Weight Loss

When you reach your forties and fifties, losing weight can become even harder than before. Fat deposition shifts from the legs and buttocks to the abdomen. If you’re frustrated by a change in body composition, talk to board-certified gynecologist Kristen Matsik, MD, at Women’s Wellness and Sexual Health in Charleston, South Carolina. Dr. Matsik counsels patients that a healthy diet is the foundation of long-term health and well-being. To schedule an in-person or telehealth appointment at Women’s Wellness and Sexual Health, use the online booking feature today. 

Why is weight loss important to women’s health?

Excess weight has numerous effects on your health, from increasing your risk of depression, anxiety, joint pain, and skin infections to being a causative factor in potentially life-threatening conditions like:

• Type 2 diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Atherosclerosis (narrowed arteries)
• Heart failure
• Gallstones
• Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
• Kidney disease
• Obstructive sleep apnea
• Breast and uterine cancers

Losing weight reduces your risk of developing these conditions and can even reverse the effects of some diseases.

Why is weight loss hard for some women?

Sometimes, women struggle to lose weight because they don’t know what to eat for healthy long-term weight management. Or they may not exercise enough — a vital part of any weight loss program. Lack of time to work out and cook healthy meals plays a big part in holding women back from successful weight loss.

Medical problems can also affect your ability to lose weight. Hormonal imbalances can affect metabolism (how your body uses energy), making it difficult to lose weight and often encouraging weight gain. The most likely conditions to have this effect are polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), Type 2 diabetes, and hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid gland).

Elevated cortisol hormone levels (typically due to stress and/or insomnia) can increase abdominal fat. Excess cortisol also reduces leptin levels, so you don’t feel full soon enough when eating, and increases insulin resistance, triggering Type 2 diabetes.

Why does age affect my ability to lose weight?

Weight loss becomes more challenging for women as they age because of various changes in their bodies. The first is perimenopause, a natural transition period in mid-life from when you can no longer have children.

Estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone (sex hormone) levels fall during perimenopause. After you stop having periods for a year, you enter menopause. Fat stores shift from the legs and buttocks to the abdomen, and you lose muscle mass.

Perimenopause can also cause problems sleeping, further increasing your risk of weight gain.

How can I succeed with weight loss during menopause?

Women’s Wellness and Sexual Health designs personalized weight loss plans for each patient. They might include:

• Nutrition counseling
• Strength training
• Regular exercise
• Reducing sugar intake
• Cutting back on alcohol
• Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT)

Losing weight is among the most effective ways to improve mental and physical health, but many women find it challenging, especially later in life.

Call Women’s Wellness and Sexual Health or book an appointment online today for expert weight loss support during and after menopause.