Is It Possible to Lose Weight Around Menopause?
When I visit the gym, I see other women and men in their forties through sixties working the machines like their life depended on it. They run the treadmill forty-five minutes, they use the stair climber another ten or fifteen, then they push themselves in the weight room, or they skip all of that and do aerobics class for an hour. At the end of the day, they get on the scale and grumble that there’s no change. But there is a big change going on and it’s the reason that you can’t lose that pesky weight.
I bet there are some questions you are asking yourself right now.
What Do Hormones Have to Do with Weight Gain?
As we age, our hormones wane and especially during pre-menopause and menopause there are hormone fluctuations which unfortunately lead to an increase in fat storage. Additionally, falling estrogen levels increase your urge to snack on inflammatory foods like carbs and sugar, due to insulin sensitivity. We also lose 5% muscle mass every year from the age of 30. During menopause and andropause (for men) some people experience problems sleeping, and this can cause weight gain.
Our changing bodies affect our lifestyle, our health, our sleep, our day to day tasks and our activities. But, how can we stay on top of the problem, when it seems nothing works? First of all, it’s not only our hormones that change, our caloric needs change as we age, so as a result, if we continue to eat like we did when we were younger, we will pack on the pounds.
How Can I Fight the Fat after 40?
Knowing why your body is doing what It’s doing is key to making the right adjustments that can benefit your health and your weight loss goals.
So take these three steps to fight the fat after 40:
- Get your hormones tested and interpreted and balanced by a functional medicine doctor.
- Reduce your caloric intake.
- Find a non-surgical body contouring program to assist you with those difficult areas.
These three fat-burning hacks can help you make progress even during menopause and andropause.