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Weight Management &
Medically Monitored Weight Loss
We Are Experts in Medically Managed Weight Loss.
Have you found yourself gaining weight, seemingly for no real reason, as you get older? You’re not alone. Most women gain weight as they reach their 40s. And yes, diet and exercise can play a part in this unwanted weight gain. But weight gain in your 40s and 50s is largely due to the hormonal changes you’re undergoing during this period.
The good news? Weight gain at perimenopause or menopause isn’t inevitable. There are steps you can take to stay healthy and strong.
Struggling With Weight Gain?
It’s very common to gain weight at menopause. In fact, about 30% of all women in their 50s have gone beyond being overweight and are actually clinically obese. If you’re having trouble losing weight as you get older, though, you should be aware that your body will thank you for pushing back against the inevitability of weight gain.
That’s because the weight gain that occurs to many women with perimenopause and menopause brings with it an increased risk of many serious medical conditions. These include high blood pressure, breathing difficulties, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and various types of cancer, including colon, breast, and endometrial cancer.
The increased risk of all these conditions and diseases is even greater if you’re carrying extra weight around your waistline. Since, for many women, post-menopausal weight gain centers around the belly and waistline, getting this issue under control can be very important to your overall health.
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Does it work? Just read these reviews from patients who have lost a lot of weight
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We offer Two Medical Weight Loss Options
Known bythe brand names Ozempic, Rybelsus and Wegovy. The FDA approved this medication in 2021 to treat people who are overweight or obese, and it has been highly effective in the brief time it’s been available.
Tirzepatide is a revolutionary medication that, like Semaglutide, offers a beacon of hope to those on their journey towards a healthier and happier life.
Causes of Weight Gain at Menopause
At menopause, your estrogen levels drop dramatically over a few years. Because estrogen helps to control weight, this provides an explanation for that weight gain in your 40s. As your estrogen levels decrease, your metabolic rate slows, so your body decreases the rate at which it converts energy stores to active energy — and that extra stored energy stays with your body as fat.
In addition, decreased estrogen levels affect that way your body uses starches and blood sugar — again increasing fat storage. Also, as a result of menopausal hormone changes, your body is now more likely to store that weight around your belly and abdomen where it previously stored it around your thighs and hips. Body fat around the abdomen, where it can impact the functioning of internal organs, puts you at risk for cardiovascular disease. This means that the weight gain experienced in your 40s and 50s can result in the heart disease, blood pressure, and diabetes risks discussed above.
All this is exacerbated by the decrease of muscle mass that people experience with age (men as well as women). As you lose muscle mass, your metabolism decreases, supercharging the drop that was already happening with the reduction of estrogen.
Now add in some of the lifestyle changes that often occur with aging. For instance, 60% of adults don’t get the exercise they should, with that number going up as you get older. You also use less energy during exercise, which means you’re burning fewer calories. And because you may be more financially stable during your middle years than you were, say, during college, you’re likely to eat out more often.
In addition, the more children you’ve had, the more likely you are to gain weight at menopause. And if you’re dealing with midlife mental health issues, as is very common, the medications you take to manage depression or anxiety could also contribute to your weight gain.
How to Manage Weight Gain at Menopause
Lifestyle changes revolving around diet and exercise can definitely make a big difference as you face your 40s or 50s. However, it’s important to pay attention as well to the biomedical and psychosocial factors underlying midlife weight gain, as some of your best solutions may lie in that realm.
Exercise
Aerobic exercise and strength training are both vital to preventing weight gain at menopause. Chances are, you need to move more than you currently are doing. Aim for 150 minutes a week of aerobic exercise, which could be walking, running, dancing, swimming or cycling. Aerobic exercise is particularly crucial for losing inches around the belly and abdomen, and it boosts your metabolic rate to help you burn more calories.
Strength training is important, too, because it helps you build (or maintain) your muscle mass, which typically declines with age. The greater your muscle mass, the better your body becomes at burning calories, with sustainable weight loss as a result. Consider working out with dumbbells, weight machines, kettlebells or exercise bands at least twice a week.
You should also look for ways to add a little extra activity to your weekly routine. Park far away from your office or the mall to get in some extra steps, take the stairs instead of the elevator, or wash the car by hand instead of driving through the car wash.
Exercise has additional benefits as well. It lowers your risks for heart attack, osteoporosis and metabolic syndrome, and it keeps your joints strong and healthy. It also boosts your insulin resistance, so you’re less likely to develop diabetes. In addition, exercise provides a mental health boost, relieving symptoms of anxiety and depression for many people.
Diet
Exercise alone doesn’t make weight loss happen, no matter your age. You also need to eat fewer calories than your body is burning each day. Unfortunately, as you age, you burn few calories, so you need to take in fewer calories.
Eating less isn’t the whole answer, though. You also need to eat smart. Opt for plant-based meal choices whenever you can, limiting your intake of meat. You should also choose plant-based oils, such as olive oil, rather than animal-based fats such as butter.
Sweets also have a greater effect on your body as you age, due to your decreased insulin resistance. Try to avoid added sugars in your diet by minimizing sweet desserts — if you have a sweet tooth, cut the amount you eat in half as a start. You can also minimize your intake of sugars by watching what you drink. Cut back on the sugar in your coffee and tea, and opt for zero-calorie beverages in place of juices, energy drinks and sweetened soft drinks. Cutting back on alcohol also helps you remove unneeded calories from your intake.
While crash diets may have done the trick for you in your teens and 20s, they were never healthy, and they’re unlikely to work as you grow older. The chemical changes in your body mean that when you end your crash diet, you’re more likely to gain weight, and you may see your metabolism slow down even further.
Medically Supervised Weight Management
Because weight gain during perimenopause and menopause is linked to changes in your estrogen levels, it only makes sense that hormone replacement therapy could make a difference in your tendency to put on weight.
Studies show that this is true. Hormone replacement therapy is linked to a decrease in fat gain, increased muscle mass, and a decrease in waistline size. Because it keeps you from developing that dangerous belly fat around your abdomen, it can help reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. Related to this benefit, added estrogen intake lowers your LDL (or “bad”) cholesterol while boosting your HDL (or “good”) cholesterol, providing additional cardiovascular protection.
Would you like to learn more?
Feel free to call us or take our short women's health questionnaire.
Why Medical Weight Loss Might Be Right for You
If you’ve noticed weight creeping up on you as you move into your 40s, there’s a good chance you’re seeing one of the symptoms of menopause that many people choose to ignore. At Hormonally Balanced, we don’t ignore it. We know that all the systems in your body work together, and we understand how the rapid decline of estrogen production that occurs at menopause can result in that unwanted weight gain.
If your normal exercise and diet routine isn’t making the kind of difference it used to when you step on the scale, or if you’re noticing an outward expansion of your waistline, the hormonal changes you’re experiencing are probably playing a role. Medical weight loss and hormone replacement therapy might be the answer you’ve been seeking.