As many women approach menopause they suddenly find their worst nightmare has come true- they have reached an unimaginable number on the scale and find themselves asking, “How in the world have I gained this much weight? Could it be hormonally related?”
The simple answer is yes! In fact, weight gain is one of the most common complaints of perimenopausal women.
Here are my top 3 reasons why perimenopausal women gain weight:
Insulin Resistance
Insulin resistance can result from a diet high in refined carbohydrates and low in important nutrients. For some reason, glucose (the simplest of sugars) is not able to enter your cells and as a result, ends up staying in your blood. This means your cells cannot get the fuel they require to function. Therefore, signals are sent to your brain to increase insulin even though you may have enough in your blood already. This results in cravings for sugar because even though you may be eating enough, your cells aren’t able to access the energy from the food. When you are insulin resistant your body converts every calorie it can into fat (even if you’re dieting) because your body actually thinks it’s starving!
High Carb Diet
Insulin resistance is caused by a dietary lifestyle high in simple carbohydrates and refined sugars. Foods made from white flour and white sugar cause neurotransmitter imbalances that eventually lead to food cravings and suppressed serotonin levels. Since your body can’t maintain normal blood sugar levels you start to crave foods high in fat, sugar and caffeine to improve your mood. Unfortunately, these foods only cause more insulin resistance, add unwanted pounds and make you crave more, you guessed it-sugar, carbs and caffeine!
Stress
Did you ever think that stress could add inches to your belly? Well- it can. When we’re stressed, cortisol levels increase which not only prevents our body from burning fat, but also encourages our body to store fat- especially around our mid-section. Stress can be emotional, physical, or even diet-related. Bingeing, unidentified food intolerances, yo-yo dieting and severe calorie restriction are all forms of stress. Stress can also come from unresolved issues that remain in our subconscious mind. Over time if left unrequited can lead to a chronic condition known as adrenal fatigue.
These deep-seated emotional issues are often times the root cause of unhealthy eating habits.
The bottom line: Determine what the core issues are. Are you insulin resistant? Do you have food allergies? What does your diet look like? How is your stress level? These are all questions that need to be answered in order to restore your body to optimal health and hormonal balance. Get back into balance by eating right, exercising and introduce stress-relieving activities into your day and say goodbye to the bulge!
Supplements that may help…
UltraMeal PLUS 360: http://www.metagenics.com/products/detail.asp?pid=570
MetaGlycemX: http://www.metagenics.com/products/detail.asp?pid=246
Insinase: http://www.metagenics.com/products/detail.asp?pid=292
EstroFactors: http://www.metagenics.com/products/detail.asp?pid=214
NuSera: http://www.metagenics.com/products/detail.asp?pid=600
