top of page
  • Writer's pictureBy Monica Divine

Do Hormones Cause Weight Gain?

Great question!!

Well to be honest...it's a chicken and the egg thing. Our weight can often increase in response to lifestyle changes, many of which are exacerbated by hormonal changes. For example, it’s harder to exercise and make good food choices when you’re exhausted from lack of sleep caused by night sweats. The good news though, is that if you make some changes, we can avoid and put a halt to that weight gain. I myself already adjusting as before i get to pre-menopaused. Prime your body to what is coming it is a lot easier. However if you don't as you are already there you can still change things....don't let negative talk take over...."oh well every woman goes through it and there is nothing i can do"


...NOW this is Not True!

What’s Estrogen Got To Do With It? As our hormone levels fluctuate leading up to and estrogen levels are reduced following menopause, whatever weight you do gain tends to go on around the middle - putting you at higher risk for insulin resistance and heart disease. The key to avoiding tummy fat accumulation is to maintain a healthy weight during the menopausal transition through physical activity and healthy eating… It can be done! How to NOT Gain Hormonal Weight Contributing factors to weight gain can be amplified by life changes… We might now have a cleaner instead of doing it ourselves, our gym membership may have lapsed, we aren’t playing team sport any longer, alcohol intake increases for many women, we’re busier at work, more disposable income, we aren’t cooking as many family meals, so we’re eating out or Uber eating more often. Importantly, ALL women are prone to weight gain during menopausal transition, regardless of having a lifetime of good eating and fitness habits. NONE OF US ARE IMMUNE! (Including me!) BUT here is the really exciting thing - the more changes you can make before menopause, the easier the transition will be. Basically, the key to not gaining weight at menopause is to not do the same things you’ve been doing pre-menopause. You need to change things up! Increase your activity levels, decrease your portion sizes, cut out snacks, cut out alcohol, increase the proportion of non-starchy vegetables on your plate… just do something differently to shift the balance. Too late! I’m Already Overweight… What Do I Do??? In my experience (personal as well as with 1000's of clients!) There are a couple of big problems associated with weight loss during and after perimenopause. Problem 1: Unrealistic Expectations Shows like the Biggest Loser with people losing masses of weight in a week, or crazy strict detox programs or laxative skinny teas resulting in large water losses, have warped many people’s ideas of realistic weight loss. So many women I speak with give up on realistic healthy eating because they haven’t seen results on the scales in 1-2 weeks. Some of them even give up after 3 days if they get no results. It’s crazy. The truth is, true fat loss takes time. If you’ve created the right balance, you’ll be lucky to lose up to 0.5kg per week of actual body fat and with your daily weight naturally fluctuating 1-2kg with water, salt, hormones and other factors, you might be eating in a deficit for weeks before you start to see those fat losses on the scales (so let’s chuck the scales or shove them in the garage - they just mess with your head!) You have to genuinely settle in for the long term. It is going to take LOTS OF TIME for you to reduce your body fat levels. So keep a long term perspective and lose weight in a realistic and sustainable way so that you can stick to it long term. You also didn’t gain the weight in 5 minutes… Problem 2: Intentions Vs Reality Almost every woman I speak with tells me they eat pretty well. I speak with so many who want to lose weight and have healthy intentions. They intend to eat well and some days they do. However, their intentions don’t always line up with their reality. They think they should be losing more weight when really they are simply not being consistent enough with their food choices day to day. I can’t tell you how many women I’ve got to do an honest food diary who have then come back to me and said: "Yeah, I don’t eat as well as I think I do."

There’s no judgement, but awareness is a powerful thing, get honest with yourself.


Withhold this awareness you can NOT make changes on what you don't know.


This takes you a lot further than take a fb book challenge and they give you MENU plans but nothing else regarding structures and mindset tools so yes this MENU PLAN is not going to last very long.


Are you truly creating an energy deficit consistently enough to lose weight? The Best Way to Initiate Weight Loss and Maintain Create an Energy Deficit.

Do you need to eat the portion sizes that you do? Are you really hungry when you have that snack, or is it habit? How many wines are you really having each week? Are you eating after dinner? Extras can sneak in easily and they do add up quickly. Work Out What Foods to Eat Plan your food intake to ensure that you’re getting enough nutrition: fibre, vitamins and minerals. You also need to make food choices that help manage your appetite and help you fill up and feel satisfied - are you including protein and healthy fats at each meal? Losing weight isn’t about depriving yourself. There is nothing worse than trying to lose weight while you’re feeling hungry all the time. Develop Habits, Behaviours and Routines Create habits to ensure all the small food choices you make each day help you get the nutrients you need, feel full and satisfied. The best part of developing habits and routines is that healthy eating becomes a part of your normal daily life which is a key part of keeping weight off long term! So I hope this "real" talk helps... I you want my help to take things to the next level, then lets talk! Book in a call and we can make sure the Well Balanced Hormone Challenge is the right fit for you and we can get you started. What are you waiting for? Book your call HERE Looking forward to it!


Let's do it

Monica

Featured Posts
Recent Posts
  • Latest Nutrition Tips​

  • Lots of healthy recipes

  • Achieve weight loss together

  • Gut Health

 

     

Join Facebook 
health community
1:1 Strategy Nutrition Call
  • What is your nutrition challenges?

  • Check in Your Food Portion

  • How to achieve your ideal weight and stay healthy

  • How can i help if chronic disease are an issue

 

     

Join our mailing list

Never miss an update

Archive
Search By Tags
Follow Us
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • Facebook Basic Square
bottom of page