3. How Hormones Impact Menopausal Weight Gain and What You Can Do About It

Are you struggling with weight gain and belly fat that seems impossible to manage during menopause?
 
Picture this -- you’re not only tackling these changes head-on, but you’re also emerging victorious. In this captivating episode, we take you on a journey through the curious world of hormones, specifically insulin, cortisol, and leptin, and how they contribute to menopausal weight gain. We also reveal some practical strategies for mitigating the effects of these hormones.

We all know that menopause is a transformative stage, but who says it can’t be a positive transformation? We are here to empower you to make choices that prioritize your health during menopause. From exploring the importance of regular physical exercise and hydration, to maintaining a balanced diet and managing stress, we paint a holistic picture of health and well-being during menopause.


Remember, it’s not just about surviving this stage, it’s about thriving in it – because you deserve a healthy and happy life, always. Listen in, and let’s tackle this journey together.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hello, my friends, welcome to another episode of the Thriving Through Menopause podcast. This is another episode that every single female in menopause should listen to. If you're struggling with weight gain, you're doing all the necessary things eating right, exercising and your weight is going nowhere. Once off, if you have belly fat and you're struggling with it and doing all the things and that's going nowhere, this podcast is for you. Why? Because we will be talking about understanding the impact of hormones on menopausal weight gain and belly fat.

Speaker 2: 0:38

Welcome to the Thriving Through Menopause podcast. Dr Inaka Yembe, your host, is dedicated to helping you navigate the transformative journey of menopause and perimenopause, Particularly focused on achieving menopausal weight loss and reducing belly fat. As a post-menopausal physician herself who has helped thousands of women experiencing the significant life stage, she understands the unique challenges you face. Listen in as we explore a wide range of topics aimed at supporting you in your health and wellness journey. Hopefully, the practical tips and strategies offered potentially help you adopt an empowering approach towards menopausal weight loss and belly fat reduction. And now here's your host, Dr Inaka Yembe.

Speaker 1: 1:29

Hello there, my name is Dr Inaka Yembe and welcome to the podcast. Today we're exploring the fascinating world of hormones and how these impact menopausal weight gain and belly fat. Specifically, we will focus on three key hormones. Now, in the first episode, we talked about estrogen. In this episode, we will be talking about other hormones. So if you did not listen, or if you missed the first episode, I wanted to go back and listen to that episode as well. Now, if you're going through menopause or you just want to understand how hormones affect your weight and belly fat, listen on. We will be taking a closer look at three hormones and today, specifically, we're talking about insulin, cortisol and leptin. These hormones play a crucial role in regulating your metabolism, your energy balance, fat storage and so understanding how the work can provide you with valuable insights into managing your weight and your belly fat.

Speaker 1: 2:36

So first up is the hormone called insulin. Back in my days, when I did not enough, I felt insulin was just for diabetics. However, insulin is a hormone that everybody needs to be worried about. Insulin is produced in the pancreas, that's an organ in your belly, in your abdominal area, and its primary role is to regulate blood sugar levels when you eat, specifically, when you consume carbohydrates, your blood sugar levels drop, and it promotes or prompts your pancreas to release insulin. Insulin helps your body cells to absorb glucose from your bloodstream into your muscles and your brain, so it can be used for energy, and if you have too much glucose from consuming too many carbohydrates, the excess is stored as fat. However, during menopause, your body's sensitivity to insulin can decrease, so what that means is that your body cells may not be able to perceive or to feel your own insulin, and so this leads to higher levels of insulin in the blood, and it can also lead to higher levels of insulin, sugar or glucose in your blood, and this promotes fat storage, specifically in the abdominal area, contributing to weight gain and belly fat. So insulin is a fat storage hormone. It's very important to remember that in menopause, your sensitivity to insulin decreases, so, in other words, you become more insulin resistant the older you become, and especially when you are in menopause.

Speaker 1: 4:26

The next hormone is cortisol. Cortisol is referred to as the stress hormone. It is produced by glands or organs called the adrenal glands. This sits above your kidneys or right on top of your kidneys. Cortisol plays a crucial role in response to stress. It also helps regulate your body's metabolism, helps with blood sugar regulation and helps with your immune function. So cortisol is a good hormone.

Speaker 1: 4:57

However, chronic stress can cause high levels of cortisol, especially during menopause. We have several things going on. We have children who are older. Some of us have children, especially in perimenopause. We have children doing several different sports activities. So generally, when you get into perimenopause and menopause, you can have a chronic, chronic stress so many things going on and this can lead to sustained high levels of cortisol.

Speaker 1: 5:28

Cortisol is one of those hormones that promotes the accumulation of fat, especially around the belly area. It can also cause increased appetite and it can cause increased cravings. And I tell you, when we have cravings, we are not craving for chicken breast, we're not craving for egg whites, we're really craving most of the time for foods that are high in sugar or foods that are high in salt. So generally, high levels of stress lead to high levels of cortisol, which can increase your cravings for unhealthy, high-calorie foods, and this will also impact your weight and belly fat. So finally, let's talk about another hormone that is produced by fat cells that regulates energy balance and appetite. This hormone is called leptin. Leptin acts as a signal to the brain, and it tells the brain about your body's energy reserves. However, during menopause, changes in hormone levels can also lead to leptin resistance, where the brain doesn't respond adequately to this hormone's signal, and so it can disrupt the body's ability to regulate appetite and metabolism. Leptin is one of those hormones that tells you that you are hungry, and so it can lead to increased food intake, decreased energy usage and belly fat. So, now that we've talked about these three hormones, what they are and how they work insulin, cortisol and leptin so let's delve into some practical strategies that you can apply to yourself to mitigate their effects and manage your menopausal weight gain and belly fat.

Speaker 1: 7:09

The first and most important step is to focus on a balanced and a nutritious diet. Since insulin plays a significant role in fat storage, it's really important for you to manage your blood sugar levels by consuming a diet that is low in refined carbohydrates, low in refined sugars. So, instead of going for foods like I will just give you an example instead of going for fruit juice, go for whole fruit. Instead of going for bread, go. Or even, instead of going for white bread, go for unsprouted bread, for example, ezycule bread. That's a very good one. So opt for whole grains, lean proteins, healthy fats, fruits and vegetables, and this can help stabilize your blood sugar levels, reduce insulin resistance and help support your overall metabolic health. And, additionally, incorporating exercise, physical activity it's really essential for managing these hormonal changes. Exercise actually helps improve insulin sensitivity and can reduce cortisol levels and supports healthy leptin function.

Speaker 1: 8:20

I like to combine aerobic exercises so walking, cycling, zumba, dancing. I like to combine those with strength training and flexibility exercises to maximize the benefit of exercise. Generally, when we are in menopause, I recommend that my women do just a little less cardio. So if you're a cardio junkie like me, at one point I was running marathons, I was doing half marathons, my weight was going nowhere, I backed up and I still love walking and jogging, but if I have, say, about an hour to work out, I will do 15 minutes of cardio and 45 minutes of strength training. That's really helped me maintain my muscle mass, has helped my metabolism, helps me control my weight and keep the belly fat off Alright.

Speaker 1: 9:10

The next thing we want to talk about is stress management. This is another critical aspect of mitigating the effects of cortisol, awakened and unbellified. So I like to incorporate some relaxation techniques such as meditation, deep breathing, yoga prayer really helps me. Sometimes it's important to speak to a counselor just to help reduce stress Very important because this can help reduce the impact of cortisol on fat storage.

Speaker 1: 9:41

Furthermore, next thing we'll talk about is prioritizing quality sleep. Quality sleep is so important for hormonal balance and weight management during menopause. Adequate sleep plays a crucial role in regulating hormone levels, including insulin, cortisol and especially leptin. You want to aim for seven to nine hours of quality sleep each night to support your body's natural hormonal rhythms that promote overall well-being. Finally, I want you to consider incorporating foods and certain supplements that can support hormonal balance and metabolic health.

Speaker 1: 10:18

The supplements that I consume, especially vitamin D. That's important for me, and I consume also fish oil with omega-3 fatty acids. However, we do have some foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as fatty fish like salmon, tuna. We also have flax, seeds, walnut. Consuming foods high in omega-3 fatty acids can help reduce inflammation and support healthy hormone levels. Another supplement that I personally consume every single day is magnesium, especially in the evening. It really helps with muscle soreness, muscle relaxation and helps me with sleep. That's magnesium. I will do another podcast talking just about supplements.

Speaker 1: 11:09

In conclusion, we've talked about the roles of insulin. You want to control its effects. Insulin is that fat storage hormone. You want to control its effects by consuming real whole foods that are on process, that are low in refined carbohydrates. You want to control your cortisol levels, which is that stress hormone. You control it by relaxation techniques. You want to also control your leptin levels. Really, you can control your leptin levels by maintaining again a balanced diet that is rich in natural, on-process foods and also developing a habit of sleeping well. That would help you control your leptin levels.

Speaker 1: 11:57

I really hope that this podcast has helped empower you to make some informed choices that can control your overall health during this crucial time of doing a crucial age of menopause Really important. Don't forget to continue regular physical exercises and, lastly, stay hydrated. I hope that this episode has provided you with valuable insights and practical tips that can help you mitigate the impact of hormones on menopausal with gain and belly fat. Remember your body is going through significant hormonal changes and so it's essential for you to be kind to yourself, prioritize your health and your well-being. Thank you for tuning in and, until the next episode, take care and remember you can live a healthy and happy life even when you are in menopause Until the next episode. Thank you, bye.

Speaker 2: 13:31

Thank you for listening in and we hope you'll join us again on the next episode of Thriving Through Menopause.