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Weight Loss and Female Hormones by Lidia Adkins and Suzanne Doad
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omen go through several hormone shifts throughout their lives, including puberty, pregnancy and menopause. The shifts in Pick up magazines hormones, such as estrogen deficiency that monthly at: occur after menopause, affect metabolism Natural Awakenings and are potentially related to weight gain. ppreciates the generosity Estrogen deficiency can lead to a decrease in of its distributors resting metabolic rate, which means that the body burns less calories at rest than it used to. throughout the area. It can also increase insulin resistance, causing the body to use more insulin after a meal. lease consider supporting Insulin is a hormone which helps the hese major distributors by body to be able to use food for energy. hopping there and picking Among its other actions, it causes the body Natural Awakenings p the magazine each month to store energy, including in the form of fat, for use at a later time. In case of insulin from one ofappreciates the racks. the generosity Natural Awakenings of its distributors resistance, certain cells cannot use carbs for Thank you! appreciates the generosity energy production, but instead cause the throughout the area. body to turn carbs into fat molecules which of its distributors get deposited inside adipose tissue, resultPlease consider supporting throughout the area. ing in fat these major distributors bygain. Natural Awakenings Another issue particular to the loss of Please consider supporting shopping there and picking appreciates the generosity estrogen is the redistribution of fat stores major distributors byshape to an apple shape, in upthese the magazine eachfrom month of its distributors a pear and picking which fat is more concentrated around the from onethere of the racks. throughoutshopping the area. abdomen and interferes with the workup the magazine each month Thank you! Please consider supporting ing of the internal organs and hormone from one of the racks. these major distributors by systems. Abdominal obesity has been linked Thank you! to a variety of health issues, including type shopping there and picking 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and up the magazine each month some forms of cancer, including those of from one of the racks. the breast and colon. The decrease in lean Thank you! muscle mass which occurs after menopause also causes metabolism to slow. Weight loss and maintenance can be difficult and frustrating in this setting. There are dietary measures that women can take to help prevent weight gain after menopause. Increasing the amount of dietary fiber, such as non-starchy vegetables that help to keep the stomach full, is one way to accomplish this. Not only are these foods fiber-rich, but they also possess a variety of vitamins and minerals that help our metabolism to function effectively. 18
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Aiming to get adequate protein—healthy meats such as chicken and fish— as well as healthy fat—olive oil and avocados—with each meal can help to reduce hunger and curb between-meal cravings. Lifestyle measures such as physical activity help maintain metabolic function following menopause. Resistance training can help increase muscle tissue, which improves calorie burn, as well as improving balance and bone density. Aerobic activity can improve heart health, improve insulin sensitivity and increase metabolism. In some cases, a detailed hormone panel gives an accurate insight into a specific hormone deficiency, so the physician can suggest specific supplementation to restore production. In addition, bioidentical hormone therapies have shown promising results because they help balance hormonal levels. An in-depth understanding regarding the cause of the imbalance, as well as addressing the cause, is necessary prior to committing to hormonal replacement therapies. Dr. Lidia Adkins, PKT, DC, CFMP is founder and owner of Carolinas Weight Loss Institute located at 216 S. New Hope Rd. in Gastonia. For more information, call 704-271-9757, email infog@cwli.net or visit www.cwli.net. Suzanne Doad, MS, RD, LDN, previously worked at Carolinas Weight Loss Institute.
