Costa Mesa anti-aging medicine expert, Dr. Alija Ali offers fully comprehensive, non-invasive, and natural Bioidentical Hormone Therapy to Orange County patients to help reach their body composition goals.

Weight loss seems simple: eat well, hydrate, get your steps in, maybe weight train or hit a fitness class three or four times a week, sleep… and yet, somehow, we still find ourselves scouring the internet for answers. Our google histories begin telling the story of our deepest insecurities with searches like: “how to loose belly fat”, and “visceral fat”, “burn belly fat fast”, and “belly fat exercises”.

The truth is, keto and atkins diets, weight loss pills, and surgeries can be painful, restrictive, and cause health complications and further risks. And, they are only targeting the symptom of your dismay, instead of actually going after the underlying cause of your stubborn fat deposits: imbalanced hormones. Bioidentical hormone expert, Dr. Alija Ali offers weight loss expertise and understand your concerns and is determined to help you cut through the false promises–and fat. Dr. Alija Ali takes away the guesswork and creates fully customized and comprehensive anti-aging medicine plans for safe and natural treatment that helps rid Costa Mesa women of their problem areas as well as other hormonal symptoms to optimize their total sustainable mental, physical and emotional wellbeing.

Call Costa Mesa anti-aging medicine specialist, Alija Ali D.O. at (949) 889-3102 to schedule your bioidentical hormone replacement consultation today!

Hormones That Influence Weight Gain And Retention

It can be despairing to discover that weight loss isn’t always as straightforward as working out and eating well, but knowing and addressing the hormones at play can change your life forever. The hormones that are impacting your weight include:

Different forms of estrogen contribute to metabolism, maintaining cholesterol levels, improving bone health, and balancing our mood. Estrogen also acts to retain salt and water leading up to a menstrual cycle.

Women with decreased levels of estrogen (such as during menopause) often find that they gain weight in their thighs and hips. Many times, their mood drops as well, discouraging them from going to the gym, and causing them to lose lean muscle mass.

Progesterone helps to balance insulin sensitivities, maintain metabolism and thyroid hormones, and our libido. Levels increase when your body is preparing to mensurate to balance our estrogen–preventing increased swelling. It is also an appetite stimulus, preventing you from undereating when estrogen levels ramp up for the possibility of pregnancy.

When estrogen and progesterone become scarce, the male sex hormone, testosterone comes to the forefront. While testosterone is effective for growth and maintenance of muscle mass and metabolism, as well as endurance and stamina, too much can lead to insulin-resistance and the dreaded abdominal fat buildup.

When you ingest sugar, your body has two options: use it for energy or keep it as fat. Insulin is the hormone that dictates how the glucose (sugar) is going to be utilized. Consuming too much sugar can wear out your pancreas, causing it to over-produce insulin and causing you to develop insulin resistance. Now that your body isn’t being told how to effectively remove glucose from the blood, it starts to store it as excess fat. This leads to prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, and, of course, fat gain.

Leptin is your checks and balances hormone between food consumed and energy used. Healthy levels of leptin release themselves during the day to quell the hunger pangs that might cause you to overeat. Unfortunately, as you lose weight, the fat tissue that stores leptin depletes, causing you to feel hungrier. Sadly this means that if you’re in the middle of a weight loss spree, your appetite can spike, causing you to undo the hard work you’ve put in.

Ghrelin is the hunger hormone, which basically provides the opposite effect of leptin. Produced in your gut, ghrelin travels through your blood stream to tell your brain it’s time to eat. Human bodies really don’t like to starve, but we can get so caught up in our goings-on that we can forget to eat, which is where ghrelin comes in to save the day.

However, ghrelin can increase when we diet, gain fat weight, or get poor sleep. When our other hormones begin to fluctuate, ghrelin can skyrocket, leading to emotional or binge eating.

Thyroid dysfunction has become more well known in the past decade. Many people have heard of hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism. As your thyroid creates and releases hormones that regulate your metabolism and contribute to your general body-mass index, it is a gland that when imbalanced, can cause major damage.

Hypothyroidism is an underactive thyroid, releasing fewer hormones and generally the culprit of the two when it comes to gaining or holding onto unwanted weight. Healing thyroid malfunction can be an excellent first step to your weight loss goals.

Believe it or not, cortisol is an extremely useful steroid hormone that helps to regulate metabolism, inflammatory responses, salt and water balance, blood pressure, muscle mass, cognitive functions, diurnal rhythm, and more. When we aren’t getting enough sleep, or we’re stressed out, our body releases cortisol in an attempt to regulate and push us into fight or flight. This can cause increased appetite and cravings for salty and sugary foods, as well as cause us to become fatigued or depressed. These can lead to weight gain and retention, and prevent you from seeing that release of stubborn fat that you long for.

Adequate amounts of restful sleep is the best thing you can do for your health. Having a balanced level of melatonin can work wonders on appetite control and suppressing cravings, body and muscle recovery, retaining lean muscle mass, reducing stress, improving focus, and more.

If you are melatonin deficient, you may discover salt and sugar cravings, mid-day fatigue, more difficulty in the gym, irrational moods, and general lower levels of functioning. All of these factors can hinder your weight loss efforts, even causing weight gain.

While a certain amount of weight gain and weight retention is expected as women age (particularly after menopause), it does not mean that you should have to simply accept it. In fact, that stubborn weight still poses the same risks whether it is an indication of habits or hormones.

Belly fat has been linked to several long term health complications including:

  • Type 2 Diabetes
  • High Blood Pressure
  • Sleep Disturbances (Sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, and insomnia)
  • Breathing Difficulties
  • Heart Disease
  • High or Low Cholesterol
  • Premature Death

Luckily, hormonal weight gain or retention requires less intrusion into your daily life and activities. By tackling your weight retention through rebalancing your hormones, you can enjoy the benefits of, not just seeing the weight go down, but also a increased energy and cognitive function, better sleep, improved mood, and so much more!

Women’s hormone specialist, Alija Ali D.O. has helped countless patients in Costa Mesa shed the unwanted pounds – and keep them off – with anti-aging medicine treatments.

Find Answers To Frequently Asked Questions About BHRT

Beginning a Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) protocol typically comes with several questions. We’ve gathered some of the most common questions related to starting BHRT and answered them here below. If you have any further questions or need any clarification, please contact Dr. Ali at (949) 889-3102.

How Is BHRT Different From Regular HRT?

The main difference between bioidentical HRT and other forms of HRT is the kind of hormones that are used. In regular HRT, the synthetic hormones used contain additional chemical components that allow the drug manufacturers to patent their chemicals. At best, these added components do nothing for you. At worst, your body may recognize them as foreign chemicals and they may cause unpleasant side effects.

In BHRT, the hormones used are bioidentical, which means that they are the exact chemical structure as the hormones naturally produced in your body. This means there is no risk of your body not accepting them. Plus, they are derived from natural plant sources such as yams and soy.

Can I Buy Bioidentical Hormones Online?

While you may find websites claiming to sell bioidentical hormones, there are many risks involved in purchasing hormones online. First, it is often difficult to trace the origin of these products, meaning they may not be regulated for accuracy. This leads into the second problem, which is that it is very hard to be sure of the ingredients of these products. You may not be getting hormones at all!

Even if you find legitimate bioidentical hormones online, without seeing a doctor you can’t know for certain which hormones you need, what dose you need them in and what form of BHRT will work best for you. Here at Dr. Ali, you will receive proper care and treatment while experiencing minimal side effects.

What Form Does BHRT Come In?

Bioidentical hormones are prepared by a compounding pharmacy where they are produced into several forms including: pills, patches, subdermal pellets, creams, injections and more. Everyone responds to these various forms differently, and your BHRT doctor can help find the form that will most benefit you and your body.

What Is The Cost Of BHRT?

The cost of BHRT varies by the hormones needed, the doses needed, the form of BHRT, and the length of time that you receive treatment. For a more accurate quote, please call Dr. Ali at (949) 889-3102 to schedule a consultation.

Is BHRT Covered By My Insurance?

Because insurance plans and providers vary considerably, there is no way for us to provide a blanket statement. Your plan may cover BHRT under certain circumstances. The best course of action is to call Dr. Ali at (949) 889-3102 to discuss whether we accept your current insurance plan and provider. After you call us, we recommend contacting your insurance provider as a follow-up to ensure that your treatment is covered or to discuss how your treatment may be covered.

Are Bioidentical Hormones Safe?

When prescribed and supervised by a BHRT doctor, BHRT is generally safe. Any risks or side effects associated with your particular treatment will be reviewed thoroughly before you begin BHRT.

What Conditions Are Treated With BHRT?

Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy is used to treat a number of conditions caused by hormone imbalance or that result in hormone imbalance. In some cases, BHRT is used to treat the underlying condition while in others it is used to treat the symptoms. You can find some common conditions that BHRT may be used to treat listed above.

What If My Question Is Not Listed Here?

Patients often have a great many questions before beginning BHRT. We will be happy to answer any questions that you may have before, during and after treatment. Contact Dr. Ali today with any further questions or to schedule your initial consultation.

Start Feeling Better With A Customized BHRT Plan Today!

Costa Mesa Weight Loss Resistance Treatment

Step Into a Healthier You.

Call (949) 889-3102 today to speak with Dr. Alija Ali and get ready to conquer your weight loss goals!

Anti-Aging Medicine doctor, Alija Ali D.O. of Dr. Beauty MD treats patients struggling with weight loss resistance in Costa Mesa and Irvine, Santa Ana, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Anaheim, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Garden Grove, Fullerton, Orange, Tustin, Fountain Valley, Westminster, Yorba Linda, Laguna Beach, San Juan Capistrano, Mission Viejo, Lake Forest, Buena Park, Seal Beach, La Habra, Whittier, Torrance, Downey, Redondo Beach, San Pedro, Inglewood, Rancho Palos Verdes, Norwalk, Brea, Diamond Bar, Chino Hills, Chino, Riverside, Ontario, Corona, Moreno Valley, Oceanside, Carlsbad, Vista, Escondido.