Could this be the reason you are not losing weight despite all your efforts?
Everyday women all over the world struggle with their weight especially the stubborn belly fat and a lot of these women are also suffering from peri-menopause and menopause symptoms, which are often tied to hormonal imbalances and frequently triggered by stress. Stress tends to be a major triggers for most hormonal imbalances because of the interconnectedness of our systems. We are faced with all types of stressors daily - environment, work, family, social issues, dieting/counting calories, frequent over exercising, etc. and our bodies respond by creating these imbalances. Having these stressors on a daily basis cause increases cortisol (stress hormone) and insulin because your body is in stress mode all the time and as a result, this causes weight gain and fat to be deposited around the belly or mid-section – the a common problem many women face.
There are many cases that I have seen where women are eating very healthy, exercising and doing all the right things and yet, instead of losing weight they are gaining – what a conundrum! What’s a girl to do? This is likely a signal that there may be some hormonal imbalance. The truth is, most women will not be able to lose weight until your hormones are properly balanced. First thing to do I to work with your medical practitioner to get your hormone levels checks.
Some common symptoms (due to hormonal imbalances) associated with peri-menopause and menopause include:
Weight gain
Difficulty losing weight
Difficulty sleeping
Fatigue/low energy
Brain fog
Mood swings
hot flashes
night sweats
What can you do?
For starters, your lifestyle matters greatly and is a big factor in keeping your hormones in balance:
You should be eating balanced whole foods diet
Getting adequate sleep
Daily regimen of high quality supplements
If stress is a big factor for you, adopt a stress management protocol-meditation, yoga, using certain essential oils as part of a daily regimen
Avoiding alcohol, this one is particularly important if you suffer from hot flashes and/or night sweats. Alcohol increases estrogen and night sweats cause estrogen to drop rapidly. As estrogen starts to fall, fat starts to naturally move from the butt to the belly.
Reducing caffeine
Adopting an essential oil protocol for managing hormonal imbalances. Some of my personal favorite essential oils for hormonal imbalances include*:
Peppermint
Wild Orange
Lavender
Bergamot
Clary Sage
Ylang Ylang
If you are struggling with any of the above symptoms, pick one thing from the ‘What can you do?’ list and implement it today. Change is never easy, but you have to start, one step at a time.
*If you chose option #7, make sure that you are using a high grade pure essential oil.
I am rooting for you and I am here to support you. Feel free to reach out with any questions.
In Good Health,
Deon
