Good news: it IS possible to lose middle age spread! The less good news is that it definitely requires more effort to lose the weight than it took when you were younger, thanks to hormone changes. One great way to say motivated during those ‘weight plateau’ phases when your hard work does not seem to be paying off, is to start a 6, 12 or 18 month challenge and place a bet on yourself to reach your target weight in that time! One very popular company according to Trust Pilot is Healthy Wage, where you enter your weight loss goal, the length of time you need and the amount you want to bet each month. Use their prize calculator to see how much you could win!
Middle age spread is the way we describe the changes in body shape around the time of perimenopause for women and andropause for men. Typically, women ‘thicken’ around the lower abdomen, hips (love handles) and thighs. Over time this may also include fatty areas around the bra line that cause bulges that can be seen through clothing.
I hear so many women say in frustration that they have not been eating any more than usual or exercising any less, so they do not know why these changes are happening. To make things worse, the upper arms become ‘looser’ which some people refer to as getting ‘bat wings’.
All the terms associated with middle age are derogatory, unkind and unflattering, yet for those who are experiencing it, who are not doing anything any differently from what they always did, it seems unfair and frustrating.
We are all familiar with the phrase in life that ‘if you do what you have always done, you will get what you have always got’. This may be true in business, but unfortunately it is not true in our health! The simple fact is that around the time of middle age, there are very significant hormonal changes and men’s and women’s bodies alike.
Stress
Emotional and physical stress lead to high levels of cortisol to propel us away from the danger or threat. This is fin if we are running away and there is time to rest and recover afterwards, but unfortunately modern life, financial worries, employment stresses, family tensions and much more, give us a constant drip-feed of stress hormones.
The problem with cortisol is that in our primitive times when we had o run away from danger, there were certain things that took a back seat: there was no time to eat, digest food, sleep, make love, give birth etc so all the hormones associated with those activities get reduced. We produce fewer digestive enzymes so our food is not digested properly, bowel function deteriorates leading improper elimination of toxins. Those toxins that cannot be digested then accumulate and the body very cleverly looks for the best way to stop them from harming the rest of the body. This solution is to take the toxins, encase them in fat, rendering them isolated from the water-based blood that perfuses our system, then it deposits them under the skin, away from the vital organs, where it can do the least damage.
You may have heard of ‘angry fat’ – this is, in part, the mechanism for that, so one of the things you can try to do to lose weight is to be less stressed and less angry!
Mood Swings
It is all good and well to say ‘be less angry’ to avoid weight gain, but there is another factor at play here. During the perimenopause and andropause, levels of testosterone decrease which leads to slower metabolism, decreased muscle mass and increased mood swings.
The lower testosterone levels are alongside high levels of cortisol, the more likely you are to get caught in the spiral of hormonal imbalance leading to anger, irritability, hostility and anxiety which in turn increases your stress levels (and that of anyone you come into contact with!) which then raises your cortisol and exacerbates the problem.
How to Lose Middle Age Spread
You cannot simply ‘do what you have always done’. At middle age you need to make more effort to stay in shape, even if you have not historically had any weight management problems. If you do nothing, you WILL gain weight. The Chinese Medicine take on this is a rather depressing thought that it is your body preparing itself for when your teeth fall out and you are no longer able to eat! They say you will need the calories, so at middle age you pile on the pounds to give you energy in reserve!
Get motivated and make a commitment to yourself by betting on yourself to lose the weight by a certain time! Yes, did you know you can win cash prizes for hitting your weightloss goal? A company called Healthy Wage allows you to commit to losing a certain amount of weight in your chosen length of time from 6-18 months and you place a bet (minimun $100) that you can do it. You make a video of your weight at the beginning and again at the end, then when your weightloss goal is confirmed, they pay you a cash prize that is higher than the amount you bet!
Increase your level of physical exercise. This will reduce stress, increase mitochondria formation to give you more energy and it will help to maintain muscle tone and cardiovascular health.
If you are struggling with hormonal imbalance that is leading to menopausal symptoms such as insomnia, mood swings, night sweats, hot flushes (hot flashes) or other ‘inexplicable’ symptoms, you should book a free 15-minute discovery call with me to see whether the Dutch test would be appropriate. For ladies in particular, we need to ensure oestrogen does not become dominant as this can cause serious health problems down the line. However, I would emphasize that booking tests for yourself in isolation may be a waste of money! Often, during the consultation, I can identify various causes for your symptoms that can be addressed in other ways OR using a different lab test.
If you eat meat, then try to always consume organic, grass fed animals ideally from a farm near you. Modern farming methods use so many hormones and artificial feeds for the animals that you are introducing hormones and chemicals into your body that can become serious endocrine disruptors. There is a lot to be said for becoming vegan during the perimenopausal phase of life!
Avoid toxic chemicals in your home.
Never use plastics to microwave your food – ideally, never use a microwave!
Eat a rainbow – sounds simplistic but over time I’ll produce videos and blog posts about the biochemical benefits of each colour of fruit and vegetables.
