Hormones and Weight Gain Over 40

Your hormones influence your metabolism and body fat distribution. This means that if you’re a woman over 40 that’s suddenly starting to struggle with stubborn weight gain, chances are you are also beginning the onset of perimenopause and/or you are dealing with stress induced hormonal imbalances. 

Many women think that hormonal changes only happen in their 50s and 60s but imbalances between estrogen and progesterone can start happening as early as your late 30s and early 40s. Typically the first symptoms are poor sleep, mood swings, anxiety and weight gain that is hard to get off. These shifts can have huge impacts to your body composition and overall health long before you actually hit menopause.

Why Your Hormones Are Causing Weight Gain

Estrogen and progesterone affect every function in your body. Estrogen’s role for women is like testosterone’s role for men. It allows us to build and maintain lean muscle mass and it also impacts our bone health and how our bodies regulate glucose. Progesterone is the calming hormone. It helps us to relax in stressful situations and is necessary for managing cortisol levels and getting adequate sleep. 

As you can see, estrogen and progesterone work together in many ways to improve our quality of life and body composition. When the ratios of these hormones start to change we experience disruptions in sleep, increased anxiety, higher levels of cortisol (the fat storing hormone), muscle loss, a slowing metabolism and weight gain.

These hormonal changes can also manifest into inflammation, gut imbalances and insulin resistance. When these things are present it makes it near impossible to lose weight that accumulates overtime.

The good news is that there are solutions when you follow strategies that work with your changing hormones. Learn why you might be facing weight loss resistance after 40 and what strategies you can implement to burn fat, build muscle and improve your quality of life in this FREE resource for the Top Secrets to Fat Loss Over 40!

How to Lose Weight Over 40

As you can see, weight loss over 40 is no longer about calories in, calories out. Throwing a restrictive diet at your body isn’t enough. In fact, this will only exacerbate your issues. In my experience, most women diet and exercise in ways that add even more hormonal disruptions and weight gain.

Mastering your hormones and experiencing weight loss in this season is about learning to work with these changes. This calls for a shift where you are following strategies that reduce inflammation, balance cortisol levels, promote a healthy gut and a thriving metabolism. 

Your hormones are like chemical messengers that stimulate certain functions so when the messaging is off we simply have to respond appropriately or our bodies will fight against us. We do this through nutrition, exercise and lifestyle habits that help us to stimulate a different response.

NUTRITION:

After 40 we need to focus more on what we’re putting into our bodies rather than what we are restricting. Flooding your body with nutrient dense foods is the best place to start. We also need more protein that’s paired with fiber rich carbs and healthy fat. When we eat the right balance of these foods we are able to reduce inflammation, control blood sugar, build muscle, boost metabolism, and balance hormones like cortisol. This work that’s done inside the body will help to prevent weight gain and position you for more effective weight loss.

EXERCISE:

Specific exercise strategies should be implemented to support muscle mass, mobilize fat mass and help to manage chronically high cortisol levels. Gone are the days of endless hours of cardio. This is hindering your results by eating up metabolic muscle tissue and when cardio is over used it spikes cortisol causing a whole host of other issues.

Due to the decline in hormones and loss of muscle, strength training has to become a priority. Muscle is like the cheat code to a metabolism that runs on all cylinders. It will also improve insulin resistance which makes losing weight and maintaining it much easier.

When it comes to cardio you want to think small, powerful doses. Short interval sessions can be quick and effective and do wonders for fighting inflammation, insulin resistance and it can even help to manage chronically high cortisol levels.

When you follow a strategic workout routine you can actually create a stimulus that promotes positive body composition changes the way that estrogen used to.

LIFESTYLE HABITS:

Sleep and stress management have never been more important. Inadequate recovery leads to more stress and that stress manifests into surging cortisol and increased inflammation. When these things are present it makes fat loss almost impossible.

Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep each night. You can do this by creating a nighttime routine for yourself like you used to do for your children. We all know how out of hand things got when the littles didn’t get their sleep…as grown women we really are no different, especially when we are dealing with hormonal imbalances and stubborn weight gain.

Not managing stress appropriately is another contributor to hormonal imbalance. The role of chronically high cortisol has huge impacts on your results. We’ve spent most of our adult lives running on fumes taking care of everyone else, working stressful jobs and adjusting to the daily to daily stressors of real life.

As we get older we discount the effect this has had overtime so it’s more important than ever to prioritize self-care, mediation and taking time to unwind. Take time for yourself to read, sit in the quiet or go for long walks in nature. These things help to get your central nervous system into a parasympathetic state which is when the magic happens!

Are You Ready To Get Strategic About Fixing Hormonal Weight Gain?

If you’ve ever thought that maybe your body has just decided to work against you, you aren’t alone! I created the MIDFIT Workout App and Community for women just like YOU, and today you can try your first week for FREE!

Learn how to work with your hormones to get the results you deserve. The workouts in the MIDFIT App are designed to help you workout in a methodical way that doesn’t add stress to your body. We leverage rest and recovery with strategic strength and cardio sessions so that you are training in the most effective way. 

Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate and vet when it comes to working out – the MIDFIT App has workouts specifically tailored for women over 40 at every level and each program includes HOME and GYM workouts.

MIDFIT takes the guesswork out of your workouts but it also provides you with nutrition guidance and support within a community of like minded women. No more confusion or frustration – just clear, effective, nutrition, workout and lifestyle strategies that have helped me completely transform my life and many of my clients.