Most of my female clients aged in their 40-50’s says to me “what use to work for me in my 20’s and 30’s doesn’t work anymore…”
Despite the vast number of diet books that have been written about losing weight, something crucial for women is missing from every one: an accurate description of how women’s hormones regulate weight from puberty to menopause and beyond.
Now, what is a hormone?
Hormones are chemical communicators that carry messages to and from all organs of the body and serve to connect one organs function with another organs function, to keep the body balanced and functioning optimally.
The secretion and interaction of hormones throughout our bodies everyday is a highly complex and ongoing process.
The ratio of estrogen to progesterone to testosterone determines where in your body fat is gained.
- If testosterone is high relative to estrogen, we start gaining fat around our midsection.
- If estrogen is high relative to progesterone, we will gain fat around our hips and lower tummy, as opposed to our waist and upper body.
When any hormone system is out of balance, it may cause weight gain.
Let’s take a deeper look into the hormones specific to weight regulation…
Estrogen
Our bodies have 3 types of estrogen: estradiol, estrone, and estriol. These estrogens are not interchangeable and you’ll want to understand the difference because of estrogen’s major effect on women in midlife.
- 17-Beta Estradiol (E2): This is the primary estrogen present before menopause. It decreases a lot during and after menopause. It contributes to improved insulin response, enhanced energy and mood, as well as clarity of thinking, sharper memory, ability to concentrate, normal blood pressure, optimal bone density, better sleep quality, a better sex drive and a healthy, active metabolic rate. Declining estradiol also contributes to a decrease in serotonin production which results in depression, increased irritability, anxiety, increased pain sensitivity, eating disorders.
- Estrone (E1): When estradiol declines after menopause, the balance shifts more towards estrone. Higher estrone levels are associated with a slower metabolism, increased weight gain, and higher risk of breast and uterine cancers.
- Estriol (E3): Produced by the placenta during pregnancy. Promoted as the “safe estrogen” because its weak. Lower estrogen levels decrease the amount of time spent in stage IV sleep, which is the most restorative stage.
Progesterone
Progesterone prepares the women’s body for pregnancy, whether she gets pregnant or not. What does that involve?
- Food cravings
- Slowing down the passage of food through the digestive tract, so that your body can extract extra nutrients from it (and yes, this means calories as well)
- Bloating
- Ligaments loosen in preparation for childbirth (again, regardless of whether there’s an actual pregnancy or not), so risk of injuries is increased if progesterone is high.
Testosterone
Yes, women have testosterone (in minuscule amounts compared to men), and yes, it declines with age. Testosterone in women decreases by more than 50% during menopause which decreases muscle mass and bone mass. Overweight women have higher testosterone levels, because body fat converts testosterone to estrogen.
High testosterone in women (relative to estrogen) can cause:
- High blood pressure
- Restless sleep
- Nightmares
- Increased appetite
At the same time low testosterone isn’t good either. When testosterone is low, you get:
- Low muscle mass
- Low bone mass
- Depression; testosterone is a natural anti-depressant.
Calculating Waist-to-Hip Ratio
To calculate your WHR, measure your waist at its narrowest point, then measure your hips at the widest point. Divide the waist measurement by the hip measurement. Example: A women with a 35-inch waist, and 46-inch hips would do the following calculations: 35/46 = 0.76.
Your health goal is a waist-hip-ratio of less than 0.8.
WHRs of more than 0.8 for women, and 1.0 for men means you are at an increased health risk because of the middle-body fat distribution. As a general guideline, your goal for a healthy body should be a waist measure of less than 33-inches.
