Fighting menopausal flab

Story by Jacqui Justice

One of the most common issues my patients seek help with is menopause-related weight gain. 

All evidence has long pointed to hormone fluctuations as a factor, and thanks to new research, we finally have the answers — and a medically sound solution for addressing them.

As the nutritional director at NY Health & Wellness in Harrison, I oversee our recently developed medical weight loss program — Balance3H+ (B3H+) — a groundbreaking medically-supervised weight-loss, nutrition, fitness and wellness plan tailored specifically to ease hormone fluctuations and reduce the incidence and severity of menopause symptoms such as weight gain, belly fat, brain fog, hot flashes, stress, dry skin, low libido and mood swings.

When we treated these hormonal imbalances, patients at NY Health & Wellness were able to follow our Balance 3H+ (B3H+) healthy nutrition plan without feeling deprived, and many lost up to 25 pounds during the initial 14-week program.

Created by and offered only at NY Health & Wellness, B3H+ uses an integrative combination of customized nutrition plans, a “Reboot” hormone-balancing fitness regimen and pharmaceutical-grade supplements to help alleviate menopause symptoms, reduce inflammation, suppress the appetite and boost metabolism for optimum health and weight-loss results.

It all begins with a special “Metabolic Cleanse,” a two-week detox program that eliminates toxins from the body in preparation for a quick-and-easy fat loss. Next is the “Lean Body” two-week weight-loss program — and that’s when the numbers on the scale really plunge.

B3H+ has three key components:

1. A nutrition plan designed specifically for the unique dietary needs of women experiencing the hormonal transitions of perimenopause and menopause;

2. B3H+ all-natural herbal supplements to restore hormone balance, alleviate the symptoms of menopause and help women feel stronger, healthier and happier;

3. Personalized habit transformation coaching that utilizes the latest methods of behavioral science to help women create a lifestyle that will generate and sustain desired results.

The Balance 3H+ Diet Program is designed to target the three key hormones that are known to fluctuate and disrupt appetite signals during menopause — ghrelin, leptin and cortisol — and help bring them back into balance:

GHRELIN

Ghrelin is known as the hunger hormone. Elevated ghrelin levels can cause a spike in appetite, triggering cravings for more and fattier foods. Controlling your ghrelin levels helps to curb these unhealthy cravings, making it easier to stick to a sensible nutrition plan.

LEPTIN

Leptin is known as the appetite-suppressor hormone. It sends signals to the brain to tell you when to stop eating. Unfortunately, leptin naturally decreases as we age, making it harder to detect satiety. This can lead to overeating. Balancing your leptin levels can restore those signals, making it easier to limit your daily caloric intake to levels that are appropriate and sustainable for weight loss.

CORTISOL

Cortisol is the stress hormone. It is part of a complex stress-response system stemming from the human body’s early evolutionary needs — one of which was to store fat in times of stress, often associated with periods of hunger. But stress today doesn’t look like it did in the early days, and part of that response — specifically, the retention of visceral fat, or belly fat — is no longer an appropriate response to modern stressors. Managing your cortisol levels can help keep this now unhealthy stress response in check.

Most women understand the nutrition and lifestyle changes that are necessary for achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight but find it challenging to adhere to those habits when hormone fluctuations cause inappropriate levels of hunger and stress. When the underlying hormonal imbalance was treated through nutrition and supplementation, program participants reported an increased ability to follow through on their weight-loss plan and maintain their new weight.

Jacqui Justice is nutritional director, Balance 3H Plus Diet Plan, at NY Health & Wellness in Harrison. For more, visit nyhealthandwellness.com.

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