blame our fat storage patterns on genetics (I just have a pear body type, so the weight grabs around my thighs… that’s just how it is).

Yet fat is not only stored based on DNA patterns, but on hormonal regulation as well.

The places your body grabs extra weight isn’t just about your mom’s body type or your own body type.

Let’s look at the two most common places where fat is stored in women, and analyze what it tells us about the hormonal and physical functions that are involved.

Belly Fat

The first place we can look at fat storage is around the midsection. The infamous fat rolls, as they are called.

A midsection roll is caused by stress hormones. Cortisol, for instance, sends signals to the body to accumulate fat around the vital organs (your midsection) to protect them.

Your brain is stressed, sends signals to your body, which then thinks: Ooof, something is threatening my life… I need to survive this as long as I can, and protect what is most vital.

I am not talking here about the constant bloating that may give the impression that you have gained weight after each meal (which is caused by an imbalance in the gut flora), but about the actual overweight that gets accumulated with time (and stress).

This type of fat storage tends to happen in the long run - when the body is experiencing long doses of low to medium stress and starts to interpret it as a threat to survival. The body then starts producing more cortisol to protect the body - and with it comes the slowly but surely growing stomach fat.

Women tend to notice this and immediately think of working out more, especially their abs, to reduce the extra fat.

But by ignoring WHERE the fat is, namely around their midsection, they are ignoring the cause of the storage: an excess of cortisol. When we remember that, we can see that working out more will have the opposite effect, and cause more cortisol and physical stress that will lead to more fat in the long run.

When it comes to belly fat, the system in need of our support is not our abs, but our stress levels.

(If this is where you find yourself, then look for the resources around stress and the nervous system around the website of Spotless Girl. If you don’t know where to start, send me a quick message, and I’ll happily send some options your way.)

Butt Fat

Another common place where fat is stored is around hips and thighs.

On a medical level, this is a less problematic place to store weight, and often gets ignored by medical professionals.

In medical terms, this expansion of fat isn’t due to stress and does not have consequences that may significantly lower health (such as high inflammation or diabetes, that a stress-induced weight may cause).

However, it also indicates a hormonal balance, and can be accompanied by other symptoms that one may not associate together at first glance (such as period cramps, acne, headaches, heavy periods, etc).

Fat storage around hips and thighs (and butt) is caused by an excess of estrogens. Estrogen is one of the fertility hormones, and its main purpose is to evaluate how and when the body can ovulate.

An excess of estrogens may be caused by medium to high levels of toxin exposure, by an overworked or depleted liver, or by a microbiome imbalance.

When estrogens accumulate, it can lead to painful periods and overall heightened PMS, fatigue, hot flashes, breast tenderness, bloating, and mood changes.

Again, women will tend to increase exercises targeting their butts rather than look at the reasons why their body might be storing extra estrogen and leading to an increase of fat in that area.

I have had many clients who work out a lot, and still struggle to look at their thighs and the cellulite on it. My job is to reassure them that this is not caused by their lack of work out and discipline - and to shift their attention to their liver and hormones to see an actual difference.

(If this is where you find yourself, look for resources around food and nutrition that will help you protect your liver and body from an excess of estrogens. Once again, if you don’t know where to start, don’t hesitate to ask!)

There are many other places the body can store fat, and each of these is a way the body can signal what is going smoothly or not so smoothly in its systems. Here a few other examples:

• Fat around the face is usually a sign that the lymphatic system is struggling

• Fat at the bottom of our arms can also be a sign of estrogen imbalance or of insulin resistance

• Fat around the lower butt or biceps can be a slow deconstruction of muscles with age

What I dream to see is a generation of women who have the resources to shift their focus away from the external beauty standards that are blinding us to the real health issues at hand, and instead become more educated on our body’s functions and how it communicates with us.

We must learn to return to ourselves and to the messages our bodies hold, to avoid moving away from them and increasing the statistics of chronic illnesses and unhealthy traits that are on the rise every year. I really believe we can.

Our bodies are miracles, and we’re so lucky that our miracles are talking to us every day.

If you suspect your hormones might be behind a stubborn weight, and want to hear what you can do about it, reach out with questions or for deeper support at audreygerber@spotlessgirl.com.

Stay radiant!