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If this is happening to you, you are not alone. Over 40 million women in the US are estimated to be going through menopause.  This usually occurs between ages 49 and 52. This article is about how to manage weight loss if you are over 40.

Going through menopause?

Many women find in the years leading up to and after their final menstrual period that along with other symptoms their abdomens thicken and their weight increases.

We have come up with nine other actions, along with intermittent fasting, that may help stop menopausal weight issues. They will give a boost to weight loss if you are over 40 and  experiencing a plateau while low-carb keto eating.

Don’t eat too much protein

Women need less protein and can much more easily over-consume protein compared to men. If you and your husband are eating the same size steak, you are consuming too much. Too much protein interferes with ketosis and fat burning,

General advice from our group of experts is to eat between 0.5 to 1.5 g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. A 70 kg (154 lbs) woman would therefore eat no more than 105 g of protein per day, and perhaps significantly less.

Don’t eat too much fat

Once fat adapted, cut back on extra fat: One of the great joys of low-carb keto eating is adding back fat into our bodies after denying them fat for so long. But a keto diet is not carte blanche to gorge yourself on fat, the experts note. If you want to lose weight, you have to burn your own fat stores for energy, not consume all the energy you need by eating fat. So stop the bulletproof coffee and fat bombs for now. You will know you are fat adapted because you can go a long time without eating.

Intermittent fasting

Once you are fat-adapted, hunger pangs diminish and it is easy to go for longer periods without eating. Many people naturally stop eating breakfast — they just aren’t hungry when they wake up. The number one rule of low-carb eating is eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full.

So if you are not hungry, try fasting for 16 hours, and then eating just lunch and dinner in an 8-hour window, called a 16:8 fast. Or try eating dinner one night, than fasting until dinner the next night, doing a 24-hours fast.

Watch out for the carb creep

If you have been doing low-carb keto eating for a while, carbs can sneak back into your diet, particularly in the form of sauces, condiments, fruits and nut snacks. If weight loss has stalled, closely examine what you are eating and cut back to under 20 g of carbs again. Nut snacks like cashews, almonds, and pistachios are easy to overeat and can contain enough carbs to contribute to a weight-loss stall. A cup of pistachios, for example, has 34 g of carbs. Avoid carb cycling or cheat meals, too, for now.

Cut out alcohol

To be successful with weight loss if you are over 40 cut out the alcohol for now: Many people love the fact that on a low-carb or keto diet you can have a glass of dry white or red wine from time to time. If you are experiencing a weight-loss plateau, or gaining weight, cut out all alcohol for now until weight loss starts again. Even a few drinks a week can cause a stall

Avoid sweeteners

If you have been including artificial sweeteners like aspartame or sucralose in your low-carb or keto diet, our experts recommend you wean yourself off them.

Do weight training

The more muscle you add, the better your insulin sensitivity, so any sort of resistant strain you can add to your muscle is great for weight loss. The weight lifting doesn’t have to be a excessive — 90 seconds, twice a week can do it. It has to be a heavy enough weight that after about to 10 to 15 lifts (reps) you cannot do another rep. That is called lifting to muscle failure.

While you can’t exercise your way out of a bad diet, adding in weight lifting will build muscle and increase your metabolism.

Get enough sleep

A good night sleep reduces stress and cortisol, the stress hormone that when raised hangs onto abdominal fat.

Tips for better sleep include:

• Sleep in a cool, dark room.
• Wear ear plugs and eye shades.
• Limit screen time and blue light before bed (or try the glasses that block blue light.
• Go to bed and get up at the same time each day.
• Stop drinking coffee by noon and limit caffeine consumption in all forms.
• Avoid alcohol before bed.
• Get exposure to natural daylight each day.

Reduce stress

When we see people struggle and hit a plateau, or completely fall off the wagon, the number one cause is a life crisis of some sort. We all have life crises, all our lives are managed chaos.

We recommend people plan coping mechanisms to deal with stress such as yoga, meditation and mindfulness techniques, relaxing walks or other pleasant diversions and hobbies. For a week eat slowly and mindfully, where you really pay attention to taste, textures, and hunger cues.

Be realistic

Some women are aiming for an arbitrary number on a scale… a number that has no real bearing or relationship to their actual health and wellness. It’s far better to enjoy whole food LCHF that results in great energy, focus, good GI tract and healthy muscles, skin and hair.

Age with grace and vitality.

Reference:

Anne mullens published on Diet Doctor

Photo credit: Artem Bali, Unsplash

“Lifestyle changes can positively affect our gut microbiome and influence how we deal with stress.”

Introduction to podcast with Professor John Cryan

Dr Chatterjee talks to Professor John Cryan, world-leading researcher on the gut-brain axis and Professor of Anatomy & Neuroscience about how the connection between our gut and our brains affects all aspects of our health, including stress, depression, anxiety and IBS.

Listen here

Episode Highlights:

• As a neuroscientist, how did John become to research stress, which led to its link to the Gut Microbiome?
• Hear about the progress John and his team have made so far with their research.
• What chronic illnesses to John & Rangan now know can affect and be affected by stress?
• John & Rangan talk about stress and why our body reacts in this way and the follow-on effects of chronic stress.
• Listen to the research John has done recently on how specific bacterium in the gut, can be more resistant to stress.
• Link to John’s book The Psychobiotic Revolution: Mood, Food and the New Science of the Gut-Brain Connection
• John talks about how our microbiome is different throughout our lives from first born to old age, from person to person and compared to our ancestors.
• John describes the Gut-brain Axis and how we have recently been able to see how the gut can directly influence activities in the brain.
• How has John’s research shown how the state of the microbiome can cause specific stress responses such as depression & anxiety?
• Hear John’s tips to improving gut health include: a Mediterranean diet, fermented foods, pre-biotics in the diet, avoiding processed food and anti-biotics, how Caesarean sections and having pets can have an effect and why good sleep practises and exercise are important.
• John talks about research into processed foods, sugar and artificial sweeteners.
• John reveals how certain medications, prescribed by doctors, can be more or less effective depending on the individual’s microbiome.

Reference:

https://drchatterjee.com/blog/category/podcast/

 

 

 

Dr Chatterjee talks to Professor John Cryan, world-leading researcher on the gut-brain axis and Professor of Anatomy & Neuroscience about how the connection between our gut and our brains affects all aspects of our health, including stress, depression, anxiety and IBS.

 

Dr. Rangan Chatterjee is a leading lifestyle and health teacher. His podcasts are well worth listening to. Dr Chatterjee talks to celebrity TV chef, restaurateur and childhood obesity campaigner Jamie Oliver on his ambitions as a boy working in his family’s business, his current role as an obesity campaigner and what he’s working on for the future.

Jamie Oliver on Childhood Obesity

Jamie Oliver, the British celebrity chef and food campaigner, has long been an outspoken advocate for improving children’s health through better nutrition. He has described childhood obesity as one of the most serious health issues facing the modern world. According to Oliver, poor diet is not only contributing to obesity but also to rising cases of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other preventable conditions in children.

Oliver has been especially critical of the widespread availability of ultra-processed foods, sugary drinks, and unhealthy school meals. He believes that governments, schools, and food manufacturers have a shared responsibility to protect children from poor dietary influences. In his campaigns, he has repeatedly called for clearer food labeling, sugar taxes, and restrictions on junk food advertising. He also wants better nutrition education in schools.

In the UK, his “Feed Me Better” campaign led to reforms in school dinners, aiming to replace processed foods with healthier alternatives. More recently, he has supported policies to ban the promotion of junk food before 9pm on television. He argues that children are especially vulnerable to marketing tactics.

Oliver has emphasized the importance of cooking skills. He suggests that teaching children and families how to prepare nutritious meals can empower them to make better food choices. He argues that food education should be a core part of the school curriculum, just like math or science.

While Oliver’s campaigns have faced pushback from some food industry groups and political figures, he continues to be a passionate voice for public health. He believes that tackling childhood obesity requires bold action, cultural change, and sustained commitment from all parts of society. His ultimate message is clear: healthy children are the foundation of a healthy future.