Hormones are great: They make us happy, falling in love and alert, can produce a dream figure and a smooth skin. They have a negative side too: They could make you down and sad, cause acne outbreaks and spare tires. Even tiny quantities can create big changes, because they shape our bodies. The hormone system of women over 40 is changing- and one of the effects is that it’s much tougher to lose weight permanently.

In this short article I’ll identify the 7 most important hormones you need to know for successful weight loss.

Estrogen makes sexy, gives the right curves and keeps your skin firm. However, the relative amount of estrogen to other hormones must be right for that.
You need a well-balanced hormone system that’s working smoothly.

The level of progesterone is declining after menopause, leading to surplus estrogen. This might impact the thyroid: If estrogen isn’t balanced by the right quantity of progesterone, it might block thyroid hormones. Even if the thyroid works fine, this effect might come into play. A decline in thyroid activity is often observed for women in menopause.

DHEA is another important hormone: Your body uses it to prevent fat storage. Thus, it’s very important to look at DHEA if your are a woman over 40 who wants to lose weight permanently.
Broadly Speaking, everything you do to stimulate your estrogen level right will benefit the DHEA too. In particular, you can eat extra virgin olive oil, amaranth seed or rice ban to increase DHEA levels.

Thyroid hormones are extremely important: They put you in a good mood, make your skin smooth and regulate digestion. The secretion of thyroid hormones can be disturbed easily. Here are some tips for a healthy thyroid hormone production:

  • Have sufficient iodine. It can be found naturally in shellfish and fish
  • Protein is essential to get the hormones going, so integrate lean sources of protein into your diet
  • If you are stressed out day in and day out, your thyroid is constantly activated. Too much of that might impact the thyroid gland negatively. Especially women over 40 frequently have a stressed and hectic schedule, adding another layer of difficulties to losing weight permanently.

Stress hormones like Cortisol or Adrenalin can get your body bloated and bulging. They heighten fat storage in your midsection.
A well-balanced life style is extremely important if you want to lose weight permanently over 40.

Even for women the masculine sex hormone testosterone is important: It strengthens the tissue and helps to increase muscle mass, thus improving burning fat. What you can do to increase the testosterone level:

  • Believe it or not, but sex is really good to get the testosterone production going
  • Get sufficient vitamins (A, C, E, B) and zinc. Good sources are whole grain products, fish, dairy and nuts
  • Avoid alcohol, smoking and eating fat
  • Regular exercise increments testosterone levels too

For women over 40 the progesterone level falls, what has another effect affecting your beauty: Less collagen is produced. This results in flabby skin and you are more prone to getting wrinkles- a common sight in women over 40. The body proportions change: Fat goes more towards belly and buttocks, thighs and upper arms, making losing weight permanently a top priority for women who want to look good.
Another typical problem for women over 40 is cellulite- caused by less collagen.

In short, what you can do for a healthy, well-balanced hormone system is:

  • Work out regularly
  • Decline your stress level and have a harmonious lifestyle

All of these activities are highly recommended for women over 40 to lose weight permanently. So what you do to balance your hormone system helps you to lose weight too, and the other way around. If you are looking for a weight loss program, try to find a plan that is working for you in your particular situation. A general program will only give average results. Additionally, a standard plan that is not concentrating on your particular position will be difficult to adopt and to stick with- what might be easy to do for some people might not suit you at all.

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