It was extremely difficult. I had my ovaries removed at 40 years old which landed me right into menopause.
What happens when you transition into menopause? Here is a brief overview.
- Everyone will stop having their menses. That is the definition of menopause. The true definition is: one year without a menses not caused by another disorder. Your ovaries run out of eggs, they stop producing hormones, and then YOU ARE MENOPAUSAL.
- Changes in your body may occur. Hot flashes, night sweats, moodiness, anxiety, depression are all a part of the transition, Not everyone has all, or any, of these symptoms.
- Weight gain can occur- especially around your middle, which leads to an increased risk of developing cardiac disease and diabetes.
- Changes in your lipid profile
- Osteopenia and ultimately osteoporosis if you aren’t proactive.
I gained weight around my belly and five years after menopause was diagnosed with insulin resistance, also known as, pre-diabetes. It took medication and years of research to reverse the fat and diabetes. This is why I am so passionate about sharing what I have learned with all of you.
In future blogs, I’ll share all of the menopausal issues, but first, I’m going to focus on abdominal fat and how lifestyle modifications can prevent or reverse this.
If you talk to any menopausal woman, they will tell you, how despite the same diet and exercise routine, they’ve gained “a tire” around their mid-section.
This in itself is distressing, but what is more concerning is that this abdominal fat increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
THE NUMBER 1 KILLER OF WOMEN OVER THE AGE OF FIFTY IS HEART DISEASE – NOT CANCER!
Many studies have been done and many are being undertaken as to the etiology but the only difference between a menopausal women and premenopausal is her hormone levels, abdominal fat, and age.
I think we’ve all learned that we can’t stop time. Adding estrogen, by a medical professional, may be good for some, but everyone can decrease our abdominal fat.
This is how it works…
In general, the body needs fuel to function. It gets that fuel from sugar, carbs,protein and fat. When you consume extra sugar and carbs the body will store it as fat. In order to remove or decrease the fat storage you need to coerce your body into using your stored fat for fuel.
The way to do this is to refrain from feeding your body sugar and carbs. The body is LAZY! It takes less energy to break down sugar and carbs for fuel so it craves these! However, if there are no sugar or carbs present the body will break down fat for fuel- this is what we want!
The answer – we need to cut out the processed and sugary food.
You can visit drdebbieswellness.com to learn how you can start a chemical free, processed food free, lifestyle that will not only prolong your life, but also give you more energy, better skin and… maybe even a better sex life.