Category Archives: perimenopause

Big Business Weight Loss and Emotions

perimenopause, Weight Loss

I worked for Weight Watchers for seven years and I lost 55 pounds with their program as well as maintained that weight for over 12 years.  Once I started the perimenopause phase the weight came on slowly but steadily.  I am now working it back off slowly but steadily.  Let’s talk about being overweight and emotions.  Did you know that many obese individuals harbor the same attitude similar to the five stages of grief?  The five stages are:  denial, anger, bargaining, depression and finally acceptance.  If you’re battling your weight, you could probably place yourself among one of the five descriptions.  Through in the hormonal imbalance and these stages can become consuming you.  Thinking about the battle of the bulge, getting up every day with the thought that this is the day I really get working on these “extra pounds”.

Weight loss has become a trillion dollar business.  Don’t get me wrong, I believe there are some great plans and programs out there, but you have to do your research first.  There is no magic pill or formula for losing weight.  There are many variables that play into weight loss especially during menopause.  It’s important to make sure you talk with your physician and ask for the right tests to determine what is going on in your body.  I cannot stress enough that you are your own advocate and you know your body better than anyone.  Being overweight can lead to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, gallbladder and liver disease, and osteoarthritis.  Those are just a small list of the disease of being overweight.  In women, obesity increases the risk of death from breast, uterus, and ovarian cancers.  Obese men, from prostate cancer.

I am a holistic health coach specializing in essential oils the healthcare with no side effects.  My family and I use these on a daily basis.  I would love to help you gain control of your life for a healthy new you!  You can find me at www.livinglifeholistic.com and sign up for my free 12 smoothies report.  Contact me for your free 15 consult today, your life depends on it!

Perimenopause and Aging Ovaries

perimenopause

Do you hear the tick tock of your biological clock? I had my last son just before my 30th birthday eight years after my second son. I had two boys and really wanted a daughter. My second son was a cesarean birth and very traumatic at that. It scared me because I had had a very easy vaginal birth with my first son. I didn’t even know I was in labor and by the time I reached the hospital I was already dilated to seven! Five hours later and a couple of pushes and he arrived. Then the second baby didn’t do what he was supposed to do and was breach. I was not prepared for the cesarean. Then my biological clock was ticking..ticking Another boy who was healthy and beautiful and no more! I did get granddaughters though!

All that to say that around age 35 most women begin to have anovulatory cycles, which means no ripe egg is released from the ovaries during the menstrual cycle. Your levels of estradiol, the main form of estrogen produced from about age 12 until the end of perimenopause, start to fluctuate wildly while progesterone levels drop. The control center, the hypothalamus and pituitary in the brain, are screaming louder and louder for the ovaries to get the progesterone levels higher. But those aging ovaries just can’t make enough. This means the hormonal couple can’t figure out who is leading who and the confusion starts.

Temporarily left unchecked by low progesterone, estrogen continues to stimulate, which results in increased endometrial thickness, heavy bleeding, clotting, and did I say lots of breast tenderness. Fluctuations can lead to migraines, irritability off the charts (like you don’t even like yourself but you can’t get away from you), and in some cases such as mine, anger or rage. I can remember getting anger at the way my husband breathed! It was not pretty. Your periods may come early or be heavy or both. You may have a light period one month then a heavy period the next. I developed breast cysts during this period which I found during my monthly self breast exam. No more under wire bras. All this to say, there is no exact time for perimenopause. Pay attention to your body, talk to your mom about when she started and look at the family history. It’s a journey we all have to take. I choose to do the natural protocol which worked best for me. I can help you through this process. Visit my website for more information on me at www.livinglifeholistic.com or via email susano@livinglifeholistic.com