Menopause & Perimenopause

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YOUR FREE “BELLY FAT BE GONE” CHECKLIST IS AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD HERE

My Diet Plan for Perimenopausal and Menopausal Weight Loss (It Didn’t Work)

But…I had a plan ready, I knew how to use intermittent fasting and I thought I could use intermittent fasting to beat the menopause pounds. So I fasted … but to no avail. The menopause belly fat was stubborn. Then I heard about extreme fasting and so I tried that for 3 days – two weeks in a row. I actually gained weight. Impossible! I even quit sugar for over three months. IIt helped reduce inflammation (awesome!), but it didn’t help me lose weight. And I did all this while exercising, meditating, counting calories and staying in my ideal weight loss CALORIE ZONE calculated from years of experience at maintaining a healthy body weight. BUT NOTHING WORKED. I finally gave in and bought new clothes. Sigh.

My Easy (but not simple) Plan for How to Lose the Muffin Top During Menopause (and Perimenopause)

Are you ready?

This plan has seven components none of which are hard and all of which are necessary in my experience. I slowly layered different strategies together and sometimes I removed steps and then had to add them back as I measured my results.

Here is how I calculated my results:

1. Pre-menopause I had a 5 lbs weight window that I stayed in. I call it my optimal weight zone. You know what yours is, it’s the window you can be in and your clothes still fit.

2. During perimenopause and menopause I suddenly started gaining weight, especially around my stomach. The pattern went like this: sudden weight gain, desperately try something new (intermittent fasting, more exercise, fat burn pill, etc.) that would usually stop the weight gain but not reduce it. Then I would travel with my hubby, interrupt my routine and gain more weight that I couldn’t lose. Then the cycle would repeat. Does that sound familiar? That was how I got 17 – 22 pounds over my optimal weight zone window (and my new LARGER-SIZED wardrobe.)

Here is how I finally reversed the weight gain cycle and moved back into my optimal weight zone with seven core adjustments but without dramatically changing how I ate or how much I exercised.

Disclaimer: This blog and its content are for informational and educational purposes only. The information provided should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease. It is not a substitute for professional care. If you have or suspect you may have a health problem, you should consult your health care provider. Also, I make a commission on some of the products mentioned.

And now, without further ado…

My 7 Must-Do Tips to Reduce Belly Fat FAST even During Perimenopause and Menopause

YOUR FREE “BELLY FAT BE GONE” CHECKLIST IS AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD HERE

TIP 1: Get on top of your Cellular Health so your mind is clear, your menopause metabolism is boosted and your energy is top-notch.

If you are over 20, you need to understand that your body has turned a corner and aging has begun. The following is based on this scientific study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16413416/ and many more that followed.

While there is only so much we can do about wrinkles (see step 4) science has made huge strides in cellular health that, incredibly, you may not even know about. I say “incredibly” because this news has been all over the media since 2005 but because it’s a bit complicated, so people tend to ignore it. Here’s the scoop in layman’s terms:

THE SCOOP:

Before 2005, the best we could do to help our cells was to eat well, supplement with vitamins and minerals, sleep, practice deep breathing and meditation, and exercise. While these things are great, they don’t adequately address the problem of aging which is really cell deterioration. There is a way to measure some of this cell deterioration and it’s called a T-bar test (and for the geeks, it measures oxidative stress). Pre 2005, if scientists did T-bar tests, they could take the results, put them in order of best to worst and know that the best result was the youngest person’s blood and the worst was the oldest person’s blood. It was that simple.

But by 2005, a scientist showed something absolutely revolutionary that has forever changed the world of medicine and health. In this simple study he showed that if you ACTIVATED your genes with a simple but exact amount of 5 synergistic herbs and then did the T-bar test, ALL of the participants (aged 20-78 years old) had results showing the cellular health of a young child!!! (Again for the geeks like me: An average of a 40% reduction of oxidative stress in ONLY 30 days. Almost unbelievable, isn’t it?) This meant that this kind of cell damage was all but eliminated and NOT WITH HOURS OF EXERCISE BUT WITH ONE SIMPLE SWALLOW.

These results rocked the scientific world. They made the news. ABC did a 12-minute investigative report and John Quinones tested it himself with great results in just 2 weeks. The news spread to books and many other tv stations. Most importantly, it sparked clinical studies by universities all over the world. There are over 30 of them completed as of this writing. They prove enormous benefits like less inflammation (7 patents for that benefit), more energy, more clarity and focus, better recovery time after exercise, better mood, and SOME INCREDIBLY INTERESTING results regarding specific conditions (see clinical studies summary here). This begs the question, “Why if so many news stories and clinical studies exist, have I never heard of genetic activation?” It’s a good question. My best guess is that you have but that you don’t know it because the words are so new. They are words like biohacking, epigenetics, gene signaling and nutrigenomics. These words haven’t quite made it into the vocabulary of most people yet but don’t worry, just because the words aren’t familiar doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from the results of this amazing science. Here’s how to know if you could benefit from a cellular health upgrade:

• Signs of Cellular Health Issues:
• Fatigue
• Inflammation
• Brain Fog
• Poor mood
• Muscle/joint pain
• Aging signs such as wrinkles/grey hair
• Poor eyesight
• Headaches
• Poor immune system

MY STORY:

In 2009 our studio was asked to photograph a scientist for a magazine. I researched the scientist and found out he was known as a “father of free radical biology”. This is an important field relating to aging and disease. I was impressed. I sat enthralled as I listened to the journalist ask questions and knew I would be taking his genetic activation product for the rest of my life. Then I asked myself a pivotal question: “If I (a person who doesn’t take any supplements) just committed to take an Activation product for the rest of my life based solely on the fact that I now truly understand what it does, do I have an obligation and opportunity to spread the word to others, especially the people I love?” The answer was and still is “YES!” I started sharing the news and blessing lives. Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, we have a zoom meet up where you can join in and hear people tell their activation stories. It is incredible to listen to people tell their ACTIVATION STORIES live. Here is the link and the times for our ACTIVATION meet-up.

So what happened to me when I started Activating my genes? I actually didn’t expect anything noticeable to happen. Remember, I didn’t know anyone activating. The scientist said it would basically slow how fast I fell apart. I considered my family’s genetics and thought, “I won’t know if I don’t develop things from my gene pool. My dad was diabetic, had melanoma and heart disease. My mom had hypoglycemia and arthritis. If I don’t get those or I get them later than I would have without gene activation, that’s a big deal but I won’t actually know that it was gene activation that helped. I decided to trust the scientist and believe that activation would slow the degradation going on inside of me. Boy am I glad I did! It turns out I did start to notice amazing things, especially in regards to sleep and energy. I was 45 at the time and needed enormous amounts of sleep. To help compensate, I took power naps every afternoon for 20 minutes for 15 years. And I felt bad because I always needed them about the time my kids came home from school. I was missing those precious moments when they wanted to talk about their day. And then something happened, in a casual conversation someone mentioned power naps. I froze, I started scanning my brain on super speed. “When did I last take a power nap?” I had NO IDEA! After 15 years, I had stopped and hadn’t even noticed. In fact, I was sleeping a normal healthy amount and I wasn’t tired all the time. To this day, almost 14 years later, I still do not take power naps or feel tired all the time. I can drive through the night if I need to or go to bed and sleep soundly. It’s amazing! I still feel like I’m in my 20’s, energy-wise and I am almost 60. Activating my genes is hands down the best decision I have ever made for my body. I have since spoken with thousands of others who have Activated bodies too and their results bring me to tears. The impact of Activation is unmeasurable.

BOTTOM LINE:

Activating your genes for optimal cellular health is the #1 thing you can do for yourself (after breathing, eating, hydrating, and sleeping). Hands down, no argument. And it’s so easy! WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO IN A FEW SECONDS THAT WILL GIVE YOU SUCH INCREDIBLE, PROVEN RESULTS? Seriously,

SO BOTTOM, BOTTOM LINE: GET ACTIVATED NOW BY CLICKING HERE (and some people even report weight loss from the added energy.)

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TIP 2: Try an Over-the-Counter Natural Symptom Suppressor for Perimenopause and Menopause Symptoms

THE SCOOP:

When the hot flashes started, they were INTENSE. Thankfully, for me, the hot flashes were also short, lasting less than 20 seconds. I would breathe and count through the seconds and then begin to mop up the sweat that ran like a raging river down my cleavage. “Miserable but tolerable” was my conclusion so I counted the seconds and mopped the sweat. I didn’t really want to dive into hormone therapies if I didn’t need to.

my Story:

A few months into perimenopause, I was at Costco. (My husband loves Costco and browses every aisle.) I noticed a white and orange package claiming to help over 90% of users manage their symptoms including hot flashes, night sweats, and weight loss. At around $20 bucks, I figured it was worth a shot, and guess what? For me, it totally works to mitigate the hot flashes and sweats. The product is called Amberen and it’s been close to two years since I started taking it. Now my hot flashes are more like little waves, I notice them but they don’t really interfere. For me, this product did NOT help in the weight loss department. I gained my perimenopausal pounds while on the product. I am mentioning it here though because I do take it (and after a while, I forgot to take it and within a month, the intense hot flashes and sweating returned) and I consider it useful in navigating the menopausal journey.

BOTTOM LINE:

It’s worth trying over-the-counter symptom suppressors. While the ones I’ve tried had varying degrees of efficacy, Amberen proved to be the most successful for my body in mitigating hot flashes and night sweats. It did not help me control weight gain though it does do that for some people. In my opinion, it is worth trying this product for 60 days to assess.

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TIP 3: Figure out How to Exercise in Menopause for Reduced Belly Fat and Weight Gain

THE SCOOP:

Exercise is essential to healthy aging and to managing menopausal weight gain. Before you despair, let me assure you that it can be easier than you think. Wait til the end of my story before you judge your ability to add exercise to your routine.

MY STORY:

Here’s the truth, I was exercising when the weight gain started. One benefit of the Activating I began in 2009 was that besides sleeping well and having energy, I had willpower. If I started something, I could stick to it and in 2009, I started exercising. Eventually, I landed on weight lifting. I was strong and in my ideal weight zone when perimenopause started so you can imagine (or relate to) the frustration of the sudden weight gain despite exercise and healthy eating habits (mostly). I tried exercising more but to no avail. I changed the times I exercised and experimented with when I ate and when I fasted in relation to the exercise but I kept gaining. This went on for about two years and then a friend recommended I try exercising while monitoring my heart rate. And guess what? It helped. Here is what I did:

I started walking. I walked first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. While I walked, I monitored my heart rate on my watch and tried to keep it above 125 beats per minute (bpm). My goal was to do this for 20 minutes eventually. But here’s the deal, I didn’t care when eventually was. I just knew that 20 minutes of cardio was a beneficial benchmark and so I did what my body felt like each day but with my eye on the eventual goal of 20 minutes above 125 bpm. Every day was different. Some days I felt good and got lots of minutes above 125 bpm and other days I just gave myself a high five for getting on the trail. I wasn’t really concerned about reaching the goal but I knew what it was and that eventually, it would happen. I was concerned about my weight though and exercising in this manner stopped the gain and that mattered. Victory #1 achieved!

Then I decided that if once a day could stop the weight gain, twice a day might help me lose. And it did, ever so slowly. So I started walking at night as well. It was harder because I had eaten so I wasn’t as good at keeping my heart rate up but walking at night caused me to slowly start to lose weight. Another win for sure but…it wasn’t a sustainable activity for my lifestyle. I travel a lot and even when I’m home it is my time with my hubby and he is one busy guy. A set evening routine just wasn’t happening and so even though it was a great way to start to lose some of the weight, I couldn’t keep it up. I started exploring other, for me, more sustainable options which led to steps 3-7 below.

BOTTOM LINE:

Add in cardio. Keep your heart rate above 125 beats a minute (bpm). Eventually, for me, this meant that my walk turned into a jog. It happened like this. I had been walking for about two months. I NEVER RUN. I’ve always hated running. My husband is nine years older than me and runs two marathons a year. My grandson is a top nationally-ranked high school runner. We were all at Nike nationals for my grandson’s race and we got to go to the Nike employee store (big deal!). My husband and grandson bought the Invincible Nike shoe and were chatting about how great it is to run in. I was, like I said, two months into my walking and thought I ought to try walking in that shoe so I bought a pair. Why am I telling you this? Because as I started walking in that shoe and trying to keep my heart rate above 125 bpm, I felt like I was being propelled forward faster than I could walk. It was like the shoe wanted me to run. It sounds crazy but I started to jog a little–just when I felt like it–and slowly over time, that darn shoe has turned me into a bit of a runner! It’s crazy but now it is easy to keep my heart rate over 125 bpm and keep my weight gain in check. As I stated above, Victory #1 achieved!

Tip: You only lose weight when you exhale CO2. Make sure you are breathing. So many of my friends unintentionally hold their breath.

If you really can’t add in exercise, try this FAT BURN supplement that burns 180 calories (the equivalent of 45 min of walking for person weighing 150 lbs) WITHOUT any exercise. Or do both.

GET MY 7 TIPS CHECKLIST TO BUST YOUR MENOPAUSE BELLY FAT FAST

TIP 4: Explore ACTIVATED Collagen’s Many
Benefits During Perimenopause and Menopause

You’ve heard the hype, you’ve seen the marketing and likely, you’ve even tried collagen and wondered like me, ”Why all the hype?” Collagen never seemed to make a difference for me. And in addition, it was a pain to use. Who wants to mix those clumpy powders into a drink and who wants to travel with the stuff to do that? It’s just too hard AND I never saw any results. That was my experience with collagen and yet there is so much hype out there.

THE SCOOP:

Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body. We need it! Take a look at these benefits:

• Improved skin, hair and nails
• Tissue and bone regeneration
• Improved gut health
• Improved joint health and mobility
• Healthy eye support
• Increased sleep quality
• and the list goes on…

Collagen is vital to cell communication. Yes, I said, “VITAL.” Our bodies can make it and we can eat it or supplement it and we can also Activate it. (Yes, there’s the activation word again.) And guess what, besides activating the production of it through gene signaling, we can signal suppression of the gene that breaks it down. How cool is that?

It’s only cool though if the collagen you are using does all of that and clearly, none of the ones I had tried lived up to the hype.

MY STORY:

At the end of the first month of my walking adventure, I got an invitation to be part of a consumer trial on a new product from the activation company. I LOVE their products so I said yes and then they revealed the secret new product was collagen. My heart sank, I had tried so many collagens and I hated how hard they were to use plus they never worked. The company did reveal that it was an Activated Liquid Collagen so at least I wouldn’t have to mix anything. I started the trial. All I can say is “WOW!”

Ten days in I started noticing ever so slightly firmer skin. By day fifteen, I decided to see if others in the trial were experiencing success as well so I checked in. It was unbelievable. I finally understood the hype! People in our group testing this new Activated Liquid Collagen were having major results in days with better joint mobility, skin improvement, hair and nail rejuvenation and so much more. Rather than me tell you about it, take a look at their before and after selfies here.

The Activated Liquid Collagen was officially released in July of 2022 but I had been using it since June and in addition to all of the benefits you normally think of, I was losing more weight even though I had dropped my nightly walk. Victory #2 in the bag!

BOTTOM LINE:

The collagen hype is real. For me, it not only vastly improved the wrinkles (especially the yucky ones that made my knees look so old) but it improved my gut health, my cognitive speed, and importantly for this blog, my ability to lose stubborn belly fat even in menopause. Victory #2 in the bag!

USE THIS HANDY CHECKLIST TO REMEMBER ALL SEVEN TIPS TO BUSTING BELLY FAT

TIP 5: Menopause Gut Check Essentials

THE SCOOP:

In the past decade, we have all learned a lot about gut health. It’s important for brain function, nutritional uptake, immune function and general well-being. How do you know if your gut needs help? Simply put, are you easily having regular bowel movements 1-3 times a day? If not you might need help. That could include a pre, pro and/or post-biotic to aid in optimal gut health. Here is a link to the ones I use if I notice a disruption in my normal healthy gut pattern.

MY STORY:

During this journey to unlock the menopause belly fat weight gain problem, I came across a study about probiotics and weight loss. I have a healthy gut and only use gut health products as needed but this study was interesting and I decided to add in a probiotic dose that included the strains from the study. I finally found a product that contained the three weight loss strains I was looking for from this company (link here) and I have used it along with the collagen during my successful weight loss months.

BOTTOM LINE:

There are so many puns that I could use as I type THE SCOOP and BOTTOM LINE in conjunction with gut health and I am hoping you appreciate my restraint. That said, here’s the bottom line. Gut health is vital to weight loss in general and in my experience critical to belly fat loss in menopause but you need to use products with the strains proven to aid weight loss. Here is what I used. If you typically have gut health issues, I highly recommend you add a prebiotic (click here). I have tried all of these and they give great results. Victory #3 is in the books!

YOUR FREE “BELLY FAT BE GONE” CHECKLIST IS AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD HERE

TIP 6: “Clothe your Carbs”, not your Belly Fat

BOTTOM LINE:

Follow the Glucose Goddess. Scroll through her graphs and discover how to dress your carbs so you can reduce your insulin release and stay off the carb rollercoaster all while eating carbs you love and losing belly fat. How do I do it? I grab a cucumber or a hand full of greens and eat them before I have that slice of cake. At a restaurant, I sit down and say to the waiter, “Please bring me a side salad while I browse your menu.” And then I eat the salad before diving into the yummy bread. Sound too good to be true? I promise it’s not and it totally sped up the rate of weight loss I was experiencing. And the icing on the cake? (Besides the fact that you can eat it.) It’s free to do all of this – just eat in a different order. Cool, huh?!

REMEMBER ALL 7 TIPS WITH THIS FREE, HANDY BELLY FAT BANISHING CHECKLIST

TIP 7: Three Keys for Restful Sleep During Menopause

THE SCOOP:

All of the above steps will contribute to more restful sleep in amazing ways so be diligent about implementing them especially if you struggle to sleep. Here are three keys to consider if, after all of the above, your peri-to-menopausal sleep is still less than ideal.

1. Cut screen time as the evening progresses. The blue light disturbs your sleep. You might even consider blue light reduction glasses like these or add this eye supplement to mitigate the harmful effects of blue light. Consider listening to audiobooks or podcasts instead to occupy your mind and let your eyes rest.

2. Consider taping. What is taping? It’s a tape that you put over your mouth at night that aids in more deep sleep and less snoring. I got used to it by the second night and was tracking my sleep quality with an app (sleep cycle) and definitely see an improvement with taping. I use this tape: Somnifix

3. There is very recent science about multivitamins and how some ingredients counteract others and make them less effective than they could be. The Linus Pauling institute is responsible for the formulation of this 2 part multi-vitamin that has an A.M. component and a P.M. component. The results are suggesting that your circadian rhythm is enhanced with this formulation and that much deeper sleep results. If you are taking a multivitamin, it might be worth it to try this new formulation to see how it enhances your sleep. The company even suggests you track the improvement with a sleep app. (Again, the one I use is Sleep Cycle in the app store on your smartphone. This is the first multivitamin I have ever used that I don’t have to wonder if it is working. I can just tell that it is by the deep sleep and the balanced feeling I have during the day.

MY STORY:

As you learned in step #1 Activate your genes, doing so changed everything about my sleep. Activation is still my number one recommendation and each of the above steps contributes to better sleep. Let’s face it, sleep is incredibly powerful and I count my ability to sleep as a superpower so each thing I do to improve it is important to me. I also used guided meditations to put me back to sleep if my menopausal symptoms strike at night. Working to ensure great sleep includes removing electronics from my bedroom if possible and sleeping with my phone away from my head. Each little improvement matters so don’t worry if it’s just a small thing. Small things add up and together are a big deal so give yourself a high five and a happy dance for every improvement you make.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

Sleep matters. It’s where repair happens. If you struggle with sleep, try out the 3 Keys above and use an app to measure your sleep quality improvements as you go. Great sleep is worth the effort and improves your ability to lose weight.

CONCLUSION: PERIMENOPAUSAL AND MENOPAUSAL BELLY FAT WEIGHT LOSS IS POSSIBLE. WHEW!

The Seven Steps I unlocked to finally lose the belly fat aren’t complicated and most of them don’t even take much time and yet together they powerfully unlocked my ability to lose the menopausal weight gain that seemed so uncontrollable. I think that may have been the worst part, the feeling of not having control over my weight. I still looked fine, 20 lbs isn’t that much on my tall frame and though buying new clothes felt like giving in, I found that the worst part was just feeling like nothing I did helped. This blog took a long time to write because I wanted to make sure I included all the things that helped me unlock the mystery for my body. I hope it will help you in your journey. I hope you’ll remember that each added improvement is a win. We live in our precious bodies and we only get one. It’s worth the effort to slow aging with these seven steps. You deserve to make progress and live a healthier, younger feeling version of you. You can do it. I know because I finally figured it out and that means you can, too. And remember, you can message me with your progress and I will celebrate with you!

XO,

MaryLyn

YOUR FREE “BELLY FAT BE GONE” CHECKLIST IS AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD HERE