By Women worry that they’ve missed the fat-burning boat
As an ageing woman, I hear the endless chatter about getting older. It’s not because of the wrinkles on their skin or their body beginning to lose their shape — but of the scary thought of not being able to lose weight as they once did. Hear me out here, ladies, but if you don’t watch your diet and get enough exercise, no matter what age, you will put on weight. It’s no different from age 18 right up until 70 — it can happen to any of us as soon as we take our attention away from nutrition and activity. It’s no different when we begin to climb towards menopause — it’s just another phase in a woman’s life we must embrace and accept — although it’s filled with uncomfortable occurrences. My best friend and I had joked about menopause since we began our periods. We would embrace it when the time came and wish it to reach a lot sooner! Now, I don’t have to worry too much as I’ve had a hysterectomy, but I will still feel the side effects too! Estrogen is women’s superpower regarding weight loss and fat burning. When we encounter menopause, naturally, estrogen levels begin to drop, which has been known to reduce a woman’s ability to burn body fat as an energy source. However, HRT can restore estrogen levels. But, A study performed at the University of Jyväskylä found that the influence of menopause and fat utilization is minor — when you compare that to nutrition and fitness levels! Women with less energy uptake, as opposed to their energy expenditure, used fat as a fuel source at a much higher rate. High-fat utilization was also categorized by higher blood fatty acid and ketone levels. Fat utilization of post-menopausal women didn’t differ from women who had not reached menopause or taken HRT. Scientists expected this result, but I guarantee women who are menopausal did not! Women can still burn fat after menopause if their energy intake is less than they expend (which is evident for all ages) To understand what peak fat utilization was, researchers conducted a bicycle test. Women with the highest physical and activity levels achieved the highest rates. Post-menopausal women did not differ from those who did not reach menopause. To increase your chances of burning body fat throughout your lifetime, It’s essential to focus on improving fitness and endurance through training. Your ability to burn body fat while exercising improves as you keep training — despite menopause or not.
One word of warning through
Just because you burn body fat stores doesn’t mean you are healthy or will lose weight faster. For women who use fat at a higher rate whilst resting, blood glucose and insulin levels rose more during subsequent glucose tolerance testing. However, higher fat utilization during exercise didn’t indicate better glucose tolerance.
There is a simple explanation for this.
When you use more fat as energy, when you eat carbs, it may raise your blood glucose levels a lot more — because your body is more inclined to use fat as fuel (instead of carbs). You can offset this by using some ketogenic dietary methods. Remember, too, that a ketogenic diet is very high in fat consumption, and fat is higher in calories than vegetables, carbs and protein. You still need to consider your portions, as I know how easy it is to overeat nuts! Eating a balanced diet filled with the necessary macronutrients and making exercise a daily habit. By reaching menopause, you will not experience a substantial negative weight gain impact. That stage might mean being more careful with your nutrition, perhaps monitoring and measuring somewhat. But, this could easily balance itself out through the activity you do. Keep in mind that menopause isn’t detrimental to your fat loss capability. It always comes down to what you eat and how much you exercise — no matter what age. Please note that the link is a PDF research paper.
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