Stay Healthy This Fall

by Deborah Maragopoulos FNP | Dec 12, 2023 | Hypothalamus, Men's Health, Women's Health | 0 comments

Does your health shift with the seasons? Yes?

Let's talk about how to stay healthy in the fall.

Every Fall Equinox I am reminded of the very first time in over 20 years, I did not suffer from seasonal affective disorder. In the spring of 2000, I started taking hypothalamus support - the beta version of Sacred Seven® amino acids.

By the fall as the days started to get shorter and the nights longer, I began craving orange vegetables - pumpkin, yams, butternut squash - couldn't get enough of them. And for the first time ever, I did not have seasonal affective disorder. With hypothalamic nutraceutical support, I was craving what my body needed to keep my brain chemistry balanced. Your hypothalamus controls your moods, memory, and metabolism and is extremely sensitive to your nutritional status.

Your hypothalamus is also very sensitive to the changing seasons.

What's happening hormonally during the fall?

After high output all summer, your adrenal glands need a break. You may have some cortisol spikes at night that actually wake you up, while low daytime cortisol makes you tired. Cellular metabolism slows down leading to gain in fat - especially around your middle as you prepare for the winter to come.

Here are the five things you can do to thrive in the fall.

1. Your hypothalamus is the master controller of all your hormones, neurotransmitters, and immune factors.

Since taking Genesis Gold®, for over 20 years, my hypothalamus naturally guides me to eat the foods my body needs, get enough activity for the season, adjust my sleep routine, and even helps to shift my mindset towards seasonal healing. Staying healthy in the fall is even more important now that I have a granddaughter in preschool who brings home all kinds of germs.

With the support of Genesis Gold®, I don't catch the myriad of preschool viruses.

Your hypothalamus communicates with you through cravings, even through dreams. If you pay attention, you’ll have better health physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Supporting your hypothalamus nutraceutically helps you transition gracefully through the seasons.

2. Consume a healthy fall diet.

If your diet stays the same all year, your body's not going to get the nutrition it needs. As the fall vegetation shifts, it's time to start shifting your diet. Eat what's locally grown and in season. You may be craving more carbohydrates, because you need to make more serotonin so you can make more melatonin and sleep through the longer autumn nights. You still need adequate protein and fat, but you may need to eat a little more carbohydrates, especially in the evening time.

If you're trying to lose weight, you will want to eat your carbohydrates before dusk to increase your daytime serotonin. The most nutritious carbohydrates are those orange vegetables - rich in fiber as well as minerals and vitamins, especially beta carotene.

3. Get active.

Lots of people slow down as the days get shorter, but your brain chemistry is better balanced and you’ll sleep better if you exercise early in the day. For a healthy metabolism, try to get aerobic exercise daily with some strength training and stretching throughout the week.

Exercising in the evening spikes your cortisol wand and will interfere with your ability to fall asleep.

4. Get enough sleep.

In the fall, sleep is definitely affected. You feel like you need more sleep as the nights are getting longer but you may be having trouble falling asleep. It's super important that you pay attention to your nighttime rituals. Your hypothalamus actually remembers your nighttime rituals and will produce sleep hormones if you stick with a routine.

Establishing a good sleep routine that actually helps you to fall asleep, adjusting it with the time, will make a big difference in getting enough sleep. Adults need at least seven to nine hours of sleep a night. Waking up with the sun can help to reset your metabolism, with adequate dopamine and cortisol.

5. Adopt a healthy mindset.

The fall is the time to let go of beliefs and actions that are no longer serving you. You can't start new healthy habits unless you let go of the old ones that are holding you back. I like to make a list of all the things I'm ready to release - habits, beliefs, even relationships. Whatever is no longer serving your highest good - fall is a good time to let it go.

I write down what I wish to release and then burn the list. Releasing what is no longer serving your divine purpose allows room for new growth. Just like trees lose their leaves every fall to allow new growth in spring.

Stay Healthy in the Fall

So to stay healthy in the fall, you need to support your hypothalamus nutraceutically with Genesis Gold®, eat nutritious foods, be sure you're getting enough activity, make sure you're getting seven to nine hours of sleep, and let go of those beliefs, habits, and thoughts that are not allowing you to reach your highest potential.

If you have any questions about seasonal health and your hypothalamus please join us in our Hormone Reboot Training.

Resources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5323254/

Frequently Asked Questions:

Can your hypothalamus cause weight gain?

Yes. The hypothalamus is the master regulator of metabolism, controlling how your body stores and burns energy through its signaling to the thyroid, adrenals, and pancreas. When the hypothalamus becomes dysregulated by chronic stress, poor sleep, inflammation, or blood sugar instability, it defends a higher weight "set point" — causing the body to hold onto fat regardless of diet or exercise. This makes hypothalamic dysfunction an upstream root cause of stubborn weight gain.

What is a weight set point and why won't mine move?

A weight set point is the body weight your hypothalamus works to defend, calibrated over time by stress, sleep, hormones, and inflammation. When you diet, the hypothalamus perceives scarcity and responds by slowing metabolism, increasing hunger hormones, and suppressing satiety signals to return you to that set point. This is why most people regain lost weight within two to five years of conventional dieting — the set point itself was never recalibrated, only temporarily overridden.

Why do I gain weight under stress even when I'm not eating more?

Chronic stress raises cortisol, which disrupts blood sugar regulation, promotes abdominal fat storage, and signals the hypothalamus that the body is under threat. In survival mode, the hypothalamus defends fat stores and slows metabolism — so weight can increase even without any change in calorie intake. The stress chemistry, not the food, is driving the weight gain, which is why stress reduction is essential to any lasting metabolic reset.

Why do I regain weight after stopping GLP-1 medications?

GLP-1 medications work peripherally on appetite and gastric signaling, but they do not address the underlying hypothalamic dysregulation that sets your defended weight. Because the hypothalamic set point is never recalibrated, the body resumes defending its original weight once the medication stops — leading to significant regain. Long-term success requires restoring hypothalamic regulation so the set point itself lowers, rather than relying on appetite suppression alone.

How long does it take to reset your metabolism?

Genuine metabolic recalibration takes a minimum of 90 days, because the hypothalamus needs consistent signals of safety and sufficiency before it will lower its defended set point. This differs from a diet, which produces temporary suppression the body quickly corrects. A 90-day reset typically moves through three phases: stabilizing stress chemistry (days 1–30), rebuilding metabolic efficiency (days 31–60), and lowering the weight set point (days 61–90).

Why does my thyroid feel slow even though my labs are "normal"?

Under chronic stress, the body converts thyroid hormone into reverse T3, which blocks active thyroid receptors and slows metabolism at the cellular level — even when standard lab values appear normal. This means you can experience genuine symptoms of slow metabolism, such as fatigue, cold intolerance, and brain fog, while your thyroid panel looks unremarkable. Addressing the upstream hypothalamic and stress signaling often improves thyroid conversion and symptoms.

Is stubborn weight gain a willpower problem?

No. Stubborn weight gain is a signaling problem, not a willpower problem. The hypothalamus governs weight through survival mechanisms that operate below conscious control — defending its set point by slowing metabolism and increasing hunger when it perceives threat. No amount of discipline can override this system; lasting change comes from restoring hypothalamic regulation through reduced stress, balanced blood sugar, restorative sleep, and targeted nutritional support.

About the Author - Deborah Maragopoulos FNP

Known as the Hormone Queen®️, I’ve made it my mission to help everyone - no matter their age - balance their hormones, and live the energy and joy their DNA and true destiny desires. See more about me my story here...

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Last Updated: December 11, 2023