Perimenopause, Why Am I Gaining Weight? | PYHP 059

What this episode covers

This is one of the top concerns of women in Perimenopause. Perimenopause usually occurs in women between the ages of the late ’30s to late ’40s. An important note here is, Perimenopause is not Menopause. And while both Perimenopause and Menopause may have some of the same symptoms. There are also many differences between the two. It is of value to know this because treating and working with Perimenopause can be quite different from Menopause. The hormone changes in Perimenopause can cause a lot of unwanted symptoms. If you are interested in more in-depth information, and healthy options to deal with Perimenopause, check out our course, The Perimenopause Masterclass.  But for this podcast, we focused on the unexpected, unearned weight gain that can happen in Perimenopause. In Perimenopause, it is common to hear women complain of feeling like they have gained 10-20 pounds almost overnight. They are stumped because they are unsure of where his added weight came from. We have many patients exclaim that they have not changed their diet or exercise routine, yet keep putting on weight. And this weight gain is almost always focused in the stomach and waistline. I cannot tell you how many patients I have had that say, they have never had a belly before. And now they have grown a gut for no reason. Well, there is a reason, it’s your hormones.  What do women do when they start gaining weight?   Common response to weight gain is to eat less and exercise more. Bluntly put, this is the wrong response. There might be an initial drop in weight when you restrict your food and jump on the treadmill. But more often than not, in Perimenopause, restricting your calories and increasing your exercise will either result in no weight loss or even more weight gain. But this is what we have always been taught.  Less calories in + exercise(calories out) = weight loss.   Well, maybe in your 20’s this might work. This will not work in your 40’s. There is nothing more frustrating than to workout like crazy, eat like a rabbit, and not lose weight. Not to mention this not a realistic way of living. When you start to eat like a normal human, you will gain the weight back plus more at a rapid pace.   Why doesn’t eating less and exercising more in Perimenopause not work?   It is about the cortisol-glucose-insulin love triangle. Yes, it is like an awful drama that results in the fatty belly that you never had.     When you do intense cardiovascular exercise, it will raise your cortisol. When cortisol rises, it will mobilize glucose. When glucose rises, then your pancreas will release insulin. Insulin is a fat-storing-hormone in the body.   This is really the real deal. You are doing some crazy intense, cardio exercise. This will cause your adrenals to increase cortisol. The cortisol will then mobilize glucose from your large muscles, such as your gluteus (bum) and quadriceps (thighs). The increase in glucose will cause your pancreas to pump out insulin. The insulin opens the door cell and allows glucose to enter. Now the glucose that is mobilized from your muscles gets turned into fat. That is why in Perimenopause, you will see a change in body distribution. The thig...

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