What Does a Hormonal Belly Look Like? How to Tell If You Have One

what does a hormonal belly look like
This page may contain affiliate links. I am not a doctor, dietitian nor nutritionist and am not qualified to give medical advice. I merely share what has worked for me. I hope it can help you too x. This article is for information only and should not be used for the diagnosis or treatment of any condition. Please read the disclaimer for more info.

What Does a Hormonal Belly Look Like? How to Tell If You Have One

If you have noticed a recent increase in belly fat and you’re not sure why you may have a hormonal belly.

A hormonal belly is a result of having an imbalance of estrogen in your system. This can be caused by many things, including hormonal imbalance, PCOS, or menopause. Even if you do regular exercise you will find it very hard to lose the belly bulge.

What does a hormonal belly Look like? You will have extra weight in the hips and thighs but the giveaway is a pooch that hangs under the belly button. You will probably have chubby arms and heavy breasts too. The key to weight loss is getting your hormones back in balance.

If you think you may have a hormonal belly, read on to learn how to tell if you have one and what you can do about it!

What does a Hormonal Belly Look Like?

With the hormonal Belly, you will acquire body fat and weight in the hips and thighs with a pooch that hangs under the belly button. You will also find that you have heavy breasts and possibly even arms too. It is very common in women who are Estrogen Dominant or who are dealing with menopause or PCOS {Polycystic Ovary Syndrome}.

If you think you may have a hormonal belly, there are some telltale signs to look for. First, check to see if you have gained weight around your middle. If your waist measurement is larger than it was six months ago, you may be estrogen dominant. You may also notice that you are carrying more weight in your hips and thighs than usual and that your arms are starting to look a bit chubby.







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Another sign of a hormonal belly is a protruding or bloated stomach. This may be caused by fluid retention, which is common in women with high estrogen levels. You may also experience constipation and diarrhea more frequently than usual, as well as PMS symptoms like mood swings, depression, and irritability.

If you are concerned that you may have a hormonal belly, the best thing to do is to make an appointment with your doctor. They can perform some tests to check your hormone levels and see if there is an underlying medical condition causing your symptoms.

Types of Belly fat

A hormonal belly is different from other types of belly such as a beer belly. There are 4 different types of belly fat in females

The Thyroid belly type, Liver belly type, stress or adrenal belly fat and hormone belly type. If you aren’t sure what belly type you have then check out this post to work it out.



Photos of what a Hormonal Belly Type looks like

Hormonal Belly Shape.

Hormonal Belly Shape. The little pooch under the belly button is typical of hormonal belly shape

What does a hormonal belly look like

What does a hormonal belly look like? You will feel chubby in the arms, belly and thighs.

What does a hormonal belly look like

What does a hormonal belly look like. The pooch under the belly button is a tell tale sign

The 2 key signs that your hormones may be to blame for belly fat

A hormone Imbalance Cause Weight Gain. There are 2 key signs that hormones may be the problem when it comes to your waistline.

  1. You eat a healthy diet of healthy food, exercise regularly, and still have abdominal weight gain.
  2. You experience other symptoms related to hormonal changes such as fatigue or difficulty sleeping or rage and irritation at everyone and everything.

You’re not alone. Many people develop belly fat when their hormones are out of balance, and it’s common to witness these health and body weight changes in the middle age range as well.

How to get your life back! [Even if your hormones are out of balance!]

Hormone Symptom Checklist EbookHave you struggled with weight gain, depression, low libido, fatigue, and other seemingly un-related symptoms?
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It’s time to take your health into your own hands.

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Hormonal Belly and Obesity are a common problem.

The World Health Organisation estimated that worldwide, more than 40% of women are overweight.

40%

of Women Overweight

What are the accompanying hormonal SYMPTOMS OF THE HORMONAL BELLY 

There are many accompanying symptoms of the hormonal belly which are a dead giveaway that this is what you are struggling with. They are in addition to the excess weight you may be carrying.

These are symptoms such as heavy periods and cramps to fibroids or headaches. The most notable is PMS which can include mood swings like anger/rage for women who are going through menopause because their hormones have become out-of-balance.

If you have some of the health condition on this list there’s a good chance you have a hormonal belly.

  • Heavy and prolonged periods.
  • Cramps in the muscles
  • Fibroids
  • Migraines and headaches
  • Cravings, binge eating and ravenous hunger.
  • PMS
  • Anger, rage, and irritation
  • Hot flashes / flushes
  • Sleep problems. Inadequate sleep messes up your hormones.
  • Ovarian cysts

How to lose the hormone belly type

The key to losing this excess belly fat is balancing and normalizing your hormones. You cannot lose weight or get back to a healthy weight until you get them under control, but luckily this article will help guide where we need to go from here!

It’s important that when trying out new diets or exercise routines (or anything for that matter) they’re tailored toward helping those with hormonal issues find success in their efforts.

This is especially important for perimenopausal, menopausal and postmenopausal women.

This quiz is designed to work out what kind of hormonal imbalance you have. It’s worth taking 5 minutes now to complete this and work out what kind of hormonal problem you have so that you can target it effectively.


This hormone quiz is helpful in figuring out what may be happening with your hormones.

Hormones

Click here to take the quiz


LIFESTYLE CHANGES TO REDUCE YOUR HORMONAL BELLY

To reduce hormonal belly, change your lifestyle. Stay healthy by eating well and getting enough sleep so that you have the energy to take care of yourself without relying on medication.

  • Ask your doctor or healthcare professional about testing hormone levels before starting any new lifestyle changes so that you can make sure they are in balance. This is especially important if you are going through the menopausal transition.
  • Take care not to overdo exercise. Excessive exercise raises the stress hormone cortisol levels. High levels of cortisol play havoc with sleep and hunger hormones. High cortisol also impacts on other sex hormones.
  • Avoid Stress and anxiety by relaxation techniques such as deep breathing exercises or meditation.
  • Improve your sleep. Lack of sleep has disastrous effects on your hormones.
  • Reduce alcohol intake to improve your liver function.

DIET CHANGES TO REDUCE your HORMONAL BELLY

To reduce the appearance of your hormonal belly, you must make diet changes. The first step in reducing estrogen levels and balancing progesterone is by avoiding commercial food with hormones added into them such as dairy or meat products which can be found on the processed aisle at grocery stores nationwide!

Another way to balance out these estrogens (or feminizing) substances we eat too much of while also improving insulin resistance would be through eating organic food like kale broccoli cabbages- all good options for veggies.

  • Eat organic dairy and meat if possible. This avoids the problem of added hormones
  • Eat cruciferous vegetables. Kale, Broccoli, and cabbage help to balance estrogen and progesterone
  • Cook veg lightly to preserve its nutrient qualities
  • Avoid Soy which has a negative effect on hormone balance.
  • Avoid GMO products.
  • Avoid processed and pre-made foods and junk food.
  • Cook at home from scratch.
  • Avoid sugary foods.
  • Eat plenty of vegetables.
  • Try intermittent fasting which can be helpful for controlling hormones.

The dangers of the hormonal belly

Excess belly fat isn’t just annoying looks wise. Build up of fat in the belly cavity [visceral fat]  can negatively affect your health. It can lead to

  • heart disease.
  • cardiovascular disease.
  • problems with insulin levels and blood sugar levels.
  • metabolic syndrome.
  • Raised blood pressure.

Could it be your thyroid?

Thyroid imbalances can also cause weight gain and hormonal upset. Check out this post to find out if your thyroid is causing your belly fat and if you have the Thyroid Belly Shape?

What Science says

Having a higher waist circumference as a woman can put you are greater risk of heart attack {myocardial infarction} or cardiovascular problems. This is why its so important to work on losing hormonal belly fat.

Sex Differences in the Association Between Measures of General and Central Adiposity and the Risk of Myocardial Infarction: Results From the UK Biobank

Although general and central adiposity measures each have profound deleterious effects on the risk of heart attack in both sexes, a higher waist circumference and waist‐to‐hip ratio conferred a greater excess risk of heart attack in women than in men. Waist‐to‐hip ratio was more strongly associated with the risk of heart attack than body mass index in both sexes, especially in women.

Frequently asked questions about hormonal belly fat

How do I get rid of hormonal belly fat

To get rid of hormonal belly fat you need to get your hormones in balance before you can lose any weight. Get a test at the doctor and address any imbalance in Estrogen. Avoid soy and added hormones in dairy and meat by going organic and eating lots of cruciferous veg to balance your hormones.

what does hormonal weight gain look like?

Hormonal weight gain looks like extra weight around your hips and thighs, a poochy belly, thick arms, and larger breasts. This type of weight gain is caused by changes in your hormone levels of estrogen and progesterone which are responsible for the way your body stores fat, especially in the belly.

Menopausal weight gain can often be hormonal. So if you have put on weight around menopause this is probably hormonally based. Weight loss will happen once your hormones are balanced.

How do you know if weight gain is hormonal?

If you gain weight even when you’re eating healthy and exercising, your hormones likely are to blame. Other hormonal symptoms can include PMS, acne, migraines, and hair loss. See a doctor if you think your hormones might be out of balance to identify the root cause so you can fix it.

Conclusion. What does a hormonal Belly Look Like?

If you’re carrying around a hormonal belly, don’t worry – you’re not alone. Millions of women are in the same boat. The good news is that there is something you can do about it.

You can get your hormones back in balance, start losing weight for good and get back to your old flat stomach. And we want to help!

We have put together a free guide to balancing your hormones which will give you all the information you need to get started on your journey to a healthy, happy, slimmed-down body.

So what are you waiting for?

Click here to download your free hormone guide now!

Love and Light

How to get your life back! [Even if your hormones are out of balance!]

Hormone Symptom Checklist EbookHave you struggled with weight gain, depression, low libido, fatigue, and other seemingly un-related symptoms?
Just don’t feel like your old self…

It’s time to take your health into your own hands.

Download the FREE E-book NOW to discover the hormone causes of weight gain, mood swings, low libido and fatigue.

“Medical Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. This article is for informative purposes only. As always, our content is strictly informational and shouldn’t be considered medical advice.”

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Helen

Menopause and Perimenopause can be a tricky time to pass through. I certainly had a turbulent journey. I learnt a lot from my intense battle. I rediscovered my Menopause Mojo and you can too. I truly believe that Menopause can be the start of the best part of your life. I am an Artist, Certified Transformation Life Coach, Holistic Health Coach, Hypnosis practitioner and woman's health researcher. NB. I am not a doctor or qualified to give medical advice. I merely share what has worked for me. I hope it can help you too. x