How Hormone Replacement Can Help Weight Loss
During menopause – when a woman’s menstrual cycles stops – normal hormone production decreases dramatically. A wide variety of frustrating symptoms may start to occur during perimenopause and menopause due to hormone decline – such as hot flashes, mood swings, and more. But most women agree that no side-effect of menopause is more troublesome than weight gain.
As men age, they also experience a decline in hormone production – sometimes called andropause or “male menopause.” And, as a man’s testosterone levels decrease his body also becomes less effective at building muscle, and more likely to pack on unwanted fat.
But while weight gain is a cosmetic issue that can decrease a man or woman’s self-esteem, it is also a health problem that can dramatically increase an individual’s risk for virtually every major chronic disease, including: Type 2 Diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and even cancer.
In this article the hormone replacement experts at SottoPelle in the Phoenix, AZ area explain how hormone decline contributes to weight gain in women during menopause and in men during andropause – and how bioidentical hormone replacement pellets with the SottoPelle Method can help men and women lose unwanted pounds, as well as prevent new weight gain.
How Hormones Cause Weight Gain in Women After Menopause
While the hot flashes, insomnia and mood swings of menopause will eventually subside, the weight gain that often accompanies menopause can last for the rest of a woman’s life. Studies have verified what most menopausal women already know: after menopause women more easily gain belly fat, while also losing muscle mass.
This is because menopause results in changes in a woman’s levels of estrogen and testosterone – which are the reproductive hormones that play a key role in influencing how the body both burns energy or “calories” and stores fat.
When estrogen levels decline during menopause, a woman’s metabolism – her body’s ability to burn energy – slows down. So, even if she eats the same amount of food and engages in the same amount of activity, she uses less calories than she did when she was younger. As a result, those excess, unused calories are stored by the body as fat – especially belly fat.
Additionally, estrogen is responsible for helping the body break down fat. So, with decreased estrogen levels during menopause comes even further fat accumulation – which often results in unwanted weight gain. This is compounded by the fact that if estrogen and testosterone levels get out of balance, too many male hormones (“androgens”) can also increase a woman’s risk of obesity.
Further, to make matters worse, levels of the hormone leptin – which tell the brain to feel “full” after eating – also drop after menopause. So, following menopause women actually do feel hungrier, which can lead to a need to eat more in order to feel “full.”
How Hormones Cause Weight Gain in Men After Andropause
Deficiency or imbalance of several different hormones can come into play causing weight gain in men as they get older, including cortisol, testosterone, estrogen, HGH and thyroid hormones.
Increased levels of the so-called “stress hormone” cortisol cause weight gain by putting a man’s body into a “survival mode” where it produces more fat cells and reduces metabolism in order to store food for later use. Too much of the hormone cortisol also increases appetite in order to supply a man with more energy for the “fight or flight” response of stress.
Low testosterone levels as a man ages can also cause decreased energy and fatigue – which leads to less physical activity, so fewer calories are burned, and weight is gained. Thyroid hormone decline (hypothyroidism) is also more common after andropause in men – which also decreases the man’s metabolism. Additionally, lowered levels of the growth hormone HGH also cause the body’s metabolic rate to decrease, contributing to weight gain.
To make matters worse, as fat levels increase in a man, the fat itself then converts testosterone into estrogen, furthering the hormonal imbalance and accelerating weight gain!
How Hormone Replacement Can Help Weight Loss
Obviously, reducing calories and increasing activity is a healthy component of any weight loss plan. But for many men and women, as they get older, diet and exercise are simply not enough to banish unwanted fat – especially in the belly.
It just “makes sense” that since hormone imbalance is one of the main reasons for weight gain and fat accumulation after menopause and andropause, a truly effective weight management program also needs to include balancing and/or replacement of the patient’s missing hormones.
The good news is that the HRT experts at SottoPelle in the greater Phoenix, AZ area offer 100% natural, safe, and effective bioidentical hormone replacement that can rebalance hormones and assist with weight loss after menopause or andropause. And, unlike one-size-fits all pharmaceutical hormone replacement, SottoPelle Method bioidentical hormone replacement is customized for each patient’s specific, individual hormone levels and deficiencies.
Thorough and comprehensive blood testing is conducted to identify your unique hormone levels so that your hormone replacement therapy can be custom formulated and compounded in the doses that are needed to restore your individual hormone levels to perfect balance.
Why Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Pellets are Best for Weight Loss
In addition to being custom formulated for each patient, SottoPelle Method hormone replacement offers two distinct advantages for supporting weight loss in men and women. Unlike synthetic hormones, SottoPelle Method uses hormone replacement pellets that are “bioidentical” – meaning that they are 100% naturally derived and virtually identical in molecular structure to human hormones. So, the human body will recognize and utilize them more effectively than lab created hormones.
Additionally, the SottoPelle Method delivers hormones through tiny, time-released hormone pellets that are inserted under the skin in a quick office procedure. While hormone pills, creams and shots deliver hormones unevenly – creating a roller coaster effect – pellets constantly and consistently release hormones when the body needs them … just like the ovaries and testicles once did when the patient was younger.
Hormone Replacement | Phoenix, AZ Area
For a post-menopausal or post-andropause weight loss program to be fully personalized, integrative, and truly effective a person’s hormone levels and imbalances need to be taken into consideration.
Hormone replacement can help return a man or woman’s metabolism to what it was when they were younger and they could more easily burn calories. Bioidentical hormone therapy can also increase energy and reduce fatigue, enabling individuals to be as active as they once were – so that they are able to naturally lose weight.
SottoPelle is a world leader in hormone replacement and is internationally recognized as the number one provider of Bioidentical Hormone Therapy Pellets. We have helped more than 250,000 happy clients restore their quality of life, including losing the unwanted weight gain that often comes with age, through hormone replacement.
If you live in the greater Phoenix area and are frustrated or discouraged by the weight gain of andropause or menopause, schedule hormone replacement therapy at our Scottsdale, AZ office and let us help you get your body and your life back! And if you are outside of the Phoenix area, you can use our physician finder to locate a SottoPelle provider in your area, who can balance your hormones and help you lose weight almost anywhere in the US!
