Menopause is often referred to as the "Change of Life". This phrase emphasizes the simple fact that your body undergoes a significant amount of change during the menopause transition. If you've been reading these newsletters regularly, then you are well aware of the havoc menopause imparts on your various body systems, like the endocrine system. And as a result your body is not only changing shape but it's increasing in size.
The question on everyone's mind is "how do I counteract this weight gain?" and for many the first stop is hormone replacement therapies. But for most, hormone therapy offers little improvement (in regards to weight loss) with a high price tag and inconvenient doctor appointments. Statistics reveal that most women abandon hormone therapy within 9 months and return to searching relentlessly for some way to eradicate the newly enlarged fat cells acquiring around their midsection.
Meanwhile, your brain chemistry and mood is also greatly affected by all this change and it has you searching and craving for carbohydrates and fats that generate a spike in your "feel good" hormone - serotonin. Many women crave carbohydrates close to bedtime because it helps them sleep better. In reality, the carbohydrate cravings is your brain calling out for some serotonin as a result of the stress of the day - it wants to unwind and relax just as badly as you do and the calming effect of serotonin from the carbohydrate intake accomplishes just that.
But while all those carbs may make you feel better by creating a calming effect and making sleep easier, it also generates an insulin response that stores all the resultant glucose from those carbs in your fat cells. This only contributes to the weight gain you've already been experiencing.
A clean and balanced diet combined with resistance exercise will help counteract many of the factors that promote weight gain as a result of metabolic changes that occur during the menopause transition - but only if you employ them.
Some common phrases I keep hearing are something along the lines of:
- I have always eaten a balanced diet and never had to worry about my weight
- I don't need to count calories
- Counting calories and planning my meals is impractical
- I don't understand why I should change my eating habits
- I never had to resistance train before
- I don't have time
And yet the same women who tell me these things are gaining weight...hmmm. Something is obviously not working like it used to - and that's because of a changing body and metabolic system.
If you expect to be able to lose that excess weight you must be willing to accept the fact that you will have to change some things about your eating habits and lifestyle. Whether that is what you eat, how frequently you eat, tracking your calories, incorporating resistance training or a combination thereof. You're going to have to change something, because what you are currently doing is making you FAT!
I don't mean to sound harsh - but I don't want to ignore reality either. I want to motivate you to make the changes necessary to lose that excess fat and improve your health and vitality levels. Especially during a time when your changing body predisposes to you so many various health risks.
These principles work, period - but only if you follow through with them for at least a solid 12 weeks. It takes a good 1-2 weeks to get yourself consistently eating and exercising correctly and another 2 weeks to switch your metabolism from fat storing mode to fat burning. The following eight weeks is when you start to transform your body into the one you've always desired.
Regardless of the weight loss approach you take, if you aren't consistently following the plan for a solid 12 weeks then you are not going to see any changes. The weight you gained you achieved effortlessly, unfortunately to take it back off your going to have to put some effort into it - no excuses.
3-5 years ago you may have known exactly what to do to get your body to let go of that last 10 pounds of fat, but today is a different story. You have different hormone levels and a different metabolic profile which means you have to be willing to try a different approach. And most likely, you are going to have to work a little harder for that weight loss then you used to.
The women that have made the necessary changes, put some effort into it and have made it a priority are experiencing successful weight loss, or more specifically, fat loss. And you can too - if you really want it - you just have to start applying what you've been learning.
If you're reading this and thinking "but nothing works for me" then that thought right there is why your weight loss efforts fail. You've already decided nothing works before even putting any effort into it.
For those of you who are successfully using my principles and losing that excess fat (you know who you are) - Keep up the great work, you are an inspiration to us all!! Keep the focus on your improved health, vitality, and appearance instead of the short term satisfaction of eating "feel good" foods.
And to all who have been thinking about losing weight but haven't taken the steps, remember one thing: MOTION, Not Meditation!
Thinking about weight loss isn't going to help you lose weight or that extra tire around your waist - Action is what results in successful weight loss. Whether it's making the time for that 30 minute resistance training workout, tracking your calories or preparing your meals slightly different - do something to start making your weight loss goal a reality.
And with that I'm going to end this motivational lecture with a quote from Anthony Robbins that sums it up perfectly:
"Nothing tastes as good as fit, healthy and vital feels!"
Lastly, remember one thing - if you don't make time for your health today, you will be forced to make time for illness tomorrow.
