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Diet and gut bacteria linked with blood clots – Reuters

Posted: April 25, 2017 at 8:44 am

(Reuters Health) - Consuming too much choline, a nutrient sold in over-the-counter dietary supplements, can boost the risk for blood clots, researchers warn.

Thats because bacteria in the intestines interact with choline to produce a compound that encourages platelets to clump together and form clots.

Choline is found in a variety of foods including meat, eggs and milk. Its whats known as an essential nutrient, which means the body cant make enough choline on its own and so it must be provided in food.

But unless prescribed by your doctor, avoid supplements with choline, said senior study researcher Dr. Stanley L. Hazen of the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, in a statement.

Hazen and colleagues had previously shown that bacteria in the intestines interact with choline and other dietary nutrients to produce a substance called TMAO, and they linked high levels of TMAO in the blood to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Also, in studies in animals, they linked higher levels of TMAO to a higher risk for blood clots.

Their latest research, reported in the American Heart Associations journal Circulation, shows that choline in food can affect blood clotting risk in humans, and in some cases, that risk can be minimized by taking low-dose aspirin.

In the current study, they gave oral choline supplements to 18 volunteers and then measured TMAO levels, along with the responses of platelets, tiny particles involved in clotting.

After taking the supplements for up to two months, participants had more than 10-fold increases in blood levels of TMAO. The tendency of their platelets to clump together and form clots was also significantly increased, in direct proportion to the increases in TMAO levels.

Aspirin, which reduces the stickiness of platelets, reduced both the increases in TMAO and the increases in platelet clotting associated with choline, but it didn't completely eliminate them, the researchers found.

The findings are of particular concern in people at high cardiovascular risk, whose increased risk of blood clots may not be overcome by low-dose aspirin. The researchers recommend further study.

They also say it's worth exploring whether low-dose aspirin is beneficial in otherwise healthy people with high TMAO in the blood although at this point, they cant explain why the aspirin seemed to bring down TMAO levels.

Dr. Herbert Tilg from Medical University Innsbruck, Austria, who has studied the link between gut microbes and blood clots, told Reuters Health by email, This and earlier studies show that we now definitely have to consider dietary aspects in this context, i.e., diet drives thrombosis risk.

These associations are totally new and unexpected: a link between diet - gut microbiota - and thromboembolic events, he said.

They are extremely relevant for the public and in medicine, given that clots are very, very common and can be fatal, he said.

Tilg added that preventive strategies are needed, and probably aspirin is not sufficient. This needs further studies.

SOURCE: bit.ly/1q3uqj1 Circulation, online April 24, 2017.

Large drugmakers with piles of cash are on the hunt for promising medicines being developed by small companies to treat NASH, a progressive fatty liver disease poised to become the leading cause of liver transplants by 2020.

(Reuters Health) - - Mindfulness-based stress reduction programs (MSBR) appear to improve low back pain only slightly, and only temporarily, a review of previous research suggests.

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Diet and gut bacteria linked with blood clots - Reuters

‘500kg’ Egyptian woman’s sister accuses Indian doctors of lying – BBC News

Posted: April 25, 2017 at 8:43 am


Al-Arabiya
'500kg' Egyptian woman's sister accuses Indian doctors of lying
BBC News
The sister of Eman Abd El Aty, an Egyptian woman thought to have been the world's heaviest, has accused doctors of lying about her weight loss after surgery in India. She underwent surgery in Mumbai's Saifee hospital, and last week doctors said she had ...
Egypt's Eman suffers paralysis as India weight loss journey takes bitter turnAl-Arabiya
Indian doctors defend 500kg Egyptian's weight loss amid rowMedical Xpress
Heaviest Woman Eman Ahmed's Sister Denies Weight-Loss In Mumbai, Minister Vows HelpNDTV
ScoopWhoop -Hindustan Times -India Today
all 33 news articles »

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'500kg' Egyptian woman's sister accuses Indian doctors of lying - BBC News

Counting Your Way to Weight Loss | Health & Fitness | tucson.com – Arizona Daily Star

Posted: April 25, 2017 at 8:43 am

MONDAY, April 24, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- The concept of counting calories to lose weight is based on a pound of fat being equal to 3,500 calories, so that cutting 500 calories a day means you should lose about one pound a week.

That's not always true, however.

Many diets limit daily calories to 1,200, but this may not be the magic number for everyone. It could be too low for a very active man or too high for a sedentary woman to net a pound-a-week loss.

To determine the right calorie cap for you, it helps to know how many calories you're currently eating. That's your baseline number. Many people underestimate how much they eat each day, and dieters tend to underestimate this even more.

To find your baseline number, keep a food journal for a week, recording the calories in everything you eat and drink. This will also make you more aware of just how much you're taking in. Calculate your daily average to get your baseline number.

For a faster estimate, use an online "daily calorie needs" calculator. You'll type in your age, sex, height, weight and activity level, and the site will do the calculations. You can also see how many calories you'll be able to eat once you reach your ideal weight. To start your diet, cut 500 calories a day from your baseline.

As you lose weight, you'll need to progressively decrease calories to continue losing at the same rate because your baseline number gets a little smaller with every pound lost.

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Counting Your Way to Weight Loss | Health & Fitness | tucson.com - Arizona Daily Star

7 Reasons Gratitude Can Help You With Weight Loss – Huffington Post

Posted: April 25, 2017 at 8:43 am

In a world filled with trendy diets, supposed superfoods and newest forms of exercises that we are living in, we want to talk about something different. Not to worry! You came here with the hopes of finding out something new that you can use to lose those last couple of unwanted pounds and you are going to find out exactly that! But it is not some kind of a perfect diet or exercise that you are going to get. In fact, we came here to talk about gratitude! No, it is not some kind of a holiday that you have forgotten about, no it is not a special family gathering but, still, we can talk about being grateful every day and how that surprisingly or not can help you accomplish your goal of losing weight! No, it is not some kind of a trick! No, we are not kidding if that is what you though! We are here to talk about the 7 ways that gratitude will help you with losing that unwanted body weight in no time!

Gratitude is defined as appreciation for what is, in your opinion, worth and meaningful to you. You can learn to practice it as a momentary state, or, you can also learn how to place gratitude to fit your character permanently! It is in the fact that gratitude can help you become more aware of your both physical and mental health and help you improve your general health at the same time! And, surprisingly it can help you lose some weight on the way! Curious to find out how? Lets see how you can lose weight with the help of gratitude while also following the concept of healthy eating for a healthy weight and regular exercise!

The 7 ways that gratitude helps you lose weight through!

1. Stop stress eating by reducing your stress levels It is considered that by taking the time to express gratitude towards all the things that make you happy on a daily basis, you will successfully help your body to reduce the stress levels in no time! And you know what that means no stress eating! It happens to all of us, more commonly than we all want to admit, to forget all about healthy eating and eat all the sweet, process food that we can grab on in the middle of a stressful event! Why not prevent that from happening by reducing your stress levels?

2. Make better decisions about the food that you eat By practicing gratitude daily, you will start noticing all the wrong things in your life and all the potentially harmful decisions that you make, especially about your eating habits! You will start noticing that your normal eating habits do not fit the criteria for healthy eating, so why stick to them any longer?

3. You will learn to appreciate your food It is not that often that we take the time to appreciate the food on our table. And understand this eating your meal in a record of 10 minutes cannot compare with taking the time to taste and appreciate your food at the moment. Plus, you will let your body process your food normally, and you will fill full after eating nearly half of your usual serving! Even something as small as protein shakes for weight loss will take a new form of importance in your eyes after you have spent a few moments on appreciating their existence!

4. You will start setting goals By practicing appreciation you will start feeling good about yourself, and you will learn to love yourself, and we do not mean only your body, but your mind as well! You will learn to love your character, and you will feel eager to set realistic goals, especially those that refer to eating healthier and exercising regularly to feel better in your skin! But this does not stop here! Practicing gratitude every day will help you accomplish these goals as well!

5. Gratitude will help you create and stick to a proper exercise routine Exercising has an essential role in the process of losing weight, using healthy tips and tricks, that is. Practicing gratitude, even a small action as writing a few sentences in your gratitude journal every night will help you in the process of creating a proper exercising routine and never missing a day from it!

6. Gratitude will help you stick to your routine of preparing and eating healthy Learn to appreciate your food before you cook it, while you eat it and after you are done eating it. Why? It is because gratitude will help you feel powerful and strengthen your willpower and that is what you seek if you want to create and follow new health routines.

7. Sleep better by appreciating the things that surround you Sleep is vital if you want to feel rested and prepared to go through your day and sticking to your new healthy habits of healthy eating and everyday exercising! Plus, better sleep means lower stress levels, and we already discussed the importance of low-stress levels when focusing on the weight loss!

Losing weight is a hard process that takes a lot of time, and most importantly, a lot of patience. But you should never give up! On the contrary! You should stay strong, dedicated to your new goal and dedicated to the search for new tips and tricks that can possibly help you in the process! And here is one that nor does not require money nor a lot of time practicing gratitude every day! Yes, it is simple as that and yes, it does have 7 very important beneficial effects when it comes to losing weight with the help of gratitude! Better sleep, low-stress levels, new healthy habits and no trace of the old, unhealthy ones, are just a few of the previously mentioned benefits of practicing gratitude every day! It is up to you if you are ready to take the time to appreciate the things around you with the goal to lose that unwanted body weight in no time!

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7 Reasons Gratitude Can Help You With Weight Loss - Huffington Post

The ULTIMATE Weight Loss Tip! – Huffington Post

Posted: April 25, 2017 at 8:43 am

What if I told you that you can lose weight, FOR GOOD, while simultaneously improving your health, and boosting your energy levels by doing aspects of nutrition and fitness that you actually ENJOY?

Its a cool, cloudy Monday here on Long Island, and before I get into the meat of todays message, I wanted to apologize for not checking in over the weekend. I needed to step away for a couple of days to recharge my batteries and be back at it better than ever. Hopefully, youll appreciate the value Im bringing to the table today, and going forward:-)

Now, then, lets carry on to todays topic, which is to get to the promised land by finding what works for YOU!

What do I mean by that? Let me explain

Imagine being able to eat the foods you like without feeling guilty about calories, portions or just how bad that food is for you. Imagine getting into unstoppable shape doing workouts that you genuinely enjoyed.

ALL these things are possible, and are NECESSARY if you want to get to the promised land, and stay at the top of the mountain of health, confidence and vitality, FOREVER!

When I began my personal weight loss journey to lose 100 lbs, I started off going about things the WRONG way. I found complete weight loss and muscle-building programs on sites like bodybuilding.com and in magazines like Mens Health, and figured that because the dude pictured in these programs was shredded beyond human comprehension, that me religiously following this generic plan not designed around me, my interests or my physical limitations, was going to be my golden ticket.

While this methodology worked for a few months, inevitably, it never became habit, and I plateaued for TWO YEARS! Not two weeks, not two months TWO YEARS!

Programs would work for a bit, then stop, and then it would be on to the next. And then, on to the next. Falling off the wagon was a regular occurrence, as a couple of weeks of no gains yielded to a couple of weeks of inactivity and junk food.

There were two things I absolutely HATED about diet and fitness during this period, and it wasnt until I came across some of the methodologies I incorporate now with my clients, that I began to once again lose weight and KEEP IT OFF.

For starters, I HATE calorie counting and portion control. Its a chore when you open up the MyFitnessPal app just to see if a snack or a meal you want to eat is within your calorie range. Its excruciating when youre eating a home-cooked meal, you lick your plate clean, and yet you still want more. You cant, though, because youre watching your portions!

So, when I got turned on to Paleo, and saw that there were nutritional methodologies out there that did NOT count calories, and instead focused on the QUALITY of the foods I was eating, I began to see stellar results on the dietary and weight loss sides. While my nutritional methodology has evolved a bit beyond those days, this was the starting point to my years of sustained success.

On the fitness side, I HATE body splits, and cant stand Chest & Back Day, and all of that frivolous bullshit. I understand the concept, but Im more of an intuitive guyI dont want to work certain muscle groups when I feel like doing something else.

The best workouts for me are ones where theres some form of competition. As you may know, Im an avid softball player, and play in a couple of leagues each week. In both, I play left field, and when a ball is slowly being lobbed over the plate with metal bats and a predominately right-handed hitting lineup, you can bet I get my fair share of sprint intervals in! Im also a.500/.600 hitter, and Im fast, so I do quite a bit of running around the bases, as well;-)

On days that Im not playing, I like to use the clock in some way as my competition. Lets say I only have 20 minutes to work out, before Id have to shower, change and head out to my next series of appointments. Ill create an interval training workout based on how I feel and which muscle groups I feel need to be focused on that day, and Ill bust my butt for 20 minutes using an interval timer I downloaded on my phone. This method of training burns A TON of fat, revs my metabolism for up to 72 hours AFTER the workout is finished, and enables me to stay motivated when a trip to the gym for Leg Day wouldve resulted in sitting on the couch and watching Netflix.

Once I approached my nutrition and my fitness from perspectives that I actually could get behind, the two-year plateau ended, the weight came flying off, and I got down to single digit body fat and had abs for the first time in my life! If you dont believe me, check out my Before and After picture below:

Im like a custom tailor, in that I dont approach my clients fitness, health or nutrition going with an off-the-shelf suit or dress that will suffice for that event you could give less of a shit about. If youre interested in making a healthy, sustainable and PERMANENT change, then lets chat!

I have some Strategy Call sessions open this week, and would love to see how I can help you! To qualify for one, please fill out my Health Questionnaire by going to https://goo.gl/forms/pn6PugMixK74z5ip2. Upon submission, youll be redirected to book your FREE 15 minute spot with me at a date and time that works for you.

Lets build your dream body from the foundation upTailored to you and your individual needs! The link to my questionnaire is https://goo.gl/forms/pn6PugMixK74z5ip2.

I look forward to hearing from you:-)

pete@weightlossbypete.com

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The ULTIMATE Weight Loss Tip! - Huffington Post

Forget Your BMI and Focus on Your Waistline Instead – Weight Loss … – Health.com

Posted: April 25, 2017 at 8:43 am

When it comes to determining whether a person is overweight, body mass index (BMI) is the most widely used measure out there. But doctors admit that BMIa ratio of weight to heightis far from perfect. Now, a new study suggests there may be a better way to estimate the risks of health problems associated with excess weight.

The new research, published today in the Annals of Internal Medicine, found that waist-to-hip ratio was a better predictor of whether people would die over the course of the study, compared to BMI. This isnt the first study to reach this conclusion, but it'sone of the largest to-date.

Researchers from Loughborough University in the U.K. and the University of Sydney in Australia looked at data from 42,702 men and women living in England and Scotland over a 10-year period. Specifically, they wanted to know if people who carried extra weight around their middles were at increased risks of health problems, compared to those who were technically overweight but carried their extra pounds elsewhere.

Over the course of the study, 5,355 of the participants died. After controlling for factors such as age, gender, smoking status, and physical activity, the researchers found that people who had normal BMIs but who also had central obesitydefined as a high waist-to-hip ratiohad a 22% increased risk of death from all causes, compared to people with normal BMIs and healthier waist-to-hip ratios.

Obese people with central obesity were also at higher risk of death compared to normal-weight and normal-waist individuals.

On the other hand, people who were technically overweight or obese based on their BMIsbut who did not have central obesitywere less likely to die than people with normal BMIs but high waist-to-hip ratios.

Surprisingly, overweight people with central obesity didnot have anincreased risk of death from all causes, compared to people with a normal weight and smaller waistlines.These findings are counterintuitive, say the authors, but theyre similar to those of previous research: A 2015 study found that people with normal BMIs but central obesity had the worst long-term survival rates, even when compared with overweight and obese people who also had central obesity.

Explaining these paradoxical findings is challenging, the authors say. One possibility is that overweight and obese people are more likely to also have extra fat stored around their legs and hips, which has been linked to healthier metabolism.

RELATED: 11 Reasons Why You're Not Losing Belly Fat

The authors also say that limitations in their researchlike the fact that BMI and waist measurements were only collected once, rather than several times over the course of the studymay have skewed the results.

But they point out that all participants with central obesity, in every BMI group, were at increased risk of dying specifically from cardiovascular disease. This may imply that the health risks of excess belly fat are specifically related to heart problems, the authors say, more so than other major causes of death.

People with a BMI between 18.5 and 25 are considered normal weight; between 25 and 30 is considered overweight, while 30 and higher is obese. Central obesity is defined as a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.85 or higher for women and 0.9 or higher for men. (Heres how you can calculate both.)

RELATED: 15 Best Foods for a Flat Belly

Lead author Emmanuel Stamatakis, PhD, associate professor of public health at the University of Sydney, says that while BMI has its flaws, it does provide some useful informationespecially for tracking general trends in large groups of people over time.

Instead of ditching BMI and replacing it with waist-to-hip ratio, which is relatively easy to measure and is consistently associated with cardiovascular health and mortality risk, we should be thinking about adding waist and hip measurements into routine medical examinations and in health studies, Stamatakis told Health via email.

But Stamatakis says that, on an individual basis, waist measurement might be more important for overall health. If I had to choose between making sure my BMI or my waist-to-hip ratio are OK, I would go for the latter, he says.

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BMI can be affected by many things, he says, including the amount of lean muscle mass a person has. (Thats why super-fit people, especially men, can register as overweight based on BMI alone.)

A high waist-to-hip ratio, on the other hand, most likely means high amounts of abdominal fatwhich has been definitively linked to serious health risks.

People with larger waistlines may want to start thinking and, if needed, seek help to alter their lifestyle to reduce that belly fat, says Stamatakis. Increasing physical activity, improving diet, and cutting down on alcohol consumption can work miracles if sustained in the long term, and all have a myriad other co-benefits in terms of health and wellbeing.

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Forget Your BMI and Focus on Your Waistline Instead - Weight Loss ... - Health.com

This Woman’s Inspiring Before and After Photos Reveal a Deeper Truth About Body Image – ATTN:

Posted: April 25, 2017 at 8:43 am

A young woman named Jessica Weber from Illinois is inspiring people all over the world with her weight loss story in part due to her honesty about what it really looks like to lose over 100 pounds.

Weber posted a photo on Instagram on April 20 showing her loose skin after losing weight. The image struck a chord with Instagram users. The photo currently has over 25 thousand likes.

As she elaborates in her post, "I have been learning to deal with it, even with wanting to lose a bit more weight and have surgery! This is my life until then and I will not hate my body anymore!"

Users responded with messages of congratulations and thanks, for not only being real about weight loss, but for inspiring them as well.

Weber told ATTN: via email she decided to post the photo "to show how much I put my body through and ultimately what obesity and myself has done to it over the years, but I also wanted to show that I still loved it because I worked hard to get to this point."

Her statement shows that body acceptance goes beyond being comfortable your body after you've lost weight. "Body acceptance to me just means loving everything about your body even when you want to improve," Weber told us. "It means accepting yourself as you are until you get to be where you want to be."

As Patricia Bannan, MS, RDN wrote for Live Strong in March 2016, "science has shown that when people have a more positive body image they may have a more positive quality of life and a healthier body." She elaborates: "a 2011 study found that when people feel more positive about their own body image, their ability to regulate their eating habits also improves."

Bannan quoted Misti Gueron M.S., RDN, who explains the study. "As body image improves, the researchers found that autonomous motivation, self-efficacy (confidence in ones ability to produce a desired result) and self-regulation skills, which are central to weight loss, also improve and emerge as the best predictors of a beneficial weight."

Though she's lost over 100 pounds, she's now coming to terms with accepting her excesses skin. But by Weber being open with herself and sharing her "reality" (as she calls her post-weight loss life), she's both helping herself and others.

Regardless of whether or not Weber gets excess skin removal surgery, she's at a point where she's able to accept her body for what it is.

"I never thought I'd reach people so far or have as many followers as I do now," says Weber, who has gotten comments from people as far as Spain. "I'm happy that I can inspire and motivate all over the world though!"

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This Woman's Inspiring Before and After Photos Reveal a Deeper Truth About Body Image - ATTN:

Brit mum imprisoned in Iran for ‘secret plot’ loses final appeal to overturn five-year jail-term – The Sun

Posted: April 25, 2017 at 8:43 am

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's husband said no more legal avenues wereavailable

A BRITISH-Iranian mum jailed for five years in Iran after being accused of plotting to topple the regime, has lost her final appeal.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 37, was arrested in Tehran on April 3 2016 trying to return to Britain after visiting family with her daughter Gabriella, two.

Getty Images

Nazanintook her case to Irans Supreme Court but the sentence was upheld and her husband saidno more legal avenues are available.

In September 2016 Richard Ratcliffe, of Hampstead, North West London said his wife had suffered weight loss, lost hair and became virtually unable to walk since being jailed.

After the latest ruling he said:This extinguishes the last hope we have had of legally overturning a punishment where the crime remains a mystery,

Weve had a year, the legal process is finished, so I think the (British) Government needs to step up, find a way to visit her, say that shes innocent and call for her release publicly.

Zaghari-Ratcliffes husband said she was feeling angry but determined after losing her final appeal and is hoping for intervention from the UK.

Britains foreign ministry said it was deeply concerned by reports the Supreme Court has upheld the sentence and said Prime Minister Theresa May and Foreign Minister Boris Johnson had raised the case with their Iranian counterparts.

We continue to press the Iranians for access and for due process to be followed, and are ready to help get her daughter back safely to the UK if requested, a spokesman said.

PA:Press Association

Getty Images

Irans elite Revolutionary Guards accused Zaghari-Ratcliffe of having taken part in the sedition movement of widespread protests that followed the 2009 re-election of former hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, charges which she denies.

The couples daughter Gabriella, is being cared for in Tehran by her grandparents, who speak little English.

Gabriella has been able to visit her mother since she was moved from solitary confinement to the womans ward of Tehrans Evin prison.

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Brit mum imprisoned in Iran for 'secret plot' loses final appeal to overturn five-year jail-term - The Sun

Weight loss – girl shows the shocking TRUTH behind her impressive before and after picture – Express.co.uk

Posted: April 25, 2017 at 8:42 am

Imgur/issegal

Imgur user issegal shared two images of herself in a bikini which appear to show months of weight loss.

In the first picture, the girl can be seen standing in a red bikini which cuts in to her sides, causing a muffin top.

Her stomach protudes and does not appear to be flat at all.

In the second image - presumed to be an after shot - the girl wears the same red bikini top with a pair of black bottoms.

Her muffin top has completely disappeared, and her stomach is now completely flat. Her thighs also appear slimmer too.

But the photos have not been taken months or even days apart - but were in fact taken with just 15 minutes between them.

Captioning the post, issegal explained: Lose weight in only 15 minutes by changing your stance, hair, clothes, came zoom and filter.

The post has gone viral, with over 219,000 views and hundreds of comments.

Getty Images

1 of 11

London

Finally a 15 minute weight loss program that works

One person joked: Finally a 15 minute weight loss program that works.

Another said: Everything else I understand, but how did the dreaded muffin top disappear, just looser pants?

One wrote: Black underwear is also very slimming.

One person noted: If its stupid but it works then its not stupid.

The shocking before and after pictures come as one common kitchen ingredient was revealed as a secret star for weight loss.

Scientists have been investigating the effects of apple cider vinegar on weight loss in recent years and there has been consistently encouraging evidence of its beneficial effect on the body.

Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is made from crushed apples combined with yeast and bacteria for fermentation.

The major active component of ACV is acetic avid, also known as ethanoic acid.

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Weight loss - girl shows the shocking TRUTH behind her impressive before and after picture - Express.co.uk

How Women Can Lose Weight After 40 (especially around the middle) – Huffington Post

Posted: April 25, 2017 at 8:42 am

Are you a woman over 40 and noticing its getting harder to lose weight? Got some extra stubborn fluff and puff around the middle? Maybe yourefinding that the diets you did in your 20s or 30s dont work as fast as they used to or donteven work at all! If youre already well past 40, chances are youve found its harder to lose weight. And, those inches around your waistline wont budge.

Yes ladies, Middle Age Spread is a real thing. Now before you click the little x on your browser to close this page and curse my name in disgust, sit tight. First, Im going to lay out the facts of why this happens to most women. Then, Im going to give you some action steps you can take tostart losing weight again!

Ok, no big surprise here. During perimenopause, our estrogen and testosterone levels start to drop. By menopause, they plummet. This is probably why approximately 30% of women between 50 and 59 are obese. http://www.womenshealth.northwestern.edu/blog/menopause-and-weight-gain

There appears to be a connection between estrogen and body weight regulation. With lowerestrogenlevels, lab animals tend to eat more and be less physically active. http://www.womenshealth.northwestern.edu/blog/menopause-and-weight-gain Levels that are too high or too low appear to lead to fat storage. And, lower estrogen levels may also slow down your metabolic rate (the speed at your body converts stored energy into working energy).

Many of us just slow down with age and exercise less. This is just bad all around. This is true for both men and women. Heres why:

Sarcopenia. Sar-who? Naturally as we get older, we gradually lose muscle mass a little bit every year. It actually starts happening as early as 30. The less muscle we have on our bodies, the slower our metabolism is and the easier it is to gain weight.

We also lose aerobic fitness as we age, further slowing down our ability to use up energy when we exercise. In other words, we burn less calories when we exercise.

If you were very active in your younger years, you may have had some injuries. Like a spicy pepperoni pizza does after dinner, those injuries from your carefree days can come back to haunt you. These ghosts of injuries past show up in the form of early arthritis, bone spurs, tighter muscles, pinched nerves, etc. After our 30s, new injuries also take longer heal. No wonder we slow down.

Not Getting Enough Quality zzzs.

Many women have troublesleeping during menopause due to hot flashes, night sweats, stress and the other fun stuff that goes along with low estrogen levels. Migraines anyone?? The bummer is poor sleep is linked to hunger and weight gain because of two more hormones: ghrelin (the feed me hormone) and leptin (the Im full hormone). Heres a short blog I wrote on that topic. If youre sleep deprived, these hormones get out of whack.

Increased insulin resistance.

As we age, we tend to become more insulin resistant which can put us at risk for type 2 diabetes. When you eat foods that break down into sugar, the pancreas pumps out insulin to escort the sugar out of your blood. People with Insulin resistance dont use insulin effectively so that cells have trouble absorbing sugar which causes a buildup of sugar and insulin in the blood. Researchers still arent 100% in agreement as to why, but at the end of the day, people with insulin resistance gain weight, particularly around the middle. And some research shows that lack of estrogen may cause insulin resistance.

1. Eat less added sugar, processed foods and refined grains (white bread, bagels, pasta, white rice, you know the drill). A lot less. According to the sugar science department at UCSF, added sugar is hiding in 74% of all packaged food. And, the majority of carbohydrates in the typical American diet is made of refined grains. This means reading labels folks and knowing how many different names there are for sugar. Just because its called agave nectar or cane juice crystals doesnt mean its any better for you than the white granulated stuff. Your body doesnt know the difference and once you eat it, its all the same to your pancreas (the organ that produces insulin in response to sugar). Click this link to see 61 different names of sugar then run to your pantry and read the ingredients on your packaged food.Prepare for a rude awakening!

http://sugarscience.ucsf.edu/

2. Exercise more. Contrary to what your body may want to do, you must exercise more regularly as you age, not less! If youre finding yourself slowing down, gradually start ramping it back up. Its not a good idea to go from taking an occasional walk to running a 10K. Thats a fast track to getting an injury. But start finding ways to fit more physical activity to your life. The more you exercise, the more insulin sensitive you become (thats the opposite of insulin resistant!)

Although your diet is the primary factor in weight loss (or gain), there are some sure-fire ways to speed up that weight loss though through exercise.

Jill Brown

3. Keep a food journal (or use an app) to keep track of what you eat. As we get older, our metabolisms naturally slow down. That means you need less food. If youre still eating as much as you did in your 30s, youve probably had to buy a whole new wardrobe or 2 by now. Apps like My Fitness Pal or Lose It help making weight loss goals easier by keeping you on track. Or you can go old school and write everything down then look up the calories. Not all calories are created equal, but one is for sure, taking in more than you burn leads to more body fat.

Pay attention to how you feel after eating certain types of foods and notice what makes you good and what makes you feel crappy.

4. Take probiotics to help digestion.

5. Eat more anti-inflammatory foods high in omega-3s, along with garlic, turmeric, cocoa, tea and berries.

6. Eat more high-quality protein. Higher protein diets have been shown to help with weight loss.

7. Eat more soluble fiber. It fills you up so you feel less hungry, it can increase insulin sensitivity and you know the other reason.

8. Sleep more and stress less. Easy, right? This may be the hardest part. There are plenty of things you can try. Melatonin and or magnesium at night. Massages. Yoga. Meditation. Hot baths before bed. Black out windows and cooler temperature in your bedroom. A good shrink. Theres really no shortage of suggestions. It may be time to experiment if youre not getting enough good sleep.

9. Talk to your doctor about hormone replacement therapies. HRTs have been shown to help control weight gain.

Think of this as a quick start guide for what you can do to promote weight loss starting around the perimenopausal years. In future articles, I will go deeper into each of the topics mentioned to help you lose weight and feel better so we can enjoy what should be the best years of our lives! Stay tuned!

More:
How Women Can Lose Weight After 40 (especially around the middle) - Huffington Post


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