Women experience drastic changes in their physique as oestrogen levels wane, including weight gain around the midsection.
Heather Summet, who goes by @menopause.nurse on TikTok, managed to counter these changes with three minor lifestyle tips.
According to a recent clip, the content creator used protein, quad biotics and hormone regulation to battle the belly bulge.
“These three things helped me lose weight during perimenopause and going into full-on menopause,” the content creator said.
Simple lifestyle interventions are the key to better weight control
GETTY / TIKTOK
“I lost 18 lbs of that dread belly fat that is so hard to lose, three big changes that helped me lose [the weight] and keep it off."
First and foremost, Heather made sure to get at least 30 grams of protein with every meal.
“If you get adequate protein in your diet you stay fuller for longer,” she explained. “Protein helps your body produce a hormone that tells your brain you’re full.
“Your body even burns more calories digesting protein versus carbohydrates and fat.”
Of course, it’s important to balance the diet, but prioritising protein means you’re less likely to cave into the junk food hindering your weight loss.
Heather also changed her exercise regimen by swapping cardio and HIIT for lower-impact alternatives.
“Really intense workouts like that elevate your cortisol,” she explained. “We are already fighting the cortisol battle.
“Instead, go for a walk, do some stretching do some yoga and even more importantly do strength training. That is so important at this stage in life."
As the body’s oestrogen levels decline, so does the body’s muscle mass. But when strength training becomes regular, the body uses the extra muscle mass to increase its resting metabolic rate.
The British Menopause Society explained: “This is almost non-negotiable for perimenopausal and menopausal women who want to lose weight and change their body shape.
“Regular, consistent weight resistance exercise is the most efficient method for increasing muscle mass and metabolic rate.”
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Heather offers health tips to women navigating menopause
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Moving onto hormonal balance, the slimmer shared an easy hack to regulate metabolic and stress hormones.
“I used a quad biotic, which helped decrease inflammation, it helped decrease stress eating, it helped to decrease cravings," said Heather.
The quad biotic combines probiotics (live bacteria), prebiotics (food for bacteria), phytobiotics (plant-based compounds) and postbiotics (metabolites).
The combination of these ingredients is effective for targeting excess weight by helping balance the gut.
