Battle of the Bulge : Insulin Resistance and weight gain over 40

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The more I learn about estrogen the more I am in awe ✨✨✨

It actually does some cool things for our bodies, besides being involved in reproduction, like helping out with insulin sensitivity and keeping our blood sugar in check.

Estrogen basically tells our body how to handle glucose.

So, when we hit 40 and perimenopause enters our lives where estrogen and progesterone start fluctuating and declining, this effects the way we handle glucose.

Dysregulation of glucose metabolism is one of the culprits leading to weight gain around the mid-section.

Let’s discuss why this happens and some tips to shred that unwanted belly fat today in The Snack Bar.

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How does estrogen help with glucose metabolism?

So, here's the deal: in the liver, estrogen slows down the process of turning nutrients absorbed into glucose, which means less sugar floating around in our bloodstream.

Plus, it helps our muscles become more sensitive to glucose, so they can grab it up and use it.

Then there's progesterone, another hormone in the mix, which steps in to make sure our muscles and liver can actually absorb and use that glucose efficiently.

All of this teamwork helps to prevent too much glucose from causing chaos in our blood vessels and organs.

Therefore, estrogen helps prevent hyperglycaemia leading to insulin resistance and diabetes.

So what happens in perimenopause?

As women hit the perimenopausal years and both estrogen and progesterone start to decline, their metabolism takes a hit.

Blood sugar starts creeping up, and they become less sensitive to insulin.

Even if they're sticking to the same diet and exercise routine, they might notice some extra pounds creeping on.

“It’s like after 40 I just put on pounds without changing a thing! It feels like it happened overnight. I am so frustrated as I eat healthy and exercise!”

I hear this all the time and if it is you, it is not your fault, and you are not alone.

Once a woman hits menopause (which is basically a year after her last period), she has typically packed on about 12 pounds on average and a good chunk of that weight gain is sneaky fat that's settled around her vital organs.

It's gone from being just a small part of her total body fat to 15 to 20%.

This kind of fat around the organs (around our middle) is bad news on its own – it's linked to high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease as well as cognitive decline.

So how do we measure visceral fat?

The simplest way to detect visceral fat gain is to measure waist circumference.

Get out a tape measure. Stand up straight and breathe out. Wrap a tape measure around the smallest part of your waist just above your belly button. This is your waist circumference.

You may be accumulating excess visceral fat if your waist circumference is over 35 inches for women and 40 for men (based on U.S. guidelines).

Keep a track of this measure over time.

How do I reduce visceral fat and improve glucose metabolism in perimenopause?

I know you have heard it all before but controlling the weight gain through diet and exercise is key 🔑🔑🔑

Let's circle back to something super important: losing that stubborn body fat, especially around your belly, is key during perimenopause.

Why? Because it's a big deal for keeping your blood sugar in check and stopping insulin resistance in its tracks. So, let’s get down to the good stuff!

👉 You need to be in a calorie deficit to lose body fat. This is not something you can just guess at. You have to calculate your maintenance calories and then subtract a deficit. Usually, a 20% deficit is a 500-calorie reduction which will allow you to lose about 1 lb per week or ½ a kilo. Getting in touch with a dietitian to help with this is a good idea ⏲️

👉 You need to begin to learn to lift weights to increase muscle mass, even just twice a week at a minimum. Muscle is a sponge for glucose and keeps it in check so the more you have the better. Remember, you lose 1% of muscle mass each year after 40 due to declining hormones. Yes, estrogen helps build muscle so when it starts to slip so does muscle mass 🥺

👉 You need to move a little more whether it is through increasing your step count or Short Interval Training (SIT). A Tabata style workout is perfect for this (discussed below) 🏃‍♀️

👉 Sticking to mainly wholefoods and increasing your vegetable intake boost food quality and also help glucose control 🥦

👉 You need to make an appointment with your doctor to keep track of your lipid profile, fasting glucose, and haemoglobin A1c on an annual basis. If numbers are drifting up, ask for a fasting insulin level, too. Pay attention to results that increase from year to year 👩‍⚕️

👉 If you have a lot of weight to lose, have insulin resistance and it’s been a difficult battle for you in the past to shred pounds despite diet and exercise, chat to your doctor about certain medications that can help with this such as the current GLP-1 agonists 💉

Ready to Change the Things You Can Change?

Perimenopause brings about so many changes due to the decline in estrogen and progesterone. We know a lot more these days about how these hormonal changes effect women, which means we are coming up with more solutions.

Putting on some more pounds around the mid-section is typical of perimenopause however we can do something about it.

Review the tips above and see what resonates with you. Perhaps it is time to get your bloods and glucose metabolism checked. Perhaps you need a diet overhaul or want to try Tabata style training or weight training.

Reflection

Exploring these opportunities ARE in your control. You’ve got this girl 💪 

The Snack Bar by Strong Woman Project

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