No matter how many salads I ate, no matter how many yoga classes I attended, the numbers on the scale refused to budge," Dhara thought to herself. She blamed her eating habits for her stubborn weight gain until a visit to her doctor revealed the real culprit: hormonal imbalance. Like Dhara, many people struggle with weight issues because of hormonal imbalances rather than their lifestyles. These signs can be identified early, and the real cause could then be diagnosed and remedied.

Weight issues are not the result of diet and exercise. Hormones also affect metabolism and hunger and the rate in which fat is stored. According to this chiropractor and acupuncturist, Dr Pranav Vyas based in Chicago suburbs, took to social platform TikTok and shared five signs that hormones could be ruining the fat-loss game:

1. Difficulty Losing Weight Despite Effort

You have tried all of the fad diets, exercise routines, and counted calories but no movement in scale. It may be hormonal imbalance.

Some of the main hormones that significantly affect weight loss include insulin which is associated with regulation of blood sugar level and cortisol, which is your stress hormone. High cortisol enhances activity of hunger and appetite and keeps metabolism from working effectively. No dieting will be enough to get you off those excess pounds with such a hormonal imbalance.

2. Stubborn Midsection Fat

Well if you happen to have a "beer belly" or "muffin top" that refuses to budge, hormones may be a part of the problem. For men: Decreased testosterone leads to increased fat accumulation around the center of the abdomen. Fat tissue itself makes things worse because the body converts testosterone into estrogen from the fat cells. For women: Menopause typically brings about a decline in estrogen, redistribution of fat to the center of the body.

These hormonal imbalances make it incredibly difficult to lose belly fat through dieting or exercise alone.

3. Weight Gain in Hips, Thighs, or Buttocks

If your weight is piling on the lower body, estrogen might be the cause. For example, it has been noted that as women advance toward menopause, their estrogen levels become low, leading to noticeable changes in the distribution of fats. Weight gain in those areas may also be associated with the other manifestations of menopause like flashes of heat or mood swings.

4. Loss of Muscles and Flabbiness

Are your work out making you flabber rather than strong? To date, while exercising regularly, loss of muscle can be linked with hormonal imbalances. Stress elevates levels of cortisol, which contributes to the degradation of muscle tissue. Low testosterone and estrogen contribute to low muscle mass. This impacts metabolism and helps in weight gain.

Minimal body muscles make your body burn less calories hence gaining weight is hard as well.

5. Increased Appetite

Be to blame ghrelin, the "hunger hormone"

Ghrelin signals your brain to feed, although it can stimulate overeating at high levels. This may cause:

- Calorie restriction

- Poor sleep

- Certain diseases such as metabolic syndrome

Might you regain weight after weight loss even when you have decreased considerably? It is possible due to the reason that even when you have lost substantial weight, increased ghrelin levels will make it difficult to retain the weight lost and lead to cycles of weight regain.

What to Do Next?

If these symptoms ring any bells, it is time to see a doctor. Hormonal imbalance can be controlled by:

• Lifestyle modifications (stress management, good sleep).
• Medical treatment in the form of hormone therapy or medicines.
• Nutrition change harmonized with proper hormonal balance.

4 Effective Exercises to Help Manage Hormonal Weight Gain

Strength Training: Focus on weightlifting or bodyweight exercises like squats, lunges, and push-ups to build muscle. Muscle burns more calories, boosting metabolism and reducing fat storage, especially around the midsection.

HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training): Alternate between short bursts of intense activity and rest to burn fat more efficiently and increase metabolism.

Yoga: Poses like Downward Dog and Warrior help reduce stress, balancing cortisol levels, which can aid in weight management and muscle retention.

Cardio: Activities like brisk walking, running, or cycling can improve overall fat loss, supporting hormonal balance and helping reduce weight.

“I would have been thinking, ‘How many calories in that croissant? How long is it going to take me to work it off? If I have the croissant, I won’t be able to have dinner.’ I’d still be thinking about that damn croissant!” This morning, however, she is blissfully unbothered: “I felt nothing. The only thing I thought was, ‘I need to clean up these crumbs.’ ” These are the thoughts that would come to Oprah Winfrey's mind whenever she would try to eat something butter, she shared in an interview with PEOPLE. However, now, she can eat a croissant, like a croissant, without being obsessed about it for an entire day. “I’ve just had a croissant. And I ate the full thing,” she said describing her breakfast.

Winfrey started taking GLP-1 weight-loss jabs two and a half years ago, when she thought that she suffers from obesity and she cannot fight it without help. “I thought it was about discipline and willpower. But I stopped blaming myself,” said Winfrey.

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From Diet Culture to Self-Blame

These medications transformed the way she looked at life. As she soon turns 72 on January 29, she no longer sees exercise as a punishment. She said she could be happily "side-planking and deadlifting." She now no longer drinks alcohol. “I could outdrink everyone at the table,” she notes with a laugh) and is amazed that she’s satisfied after she eats. “I’m not constantly punishing myself,” she says. “I hardly recognize the woman I’ve become. But she’s a happy woman.” She told PEOPLE.

Winfrey's weight has always been a struggle for her, especially when she read painful headlines like 'Oprah - Fatter Than Ever' or 'Oprah Warned: 'Diet or Die''. In fact, in her first appearance on The Tonight Show in 1985, she was goaded into agreeing to lose 15 lbs. by hot Joan Rivers. While she became the one-name star, she always remained aware about her weight. “I’ve always been confident in whatever I was doing, but I was at the same time disappointed in my overweight body. “Was I embarrassed by it? Yes. Was I disappointed in myself for continuing to fail? Yes, every single time. I felt it was my fault,” she writes in her book, co-authored by obesity expert Dr Ania M Jastreboff: Enough: Your Health, Your Weight and What It's Like to Be Free.

She wrote that she “felt doubly shameful because I have access to so much: chefs and trainers and the healthiest of foods.”

For decades, Oprah Winfrey lived under a microscope, her body turning into both public spectacle and personal battleground. She now openly admits that while she endured relentless humiliation, she also helped normalize weight shaming herself. In 1988, she survived four months on liquid shakes alone, famously dragging a wagon filled with 67 pounds of fat onto her show to prove she could fit into size 10 jeans. Years later, she lost 20 pounds simply because Vogue suggested it before a cover shoot. At the time, it felt like willpower. In hindsight, it felt like survival.

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When the Body Pushes Back

No diet or discipline seemed to last. No matter how hard she tried, her weight kept returning to 211 pounds, what experts now call a biological “set point.” Even after knee surgery in 2021, daily hikes and eating one meal a day, her body resisted. Ten-mile hikes still resulted in weight gain. The message was clear: this was not a motivation problem.

How Did GLP-1 Medication Transform Oprah Winfrey?

Everything shifted in 2023 when Winfrey hosted a special on obesity and had what she calls an epiphany. She finally understood obesity as a disease, not a personal failure. That realization cracked years of shame. GLP-1 medications, which she had earlier dismissed, suddenly felt like a medical tool rather than a moral shortcut. Starting the injections felt like relief, even a gift.

She briefly stopped the medication in early 2024, believing lifestyle changes alone might be enough. The weight returned. That’s when she accepted the truth: this would be lifelong care, not a phase. Now, she describes GLP-1 as a way to quiet the constant mental chatter around food. The “food noise” faded, replaced by calm, strength, and clarity.

Today, it’s not about a number on the scale. It’s about peace. Better health markers. Deeper relationships. Even unexpected changes, like losing interest in alcohol. Winfrey’s message is simple but radical: if obesity runs in your genes, it’s not your fault. And you deserve compassion, information, and real choices.

When it comes to losing weight, most people put all their energy into workouts and diet plans, often forgetting one crucial part of the process: mindset. How you think about fitness, food, and consistency plays a major role in whether weight loss feels like a struggle or becomes a sustainable habit. Shifting your approach can make shedding extra kilos feel more manageable and long-lasting.

If staying healthy and losing weight are the goals for the coming year, Raj Ganpath, a fitness coach with over 18 years of experience and the founder of The Quad in Chennai, shares six simple but effective principles to keep in mind. He outlined these points in an Instagram post on 29 December.

6-Step Weight-Loss Plan From A Fitness Coach

1. Eat Less

“You need to eat less,” Raj says plainly. However, he said that this does not mean starving yourself or cutting out all your favourite foods. Instead, it is about being mindful of portion sizes and recognising how often we tend to overeat without realising it. According to him, consistent overeating is one of the most common reasons people struggle to lose weight. Paying attention to how much you eat, even when the food is healthy, can make a noticeable difference over time.

2. Eat Well

Eating less alone is not enough if the quality of food is poor. Raj explains that eating well means choosing nutrient-dense foods that support your body. This includes prioritising protein, vegetables, and whole foods, while reducing items that offer little nutritional value. Sugary snacks, deep-fried foods, and heavily processed or starchy items may be comforting, but they do not help when weight loss is the goal. Making better food choices more often than not builds a strong foundation for fitness.

3. Exercise Regularly

Consistency matters more than intensity. Raj advises exercising at least three days a week, with an ideal range of five to six days if possible. The exact form of exercise is less important than showing up regularly. However, he stresses that strength training should be included at least twice a week. Building muscle supports metabolism and overall strength, making weight loss more effective and sustainable in the long run.

4. Move Often

Exercise sessions alone are not enough if the rest of the day is spent sitting. Raj encourages regular movement throughout the day, separate from structured workouts. Simple activities like walking more frequently can add up. He suggests aiming for at least 6,000 steps daily, with 8,000 or more being a better target. This kind of movement supports fat loss, improves circulation, and keeps the body active beyond the gym.

5. Sleep More

Sleep is often ignored, yet it plays a direct role in weight management. “Most of us don’t sleep enough,” Raj points out. Even going to bed 20 to 30 minutes earlier each night can help. He recommends a minimum of six hours of sleep, with seven hours being ideal. Proper rest supports hormone balance, recovery, and energy levels, all of which influence appetite, motivation, and workout performance.

6. Manage Stress

Stress is unavoidable, and Raj acknowledges that no one can live a completely stress-free life. What matters is how stress is handled. Managing stress allows you to stay consistent with healthy habits instead of turning to food, skipping workouts, or neglecting sleep. Whether it is through exercise, meditation, time outdoors, or personal downtime, finding ways to cope with stress is essential for long-term health and weight loss.

Diet And Exercise Works Together For Weight Loss

Weight loss is most effective when diet and exercise work hand in hand. Diet helps create the calorie deficit needed for fat loss, while exercise protects muscle mass, boosts metabolism, and improves heart and bone health.

Strength training is especially important because muscle burns more calories at rest. While diet controls calorie intake, exercise prevents muscle loss, which can otherwise slow metabolism. Together, they create a balanced and sustainable approach that supports lasting results, healthier habits, and reduced chances of regaining weight.

Everyone wants to age better, look young, stay young, even at heart. Celebrities like Bryan Johnson, too is obsessed with living forever. While living forever may not be a thing now, but Dr Eric Topol, cardiologist, tells the Wall Street Journals that there are ways one could age in a healthy way.

Dr Topol wanted to see if there were in fact "super agers", people who were born with genes that would help them age better. However, the key is in how they take care of their bodies and not necessarily in the genes. Topol, who is now 70, told the publication that he is now taking his own advice on healthy aging.

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Here are the 7 science-backed tips he shared:

Exercise

"I’ve always been an exercise enthusiast. As a cardiologist, I always used to think, do aerobic exercise. But all the studies show resistance or strength training is really important too," he says. As per the National Institute on Aging, US, resistance training is crucial for aging because it combats age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia), boosts metabolism, strengthens bones, improves balance, enhances cognitive function, and supports heart or metabolic health, helping older adults stay mobile, independent, and reduce disease risk, making it a powerful anti-aging strategy for body and mind.

Sleep

The doctor explains that "many people think they need eight hours of sleep. Studies show seven hours is optimum. I’ve learned how important it is to have a set and early bed time. I’ve been able to increase my average deep sleep substantially by having my data and learning how what I eat and when I exercise affect it." He says that he used Apple smartwatch to track his sleep.

Diet

The doctor shares that he is especially "religious" about reading labels on the food items he buys. “Ultra-processed foods should be reduced to the lowest amount possible. When I read labels for things like whipped cream cheese or different brands of ice cream, they are chock-full of ultra-processed ingredients,” he shares.

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What can you eat? Dr Topol mostly eats salad, with oil-and-vinegar dressing, packed with protein like salmon or chicken.

Protein

The doctor says that protein is a must. He says that the dietary allowance for protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram of a person’s weight for adults. However, he does warn people against overdoing on protein intake, as studies show that very high protein diets could lead to atherosclerosis.

Testing

Repeated testing and screening is a key to lead a healthy life. “I am trying to assemble a full stack of data we all need. I have had my genome sequenced, my gut microbiome tested, I have used organ clocks...There are anywhere between 6,000 and 11,000 proteins in your blood that can tell about the aging of organs...” he says.

Daily screening also help one stay ahead of any disease, as early detection could lead to shorter span of disease and has a better recovery rate.

Aging Supplements

“I don’t think any antiaging supplements have been proven. Taurine is a possible candidate. As we age, we see lower levels of taurine in the blood, and that is correlated with more inflammation,” he says. He, however also warns that these supplements need trials.

He also warns against Rapamycin, which is an FDA approved drug. It is used to help prevent organ rejection in transplant patients by suppressing the immune system. Dr Topol points out, “the last thing you want to do as you get older is to suppress the immune system”.

Mental Health

His advice to his patient is to spend more time outdoors. He says that he too has started doing the same thing.