D3 And K2 Supplements
D2 and K2 are a powerful duo when taken as a supplement. Each of these vitamins is involved with balancing hormones, particularly those associated with weight management, and are viewed as safe vitamin supplements for people to take to support metabolic processes. Additionally, taking a combined supplement of D3 and K2 may support cell growth, bone mineralization, and weight management.
D3 Helps Balance Hormones
Vitamin D3, which the body can generate from absorbing sunlight, has a long history of being associated with overall good immune health, but D3 is also involved in keeping your hormone levels steady. Studies have found that D3 efficiencies are linked to obesity and that internal levels of D3 conversion increase after weight loss, particularly in women. What this means for your weight loss goal is that using D3 supplements may help increase overall weight loss.
K2 Supports Weight Loss
K2 is not a vitamin commonly found in most diets or even in many supplements, but there are significant benefits for including this vitamin in your daily intake. As a vitamin, K2 plays critical roles in bone and dental health, liver health, and yes, even reducing body weight and visceral fat. Because K2 is hard to find in food and because the conversion from K1 to K2 is inefficient, its generally easier to get an ideal amount of daily K2 intake when taken directly.
How to Use D3 and K2 Supplements
Understanding The Challenges Of Weight Loss Over 40
The causes of weight gain are varied and complex. They can occur at any time during a persons life cycle, but women face an uphill battle as they age. More specifically, changing hormone levels make weight loss over 40 a significant challenge. Research has demonstrated that aging and the menopause transition each contribute substantially to altered metabolism that increases the accumulation of body fat and the risk of metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance.
This may not only deeply affect your confidence and comfort in your own skin, but also make you more vulnerable to a cluster of dangerous and potentially deadly conditions, including:
- Type 2 diabetes
- Heart disease and stroke
Excess weight is also associated with an increased incidence of depression, loss of self-esteem and social functioning and a decrease in health-related quality of life. In other words, weight loss over 40 is no trivial matter its a significant concern with very real implications for your physical and emotional well-being.
In the simplest terms, weight gain occurs when the energy consumed from food exceeds energy expended through physical activity and the maintenance of basal metabolism and body heat. Many factors affect energy balance in the body, including a variety of hormones that play key roles in balancing metabolism and energy homeostasis. In fact, hormonal imbalances and fluctuations lie at the heart of many womens struggles with weight, particularly as they age:
How Hormone Replacement Therapy And Weight Loss Are Linked
The objective of hormone replacement therapy is to alleviate the physiological symptoms and bodily changes that women experience due to changing hormone levels. Once estrogen levels start to decrease, replacing them can reduce the effects associated with the lower levels.
Low estrogen levels are also associated with insulin resistance. Insulin resistance makes it harder for the body to process carbohydrates and use the glucose molecules for energy. The bodys cells dont correctly respond to insulin, allowing glucose levels to increase.
Your blood sugar levels will increase, increasing your risk of type two diabetes. Its also harder to lose weight when your body is insulin resistant because your blood sugar labels arent stable. When your blood sugar levels are too high or too low, this causes you to feel hungry.
Research indicates that HRT is an effective way to decrease body fat levels. Another component thats less measurable is the quality of life improvement that many women experience when they utilize HRT.
Perimenopause and menopause are associated with symptoms that make women feel bad, mentally and physically.
Hot flashes and an intolerance to heat dont necessarily impact body fat levels or weight management on their own. They do make it more difficult for women to obtain a night of restful sleep. If youre constantly waking up because youre hot, your sleep is going to be disjointed and less disruptive.
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How Can I Raise My Estrogen Levels Quickly
Food
Reasons Of Low Estrogen Levels In Women
Besides these lowered estrogen levels, weight gain is also prevalent in women after menopause due to various reasons. First and foremost, older adults burn calories at a similar rate to younger individuals , so they tend to burn calories slower.
Similarly, they tend to be less active, limiting how many calories they burn in a day. Coupled with the low estrogen levels, these factors do contribute to weight gain. However, menopause is not the only culprit for low estrogen amounts in your body. Other reasons include:
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The Best Source Of Dietary Selenium
Fish, meat, whole cereals, and vegetables are good dietary sources.
However, the best source of selenium is Brazil nuts. Just 1 nut contains 6891 mcg of selenium. More than the recommended daily intake!
Hence, you should eat only 1-2 Brazil nuts a day if you want to lose weight. According to studies, up to 150 mcg of selenium a day are beneficial.
Certainly, you shouldnt consume more than 400 mcg of selenium a day. Excess selenium may cause weight gain and even can be toxic! Just 1-oz of Brazil nuts contains about 550 mcg of selenium! Dont eat too many.
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Can Hormone Therapy Help Lose Weight And What Type To Prefer
Can hormone therapy help lose weight when one uses creams or gels? Scientific studies have tested different forms of HRT and claimed that shots, pills, and implants cause more negative variables compared to gels and HRT cream and weight gain. Health advisors prescribe stronger variants for surgical menopause weight gain because in that case, the body lacks organs that produce reproductive hormones. If a person wants to relieve some symptoms, one can turn to hormonal forms which give fewer negative reactions like creams, gels, and pessaries.
Clinical trials state that bioidentical hormone therapy for weight loss is safer compared to the traditional one. Such hormones are native to the human body because their composition is identical. The organism does not reject them and is more likely to cope with problems initiated by the transition period. Studies also assure the beneficial influence of bioidentical hormone therapy for weight loss. Can hormone replacement therapy help you lose weight? Yes, but only when treatment unites professionals, unique approach to medication, and the most suitable form of hormones with the right dosage.
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Hormones That Affect Your Weight
Your body is driven to maintain balance. This concept, called homeostasis, holds true for every system and process in your body because its the key to survival. Homeostasis ensures vital functions like your body temperature and blood volume stay within the specific limits needed for you to live.
Hormones have a key role in homeostasis, and when their levels are too low or too high they significantly impact your health. Several hormones actively regulate your weight. When their levels drop below normal, you gain weight.
These are some of the key hormones connected to your weight:
Lose Weight This Year With The Help Of Hormone Replacement Therapy
If youre determined to lose weight this year, you should know that diet and exercise arent always the answer. Sometimes you can diligently exercise and watch calories, yet still fail to drop those pesky pounds.
Your struggle to lose weight may be the result of a hormone imbalance thats sabotaging your efforts. Here at BioAge Health, weve helped many patients in Eagan and the Twin City area of Minnesota successfully lose weight by restoring their natural hormones.
As a board-certified bioidentical hormone specialist and weight loss specialist, Dr. Catherine Kodama works closely with each patient, providing support and exceptional help with hormone deficiencies that contribute to weight gain.
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Does Hormone Replacement Therapy Help You Lose Weight
Hormone replacement therapy has become more and more popular as time goes by. Its primarily used by those who are experiencing declining levels of hormones, such as women who are going through menopause. It helps to treat the symptoms of decreasing hormone levels including weight gain, fatigue, night sweats, and anxiety. Its recommended for those who are under 60, but if the treatment has been started before this age, it can be continued. Every case is different, however, and its important that anyone seeking to use HRT should consult their doctor for a check-up first.
One question some people who are interested in HRT have is, Does Hormone Replacement Therapy help you lose weight? Well answer this question below.
The Risks Of Weight Gain After Menopause
Many of the risks of weight gain are well known: high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes, to name a few. Extra fat at your waistline raises these risks more. Unfortunately, a bigger waistline is more likely after menopause. If you now have a waist measurement of more than 35 inches, it’s time to take steps to reverse this trend.
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What Is Estrogen Dominance
Estrogen dominance is defined as the period in which a womans estrogen and progesterone levels are out of balance . Progesterone is another sex hormone produced in the womans body.
It means that during this period, the estrogen levels become too high while the progesterone levels become too low. Such an imbalance tends to wreak havoc in numerous body functions, especially in the bodys ability to maintain its ideal body weight.
In females, these high estrogen levels can lead to weight gain, especially around the waist and hips. These are among the two areas that most women target when it comes to transforming their body shape.
You might be doing everything right by the book and still cannot get rid of fat around these areas. Estrogen dominance may perhaps shed more light on why this is the case. On the other hand, if these estrogen levels become abnormally high, they may result in menstrual problems.
These include light spotting, irregular periods, heavy bleeding, or more severe symptoms of premenstrual syndrome . If you are a woman, you will experience the following symptoms subsequent to a spike in this hormone :
- Cold hands and feet
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Menopause And Abdominal Fat
The hormonal changes we experience during menopause can affect how our bodies store fat. While age-related weight gain happens for both men and women, menopausal women specifically may start to notice more fat in their abdominal area. Estrogen levels help control how your body distributes fat. Declining estrogen levels during menopause can lead to accumulating fat in your belly. This not only affects many womens self-esteem but is also a risk factor for serious health complications such as diabetes and heart disease.
Your hormone doctor may recommend estrogen replacement therapy to help reduce your symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes, mood changes, and difficulty sleeping. In addition to helping with these disruptive symptoms, it may also help with belly fat during menopause.
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Does Hrt Put On Weight
Many women believe that taking HRT will make them put on weight, but there’s no evidence to support this claim. You may gain some weight during the menopause, but this often happens regardless of whether you take HRT. Exercising regularly and eating a healthy diet should help you to lose any unwanted weight.
Obesity And Sex Hormones
Body fat distribution plays an important role in the development of obesity-related conditions such as heart disease, stroke and some forms of arthritis. Fat around our abdomen is a higher risk factor for disease than fat stored on our bottom, hips and thighs. It seems that oestrogens and androgens help to decide body fat distribution. Oestrogens are sex hormones made by the ovaries in pre-menopausal women. They are responsible for prompting ovulation every menstrual cycle. Men and postmenopausal women do not produce much oestrogen in their testes or ovaries. Instead, most of their oestrogen is produced in their body fat, although at much lower amounts than what is produced in pre-menopausal ovaries. In younger men, androgens are produced at high levels in the testes. As a man gets older, these levels gradually decrease.The changes with age in the sex hormone levels of both men and women are associated with changes in body fat distribution. While women of childbearing age tend to store fat in their lower body , older men and postmenopausal women tend to increase storage of fat around their abdomen . Postmenopausal women who are taking oestrogen supplements donât accumulate fat around their abdomen. Animal studies have also shown that a lack of oestrogen leads to excessive weight gain.
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The Case For Ongoing Treatment
One study, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism found that in post-menopausal women estrogen supplements resulted in:
- Lower amounts of visceral belly fat
- A healthier body-mass index , and
- Increased lean body mass
Another similar study of the impacts of testosterone on men found that while the hormones clearly improved their metabolism and body fat metrics, when they stopped the therapy their bodies returned to the pre-treatment condition. Resuming therapy again resolved these issues and put them back on the track to optimal health.
This makes it clear that ongoing therapy is one of the most important keys to maintaining positive results.
Other Exercise Tips To Help Ensure Success
Before you begin exercising:
- Talk to your doctor about a new exercise program. Choose activities you enjoy so you’ll stick with your workouts.
- Find an exercise partner to help you stay motivated.
- Buy supportive shoes — the right ones for your activity.
- Pick a start date and start.
After you begin exercising:
- Allow at least 10 minutes to warm up before starting to exercise rigorously. To do this, choose an activity that gently works major muscles.
- Before you work out, stretch the muscles that will absorb most of the shock of your exercise routine.
- If you have any new pain while exercising, stop and let your doctor know.
- Gradually boost the distance, length, or intensity of your workout.
- Mix it up. Do different exercises to keep from getting bored and to keep your body challenged.
For the best fitness results, combine your exercise efforts with good nutrition. Here are just a few tips:
- Choose whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and lean protein.
- Stay away from processed foods.
- Keep a food diary, or explore programs for your computer or apps for your cell phone, to help you watch how many calories you eat.
- Don’t eat too late in the evening.
- When you eat out, take half the serving home.
- Eat smaller amounts but more often.
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The 6 Big Reasons Why Estrogen Dominance Can Greatly Inhibit Your Ability To Lose Weight & Keep It Off:
Excessive Estrogen Can Cause Belly Fat
Lets just look at the dairy industry for a second. Traditional dairy farmers will pump their cows full of estrogen for the simple task of fattening them up . A workaround to this system is to purchase milk and meat locally or organically, however, keep in mind that a cows milk is also designed to grow a calf. Yet, to make matters worse, fat cells in the body produce estrogen, so with excess fat, you may find yourself in a vicious fat/estrogen cycle and unable to keep hormones balanced and lose that layer of fat in your mid-section. In some women, it can even cause more weight gain. An obvious solution to this is to limit excess estrogen consumption as much as possible but to balance the estrogen in the body, it may also be necessary to supplement with natural, bio-identical progesterone .
You may also consider the use of a natural phytonutrient found in cruciferous vegetables called Diindolylmethane . This nutrient is very effective in helping to achieve a healthier estrogen metabolism.
Progesterone Lowers Insulin Levels.
Insulin is affected by hormone imbalance, and estrogen dominance can lead to the release of excess insulin. Increases in insulin can lead to sugar cravings that can be hard to control. This is why many women crave chocolate or other sweets during PMS. This can also contribute to weight gain. Its all making sense now, isnt it?
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Where Do I Start
If you think hormones are sabotaging your weight loss, it may be worth getting a blood test , to check key biomarkers such as your thyroid and oestrogen levels.
Knowing whether you have an imbalance in hormones is a great starting point and depending on which hormones may be affected will depend on the best lifestyle changes to make. For example, if your cortisol levels are found high, then your first step may be to look at ways to de-stress.
Ultimately though, improving your diet, increasing your physical activity, and finding ways to manage your stress levels will have a positive impact on your health, body weight, and hormone production.
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