Menopause & Excess Belly Fat
A good diet and plenty of exercise is essential to getting through menopause. One of the biggest complaints in menopausal women is excess belly fat that they can’t seem to get rid of, no matter what they do. There are a few factors that cause this, insulin resistance and stress.
Insulin Resistance
When we eat carbohydrates, the pancreas releases insulin, sugar is uploaded to the blood stream and used for immediate energy. What’s not needed right away is stored for later use as fat, mostly in the belly area (hello muffin top!). Later in the day, we eat more carbohydrates (usually refined carbs) and the same scenario happens again, leading to more fat stores.
Eventually the insulin being released by the pancreas is getting tired saying, “Enough is enough! I’m trying to burn this sugar for you but you’re giving me too much, I can’t take it anymore!” and the result is insulin resistance. Now, the majority of carbohydrates go directly to fat stores.
And did you know, when the body releases insulin, it blocks glucagon from doing it’s job? Glucagon is the hormone responsible for burning the stored fat.
Maintaining even blood sugar levels is the most important factor in this type of fat loss. These foods can help:
Fibre!!! This helps stabilize blood sugar
Chia seeds
Cinnamon – helps to decrease the GI (glycemic index) of foods, which levels out blood sugar
Chromium – key mineral in carbohydrate and fat metabolism
Adrenal Fatigue
Stress causes our adrenal glands to secrete hormones.
Cortisol is one of them. Cortisol is responsible for balancing blood sugar levels, and it signals our fat cells to store fat! Chronic stress can cause the belly fat cells to become resistant to fat loss. Cortisol also signals other hormones that regulate appetite and metabolism and it suppresses our immune system. When Cortisol levels become too high, it can cause a disruption in our sleep.
The adrenal glands also secrete adrenaline when our bodies are in the ‘fight or flight’ mode. It raises our blood pressure, increases heart rate and glucose levels, makes us feel alert, energetic and focused so we can protect ourselves from the ‘threat’. Unfortunately, any form of stress will cause this to happen. The adrenal gland also produces DHEA, which is converted into estrogen and testosterone, helps keep LDL low and boosts our immune system.
If we are under constant stress, whether it’s our job, our family, our health, our finances, whatever it is, our adrenal glands will eventually stop working properly and may even burn out. This is called ‘adrenal fatigue’ or, if severe enough, a ‘nervous breakdown’.
So, now our blood sugar levels are out of balance, our belly fat cells aren’t losing any fat (no matter what we seem to do), our appetite suppressors aren’t suppressing our appetite, our metabolism has slowed down, our immune system isn’t working the way it should, our PMS is worse than ever and our sex drive is non-existent, and we aren’t getting that adrenaline rush to wake up and get focused (here’s where the coffee addiction kicks in!).
How do we support our adrenal glands?
Lifestyle changes:
Spend time with people that give you energy, not drain your energy. It is amazing how good you will feel.
Eat foods rich in omega-3’s
Consume probiotics (rebalances the good bacteria in our gut which helps strengthen our immune system)
Low GI foods (these digest slowly, you feel full, longer and it balances your blood sugar)
Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables
Drink lots of water (6-8 glasses) and eat every 2-3 hours
Herbs & supplements (check medications first as they can interact):
In good health,
Cheryl Wahl, RHN, Fitness Trainer
A good diet and plenty of exercise is essential to getting through menopause. One of the biggest complaints in menopausal women is excess belly fat that they can’t seem to get rid of, no matter what they do. There are a few factors that cause this, insulin resistance and stress.
Insulin Resistance
When we eat carbohydrates, the pancreas releases insulin, sugar is uploaded to the blood stream and used for immediate energy. What’s not needed right away is stored for later use as fat, mostly in the belly area (hello muffin top!). Later in the day, we eat more carbohydrates (usually refined carbs) and the same scenario happens again, leading to more fat stores.
Eventually the insulin being released by the pancreas is getting tired saying, “Enough is enough! I’m trying to burn this sugar for you but you’re giving me too much, I can’t take it anymore!” and the result is insulin resistance. Now, the majority of carbohydrates go directly to fat stores.
And did you know, when the body releases insulin, it blocks glucagon from doing it’s job? Glucagon is the hormone responsible for burning the stored fat.
Maintaining even blood sugar levels is the most important factor in this type of fat loss. These foods can help:
Fibre!!! This helps stabilize blood sugar
- Slows the digestion of carbohydrates, therefore, avoids the blood sugar spikes (and the surges of insulin)
- Removes toxins from your body
- Lowers cholesterol, improves heart health
Chia seeds
- High in fibre
- Very high in omega 3’s
Cinnamon – helps to decrease the GI (glycemic index) of foods, which levels out blood sugar
- Lowers LDL (the bad cholesterol)
- High in antioxidants
- High in thermogenic properties (increases metabolism)
- Anti-inflammatory
Chromium – key mineral in carbohydrate and fat metabolism
- Reduces sugar cravings
- Increases insulin’s ability to function
- Normalizes blood sugar levels
Adrenal Fatigue
Stress causes our adrenal glands to secrete hormones.
Cortisol is one of them. Cortisol is responsible for balancing blood sugar levels, and it signals our fat cells to store fat! Chronic stress can cause the belly fat cells to become resistant to fat loss. Cortisol also signals other hormones that regulate appetite and metabolism and it suppresses our immune system. When Cortisol levels become too high, it can cause a disruption in our sleep.
The adrenal glands also secrete adrenaline when our bodies are in the ‘fight or flight’ mode. It raises our blood pressure, increases heart rate and glucose levels, makes us feel alert, energetic and focused so we can protect ourselves from the ‘threat’. Unfortunately, any form of stress will cause this to happen. The adrenal gland also produces DHEA, which is converted into estrogen and testosterone, helps keep LDL low and boosts our immune system.
If we are under constant stress, whether it’s our job, our family, our health, our finances, whatever it is, our adrenal glands will eventually stop working properly and may even burn out. This is called ‘adrenal fatigue’ or, if severe enough, a ‘nervous breakdown’.
So, now our blood sugar levels are out of balance, our belly fat cells aren’t losing any fat (no matter what we seem to do), our appetite suppressors aren’t suppressing our appetite, our metabolism has slowed down, our immune system isn’t working the way it should, our PMS is worse than ever and our sex drive is non-existent, and we aren’t getting that adrenaline rush to wake up and get focused (here’s where the coffee addiction kicks in!).
How do we support our adrenal glands?
Lifestyle changes:
- Exercise (Yes! Exercise!) - this helps reduce stress and reduces our Cortisol levels
- Meditate/Deep breathing/Yoga – again, helps to reduce our stress
- Reduce negativity around us. By spending time doing things we like (or better yet, LOVE), this will produce feel good hormones, not Cortisol.
Spend time with people that give you energy, not drain your energy. It is amazing how good you will feel.
Eat foods rich in omega-3’s
- Flax seeds, flax oil
- Chia seeds (yes, the same ones from the chia pet)
- Salmon, tuna
- Walnuts
- Pecans
- a fish oil supplement with at least 1500mg per serving (Ascenta, Nutra Sea is a good brand)
Consume probiotics (rebalances the good bacteria in our gut which helps strengthen our immune system)
- Natural, plain yogurt (Saugeen)
- Kefir (an unprocessed yogurt found in the diary section)
Low GI foods (these digest slowly, you feel full, longer and it balances your blood sugar)
- Brown rice and whole grains
- Beans and legumes
- Sprouted grains
- Nuts and seeds
- Peaches, apples, pears (with the skin, the fiber slows down digestion)
- Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, peppers, green beans, carrots (again, whole foods have high fiber)
Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables
- Eat in rainbows : red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple
- Have dark green veggies EVERYDAY (spinach, kale, swiss chard, broccoli)
- Half your plate should be vegetables
- Save the fruit for snack time
Drink lots of water (6-8 glasses) and eat every 2-3 hours
Herbs & supplements (check medications first as they can interact):
- Mate tea(combats mental & physical fatigue, helps burn stored fat)
- Ashwaganda
- Adrenal support by Botanica
- Lorna Vanderhaghe Adrenasmart
- B Complex (responsible for energy production and are depleted during periods of stress)
In good health,
Cheryl Wahl, RHN, Fitness Trainer
