During the onslaught of hormonal imbalance, it is common for women to experience increased difficulty in keeping weight off once they reach 35. Whatever routine they had for maintaining their ideal shape seems to just stop working. An article on GoodHouskeeping.com quotes Madelyn H. Fernstrom, Ph.D., director of the Weight Management Center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center:

 “Your metabolism slows by 5 percent each decade. Compared to age 25, you’ll burn about 100 fewer calories a day at 35 and 200 fewer at 45. Do nothing, and you could gain eight to 12 pounds a year.”

As you age, your muscle mass diminishes and you burn less calories throughout the day. The article “Boost Metabolism and Prevent Middle-Age Weight Gain” lists 6 of the most common mistakes women make when attempting to prevent weight gain and research-proven metabolism fixes.

1. Relying on just your scale: knowing your weight in pounds is not enough. The metabolic rate for a pound of muscle versus a pound of fat is dramatically different. It is crucial to know what percentage of your body is lean, calorie burning muscle, and how much is fat. Try visiting your local fitness center for a body-fat reading.
2. Crash Dieting: “Eating fewer than 900 calories a day also prompts your body to burn desirable muscle tissue as well as fat, which slows your metabolic rate even more.” Eating a balanced diet of 1,200 – 1,500 calories is key here.
3. Only doing cardio: maintaining a healthy muscle mass helps to burn more calories. Try to add 40 – 60 minutes of strength training a week to your exercise routine.
4. Sticking to the same exercises: “your muscles adapt and become so efficient that they burn fewer calories while you work out.” “How to tell when it’s time for a change? If any of the following is true: You’re not sweating as much at the end of your routine; you don’t feel that tired after working out; or you’re gaining weight even though you aren’t eating more or exercising less.” Try adding sprints to your run or intervals to your bike workout.
5. Eating lightly (or not at all) before noon: research has shown that those who eat a healthy breakfast eat 100 – 200 calories less throughout the rest of the day than those who do not. “Research from Michigan State University that tracked 4,218 people showed that women who skipped breakfast were 30 percent more likely to be overweight. The best A.M. filler-uppers: oatmeal, eggs, peanut butter — or “anything with fiber and protein,”
6. Living a high-stress, low-sleep life: stress produces the hormone cortisol, which triggers cravings for high-fat, high-carb foods. Sleep deprivation increases ghrelin, the appetite stimulating hormone. Aim for seven hours of sleep most nights. To ease stress, try meditation, or go for a walk during your lunch break; “A Dutch overview confirmed that just looking at greenery can improve well-being.”

In addition to following a healthy diet, minimizing stress and keeping fit - your balance and interplay of hormones plays a huge in role in weight gain and your metabolism. By correcting hormonal imbalances, you can burn more calories than you normally would and in turn boost your metabolism. Many have sought out the help of BodyLogicMD and its network of highly tained, expert physicians, specializing in bioidentical hormone replacement therapy to correct issues ranging from weight gain to depression.  

 

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