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Where fitness and outdoors meet. In this space we chat all things hiking, exercise, wellness, adventure, motherhood, and metabolic health from a female perspective! Get ready to learn + be inspired to live your fullest, most adventurous life!
Why Hormones Affect Fat Loss with Functional Practitioner Mehvish Khan
Hi, my name is Brady and I'm a long time fitness professional and Midwest girl turned mountain living hiking addict. In combining my knowledge of fitness and passion for hiking, I've helped hundreds of women get lean and strong for the trails. Think of this as your one stop shop for both education and inspiration on all things female wellness, trail talk and adventure. Hiking, female metabolism, motherhood, nutrition, travel and fitness are all topics you'll hear discussed here. If you are outdoorsy and active, looking to level up your health, unlock your potential, and become inspired to live your most vibrant life, you're in the right place. You're listening to the fit for Hiking podcast. What's up you guys? Welcome back to the show. Today we are joined by metabolism, gut and hormone expert Mahesh Khan, who also happens to be our newest coach at Mountain Metabolic. So she coaches women on how to not only get to the root of symptoms and lack of fat loss, progress due to hormone or gut issues, but also how to get to the other side and optimize results and health. Thanks so much for being here MEB. I'm so excited for this conversation. I am super excited as well. Thank you for being like inviting me to being on this podcast. I'm super excited. Yes, absolutely. Okay, so if you could start by just telling us kind of how you got into the hormone and gut space and what made you so passionate about helping women with these issues? Yeah, I think that's a good question. Uh, it takes me back. Um, I would say not struggling, but my history with my own health. And I was dismissed. Like, before I realized that what's happening? I was jumping doctors to doctors trying to heal my acne. So I was given, like, pills. And you need to do this. You need to do lasers and stuff. But, uh, there were more issues. I was all bloated all the time. Energy crashes, sleep issues, even appetite dysregulation. Even if I would not eat, I would feel bloated all the time, like my weight would just increase. And I was like, okay, what's happening? Like, nobody's getting to the root cause. Yeah, and I don't I kind of then lost my way, and I was super angry because nothing was helping me. And that's when I realized and found out functional space. And I'm super happy, and I'm really proud of myself to just navigate that path for myself. And I figured out to do a map, found out I had Candida and that was driving my acne. So it took me years to heal that. But I think that got me so passionate even to teach women about menstrual cycle. But their God, I feel like there is something so much important and that's what got me into the space. So I'm really passionate, and I feel that passion comes from my own experience of struggling with my health. Yeah, definitely. I had such a similar story, but mine was more like my estrogen levels were totally off, like completely tanked. I had the estrogen of, like, literally a 70 year old woman when I was in my 20s, wasn't having a cycle, was gaining weight constantly despite, like doing so much. And yeah, I was just kind of dismissed and told that I was, you know, just like, you know, just I should just go on the pill and all this stuff. And then the pill only made everything worse. And I think when you've had that experience of hopping from doctor to doctor and no one really is trying to figure out the root issue, you get so frustrated. You have to advocate for yourself. You have to figure it out for yourself. And you're like, I don't want other women to have the same experience that I had. That's true. And I think I bring that same perspective in my working as well. Like I have this thing, like really empathetic kind of approach. Plus, of course, like holding people accountable if they want to see results, but also having this perspective that they're here to, you know, get some help. They want answers. Yeah. That's what I would be looking back at myself as a client that what shifts. And that's really important. Yeah definitely. And hormones are such a like nuanced and complicated topic. So that's kind of mainly what I want to focus on today. I feel like maybe we'll have to do a whole separate one for gut health, because there's just too much to get into. But can you talk through kind of the main hormones that are at play for women and just kind of like covering what matters most for overall health? Oh, that's a good question. And if I tell you my male hormones that really work for women, like for so many different systems and symptom improvement as well as estrogen, estrogen, DHEA and cortisol. So starting with estrogen like estradiol, which is there in your cycling years, is so much important for brain, for skin, for heart, for joints. And as you describe like if you have low estradiol, you'll see the effects in those symptoms, like in the systems as well. Like you'll have like depressive kind of symptoms like low mode wide and tired. And it is really important for also like metabolism. Like if you have really good estradiol like storage and everything, you'll feel really the, you know, the metabolism not really being dysregulated. One of my favorite ones is progesterone as well. Like redstone is as such for the grounding and relaxing hormone. And really like increases after ovulation. It's being released after ovulation. So if someone has ovulation issues, you'll see that effects on the brain that women would be cranky anxious. Like it directly hurts the brain. So we just wanted so much importance for that Uh, coming to DHEA. DHEA is a precursor for testosterone and estrogen, as the body needs, but it's one of the most steroid hormone important in your 20s. And the last one is called a soul that we call the stress hormone. It's not the women I would say I, I don't feel I really relate to the term like, you know, high cortisol, a stress hormone. You need that cortisol because that's wakes you up in the morning and then it shifts through, you know, throughout the day. So you need the cortisol for like just having that kind of, you know, run, run and go energy. So I feel like if looking into all the systems and symptoms as well I love these five hormones. Okay. So those are kind of the most important for overall female health to kind of look at and address typically. Yeah. Okay. I love that. Okay. So what would you say are the most common hormone imbalances. Like when I feel like that word is thrown around so much, you always hear like, hormone imbalance, but like, what does that usually actually look like? Um, for women today or like the woman women that you work with most typically. And how do those present as far as the symptoms? I would say what I see, typically more like with my experience and with researchers is more like estrogen problem, which is not, I would say people get confused when they have this kind of symptoms, like estrogen dominance, which is not something that you have estrogen high all the time. It's estrogen relative to previous trials, even if you are very low and estrogen is bit high, it can have those effects on your body. And it is also rooted into gut health. So of course a different like podcast all on that. But your toxic in your gut has a, you know, bacteria that metabolizes estrogen. So it's called estrogen. And if that's affected if your liver as well it's struggling to metabolize. And you know just do the stuff at estrogen with phase one and phase two you'll have those effects. So looking into high estrogen kind of symptoms I see women like who have like visceral fat storage accumulation not even to lose weight no matter what. Like, you know, wide and tired, like, you know, mood swings, mood instability, sleep issues, waking up middle of the night because it's not a again a loan high estrogen. It's also cortisol. That's one of the second I would say have overlapping kind of symptoms that I see with women. And not a lot of people are able to diagnose or like get to the root cause because it overlaps with other symptoms. Like if I say it's high cortisol, it has the same kind of symptoms with other hormonal imbalances, like feeling drained out, energy crashes throughout the day, like, you know, it could be nutritional deficiencies, but it could be high cortisol as well. Like making middle of the night and just feeling really restless, anxious. And again, fat storage, which is again overlapping with, you know, high estrogen. Uh, the main thing that I also see is thyroid problems. Like if you have a thyroid conversion issue like such is not the problem. TSH, a lot of women, if listening to this podcast should know TSH is released from the brain. It's not your thyroid hormone, it's thyroid stimulating hormone. The main hormones are T4 and T3. T4 needs to be converted to T3, so if that conversion is not happening, 80% of that conversion should happen. If it's that not happening. You'll see a shoe like. Can you see? Like you're really like it going backwards. That's the analogy. Like, imagine you're driving a car, but your car is going backwards. Nothing is happening. Like, you feel really like, you know, increased weight issue, belly fat storage. Again, like so many things like, you know, temperature changes, hair loss, like, you know, dry skin, eyebrow loss, like, these are like subtle signs. But I see this often as well. And main thing, it also affects your cycles like all your things like if you see in a deeper level affects your cycle. So one thing if I have to just, you know, start by asking your symptoms is to look into your cycles. Have I changed? Is there any like pattern changes that you have observed that's that that is really important. Yeah. I feel like your cycle is such direct biofeedback that your body is giving you. And when I was in my 20s and not having periods for years, you know, a lot of people are like, oh, you're so lucky. Like, that's great. And I was like, no, something is wrong. Like I am in my reproductive years, I should be having a regular cycle, you know? So it's so important to look at those symptoms and not just like try to slap a generic like Band-Aid over it and actually look at like, what are those symptoms truly telling us? Yeah. And I feel like psycho like your periods are actually your report card. Yeah. So that's reasons for tracking. And that's the reason menstrual awareness, like menstrual cycle awareness is increases so much. And that's really important to like for the teens for the women like everyone out there to know about your phases, about your period. Like what it should look like, what is healthy like this is something you should not in schools like, you know, should be going on the internet to know about my cycle. Yeah, it should be something fundamental knowledge for me to know. Yeah, yeah. Totally agree. Okay. So you talked about cortisol a little bit. So why is stress management and cortisol balance so important for women. And what are some of the things that we commonly do that increase our cortisol. Like too much. You know outside of like the normal cortisol curve. Um, without even realizing it. Okay, I love this question. So just to give you a little bit of like knowledge, cortisol has a natural rhythm. It is it has to increase in the morning. You know I don't like the flip girls and miss information where, you know, high cortisol is just being blamed for everything you need cause you don't get the, you know, that kick of cortisol. You're not going to wake up, you know? That's what it's needed. Like so high in the morning, first hour. And then it, you know, drops down throughout the day and it's low in the night. But if there is a constant like HPA axis dysfunction, that is nothing but your brain overthinking, like, you know, your hypothalamus and everything is in a dysfunction kind of like dysregulated state. Your cortisol just is off. Yeah. So and the only other things I would say, not just for us all, but the one thing which is the main, main symptom that we see with women, when you have calls for dysfunction happening daily, like you're really stressed, you know, like you're under eating, so many things are happening, your body starts storing fat. That's the reason when we work with women, we teach them safely because the body is not understanding, no matter how many steps you're taking, no matter how much hours you're spending in the gym, or like if you're fasting or skipping meals, the body perceives that as thread. It's like this woman is on the bed and we need to store like fat. It's like the body is trying to collect food because you're doing so many different things. And to answer your question, like, I feel the one thing that I see, like so many things, but commonly like using your phone, hosting when you wake up, like just, you know, the moment that you wake up, you're just catching and looking at the screen, caffeine or empty stomach. So that also spikes cortisol. Doing high intensity workouts, HIIT or like just too much cardio first thing in the morning before even your breakfast. So many things. Not sleeping regularly. I love to just, you know, have so much focus on sleep because this is so much important. Sleep is how you make hormones. So if you're not sleeping well, the cortisol is gonna be dysregulated. It's like just a cascade of hormones. One thing is disrupted. Another thing follows. Yeah. So true. Like stress regulation. Even as me, as a practitioner. So much important. Like this is not something like one of protocol. This is not like a short term thing. You need to do this again and again for the rest of your life if you want to feel safe, and if you want to see the effects on your skin and on your body to lose weight, like so many things. So I think, yeah, that that comes down to that. Yeah. Awesome. That's such a helpful answer. Um, okay. So this is a big question that I had for you because I see this debate, like, especially on social media all the time, because I'm in the health space, I think I'm like paying attention to it more. But probably a lot of our listeners see this too, where there's kind of this debate between is it just calories that matter, like calories and calories out for weight loss? Or is it, like, totally hormones? Like, you know, you'll see women being like, well, just wait until you're in perimenopause or menopause and then it's not all about calories. And then of course, you usually see men kind of arguing, being like, nope, it's all about like calories. And if you're truly in a calorie deficit, that's all that matters. So what are your thoughts on this debate? Oh, I love this question. And I'm gonna answer partially both of the sides. Right. I'll tell you why. Like um, every person is different. So if you're just talking about the females, like, you know, about the hormones and stuff, it does not really, you know, come down to the point that how much calories you're taking or in and out, it's how your body is metabolizing that. For example, insulin is the one that drives that. So if you're constantly having high insulin, it is independent of calories. Now your body is kind of just, you know, focus on that. It's going to be like storing fat, as I told you, it's going to have accumulation of visceral fat. So it is no longer calories in and out. But it also does not say that, you know, calories don't matter. Yeah. So you're just doing balancing both of these things. I would say it's both in some way. Hormones drive how you utilize your metabolism and how the other systems work in your body and how, like, other things are just, you know, being really being a state of a balance because your body always remember, like, if I have to say a simple analogy, forget scientific terms and everything. Your body. Everyone's body will try to find balance. If the balance is not there, it will. Like you'll see the effects. So if you're having a good. Like when we're talking about reverse dieting. Like 2000. More than 2000. But if your gut is super dysregulated or your hormones that can not even check your hormones, estradiol is constantly high. Your antibodies are high. You have inflammation. Even if, like a few months in, you will not see much effects, it'll be like I'm still inflamed. I do not lose what's happening. I'm having so much calories here and like, you know, reverse dieting. I'm not seeing this. I feel like it's partially right for both of that. Yeah, I totally agree. I think it's like, you know, from what I've learned through my continued education, you have to look at both sides. Like you can't only blame hormones if you haven't addressed the basic fundamentals of fat loss of like actually tracking your intake, actually lifting several times a week and get going for like daily walks and things like that. But also, if your hormones and gut are dysregulated constantly, you will struggle because your BMR is going to be affected by that. And like you said, it's kind of a cascade where it's not impossible. But those those aspects do make it almost like an uphill battle where everything about fat loss will just feel harder. Yeah. Yeah, that. That really is important. Yeah. That's true. Okay. Awesome. Thanks for answering that. Um, okay. So what are some examples of cases when hormones do affect daily energy expenditure or your basal metabolic rates? Just like in general, you know, you see it where it's like, hey, these are definitely going to affect fat loss. Yeah. So if I have to pinpoint again, I'll go back to estradiol for that because estradiol like affects mitochondria efficiency. So if you have like really like low estradiol or very high estradiol, your that system like you know, that kind of like gear is going to be all of like mitochondrial insufficiency is gonna just lead to more like insulin high levels and so many things connected to that. So you're not going to feel the effects of like, you know, weight loss. And even if you're going to see estradiol is also through phases. So you're going to see like again going back to cycles like, you know, certain days of my, you know, cycle, I'm really good. I like I look clean, but just two days before my beard, I looked puffy. I have gained weight. Why? Because maybe your estradiol is not like maybe to the point. Even progesterone, but just drawn has this very like. It has a thermogenic effect and it also bumps up metabolism and the little face. So if you have low progesterone you're not going to get that effect. Or maybe an ovulatory cycle because progesterone is only made after ovulation. So if you have some kind of like issues like disrupted ovulation, you're going to see that effect with that. But I feel like it's also a synergy of hormones. Like not just pinpointing one hormone. Like I like to look like, um, if it's like a very difficult case. Like if they are there cycles have changed. Like it's very heavy cycle. Suddenly like for the past few months, so many things are happening. Like they had no acne and now they're coming back with acne. Will have to run down like the testing and everything to see how the hormones are looking. And with my experience, I would say it's not just like estrogen and progesterone or like testosterone. It's also really important for libido, energy, bone density, muscle mass, all these things. If you have low testosterone. If you really want to, like, hit the gym. And I like to have really good stamina. If testosterone is not to the point, women need that. Like, women need a little bit of testosterone as well. Yeah. So you're gonna feel that energy, you know, always going to feel depleted, like drained out. And you just have to push through. So I feel like looking at all the things in synergy would really work for energy expenditure, basal metabolic rate, so many things. And main thing I would really focus on thyroid as well. Like as I said, thyroid is really important for your hormones and all the hormones and such. So if you're thyroid, if you have hypothyroidism, clinical hypothyroidism, like so many things it's going to affect your metabolism. You're going to have those kind of like effects on your body like you know, all the symptoms that are described before. So yeah, that's something that I look into okay. Yeah. And that's why it's just like this is why we have MEB on our team, because it's so important to be able to actually look at labs and interpret them and know what to do with that information, because otherwise this is all just so overwhelming, right? Like, it's it's. It's tough if you haven't studied this stuff. If you haven't gone to school for it, it's like, oh my gosh, I know that hormones matter, but like, what do I do with that information? And how do I actually get to a place where everything is functioning and, you know, working synergistically like you mentioned. So it's that's where like if there are deeper things going on, you need to work with someone who knows what they're talking about. They know how to actually interpret this stuff and look at labs and do something with that information to help you get to the root cause of what's going on. Okay. Um, okay. So when should women get a hormone panel? Like, speaking of getting labs, what are some key signs that. Okay, maybe I should get my labs looked at. Looked at, um, I would say, um, if it's like, cycle dependent, like, I would run the FSH follicle stimulating hormone, I would run the LH luteinizing hormone, prolactin. Uh, I would run testosterone, uh, estradiol. I would also run like, uh, dhea SHBG, like sex hormone binding, probably like the whole kind of club in the day three or day four of your periods. Okay. Only produce form only progesterone should be tested on day 21 because, as I said, it gets released after ovulation 5 to 7 days after ovulation. So that is how it's separate. So if you are really testing any day of like any day, like you know, you're not going to get accurate results because you need to know. First we need to know the prolactin, the, you know, testosterone, all these things on day three or black Max day four of your period. That is when you're menstruating because these hormones are already high. That's accurate. And then just the progesterone on day 21. But I would say it also like uh, I would say ideally everyone should get a testing done at least once a year or twice a year. Like what's happening with your hormones? Like I would give the full panel, the full thyroid panel, the hormones, you know, D3, vitamin D. So important vitamin D is actually called the period vitamin. So vitamin D iron because if you're like losing blood like again looking at the pattern of your cycles and your symptoms like if something is not budging something is not changing for you despite you doing all the changes. Let's run a lab like let's do look deeper into your hormones and teach you that. Because again, like insulin course or a tier one hormones and the tier two is DHEA and you know the precursor hormone pregnenolone. So and then the third tier is thyroid but it's not estrogen and melatonin. So there are tales of actually hormones like, you know, in your body. So if you look into those kind of like analysis at focus, we get deeper insights. And as we said that, like it's really good to have a focus and interpret results rather than just giving you kind of like, you know, kind of advice, which would maybe not work. Like it's really looking into root causes and giving you a perfect answer and an action plan. Yeah, totally. Oh my gosh, that's so helpful. Okay. Awesome. Yeah, I feel like especially, you know, I talk to women all the time who have like we've been through things like babies or heading into perimenopause or irregular cycles and all that. And it's just so important to have that data and actually look at what is going on before you can really like, move forward. So having that information is is really helpful. Really quickly pausing this episode to share with you guys a very exciting opportunity to get free labs. So if you are unsure of whether or not you have some hormonal complications going on, things feel out of whack. You've been experiencing symptoms, but labs feel very complicated to you. You don't know what to order. You don't know what labs to get. Then you definitely don't want to miss this opportunity. So if you want to join our giveaway for Free Labs, you can DM us at the Fit Underscore for Hiking Instagram page. Just DM us the word labs and all caps and that will enter you into the giveaway. Um, okay. So once that panel is done, how would they go about actually taking that information and applying it to like the daily routines, nutrition, exercise protocols, supplementation, things like that. So it's really subjective. But I, I think you answered my question as well. Like I look into all the systems, if I have to give you a very good protocol that taps into everything like nervous system regulation, your gut hormones as well, like your gut microbiome. Like, of course, like if you're someone's really working out, like, you know, if you're like, doing like, calories in calories, like those kind of focus as well. Are you really coping well? Like, is this just about weight or it is also about your bloating. Like, are you struggling with other symptoms? Because I feel, um, my aim and approach with women is to feel internally healthy and healing. Like not just physical transformation, but through the symptoms as well. Like, you should really feel energized. You should be able to do day to day capacity of things with good energy. So these things are important. So I'll make a very good like supplement protocol. But it's also like not going more into like patchwork strategies, like only giving foundational stuff which is important. What I've seen lately is like bitch is not really okay. And it's scary. Like, you know, like, um, giving a lot more supplements just to, you know, trying to fix one symptom, which is not okay. Like if you have, like high estrogen, if you have Candida or H. Pylori coming up back in your lab, it's not okay to give a lot more supplements. It's really important to look into foundations and drainage. Like I have a focus kind of approach, like doing foundations and drainage, like blood sugar balancing, like, you know, cortisol regulation as well, like teaching your lifestyle things before we tap into more functional, deeper things. Yeah, it's going to be my approach for that. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. And again, I think that's just why it's so important to if you are having these deeper issues, having someone who is looking at all of this. And that's really what I tried to create my own metabolic coaching to be, because that's what I would have wanted when I was going through all of this is not someone who's only looking at what are you doing for your workouts, or only looking at the nutrition, but actually taking into account all of the lifestyle components, what your labs are saying sleep, stress management, supplementation, protein, all of it. Instead of just like cherry picking 1 or 2 things like we have to kind of look at it holistically. Otherwise we're just going to constantly feel frustrated with the lack of results. Yeah. That's true. That's great. So what would you say are like five basic tips for overall hormone optimization that women listening today can start to apply right away. Okay. Um, I would say, like, ditch your coffee. If you're taking coffee first thing in the morning and focus on your breakfast. Like, I see a lot more women that I work with skipping breakfast, and they're like, oh, I just want to go to my gym or, like, workout or do cardio. Like, this is like going against your body. So I would really want to focus on breakfast. And the second reason is breakfast a really good breakfast with protein first approach, protein, fiber and complex carbs together really decides your energy intake and your mood throughout the day. So just giving breath, you're setting yourself up for a very like kind of a, you know, weather mood where you're not really okay. And also like dysregulated appetite responses because I see this often, like people are really confused between cravings and appetite like hunger cuz they don't really know now. Like is it cravings or am I really hungry? Like what is happening? And this is again really important to stabilize your blood sugar. So first step is to stabilize your blood sugar. And for that please skip your coffee first thing in the morning. Second is to also like, you know, utilize your moments after your meals. That's really important. Like, I know steps are important, but if you do like your steps or like walking 10 to 15 minutes after each meal, that is like improving insulin sensitivity. And you're also like focusing again on the blood sugar, and you feel like you're bloating and like your motility, gut motility is increasing as well. So you feel more relaxed. And that's really important. Um, the third thing I would say is to focus on polyphenols and antioxidants. I feel like we are like going into an environment of too much like, you know, stress state and like rush rush lifestyle. Like it's so much like stressors and chemicals and everything is just around there. So it's important to focus on polyphenols for your cycle, for your hormones. Like blueberries, pomegranate bone broth. Like, you know, blackberries. Like seeds. Everything is so much important. Like polyphenols, antioxidants. All these things are really going to help you with oxidative stress. So that's my tip. Uh, fourth would be to just, you know, cycle tracking, like, really look into your symptoms because, uh, before going into goals and everything, like, have you observed your cycle? I think every woman should really set up for that, like in your calendar or if, if you're really basic, if you don't know anything, it's started with the first day of your cycle. Like first day of your cycle is the day that you bleed. So start cycle tracking and then observe your symptoms like where is it falling? Like, do you feel more agitated in the neutral phase? Do you have hair loss? Do you have acne eruptions? Maybe in the little phase or in the ovulation phase and where it's happening so you understand your body better? And the fifth would be to of course like do a full panel like maybe run a very functional, deeper level panel to understand what's happening at cellular level in your hormones, in your entire body. And please work with a good fractional practitioner and get things started for you, like an action plan. Yeah, definitely. Because putting it off and trying to figure it out yourself is very difficult. So um. Awesome. That is really, really helpful. Thank you so much for joining us today. And listeners, if you're interested in working with MEB as your personal coach, um, if you know, if you're listening to this and like, a lot of this is resonating with you, you really want to get to the root of hormone imbalances, or you feel like something is really standing in the way of your results. You can apply at the coaching link. So there's an application link in the show notes. And when we're on our discovery call, just mention that you want to work with her, that you feel something's going on hormonally or within your gut, and we will make that happen. So thank you so much. This has been such a valuable episode for the girls. I hope that your listeners get a lot out of it, and I will chat with you in the next episode. Thanks for tuning into this episode of the fit for hiking podcast. As always, I hope it leaves you feeling inspired and informed on how to take your health and adventure into your own hands. For more content like this, be sure to follow along with my daily posts at Ponytail Underscore. On a trail that's ponytail underscore on a trail. You can also stay up to date on my new episodes being released at Fit Underscore for hiking, and find more free resources at ponytail on Etrailer.com. Happy and Healthy Trails.