Why Do Women Gain Weight During Menopause?

Rich — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 16:02:15 +0000

While weight gain can be specific to each woman, there are a number of factors that are very common to all women during perimenopause or menopause – in fact up to 90%. Hormones and fat cells are part of your body’s biofeedback network that coordinates your appetite, metabolism, heat regulation, digestion, and detoxification. Any chronic disturbance to the network has can cause weight gain as well as many other menopausal symptoms – for example, hot flashes and food cravings.

Research has found that there is a complex relationship between hormones and weight. One vital link exists between insulin, metabolism and body fat. For years, many women followed the conventional low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet, with lots of processed foods (pasta, breads, most snacks, beer and wine, etc). Over time, this type of diet can create insulin resistance. Insulin resistance causes your body to convert every calorie it can into fat – even if you’re dieting. The result is that while you are gaining weight, your cells are actually starving!

A second basic link exists between stress and body fat. Stress hormones, like cortisol, block weight loss causing the so called “famine effect.” Despite adequate food intake, the body interprets prolonged stress as a famine and again the body stores calories as fat. Stress comes in many forms including emotional, physical, or even diet-related. Most of us are under tremendous amounts of stress. Prolonged periods of stress can lead to chronic inflammation and a metabolic disorder called “adrenal fatigue.”

Working together, all these factors create a major hormonal imbalance, which can ultimately result in weight gain. For women in perimenopause, weight gain results from widely fluctuating estrogen levels. For menopausal women, diminished levels of estrogen cause weight gain. As estrogen production of your ovaries decreases, your body uses secondary sources – including body fat, skin and other organs. As your body struggles to maintain its hormonal balance, body fat becomes more valuable. As your body balances estrogen loss while maintaining bone mass, it needs additional fat cells. So, if you’re stressed and on a low-fat diet, your body will struggle with the balancing act and refuse to let go of extra body fat.

What can you do to prevent or reverse weight gain? There’s no magic formula for avoiding weight gain as you get older. Maintaining a healthy weight relies on watching what you eat and making certain you keep moving! Learn how to make simple lifestyle changed that can result in huge benefits in fighting weight gain and achieve better health.

http://www.squidoo.com/menopauseandweightloss

http://www.iamdrmick.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mickey_Harpaz

Diet,Weight Loss, why the body stores fat

Rich — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 01:36:17 +0000

Why does the body store fat. why is it so hard to lose weight and so easy to gain weight. I decided to do a little research on this very subject. First let me say its (so easy even a cave man can do it). That’s where it all began. Back in the day these hunter gathers ate natural food, Not processed foods like we eat today. So what’s the difference in the two food groups I’m glad you asked me that question. Processed foods contain high amounts of starches and sugar. When you eat these foods, the body has to counter by releasing insulin to regulate the amount of sugar in your blood. Insulin turns sugars into glycogen. glycogen is what your body uses for energy. It stores it in your muscles for immediate activity. When your body has more than enough glycogen it converts some to fat. Insulin tells your body to store fat. Ok so what can we do to control insulin levels. We can start by eating Natural foods such as eggs, vegetables,whole meats,fruits, fish. So stick to natural foods and eat small meals, to control an insulin spike. Good Luck! Help with your weight Loss, Become a Seriesse consultant and get 30% off Seriesse Weight Loss products.

Home- Based Business » Diet

Why Do Women Gain Weight During Menopause?

Diet,Weight Loss, why the body stores fat