Creeping weight gain — even while maintaining the same diet and exercise routine — is a problem for many women during menopause, especially body fat around the abdominal area. Yes, that dreaded, stubborn belly fat!
If this has happened to you, trust me, I understand. I have been more than 80 pounds overweight. And I lost it all! But once I hit menopause, I put on over 20 pounds quickly.
Frustrated, I went on a quest to figure out how why hormones and menopausal changes make us put on weight – and what to do about it.
Read About It In The Hormone Fix!
The answers are in my new book The Hormone Fix – which includes my hormone-balancing, fat-burning diet, the Keto-Green Diet, on which you could lose up to 10 pounds in 10 days with the initial phase of the diet.
I also talk about something incredibly important to losing menopausal weight – fat burners that give you an extra push toward your weight loss goals.
I am frequently asked for my opinion on supplements in general and on fat burners, specifically. My position is simple and unequivocal: I recommend them! I’ve spent a lot of time studying and researching the quality, bioavailability, sustainability, and efficacy of various supplements and am therefore very particular about what I recommend. And there are several fat burners I like because they work, especially when used alongside healthy lifestyle choices. These and other supplements are covered in The Hormone Fix, but I want to tell you about five of my all-time favorites.
Maca. This superfood is made from a radish-like tuber that grows above eleven thousand feet in Peru’s central highlands. Highly nutritious, it is the base of my hormone-balancing supplement, Mighty Maca® Plus.
Maca is beneficial in triggering weight loss.
It helps control blood sugar levels in the body, boosts energy for workouts, and regulates hormones – all factors involved in weight control. But I’d be amiss if I didn’t tell you that maca has been shown in numerous studies to have at least 12 major benefits on health (all of which are outlined in The Hormone Fix). One or two scoops daily of Mighty Maca® Plus in smoothies or tea is a good way to harness all the powers of this amazing herb.
MCT oil. Otherwise known as medium-chain triglyceride oil, this is a special type of oil derived from coconut oil. Compared to many fats, MCTs are less likely to be converted to body fat. In fact, they are burned in the body like a carbohydrate. So when you’re on my Keto-Green Diet, which is low in carbs, you can obtain extra fuel from MCT oil. This supplement also helps your body achieve a fat burning, energy boosting state called ketosis. But the benefits don’t stop there. MCT oil supports a healthy gut due to its powerful antimicrobial properties; it eliminates harmful bacteria without interfering with healthy bacteria. My Keto-Green™ protein shake has it in it and is chocolate by popular demand! Try drizzling MCT oil over salads or vegetables. Or enjoy it as part of my Keto Coffee or Tea: Place 1 cup brewed coffee or tea, 1 tablespoon MCT oil, 1 teaspoon unsalted organic ghee, and ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon or cardamom in a blender. Pulse until smooth. Pour into a mug, and enjoy.
Omega 3 fish oil. The important components of fish oil are the omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA. Both can actually reduce body fat – particularly in the belly. Researchers in China did a statistical analyses of seven studies involving omega-3 fats and overweight adults and concluded that supplementation produced a significant reduction in waist circumference. The study was published in 2017 in The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging.
I advise supplementing with 1,000 milligrams (with 360 milligrams EPA and 240 milligrams DHA) taken once in the morning. It’s important to choose a high-quality fish oil that is certified by the International Fish Oils Standards (IFOS), guaranteeing quality, potency, and purity. Depending on our health, we may require more.
A probiotic. I encourage women to supplement with probiotics, friendly bacteria that empower a healthy gastrointestinal tract. These supplements play a role in weight control too. For one thing, they help detoxify unnatural hormones we absorb from our environment. Toxic hormones interfere with weight loss. Second, probiotics support weight loss. A 2014 study published in the British Journal of Nutrition revealed that probiotic supplements helped obese women shed pounds and keep them off. Probiotics further benefit you by curbing the growth of harmful gut bacteria, promoting good digestion, boosting immune function, and increasing your resistance to infection.
Take one dose of 30 billion CFUs (colony-forming units) prior to bedtime. Make sure you choose the right formulation. In my book The Hormone Fix, I list the four most highly researched strains of probiotics that must be in your formulation for best results.
Vitamin D. Technically a hormone, not a vitamin, vitamin D gets a lot of attention for its effect on health. It also turns out that it is a special forces agent in the war against obesity. As a fat burner, it appears to work in three ways. First, when you have optimal levels of vitamin D, your body issues more leptin, the hormone that sends a message to your brain that you’re full and don’t need to eat anymore. Second, with an ample supply of vitamin D, your fat cells resist making and storing fat. Third, vitamin D may work with calcium to reduce the overproduction of cortisol, a stress hormone that triggers the storage of belly fat.
Vitamin D is naturally found in some foods, such as fatty fish, and is synthesized in the body when your skin is exposed to sunlight for just 10 minutes a day. I recommend that women have their vitamin D levels checked via a blood test – then supplement as needed. The Institute of Medicine advises 600 international units (IU) a day. You may need more, so discuss dosage with your physician. Vitamin D should routinely be supplement with vitamin K, (read my indepth article) because vitamin D messages to deposit calcium and K tells it where. This is critically important because we don't want calcifications in the wrong places like kidneys, blood vessels etc. Also vitamin D3 boluses can by used as an intervention for flu or colds.
Hormones no longer need to rule your waistline as long as you have the correct information and action plan! That information is covered in The Hormone Fix, along with many other supplements you can take to improve your health and weight. Learn all about the amazing links between weight loss and fat-burning supplements – and get the results you want and deserve!
