Weight Gain/Loss
We all know that a healthy diet and adequate exercise are they keys to keeping our weight under control. However, as you get older, many times your weight stubbornly creeps higher. In spite of eating the same diet and perhaps even exercising more, you begin to collect stubborn fat bulges around your love handles, tummy or hips, and these refuse to go away even with diet changes and targeted exercises. Many people turn to fad diets, and these sometimes temporarily work. However, the national average is that only 4% of people succeed in keeping the weight off for one year. And then, when the weight you worked so hard to lose steadily accumulates again, you blame yourself. You tell yourself that you just aren't trying hard enough. You vow to buckle down and become more dedicated to dieting and exercise. But year after year, even though you exercise regularly and diet occasionally, your weight steadily creeps up. Perhaps you've noticed other changes as you get older as well. Recuperating from vigorous exercise takes longer. You have no energy. You can't sleep well. As you age further, your doctor tells you that you have high cholesterol, that if you don't lose some weight you might develop diabetes. Are these things really all due to a lack of effort on your part, or is it possible that something else is going on with your body?
Men and Women often complain that their "metabolism" has decreased as they've gotten older, to explain why they suddenly have abdominal fat that they can't get rid of. They don't realize that their changing hormone levels may be programming their body to gain weight. Low testosterone levels cause you to lose muscle and at the same time gain fat, especially in the waist and abdomen. In addition, men experience rising levels of estrogen as they age, and this leads to increased body fat. Women experience an imbalance between estrogen and progesterone, which leads to bloating and increased body fat.
These hormone changes happen to all of us. A recent study showed that, on average, 80% of a 20 year old's weight is from lean mass, like muscle and bones. By the time we are 70 years old, that percentage has shrunk to 50%. The other 50% of our body weight is from fat.
Studies have shown that supplementing low testosterone levels leads to a significant loss of body fat. Correcting estrogen hormone imbalances can stabilize weight also. Restoring proper adrenal function is necessary for proper fat burning and thyroid function. Optimizing hormone hormone levels makes recuperating from exercise less painful, and improves your general energy level so that exercising regularly doesn't seem so daunting. Correcting these hormone imbalances can make it easier to lose weight and keep a toned, healthy body. Don't fight your body and then blame yourself when your hormones are working against you. Don't just work harder, work smarter. Give your body what it needs.