Midsection Management

Aging and a thickening waistline — How to deal

I’ve been in practice now for 10 years and I work with LOTS of women (and some men). One of the biggest issues I hear is that clients’ waists are getting bigger and their diets haven’t changed. It’s a bummer! As we age and as life gets complicated, women’s midsections thicken.

In honor of Women’s Health Month, we just wanted to say WE HEAR YOU! And we can help you. You’re NOT crazy. It’s a thing. Our midsections ARE getting bigger and there are things we can do.

What to do?

The most important thing we can do is to SLOW DOWN and take the time to figure out what’s up with your body. Are you stressed? Are your portions out of whack? Are your hormones out of balance? Now is the time to stop and take a look at:

1. Habits – The first step is to take a good hard look at your habits. Change something. Does it make a difference? This type of self-inspection is hard for some, but a very helpful first step. Small changes add up.
2. Seeking Help – If you’re trying — really trying — and the weight is stuck, your stress, sex or thyroid hormones might be off. Ask your doc to help test hormone levels. We can test those as well. Replenish and rebalance your hormones. Once we know where the imbalance is, there are nutrient and food-related changes that can be made.
3. Different Exercise – If you’re working out a ton, you might need to switch it up and incorporate different types of exercise. Try more aerobic exercises for more fat burning.
4. Drinking More Water – In order to lose fat, you need to add more water to help flush it away.
5. Sugar Intake – Do you have a wicked sweet tooth that derails you everyday? Add MORE fat. That helps to lessen the sugar cravings.
6. Food Timing – Change up your meals and snacks. Look at your timing. Is most of your food eating after 3 p.m.? Do you need to reset when you’re eating more so than what you’re eating? We’re good at this. Let us help you.
7. Planning – Do more planning and then execute your plan. It could be you get too hungry and grab crap instead of yummy, delicious whole food.

Top Reasons for That Muffin Top

1. Your stress is off the charts; stress hormones are fat promoters
2. Your thyroid is sluggish, causing weight gain
3. You’re exhausted and not sleeping well, causing internal stress
4. Your sex hormones are off, probably due to #1
5. Your eating is skewed to the later parts of the day; sleeping too close to big dinners
6. You’re not drinking enough water; your body is made up of muscle, skeleton, fat and water. Less water means more fat.
7. You’re over or under exercising or doing the wrong exercise for your body; this could be stressing your body (see #1)
8. You’re addicted to sugar; too much sugar increases body fat
9. Your portions are way off for your body; too much food increases body fat
10. You’re not planning enough and quick-grabbing too much — more processed food leads to more fat

It might not be one reason, but a couple or many that are contributing to your accumulating middle weight. The point is there is SOMETHING awry that needs to be balanced or changed.

If what you’re doing isn’t working, let’s make some changes. Many times, it is an accumulation of minor changes that add up to the body that you want.

For more info on melting muffin tops and feeling your best through smarter food choices, please contact our holistic nutritionists. It’s a personal puzzle, but we can assist in figuring out what’s best for your body.