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[00:00:00] Jenny Swisher: Welcome friends to this episode of the Sync Your Life podcast. Today we’re diving into belly fat, especially in women in their forties, fifties and beyond. We’re going to dive into the most common causes of belly fat that just won’t go away and also share some tactics that you can apply to your own lifestyle to improve what we call visceral abdominal fat.

[00:01:16] Jenny Swisher: I have to say this has to be one of the top things that women complain about in my sphere, the stubborn belly fat that just won’t budge. Oftentimes, despite doing all the things like exercising and eating right. So what’s up with what we call menopausal belly fat, and why does it tend to be so common in this age demographic?

[00:01:33] Jenny Swisher: Well, let’s start by talking about visceral fat. Unlike subcutaneous fat, which is located just under the skin, visceral fat is problematic for overall health, especially as we get older. Its buildup goes beyond being a cosmetic concern, as it’s a serious issue that can be linked to higher risk for diseases.

[00:01:50] Jenny Swisher: Diseases like diabetes, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease. And yes, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among menopausal women. According to Dr. Jolene Brighton, in menopause, up to 70 percent of women will gain weight. Studies show that on average, women in their 50s and 60s gain about 1.

[00:02:10] Jenny Swisher: 5 pounds per year, and many will gain 12 pounds within 8 years of the onset of menopause. Belly fat is most often attributed to declining estrogen levels, but there are really three hormones that are often at play that are worthy of paying attention to. Estrogen, testosterone, and insulin. Having a knowledgeable, menopause informed practitioner, which by the way, only 3 percent of practitioners are, is key so that you can have this conversation fully, hormonally informed with both lifestyle and potential bio identical hormone replacement therapy options.

[00:02:43] Jenny Swisher: As our resident psych doctor says, Dr. Page, we replace every hormone in the body when it comes to deficiencies, thyroid, insulin, cortisol, but often we second guess replacing something like sex hormones. It’s a conversation that needs re approached. So let’s talk about menopausal effects on muscle mass.

[00:03:00] Jenny Swisher: Because this is the true longevity conversation. We know that women lose 1 3 percent of muscle mass per year, every year after the age of 40. Let me say that again. Women over 40 lose 1 3 percent of their muscle mass per year. So we have to be focused on strength training regimens when it comes to our fitness.

[00:03:21] Jenny Swisher: According to Brighton, quote, As we age, our muscle mass tends to decline, especially if we don’t eat adequate protein, upwards of 100 grams or more per day, and do regular strength training exercises. End quote. So what does estrogen have to do with muscle mass? Perhaps more than you might think. Estrogen not only impacts body fat, but also the maintenance and function of skeletal muscle.

[00:03:43] Jenny Swisher: which is essential for growth, repair, mobility, exercise performance, and overall health. Estradiol, in particular, has an influence on our bones, tendons, cartilage, ligaments, and adipose tissue. Many menopausal women experience a decline in muscle mass and metabolic rate. making it more challenging to maintain a healthy body composition and avoid increased belly fat.

[00:04:06] Jenny Swisher: Brighton says that research shows that utilizing bioidentical hormonal placement therapy and menopause can help with things such as reducing dangerous visceral fat and total body fat, improving heart health, and greater protection against changes in lipid profiles and arterial health, alleviation of hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, and vaginal dryness, Cognitive benefits, including protection against cognitive decline, And, enhance skin elasticity and tone.

[00:04:33] Jenny Swisher: Menopause hormone therapy can help slow down the loss of estrogen, easing the transition through menopause and reducing symptoms related to muscle and bone health, as well as weight gain. Now, outside of the HRT conversation, we must look at lifestyle factors. We mentioned strength training, but how much do we need?

[00:04:50] Jenny Swisher: Well, even just three days of strength training per week can help us build and or sustain muscle mass. But what else can we do? Well, nutrition matters just as much, if not more. One gram of protein per pound of ideal body weight per day, along with 25 grams of fiber, and reducing our sugar to 25 grams or less per day, and focusing on a drastic reduction or elimination of processed foods.

[00:05:13] Jenny Swisher: My friends, this is the way. Now, prioritizing sleep every night, ideally seven to nine hours, managing our stresses and our traumas, all of this matters. My friends, these are the five fundamentals of hormone balance. Fitness, nutrition, sleep, managing our traumas and stress, and of course bio individual supplementation.

[00:05:32] Jenny Swisher: They matter always, but they especially matter in perimenopause and menopause. Exercise alone will often leave women with the belly fat remaining. Factoring in nutrition can help, but if we aren’t managing our stress, our body will hold onto the fat. Why? Because our bodies will always prioritize survival over anything else.

[00:05:51] Jenny Swisher: Belly fat is often a survival mechanism of the body, and when we are under eating what our body requires. Or when we are focusing on exercise alone, the body can stay in fight or flight. All five fundamentals must be applied, especially as we age. Now when it comes to supplementation, it’s so individual, but there are many things that you can look into and ask your doctor about that may benefit you.

[00:06:13] Jenny Swisher: These include B vitamins, vitamin D, probiotics, green tea, Magnesium and omega threes. I will link up for you some of my favorite brands along with some deeper dive podcasts that I’ve done on magnesium, omega threes and vitamin D so that you can go deeper. But the most important thing to note is that it’s up to you and your doctor to do the work on figuring out your bioindividual needs, filling any voids or deficiencies.

[00:06:36] Jenny Swisher: Whether that’s through bio HRT or otherwise can be a total game changer my friends. I hope this is helpful. There are so many women out there struggling with the visceral fat that can come on after 40.

[00:06:47] Jenny Swisher: And I’m here to say that there are things we can do about it and dig into. Rather than look for a quick fix or the latest diet trend or fall victim to diet culture once again, I urge you to focus on the things that we discussed here in this podcast today. Now, if you have any questions, please let me know.

[00:07:03] Jenny Swisher: It’s about finding the right doctor. It’s about up leveling your conversation through your own hormone literacy. It’s about advocating for yourself and asking about things like these supplements we discussed. It’s also about mastering the fundamentals of hormone balance, which really is within our control.

[00:07:17] Jenny Swisher: I hope this is helpful as always. Until next time my friends, we’ll talk soon. Bye bye.