Hormones And Weight Gain – What To Do About Them

Beside hot flashes and insomnia, weight gain is one of the most problematic symptoms of perimenopause and menopause because they can make a woman's life truly miserable. Why do we gain weight at that period of our lives? By knowing the answer to that question, we may be closer to finding a solution to control our menopause weight gain problem.

In a way we can say that hormones rule our lives. From when we are a teenager and feeling beserk to when we are pregnant. Excess weight is usually due to some type of hormonal imbalance.

Hormones and weight gain are particularly troublesome as women approach middle age. We begin to lose the sex hormones such as estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. The loss of libido that we experience as we grow older is due to decreased estrogen levels. However, it's a symptom that can be treated.

There are 2 things concerning the issue of hormones and weight gain that are under your control.

1. We can limit the intake of sugars to keep insulin levels balanced. Elevated insulin levels from eating too much sugar automatically lead to weight gain.

The way to know if your insulin levels are high is to stand in front of the mirror and check if your belly is protruding, or if you are rather thick in that middle section of your body. If you are, it's likely that your insulin levels are too high. So any sugars that you ingest, in any form, are going to be stored as fat. Insulin, particularly in excess, is known as the fat-storing hormone.

However, the good news is that high insulin levels are curable! You just need to strickly limit your intake of sugars while enjoying an array of lean proteins, good fats (such as Omega3) and limited carbohydrates.

2. The second factor that is imperative for you to control in order to manage hormones and weight gain is stress. When you are under a lot of stress, hormones tend to get our of balance more easily because stress is known to block estrogen receptors. When estrogen is at a lower level you are more susceptible to weight gain and all the other symptoms of perimenopause and/or menopause.

Beside adopting a healthy diet and engaging in exercises on a regular basis, you may have to consider going on a regimen of hormone replacement therapy to control your hormones and weight gain. But as you may have heard, hormone replacement therapy has been linked with various cancers. There is however identical hormones which have been found to be safer and which will help you manage your hormones and weight gain.

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