According to statistics, 80% of women gain excess weight with age. This is due to natural processes in the female body. And unfortunately, after 40 years, it turns out to be more challenging to lose weight. Ladies are discouraged and scold themselves for being lazy.
It would help if you didn’t do this, you can’t argue with nature. You need to comprehensively study the problem of excess weight and correctly approach its solution. Here are some factors that prevent you from staying in the same shape.
Causes of excess weight in women
Hormonal disruption
In a woman’s body after forty, two hormones inevitably decrease – progesterone and estradiol (estrogen). These substances are responsible for the intensity of metabolic processes and for the ability to give birth. But after 40 years, the level of these hormones drops, which leads to menopause and the onset of menopause.
During menopause, estrogen levels drop, leading to weight gain, especially in the abdomen. Low progesterone levels do not directly cause weight gain but cause the body to retain more fluid, which increases body volume and weight.
The decline in testosterone levels with age also leads to weight gain. In women, the content of this male hormone in the blood is already low, but this hormone contributes to the growth of muscle mass and the burning of fat.
Slow down metabolism
In a study conducted in 2010, more than 8 thousand people of different ages were tested and found that in adults after 40 years, the basal metabolism decreases by 3.1-3.3%.
This means that the body at rest burns 50-60 calories less per day. It seems that this is not too much, but if you do not change the level of physical activity and the usual menu, you can gain three kilograms in a year. The situation is complicated by the use of strict diets, which do not bring results in most cases.
Stress
During menopause, women have a low resistance to stress and a simultaneous increase in blood cortisol levels. Cortisol is a regulator of carbohydrate metabolism in the body and takes part in developing stressful situations.
Since sugar and other simple carbohydrates temporarily lower cortisol levels, one of the effects of raising this stress hormone is chronic hunger and an obsessive desire to eat something tasty and sweet – this is how the body tries to “bounce back”. This ultimately leads to overeating and weight gain.
Insulin resistance
Closer to menopause, the body undergoes specific changes that can form resistance (insensitivity) of receptors in tissues to insulin. With insulin resistance, the sensitivity of the muscle cells decreases. As a result, the ability of glucose to penetrate the cells of muscle tissue is impaired, and it accumulates in the blood plasma.
In response, the pancreas produces even more insulin, and blood levels rise above normal levels. As a result, glucose is deposited in fat because fat cells are well susceptible to insulin, and glucose needs to disappear from the blood somewhere. A kind of vicious circle is being created.
Lack of physical activity
It has been scientifically proven that every 10 years, a person’s energy consumption decreases by 10%. After 40 years, women have no time and often no desire to exercise. There is a straightforward pattern: little movement means a lot of fat on the hips, abdomen and waist, and vice versa.
Taking medications
Weight gain is a side effect of many medications. Unfortunately, approaching the age of 40, women often already have serious illnesses. Especially hormonal drugs or drugs that affect the psyche have a strong effect on weight.
While making you feel tired and sleepy, Antihistamines slow down your metabolism, reducing your calorie expenditure. Drugs used to treat diabetes, migraines, strokes, arthritis, cancers, and many others can also lead to weight gain.
However, do not despair. Weight loss axioms remain unchanged in youth and adulthood – a balanced diet, a healthy lifestyle and physical activity. The main thing is not to harm your health by being carried away by a variety of diets.
