Weight Gain and Adrenal Fatigue (Quiz)

Adrenals are the triangle-shaped endocrine glands that sit on top of the kidneys. They are no bigger than a walnut and weight less than a grape, but don’t let their size fool you; these powerful little endocrine glands manufacture and secrete steroid hormones such as cortisol, estrogen and testosterone that are essential to your health and vitality. They are responsible for regulating the stress response through the synthesis of corticosteroids and catecholamines.

Corticosteroids such as cortisol are a steroid hormones  involved in a wide range of physiologic systems such as stress and immune response, regulation of inflammation, carbohydrate and fat metabolism, protein break down, regulation of blood electrolyte levels, and behavior.

Catecholamines are chemical messengers derived from the amino acid tyrosine.The most plentiful are epinephrine (adrenaline), norepinephrine(noradrenaline) and  dopamine. Catecholamines are released by the adrenal glands as a hormone in situations of physical or mental stress or low blood sugar levels. Epinephrine and dopamine, act as neurotransmitters in the central nervous system and as hormones in the blood circulation. Norepinephrine is primarily a neurotransmitter of the peripheral sympathetic nervous system but is also present in the blood.

The main purpose of your adrenals is to enable your body to deal with stress. When adrenal hormones like cortisol are in balance, the protective anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidants activity help minimize negative and allergic reactions, to drugs, food allergies, environmental allergens, infection, and autoimmune disorders. Adrenal hormones impact the utilization of carbohydrates and fats, the conversion of fats and proteins into energy, the distribution of stored fat, normal blood sugar regulation, proper cardiovascular and gastrointestinal function and many more.

The adrenals don’t  know the difference between physical or mental stress so every type of stress from injury and disease to financial, work and relationship problems or just living in today’s world can trigger adrenal stress response. Constant exposure to stress severely weakens  the adrenals triggering inappropriate responds and release of hormones as a defense mechanism. This can lead to a variety of physical and psychological health problems that are themselves a further source of stress.

Hormones are powerful and can be very destructive to your body under prolong stress, they will steal your body’s proteins especially from bone tissue, and muscles to use them as fuel. Normally protein trigger fat- burning hormones but in survive state your body will hold on to fat energy around the vital organs in the stomach area and the face blockading the fat burning hormones.

Some of the causes and stressors that contribute to Adrenal Fatigue are: long periods of stress, one or more severely stressful events, extended periods of exhaustion, extended, severe or recurring respiratory infections, history of alcoholism and/or drug abuse, environmental sensitivities, diabetes (type II, adult onset), post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD), chronic illnesses or diseases………

The fat will form around your abdomen and sag over the belly. Stress hormone cortisol turns your buttocks, legs and arms muscle into sugar, causing loss of tone so your legs and arms will be thin and your buttocks sage.

A fat cushion can develop in your  lower neck and upper back area (“buffalo back”). Your face can become more red and round and eyes become puffy. Reddish stretch marks like can appear on your buttocks,stomach, arms, thighs and breasts. Your bones can become thinner (osteoporosis) and you may have muscle cramps in the calves at night. Woman  can develop acne, facial hair,  breasts atrophy, deeper voice and hair loss do to overproduction of male hormone androgen. As your adrenals weakened your ability to handle life’s stress will decrease, depression, fatigue, mental “fog”, and sleep deprivation will faithfully keep you company every day.

The good news is that you don’t have to live with these devastating symptoms. With nutritional and dietary support and lifestyle changes, your adrenals can recover. You can have a healthy and lasting weight loss, hormonal and neurotransmitter balance and the overall feeling of health and well-being.

Symptoms Associated with Fatigued Adrenals

Give each question a value ranging from 0-5 with “0” representing no symptoms at all and “5” representing severe symptoms

______ Get tire more easily

______ Fatigued, not usually relieved by sleep

______ Decreased ability to handle stress or pressure

______ Decreased in cognitive ability. (don’t think as clearly as used to)

______ Confused when hurried or under pressure (can’t  think)

______ Have unexplained fears/anxieties

______ Feel hopeless, disoriented and despair


______ Experience unexplained sadness


______ Experience forgetfulness (appointments, deadlines, personal possessions) more frequently?

______  Low blood pressure

______  Difficulty getting up in the morning

______  Need coffee or some other stimulant to get going in the morning

______  Usually feel my best after 6:00 PM

______ Indigestion, nervous stomach when tense

______ Nausea and vomiting for no apparent reason

______ Crave salt and/or foods high in salt

______ Crave sweet foods

______ Crave food high in fat and feel better with high fat foods

______ Working harder but accomplishing less


______ Feel increasingly cynical and disenchanted


______ Irritable, short-tempered


______ Feeling more disappointed with the people around you

______ Seeing family members and close friends less frequently

______ Avoid (too busy) making phone calls or reading reports or sending emails to friends

______ Get lightheaded or dizzy when rising rapidly from a sitting or lying position

______ Swollen ankles, worse in the evening

______ Lymph nodes in the neck swollen frequently

______ Experiencing aches, pains, headaches or lingering colds

______ Experiencing diminished sex drive

This gives you a general “yes” or “no” answer to the question, “Do I have Adrenal Fatigue”.

0 – 9 = you are doing fine

10 – 20 = stress is starting to show

21 – 30 = you are a candidate for “burnout”

31 and above = you are “burnout”

#weight #weightgain #adrenals #health #tired