Why Is It So Hard to Lose Weight Now That I am Over 40?
Oct 14, 2020Today we are diving into one of the most asked questions I get: Why is it so hard to lose weight now that I am over 40.
I’m going to connect the dots for you and help you see that you’re not crazy- you are absolutely right.
There are two main players in our weight control as women. And I’m sure this comes as a surprise to no-one, they are both hormones.
Notice, I didn’t say calories. I said hormones.
Metabolic Hormone Player 1 is insulin.
- Insulin causes fat accumulation
- Insulin levels go up (they go up higher and stay up longer) over time due to metabolic damage
- Metabolic damage causes higher insulin
- It becomes a cycle of weight gain and more metabolic damage that creates more weight gain and metabolic damage
- This makes your weight unbelievably stubborn and difficult to get off with diet and exercise
Metabolic Hormone Player 2 is estrogen.
- Estrogen is protective against too much insulin
- Estrogen also instructs our body to hold fat in certain places like our breasts, hips, or thighs.
- After menopause, our estrogen levels drop and we lose that protective power.
- Without estrogen, our fat now is preferentially stored in our midsections.
I call this the Perfect Storm.
Rising insulin and decreasing estrogen. Both happening at the same time so it feels like the root cause of your belly fat is just menopause, but it's not. It's the combination of rising insulin and lowering estrogen.
Without the rising insulin, your lowering estrogen wouldn't cause weight gain. To gain weight, to accumulate fat, you need high insulin levels to do that. No matter how many calories you eat.
Taking supplemental estrogen does not produce weight loss. It just takes away hot flashes.
The reason it's so hard to lose weight past 40 years old is due to the Perfect Storm.
Rising, fat-promoting insulin that won’t turn off!
Oh my!
Plus decreasing protective estrogen.
Oh my gosh!
Plus a lower metabolism due to years of dieting.
Oh my goodness!
Which leaves you with:
- Excess stubborn belly fat.
- Weight that won’t come off no matter how much you exercise.
- Weight that won’t come off no matter what diet you choose.
- Increased sugar cravings and hunger
All due to this perfect metabolic storm.
Let’s connect the dots between your weight problem and your broken metabolism.
The reason you feel like it’s harder to lose weight after 40 is because it is.
You have to understand and address this perfect metabolic storm by repairing your metabolism or you will continue to struggle with diet after diet.
You need to repair your metabolism so that you can control your insulin and calm the storm.
I repeat, it’s not because your metabolism is slow...it’s because it’s low and damaged.
If you are a woman over 40 that wants to lose weight, achieve glowing health and put and end to dieting, you need to focus on repairing your metabolism.
Because repairing your metabolism is the only way to control insulin.
I’m here to show you that your weight problem is driven by a broken metabolism and to find lasting weight control and stop fighting with food, you need to repair it. Which is what we do in the Freese Method, my 12-week online group coaching weight loss program.
We balance your insulin which allows you to burn fat. Regardless of estrogen levels.
Losing weight after 40 is very, very hard with a broken metabolism.
Losing weight after 40 is very, very easy with a healthy metabolism.