8 Experts -Weight loss -tips for women over 40

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8 Experts -Weight loss -tips for women over 40

If you approach the middle age, you may find that it will be more difficult to shred your jeans and your clothes feel a little too tight, especially your stomach. Unfortunately this is normal. Studies show that women receive an average of £ 1.5 per year during the menopause, which is particularly due to a decline in estrogen level.

By reducing the estrogen level, your body changes fat and typically moves from your hips and thighs to collect around your belly, Christine Maren, do, a doctor certified by the board who specializes in health and hormones from women.

“Estrogen also plays a crucial role in blood sugar regulation. When it drops, we often become more insulin -resistant. Changes to the hormones can also affect the thyroid function, which influences the metabolism and makes it more difficult to lose weight or maintain. ”

Lifestyle also plays a major role. “Women over 40 tends to practice less consistently, suffer from poor sleep and have an increased level of stress – it is a time in the life of many women where they prioritize others,” says Marjorie Nolan Cohn, MS, RD, registered nutritionist and clinical director of Berry Street.

While your changing reflection may motivate you to explore weight loss of women over 40, there are health effects beyond aesthetics. The excessive weight in the abdomen, sometimes called menopause, is an indicator of deeper metabolic problems and has health risks, such as an increased risk of heart disease, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, hormone-related cancer, arthritis, sleep apnea and dementia, adds Maren.

Although the weight gain is common after 40, it is not inevitable, and experts say that pounding pounds with a few intelligent diet and lifestyle changes is possible.

1. Calm calories

Estrogen plays an important role in regulating your basal metabolic rate or BMR or the number of calories that you burn in peace. If the estrogen levels in the 40s (and beyond) decrease, their BMR runs out.

Since BMR makes up about 50 to 65 percent of its daily calorie burning, they need fewer calories. Studies show that your BMR drops by up to 250 to 300 calories a day during perimenopause. That means: If you do not reduce the calories, you will win a little less than five pounds a year.

You don't have to swear all the food you love. Reducing the portion sizes and the selection of low -calorie, nutrient -rich foods is most of the time.

A way to cut back? Intermittent fasting. In a 2022 study in obesity, the researchers found that an 8-week intermittent fasting plan contributed to losing six to nine pounds before and after menopause.

2. Eat good

You have probably heard the expression “a calorie is a calorie”, which means that it doesn't matter where calories come from as long as you stay in recommended areas. However, this is outdated advice, and research shows calorie source matters because different types of food are metabolized differently.

Protein is particularly helpful for weight loss after 40, says Maren. “Many women with whom I work in the forties and 50s are an understaffed protein and restrict calories. Our body built: resources are scarce, hold on fat for survival. “You also need protein to maintain the meager muscle mass, which decays by 3 to 8 percent every decade after the age of 30.

Effort 0.8 to a gram of protein per pound ideal body weight that spreads to three essential meals, says Maren.

In other macarons, this depends on their situation. “Active women with good muscle mass often need healthy, more complex carbohydrates. If there is insulin resistance (which is carbohydrate intolerance), you may be able to rely more on healthy fats for energy, ”she says.

Some other nutritional tips for menopause belly:

• Concentrate on whole, nutrient -rich foods such as vegetables, lean meat, eggs, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds that you fill with fewer calories.
• Cook at home where you can control ingredients and portions.
• Avoid Ultra Processed Food Sie will be developed so that you can eat more, says Maren.
• Eat regularly to keep your blood sugar stable.

3. Reduce sugar and alcohol

Sugar and alcohol are both calorie -shaped but nutritional. This alone can lead to weight gain. But it's not just about the calories. Sugar and alcohol can also disturb sleep and worsen stress and fear, which leads to a negative cycle that makes it difficult to lose weight.

In a 2024 study in Jama, the researchers also reported that a higher sugar intake was associated with an older biological age for women in the middle life. In other words, sugar can increase the speed with which your cells and organs age. Alcohol also contributes to metabolic problems.

The goal is not perfection – it is okay to have some alcohol or sugar in order as long as you eat healthy, most of the time with full -value food.

4. Get enough sleep

Bad sleep is a dealbreaker for weight loss, but women in perimenopause often have to struggle with insomnia due to the falling hormone level. In order to get as many hours of uninterrupted, restorative sleep as possible, Cohen recommends practicing good sleep hygiene:

• Switch off electronic devices at least 30 minutes before going to bed
• Reduce caffeine and alcohol intake
• Practice relaxing activities such as yoga or meditation before going to bed
• Get Blackout curtains
• Use earplugs or a white noise engine to lock out ambient noise
• Use a sleep schedule – wake up and go to bed every day at the same time, even on weekends

Depending on the individual, dietary supplements such as melatonin or L-theanine could also help.

5. Exercise

Instead of just prioritizing weight loss, Maren is about concentrating on the composition of the body in her mid-life era. “This means winning muscles while losing fat instead of just seeing the number on the scale,” she says.

Women start losing lean muscles at the age of 30. This can contribute to weight gain because the muscle tissue is metabolic and helps to burn calories in peace even. According to Maren, muscle loss can slow down your metabolism or BMR.

Strength training is of crucial importance in this phase of life, and Maren recommends three to five heavy strength training units per week. “While you can raise less calorie levels than to build a cardio muscles, you build muscles that make your body more efficient to use calories and regulate blood sugar around the clock,” she says.

Complement resistance training with short cardio attacks, which increases your calorie deficit. Effort at least 150 minutes with medium intensity per week.

In addition to structured workouts, slight lifestyle such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator or parking can have far away from the entrances with the shop delays that have a big difference.

6. Manage stress

With increasing age, your body becomes less resistant to stress. This is a problem because stress causes chronically high cortisol levels, a adrenal hormone that makes it more difficult to lose weight. “High cortisol levels increases appetite and the desire, especially for high -calorie foods that are rich in sugar and fat. It also promotes fat storage, especially in the stomach, reduces insulin sensitivity and disturbs sleep, ”says Maren.

To control stress, Maren recommends concentrating on stress reduction techniques such as meditation and deep breathing.

Remember that stress comes in many forms. For example, intensive movement is also considered a stressor. If your body is already in a chronically stressed state, it can make more sense to try out workouts with lower intensity such as somatic movement or inpatient cardio and resistance training via cardio circuits with high intensity.

Other stress -dissolving techniques to try it:

• Listen soothing music
• Get involved in a funny hobby
• Try to spend time with family and friends
• Avoid work and business communication outside of your working hours
• Get regular massages
• Practify progressive muscle relaxation

7. Hydrate

The fluid intake improves the energy level, improves your training and even helps with the honor of your hunger and abundance, says Cohn. Sometimes you may get a hunger signal, but it's dehydration.

With increasing age, you may have to be a little more intended with your fluid intake, as hormonal changes reduce your thirst and cause you to drink less.

Maren recommends drinking half of her body weight in ounce water every day, ideally between meals. This means that if you weigh £ 180, you want to drink 90 ounces of water.

Drink clean, filtered water instead of filtering. Endocrine -disturbing chemicals such as PFAs contained in tap water can continue to worsen the hormone change and even accelerate the menopause.

While electrolytes can be helpful, Maren says that they are not essential. If you want to try out an electrolyte powder, stick to someone that does not contain sugar, artificial sweeteners or flavors such as the LMNT not slandered.

8. Improvement of intestinal health

The intestinal health becomes particularly important during perimenopause because hormone changes can negatively affect their microbioma. Recent examinations indicate that your microbiome may play a role in your weight, including your ability to lose weight.

Concentrate on fiber -rich foods as a starting point, says Maren. Fiber are fermented by intestinal bacteria, which creates by -products that are called short -chain fatty acids (SCFAS) and can change their intestinal microbiom positively and help with weight treatment and insulin control.

Maren also suggests taking into account digestive enzymes, since the enzyme production often decreases with age. Digestive enzymes help to disassemble food into smaller, absorbable compounds, which can lead to improved digestion and less gas and flatulence. (Of course, all the underlying digestive problems should be addressed with a practitioner.)

Fortunately, many lifestyle changes that help to manage weight, such as a better diet, the treatment of stress, better sleep and the hydrated, to a balanced intestine. You may also want to try:

• Take probiotics
• Farbiotic-rich foods such as garlic, leek, onions, Jerusalem artichokes and bananas eat that feed the good bacteria in their intestine
• Consumption of a variety of food on a plant -based basis
• Restrict processed foods

This story Was from Hone Health And checked and distributed by Stacker.