How do women not get fat as they age?

 

Here’s a thought. All of these things will help maintain a normal weight - independent of age.

1. Eat a balanced diet

2. Eat less calories

3. Eliminate drinks with sugar and empty calories, especially ALCOHOL

4. Get quality sleep

5. Reduce stress

6. Exercise regularly

7. Get a physical exam from a qualified doctor, including blood work and hormone levels; hypothyroidism and depression can cause weight gain

Now for the good part. How do women not get fat as they age?

 As a gynecologist, in my opinion the VERY BEST WAY is to take hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

 If you've tried to lose weight the traditional way — by trying all the things mentioned above — and nothing seems to be working, you may benefit from HRT.

Hormone replacement therapy can be a great weight loss solution if:

• Starting menopause caused weight gain
• You have excess abdominal fat
• There are other symptoms that accompany menopause, such as night sweats and hot flashes
• You stopped menstruating at an early age

 Research has shown a link between estrogen levels and obesity in menopausal women. A growing body of evidence now demonstrates that estrogenic signaling can have an important role in obesity development in the menopause. Menopausal women are three times more likely to develop obesity and metabolic syndrome abnormalities than premenopausal women. And postmenopausal women experience higher rates of obesity than men of the same age.

 Hormonal imbalances are responsible for many of the changes women experience during menopause, and hormone replacement therapy may be able to help.

 Benefits of HRT

Hormone replacement therapy can rebalance your hormones and help your body to function normally so you feel like yourself again.

 Those who start hormone replacement therapy can expect an improved quality of life:

• Experience less severe symptoms of menopause
• Have an improved sex drive
• Experience less vaginal dryness and discomfort
• Lose weight and reduce body fat — especially belly fat
• Feel less anxious and have fewer mood swings
• Sleep better
• Experience less chronic pain
• Have a reduced risk of heart disease and dementia
• Enjoy softer, smoother, and more youthful skin
• Improve or protect bone health
• Reduce colon cancer risk

 Why is this? Well, as you age, everything dries up. Let’s start with BRAIN - more dementia and Alzheimers. The only argument about Alzheimer’s disease and estrogen is whether HRT prevents it 70 or 90% less.Then BONE - more fractures. 50% of hip fractures die within 6 months if the patient is old.

The fact is every organ needs estrogen to function properly.

 If I start HRT, how long should I take it? Well, many physicians say 5 years. But let me play devil’s advocate: as written above,

     Those who start hormone replacement therapy can expect an improved quality of life:

             Who cares about quality of life

Experience less severe symptoms of menopause

      Who cares if you have hot flashes, they are nothing to worry about and there are other treatments.

Have an improved sex drive     

      After 55, you are too old to have sex anyway

 Experience less vaginal dryness and discomfort     

     It is not important if sex hurts - the man still gets his   

Lose weight and reduce body fat — especially belly fat                

     You are too old to worry about weight; your husband doesn’t care how you look anyway

Feel less anxious and have fewer mood swings  Everyone is anxious and has mood swings

Sleep better

     Sleep is not important; you probably don’t have a job to go to

Experience less chronic pain

     Put up with the pain; it will make a man of you (even if you are a woman)

Have a reduced risk of heart disease and dementia     Many people die of heart disease; so what

    You are so old you don’t need a brain anyway

Enjoy softer, smoother, and more youthful skin

    Who cares, you’re old

Improve or protect bone health

    So what if you are 4 inches shorter than you used to be due to the aging process; and you are bent over and in constant pain

Reduce colon cancer risk

     Is this important?

 Of course, the above comments are made tongue-in-cheek. But in my opinion, because of ALL THE ABOVE, women should continue to take HRT and not stop. To me, QUALITY OF LIFE trumps all risks of HRT.

 Summary

• Hormones are vital for all bodily processes; hormonal imbalances can lead to many problems, including weight gain.
• Weight gain during menopause may be remedied by starting HRT.
• HRT may not be suitable for everyone — for example, those with a history of breast cancer should steer clear of this treatment.
• Alternatives to HRT include herbal remedies, acupuncture, acupressure, and dietary and lifestyle changes.

 Before starting HRT, it is important to consult a qualified physician who prescribes bioidentical hormone replacement. Not all patients are candidates for HRT, and not all doctors are qualified to prescribe it.