Despite our best dieting efforts, many women entering peri-menopause or menopause, find they have unexplained weight gain, concentrated mostly around the waists and hips. Weight management that has worked for years suddenly does not work anymore! Calorie consumption has not increased, but those extra 10–20 pounds creep up. Women hear the same words over and over, it's that time of life, just accept the middle age spread.
You absolutely do not have to settle at this stage in your life. Peri-menopause and menopause may complicate the aging process, but hormone fluctuations, a decrease in thyroid function and insulin resistance often results in those extra pounds.
Hormones are part of your body's system wide biofeedback network which orchestrates appetite, metabolism, temperature regulation, digestion and so much more. Any chronic disturbance amongst these intricate systems, has the potential to cause weight gain, hot flashes, mood swings, headaches, hair loss and more. Often times the sudden onset is overwhelming and we easily lose sight of how to manage these changes.
A vital link between hormones and weight gain is insulin metabolism and body fat. Insulin resistance is a physiological condition where the natural hormone, insulin, becomes less effective at lowering blood sugars. The resulting increase in blood glucose may raise levels outside the normal range and cause adverse health effects and weight gain.
Another vital link between hormones and weight gain is low thyroid function. Millions of women suffer from low thyroid function especially in the peri-menopausal and post-menopausal years as metabolism declines. The conventional approach to thyroid problems is to treat the thyroid separate from the rest of the body. This just isn’t how your body works. The thyroid gland has an intimate relationship with the other glands in your endocrine system and interacts with them continuously. This is why thyroid dysfunction doesn’t always originate in the thyroid gland, and why thyroid health depends on the health of your entire endocrine system. Symptoms of hypothyroidism include fatigue, weight gain, depression, irregular periods, hair loss, and more
The next link lies between stress and body fat. Stress hormones, like cortisol, block weight loss. Cortisol is a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal gland. It is released in response to stress and a low level of blood glucocorticoids. Its primary functions are to increase blood sugar through gluconeogenesis, suppress the immune system and aid in fat, protein and carbohydrate metabolism. Despite adequate food, the body interprets prolonged stress as a famine, and can go into a hoarding mode, making women fat.
The connection between hormones and weight gain can become a vicious cycle. Many of us combine a high-stress life with a low-fat, high-carb diet. This creates such a powerful hormonal imbalance that weight gain is almost inevitable. In addition, high-carb diets cause neurotransmitter imbalances leading to food cravings. When your body can’t readily maintain optimal blood sugar and serotonin levels, you are driven to snacking and caffeine to keep yourself going. Unfortunately these quick fixes only exacerbate insulin resistance and add to body fat and weight gain.
The same metabolic set point does not hold true for our body as it did before menopause. As we age, our metabolism slows down. Weight gain is often a result of this process. As we approach menopause, the best option we have as women, is to commit to a healthy aging lifestyle. Healthy aging encompasses five pillars: proper diet, exercise, nutritional supplementation, stress reduction and optimal hormone balance. It takes the commitment to all five pillars to maintain optimal health in your 40's and beyond.
When we hear the words" hormone replacement", most women immediate think Estrogen and Progesterone. Estrogen and Progesterone are feel good hormones for women, however, Thyroid is our metabolism hormone, DHEA is our adrenal hormone and Testosterone is our strength, energy and libido hormone. Replenishing all sub-optimal hormones and maintaining optimal levels are vital to a healthy endocrine system. The focus of a hormone replacement program should be based on principals of responsible medical care. Finding a hormone replacement program and a knowledgeable physician will make this journey a success.
While hormones play an important role in the aging process, restoring their optimal function is not always a simple answer to weight loss. Hormones or lack of hormones may be partially responsible for making women gain weight but replenishing hormones is not a quick weight loss fix. Hormones often make women feel good again. Feeling good goes hand in hand with increased energy, strength and stamina. Balanced hormones, a proper diet and exercise program are the key to successful weight loss.
Menopause is no reason to accept limitations. These can be the best years of our lives. Committing to a lifestyle of proper diet, exercise, stress reduction, nutritional supplementation and optimal hormone balance, will help every woman regain a positive outlook for the next half of life.
Jenifer Krup, M.D.
