That middle-aged woman is me, and even though my GP suggested I get used to my aging body, now I know that I will reach my pre-menopause weight again.
It’s because I am already 32 pounds down and continue to lose weight.
But not so long ago, I had to fight tooth and nail to get rid of a single pound or an inch from my waist.
And I used to blame myself for not losing all the weight I had gained.
When, in fact, it had nothing to do with my diet or exercise routine, which were already pretty strict and extreme.
Instead, it was because of the changes my body went through during this inevitable life stage.
And figuring out why exactly the pounds kept creeping up, which wasn’t only about estrogen, helped me find a science-backed way to lose that “unfair” weight.
Let me explain.
Looking back at my younger years, I didn’t find losing weight and staying in shape very difficult.
If I gained a few pounds, I would cut back on calories a little and get rid of them.
Of course, I knew it wouldn’t always be this easy.
But I didn’t expect to start gaining unexplained weight well before the actual menopause in my early 40s.
And believe me or not, weight gain itself wasn’t actually the worst part.
You see, even if I gained a bit of weight in the past, it distributed pretty evenly.
However, these 42 pounds I put on over a few years all settled around my stomach, leaving me with a hanging-out belly.
And I’m not going to lie – my confidence plummeted because of this.
I have always taken pride in my looks, but I could no longer recognize myself in the mirror.
Anything with a zipper or a button was out of the question, and even loose clothes were getting tight, too.
It’s because my weight kept creeping up, despite me working out every day and giving up everything I could.
So, I decided to ask my GP for help before that ever-increasing weight affected my health.
Yet, she blamed it all on hormones and said there wasn’t much I could do about that.
In short, one of them is estrogen, and its levels begin to drop up to ten years before the actual menopause.1
Which is why women may start gaining weight in their early 40s, just like it happened to me.
Now, one of the few ways to support declining estrogen is HRT, but I didn’t want to take it.
Because honestly, it felt like my GP suggested it, hoping I would never bother her again.
Also, I read some stories online of women who gained even more weight after taking HRT.
But I found an ongoing discussion about a study from the University of Arizona on the same perimenopause and menopause forum.2
What these scientists claimed was that the gut is the principal regulator of circulating estrogen.
And women who improved their gut health lost weight previously resistant to the strictest diets and exercise routines.
You see, I got so hyped seeing other women succeed that I rushed into this without proper research and reading.
I added as many fermented and fiber-rich foods to my diet as I could.
Also, I started taking probiotic supplements daily, hoping to lose weight soon.
But guess what – weeks were passing by, but nothing really happened.
Which is why I went back to that perimenopause and menopause forum and did further research.
It appears that it’s not the gut itself that regulates estrogen but rather very specific probiotic strains that metabolize this hormone.3
But adding these probiotic strains alone wouldn’t be enough either.
Because when estrogen plummets during perimenopause, the levels of cortisol shoot up.4
And when it exceeds healthy levels, that causes weight gain, particularly around the stomach.5
Now, fortunately, I didn’t have to wonder how to piece together all this information.
Because women who previously had the same struggles as I did had already figured out a science-backed way to lose all that weight.
Now, honestly, if it wasn’t for other women who refused to accept that “unfair” weight gain, I wouldn’t have even considered this 3-month challenge.
Because it wasn’t specifically meant for perimenopause or menopause weight loss.
But what these women discovered was that Bioma, which was included in this challenge, can help regulate both cortisol and estrogen.
See, one of the few probiotic strains that metabolize estrogen is Bifidobacteria.6
And Bioma contains not one, not two, but three types of these specific probiotic strains.
Not only that, but probiotics have also been proven to reduce cortisol by 20 percent.7
And scientists now say that prebiotics, which Bioma also contains, can lower his hormone by another 19 percent.
So, it’s no surprise that I began to lose weight soon after taking this supplement.
But don’t get me wrong, almost $300 worth of resources I got for free were very useful, too.
Especially delicious weight loss-friendly recipes and Q&A sessions with a nutritionist.
And after these three months passed, I could keep all the resources, plus I got an 80 percent discount to restock my Bioma supply.
Which is why I continue to slim down even after losing 32 pounds.
That said, I can honestly suggest this 3-month challenge to any woman struggling with weight.
Because as I now know, we don’t have to get comfortable with an apple-shaped figure after a certain age.
Or cut out all of the joys in life and exercise every day to get into great shape in middle age.
7 sources
Why am I gaining weight so fast during menopause? And will hormone therapy help?
https://www.uchicagomedicine.org/forefront/womens-health-articles/2023/april/menopause-weight-gain-hormone-therapy
Estrogen-gut microbiome axis: Physiological and clinical implications
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28778332/
Microbiome and malignancy
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22018233/
Cortisol Levels during the Menopausal Transition and Early Postmenopause: Observations from the Seattle Midlife Women’s Health Study
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2749064/
Cortisol and Menopause
https://www.positivepause.co.uk/menopause-blog/cortisol-and-menopause
Modulation of the Gut Microbiota Structure with Probiotics and Isoflavone Alleviates Metabolic Disorder in Ovariectomized Mice
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8225012/
Effect of prebiotic and probiotic supplementation on circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines and urinary cortisol levels in patients with major depressive disorder: A double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1756464618306170
Thank you for your comment
I love that this woman didn’t settle for the doctor’s “it’s your age” answer. Good for her for taking charge and finding a solution! I’m a little hesitant about supplements and these challenges, but seeing her results is tempting. Has anyone else tried it already?
Wow, this is me exactly! I’m 43 and struggling to lose weight even though I eat healthy and work out like crazy. My doctor just shrugs and says it’s hormones. This Bioma thing sounds interesting, will check it out!
OMG, the belly fat struggle is SO real! I gained 30 pounds around my stomach in the past few years, and nothing seems to budge it. This article makes so much sense – it’s not just about calories anymore! I’m definitely going to research this “challenge” with the specific probiotics. Thanks for sharing!