It’s important to understand that gaining weight, especially around the abdomen, during perimenopause and as one approaches menopause is very common.
Gaining 10-30 pounds during this time is normal. But it doesn’t have to be normal.
The association between hormones and weight is an intricate one. But one vital link we are sure of is that between insulin, metabolism, and body fat. Years of a highly processed carbohydrate diet can cause a condition known as insulin resistance. When one is insulin resistant, the body naturally starts to convert more calories into fat.
Another important link during this time exists between stress and body fat. Stress hormones, like cortisol, will significantly hinder any weight loss attempts.
Other factors in play are years of exposure to toxins, which may only truly develop symptoms during the hormonal fluctuations of menopause. These hormonal fluctuations refer, of course, to estrogen. It’s up and down during perimenopause and menopause itself seeks to diminish it.
So gaining weight through menopause is not so much the result of greedy eating; rather, it’s caused by shifts in hormones, particularly estrogen.
Luckily, we have reached a time where Hormone Replacement Therapies are available to better manage and manipulate estrogen levels, resulting in a longer, healthier, more youthful life.
And that’s what we specialize in at ageRejuvenation.
