Remember the days when you’d roll out of bed feeling amazing?

What about the times you slid on your skinny jeans with zero effort, just like a pair of nice gloves?

And now, because you’re dealing with restless nights of sleep with your daily 2am wake up (for no apparent reason) and trying to find the right pair of pants to cover your midsection, those days of feeling amazing feel further and further away.

Didn’t someone say your 40’s are supposed to be your new 20’s?  So, why are you not feeling this way?

Welcome to PERIMENOPAUSE.

The joys of getting older…….

  • Weight Gain
  • Mood Swings
  • Excessive Sweating
  • Low Libido
  • Anxiety and Depression
  • Brain Fog
  • Exhaustion
  • 2-3am Wake Up’s

and the list goes on…….

 

I recently completed my Hormone Reset Program and Perimenopause was one of the main topics I covered.

As you can see in this illustration, one can see how quickly your progesterone drop off after your 30’s while estrogen manages to stay pretty dominant.  However, look at the roller coaster of your estrogen (in red) around your mid 40’s.  See those dips?  It’s no wonder you’re feeling crazy and super moody because your hormones are all over the place.

To add fuel to the fire, your progesterone (in green) really starts to plummet in your mid 40’s.  You could easily feel like you’re dealing with Estrogen Dominance (even if you’re not) merely because you’re progesterone levels are much lower so the estrogen and progesterone ratio is 3:1.

Most women hit Perimenopause in their mid-late 40’s but can start as early as mid 30’s. 

I definitely think Progesterone is an underrated hormone, because let’s be honest, it’s a hormone that keeps you:

  1. Calm
  2. Happy
  3. Content
  4. Sleep Sufficient
  5. Anxiety-Free
  6. Weight Regulated

When women come to me anxiety-ridden, highly stressed and under slept, I immediately question their progesterone levels.  Decreased progesterone levels are one of the first signs I see and you want to know why?

STRESS.  STRESS IS THE #1 CAUSE OF DECREASED PROGESTERONE LEVELS IN WOMEN. 

This is why I think so many women are struggling with signs of estrogen dominance because their ratio of estrogen and progesterone are completely out of balance.

So, how can you fix the estrogen/progesterone imbalance?  

  1. Get your labs drawn to see where your levels are at.  I have a doctor on staff who can run them for you so feel free to reach out to me for more info on this.
  2. Look at one of the 3 factors of the imbalance:

a) Your estrogen levels are normal and your progesterone levels are really low. (most common)

b) You are producing excessive estrogen and your progesterone levels are normal.

c) You are producing too much estrogen and too little progesterone.

*Another way to correct this imbalance is to reduce your body fat and follow a gut-healing protocol like the one I suggest in Hormone Reset. 

Now that you have an idea about the estrogen:progesterone imbalance, you can see how this flux of hormones can definitely take a hit on your waist line and mood balance.

But let’s take it a step further…..

What about when your estrogen and progesterone dip?  This is very common as you start to enter into perimenopause and partially, menopause.

One thing I hear women talk about most is the new “belly fat” that came on during their 40’s.  Even if they didn’t struggle with weight issues before, this new found fat in their mid section is incredibly difficult to get rid of.

Here are a few reasons why this is happening from a hormonal perspective. 

Insulin Levels Go Up.

This is because estrogen makes the female body more insulin sensitive and when it is gone, insulin resistance sets in causing increased hunger and increased fat storage.

Cortisol impact rises.

This is because estrogen and progesterone are anti-cortisol hormones and without them the menopausal female becomes exquisitely sensitive to stress.

Dopamine, serotonin & GABA levels change.

These brain chemicals are closely tied to estrogen and progesterone. They impact mood, hunger and cravings. This makes it more likely a menopausal woman will eat more and feel less satisfied all during a time where any extra calories will be stored in the middle of the body. (Jade Teta, Perimenopause, Menopause Belly.)

So, how can you fix the infamous belly fat?

Obviously, diet is going to be really important here but I promise you don’t have to go on a hard core juice cleanse to reap the benefits.

However, I do find it important for you to regulate your carb intake and you know what I mean by this.  Saying no to all the processed crap, white flours, cakes and cookies that do you no favors when it comes to your waistline.

You see, as you age, you’re more prone to insulin resistance because you’re losing estrogen in your body. In turn, your body begins to pump out more insulin to pull sugar out of your bloodstream and into your cells after eating.

This essentially means you’re not really storing your glucose from carbs as body fat anymore.  Instead, those excessive carbs are hitting your blood stream which can lead to prediabetes.

Crazy enough, this happened to my mother who is one of the most healthiest people I know.  She was eating too many carbs for her 65 year old body to handle, and even though she was exercising consistently, her labs came back as pre-diabetic.

We had to get her to cut back on her carb intake because after food journaling, she realized she was intaking much more than she thought.

(3-4 fruits in the morning, 2 boxes of crackers a day, beets, sweet potatoes, desserts and more)

Once she began to cut back on the amount of carbs she was taking in, her blood sugar began to regulate and she had better control over her glucose levels.  It took about 3 months to make a shift and now her levels are back to normal again. 🙂

Aim for lean protein, healthy fats and veggies most of the time. 

I promise by taking this nutrition approach, you’re already saving yourself time and energy for something that doesn’t require a lot of thought and effort.  Our society definitely loves to overcomplicate and confuse nutrition when it doesn’t need to be this way.

A few suggestions to start implementing this mantra in your daily routine would be examples such as:

  1. 1/2 cup plain oatmeal with walnuts, cinnamon (great for blood sugar), unsweetened almond milk and a side of eggs
  2. a protein smoothie with one scoop of protein powder, 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, 1/2 avocado and a tablespoon of flax or chia seeds
  3. egg omelette with spinach, feta cheese, tomatoes and mushrooms with a side of berries
  4. I also recommend my clients to aim for most of their carb consumption to be post workout.  This is when you’re burning the most (post-workout) so those potatoes, rice and pasta you might want?  Do it because this is the time to eat them.

Some of my clients also eat some carbs in the evening to help them sleep better and have enough fuel in them so they’re not starving the next morning.  Again, I really feel this comes down to personal preference and nothing is set in stone.  You have to listen to what feels best for you and your body.  Remember, everyone is different, there’s never one size fits all approach.

Finally, you can’t run the cart before the horse so before I suggest you running labs and going to the doctor, I highly recommend adjusting your nutrition, looking your liver detoxification pathways, regulating your stress and optimizing your vagus nerve.

And, if anyone gets what you’re going through……I DO.

For years I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me.  I went to numerous doctors, entered in 7 different rehab centers and took over 17 medications because I was so depressed and anxious.

It wasn’t until I chose to do something different because I knew something wasn’t right.  The doctors weren’t looking at the deeper rooted issues.  Why was I having depression and massive anxiety?  I knew the pills and treatment centers were the bandaid to the problems I was experiencing.

So, I took it upon myself to research and read over 31 books and I reached out to over 10 different experts and functional medicine doctors who were willing to look at the other stuff going on within my system.

It wasn’t until I fixed my hormones, gut imbalances and worked on my vagus nerve did I finally start to feel a million times better.  

I learned so much and because I chose to do something different and really lean into opposite ways to thinking and doing things did I really start to turn a corner.

It has now become my mission to help women overcome depression, anxiety, brain fog, insomnia, bloat and fatigue by a more holistic approach.  No more bandaids, no more quick fixes or pills to try and coat the program.  Real stuff.

And what else I’ve learned is it’s never ONE thing, it’s a series of things going on within your system that’s causing imbalances.  Remember your gut holds the key to so many issues like your immune system, hormones, neurotransmitters (mood), energy and so much more.

This is why I’m offering a super-exclusive HOLIDAY BUNDLE PACKAGE, created unlike any other service I’ve offered.

This bundle is for women who are struggling with fatigue, brain fog, weight gain, bloat and energy. It’s a bundle that includes a full lab panel (including a full thyroid panel), 1 hour consult with the doctor, 30 minute clarity call with me to create a plan of action AND a stool test.  

As I tell women, it’s like driving around with your emergency brake on, you just feel off, you feel stuck and feel like something isn’t working.  the HOLIDAY BUNDLE is like taking the emergency break off and getting you to coast and feel less “stuck”.

Who It’s For: 

For the woman who is struggling with major fatigue, weight gain, thyroid issues, burnout, brain fog, nutritional imbalances, post-pregnancy issues, and/or low libido. For the woman who knows something is off, but can’t figure out what it is. This bundle helps identify what hormonal issues you may have and any GI/gut imbalances you might be dealing with.

You don’t need to suffer anymore when the help you need is right here. Say bye to hormonal blues and hello to a brand-new, fabulous you today!  I’m only offering this Holiday Bundle for a few weeks only!

Send me a message if you’re interested!

xxo,

Kim 🙂

Questions?  Feel free to email me at info@kimschaper.com