At 58, Jill worked hard to stay fit and keep her weight down. But since menopause, she says, “I feel like I have been fighting a losing battle. I have tried every diet in the book, I exercise six days a week, I watch my calories, and no matter what I do, I can’t lose weight. Plus, I am getting fatter around my middle and losing my waist.
"I tried progesterone creams they said would help me lose weight, and I just got fatter and felt bloated, puffy, depressed and irritable.
"Then, based on saliva tests, a naturopath told me I needed DHEA and adrenal glandular supplements. But I just kept getting fatter, my breasts were getting bigger, I had skin breakouts, more facial hair, and I wasn’t sleeping. I was getting very discouraged. After reading Women, Weight and Hormones: Are Your Hormones Making You Fat?, I decided to see you. With all the misinformation and wrong prescriptions sabotaging my efforts, I knew I needed to get the hormone problems identified correctly before I would be successful in losing weight.”
It was two years ago when I first saw Jill to help her identify the hormone imbalances that were keeping her from losing weight. Along with the weight problems, she was having constant hot flashes, markedly disrupted sleep, hair loss, depressed mood, and a heavy tiredness that kept her from getting things done. Her initial hormone tests showed the reasons for all these problems:
Estradiol was very low, androgens (DHEA and testosterone) were too high, and her vitamin D was low. Thyroid and adrenal blood tests showed optimal levels on all measures.
Jill is like many patients I see who are suffering from the gross misinformation about women’s hormones and have been misled about what to take to help the problems. Millions of women have been told to take “progesterone” to help lose weight, without being told that progesterone actually helps store fat to support pregnancy! Women taking progesterone when estradiol is low typically get fatter and more bloated, as well as feeling depressed and sluggish.
I am constantly dismayed to see women put on androgens like DHEA or high-dose compounded testosterone creams along with adrenal hormones, when all of these hormones actually add to weight gain around the middle of the body.
The problem with excess adrenal and androgen hormones is made worse if estradiol is too low. A woman’s body needs a woman’s optimal hormone balance, not excess male hormones. Low vitamin D has adverse effects on metabolism, and adds to the difficulty losing weight when other hormones are out of balance.
I started Jill on an FDA-approved bioidentical estradiol patch, and gradually increased this to an optimal range and better balance with her androgens. I also started her on vitamin D supplements, and a vitamin combination to improve levels of the B vitamins, zinc, and magnesium that are involved in metabolic pathways.
At her appointment in April this year, she says this about her success: “I began seeing Dr. Vliet two years ago for hot flashes, weight gain, sluggishness, and insomnia. Dr. Vliet gave me the perfect combination of hormones and vitamins. In the past two years, I have lost 60 pounds, I no longer have hot flashes or feel sluggish. I workout every day and feel great! I can honestly say I feel better now than I have for years. Thank you for my new life!”
If you are gaining weight in spite of your best efforts with diet and exercise, I recommend these five action steps:
1. Reduce or eliminate food high in calories but empty of nutrition such as alcohol, soft drinks, and sugary snacks.
2. Gradually increase aerobic exercise to 45 to 60 minutes five to six days a week. Power walking is a great “fat burner” and trims inches from waist, hips, and thighs.
3. Do not use over-the-counter DHEA, progesterone, or wild yam creams, adrenal “support,” or glandular products. Read the free booklets on my website, www.herplace.com, to help you find the right doctor and get the right medical tests.
4. Reduce or eliminate use of prescription medications that can stimulate appetite and cause more weight gain: some mood stabilizers, many antidepressants (except Wellbutrin), beta-blockers, corticosteroids, and antihistamines.
5. If your estradiol is low, talk with your doctor about trying an FDA-approved bioidentical estradiol patch, gel, lotion, spray, or pill -- start with a low dose and increase slowly to an optimal level for your needs.
For more information on hormone connections in weight loss, read my book, Women, Weight and Hormones: Are Your Hormones Making You Fat? It is a guide to getting the right tests, healthy meal plans, and hormone balancing options tailored to women’s unique needs after menopause.
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