Weight Loss For Women Over 40 Meal Plan 

Did you know that over 80% of women suffer from hormonal imbalances? Do you know what comes hand in hand with hormonal imbalance? Hormonal weight gain! And losing hormonal weight gain can feel next to impossible UNTIL you learn the secrets I am sharing in this post! I will share exactly how I was able to naturally heal my hormones, drop over 50 pounds, and feel amazing again. 

What is Hormone Imbalance 

First let’s start with the root of most women’s problems, especially women who are around or over the age of 40! Hormonal imbalance. To keep it simple, hormonal imbalance is when our bodies are either not producing the right amount of hormones, this could be in the form of an overproduction of hormones known as hyperthyroidism, or not receiving the hormones being produced due to endocrine disruptors blocking them. 

It is said that over 80% of women in the US suffer from hormonal imbalances throughout their lifetime. Yes, you heard that right 80% of women! Now you might be able to see why the diet industry is a multi-Billion dollar industry if women are trying to diet the weight away instead of fixing the root of the weight gain problem – hormonal imbalance!

The most common reasons triggering hormonal imbalance are menopause, premenopause, pregnancy or post-pregnancy, obesity, and chronic stress or trauma. 

Of course, most of us suffer needlessly having a handful if not all of the symptoms listed below and if this goes on too long before it is corrected it turns into a full-on autoimmune disease. For more on Hormonal Imbalance in women and how to fix it read 15 Signs Of Hormone Imbalance That Most Women Ignore.

Understanding how our hormones work helps us to see how delicate that balance is and why we should be focused on keeping it from getting all out of wack!

The Dominos Effect of Hormonal Imbalance 

Our hormones can be looked at like the dominos effect. If you knock one over the rest fall with it. For a deeper dive into this topic and to see all the signs most women ignore check out this post next 15 Signs Of Hormone Imbalance That Most Women Ignore.

One of the core signs or symptoms of hormonal imbalance is hormonal weight gain, especially in the belly, hips, thighs, and butt. Hints the dreaded pair-shaped body starts taking form.

The hormonal belly is one of the tops searched topics when it comes to hormonal weight gain because even when you start seeing weight loss belly fat often is the last to go.

At-Home Hormonal Imbalance Test

Hormonal Weight Gain What is it and How do you fix it?

Unlike “normal” weight gain that comes from eating a crapy diet, hormonal weight gain is a whole nother beast. When trying to fix a hormonal weight gain problem the ol’ “eat less work out more” advice simply will not work! Actually, it most likely will make matters worse.

Let me share a personal example with you. 

Two years after having my youngest son, who is now 11 years old, my thyroid was all out of wack! Doctors and specialists did what they do best and put me on medication and sent me on my way. I love Dr. Mark Hyman’s way of putting it, “diagnose and adios”. They tell you what your problem is, give you medication, then send you on your way. 

The problem with this approach is they did not fix the problem, they simply gave us a bandaid to put over it to (hopefully) stop it from getting worse. 

So, here I am trying every diet under the sun, actually working out (for the first time in my life, lol) the good ol’ days of being a size 4 and eating whatever I wanted and never working out were long gone and I did not lose a single pound.

Then I did a 7-day water and vegetable juice only fast…… I DID NOT LOSE A SINGLE POUND!! My stepdad on the other hand did it for 3 days and lost a pant size (grrrrr…. I mean good for him). This is what trying to lose weight with hormonal imbalance looks like my friends, if you are struggling I have been there I know how frustrating it is.

The first place to start is when you know there is a hormonal issue, whether that be a hormonal imbalance or hormonal disorder for me it was hypothyroidism, is with food. 

Eating the Wrong Foods Will Make You Fat

Odds are pretty good that if you have gained weight and not been able to easily lose it, or have been overweight for more than a year then there is a hormonal imbalance involved. Regarding the question of whether being overweight or obese causes a hormonal imbalance or does hormonal imbalance cause obesity the simple answer is yes!

It doesn’t really matter which came first if you have one the other is soon to follow. 

The best diet for hormonal weight gain in my own personal experience, and in helping so many heal their hormones as well is hands down the Clean Keto Diet. 

Clean Keto is essentially the keto diet minus the dairy and avoiding highly refined processed foods I like to call Frankin’ Foods. Foods that are not real, are cooked up in a lab somewhere using God only knows what, and they are made to last on the shelf for years and be highly addicting so that you buy more. 

When I started Keto almost six years ago now it was the school of hard knocks for me. I spent months researching and meal planning trying to figure it all out myself. Now, I can recommend to you the Custom Keto Meal Planner for weight loss as the big red easy button to start Keto. 

Custom Keto Meal Planner quizzes you on your taste buds and weight loss goals and then formulates the perfect done-for-you meal plan to fit your needs. It even emails you the weekly shopping list for less than a dinner out with friends (it’s under $40 per month).

Hormonal Harmony Supplement

If you are really serious about hormonal weight loss you can combine the keto diet with the right supplements to give you a boost right out of the gate.

Hormonal Harmony HB-5 is an all-in-one supplement to support resetting your hormones. Formulated with all-natural ingredients and is essentially a multivitamin for your hormones. 

For my full review and in-depth research on this supplement check out this post next Hormonal Harmony Supplement Review

How I Healed Hypothyroidism Naturally

If you have been around the blog you know I started this journey to heal my own autoimmune disease after having my second baby. Hypothyroidism…. “Hypo….what now?”. I remember months after having my second son knowing something was off with my body. I could not pinpoint it but something was definitely off!

Unfortunately, most doctors’ blanket responses to post-pardon moms by saying something along the lines of, “Oh hun this is totally normal”. And by ‘this’ I mean the laundry list of issues I was having from no matter what I did the 50+ pounds of the extra baby weight was not budging, to extreme fatigue, and hormonal acne (p.s. I had never had acne in my life up to this point), my skin, and hair being so dry it almost hurt.

That unfortunately was not even all of it, but those were the big ones for me. 

Medical Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. I am a normal everyday person just like you who had a hormonal imbalance that I was told was incurable by a medical professional. I refused to believe it and took my health into my own hands. Healing my autoimmune system (hypothyroidism) and weaning off all medication naturally, losing over 50 pounds in the process and keeping it off for over 6 years now! The information I share is based on my own journey and is not medical advice, but it is meant to help you find your own answers and solutions in your healing journey. 

A great book by a hormone specialist who takes the more natural and wholistic approach to healing is a book by  Dr. Mendy Pelz called Fast Like a Girl: A Woman’s Guide to Using the Healing Power of Fasting to Burn Fat, Boost Energy, and Balance Hormones also offers consultations and a test called the Dutch test. 

Dutch Complete Hormone Panel + Consultation is $550. This is not sponsored Dr. Mendy is just awesome and I 100% recommend going to a doctor who: 

1. Specialises in women’s hormones
2. Takes a holistic approach to healing vs the typical American Dr. who will write you a prescription and send you on your way. You then stay on the medication your whole life like a bandaid that never comes off you never receive healing, just a way to hopefully keep it from getting worse 

If you can fit this test into your budget this would be my first step! It will end up saving you a lot of time, money, and frustration, in the long run, talking to someone who knows this space inside and out so you don’t have to spend 6 years figuring it out as I did. 

Seven-Day Meal Plan for Weight Loss with Hormonal Imbalance

The key to weight loss with hormonal imbalance is to eliminate the foods causing the issues:

• Sugar
• Gluten
• Dairy
• Soy
• Seed Oils

In doing this you will notice that you have eliminated most processed foods, this alone will help the weight FALL OFF and your hormones will start to heal. These are also some of the hardest foods to eliminate. But there is a name for that when you don’t want to give something up…. it’s called addiction. 

Hang with me here. If it asked you to give up broccoli or carrots for the next 30 days could you do it? 

Easy! 

But I say sugar, cheese, or bread and skirrrrrrt better hit those brakes lady, no way! Yep, that is no different than a drug user not wanting to give up drugs. “But K’Lee, you say, drugs are different they kill people!” 

So does a lot of the food that you are most likely eating now friend! They just kill people a lot slower and more painfully under the names cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and the list goes on.

So let me break it down for you (free) for the next 7 days and feel free to mix, match, and repeat or do what most do for more variety and get the Custom Keto Meal Planner (let it meal prep for you) 

Breakfast (all 7 days)

My famous Bulletproof Coffee post includes the full recipe, and links to all the products I use, love, and recommend, and there are lots of other yummy weight loss drinks you can find on that post too that you can drink anytime over the next 7 days to boost results! 

If your body is in the routine of eating in the morning and you still feel like you need to eat, that’s totally cool I get it. Two or three hours after your Bulletproof coffee have a small meal such as:

Coconut Yogurt Parfet 

1 cup unsweetened coconut yogurt

1 tbsp monk fruit sweetener

1 tbsp chia seeds 

1 tbsp hemp hearts

1 handful of berries of your choice

¼ cup of keto granola (check the ingredients here, not all products labeled keto are actually keto)

This can be meal-prepped adding the granola when you are ready to eat it and can be eaten as a dessert for something sweet that will not knock you out of ketosis (aka fat-burning mode). 

Another option is to have some hard-boiled eggs meal prepped and grab 2 of those with a very small amount of nuts of your choice. 

Lunch

The goal with your lunch is to stay within the Clean Keto (dairy-free) guidelines. Meal prepping and consistency are key, so we will keep it simple and on repeat! Creating a go-to lunch takes the guesswork out of it making it easy to create and stick to the new habit.

Salmon Salad

• 2 cans of wild-caught salmon (read the ingredients some add sugars, “natural flavors”, and all kinds of other junk you don’t want or need in your life)

chopped celery & pickles

• 1/4 cup Primal Kitchen Mayo (it does not have seed oils which will cause weight gain)

• salt & pepper to taste

I like to eat it with Keto Crackers (a small handful is a serving size), a side salad (Primal Kitchen dressing, no seed oils), and a bowl of berries (portion size about the palm of your hand).

Egg, Guacamole, and Mayo Taco

I won’t lie this doesn’t sound like something amazing….but it is my go-to, I eat it 4-5 times for lunch per week, FAVORITE lunch of all time (lol)

• 3 Pasture Raised Organic Eggs
• 1 Almond Flour Tortilla
• 1 packet of organic guacamole (get mine at Costco and it’s cheaper than making it myself – bonus!)
• 1 tsp (ish) Primal Kitchen Mayo
• Salt & Pepper (and organic siracha if you like it spicy like me) to taste

Note the almond flour tortillas are not as low in carbs as the salmon salad meal, so if you’re in shred mode skip the tortilla and just eat the eggs and guaco and add in some veggies instead!

Keto High Fiber Porridge

Ok for my super shred mode mommas here is the one for you. This taste like a dessert that will fill you up, the fiber will help with boosting your metabolism, and it’s meal prep friendly. However, it only takes about 5 minutes to throw together, so I just make it fresh.

• ¼ cup sunflower or pumpkin seeds (optional)
• ¼ cup almond flour, finely ground
• 2 Tbsp. golden flax seeds
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 tsp cacao powder
• pinch sea salt

Photos are all from my Instagram: Follow me here @goingbacktoourroots where I post what I am eating in my stories almost daily (and lots of them saved to my highlights if your wanting more meal idea inspo)

Custom Weight Loss Meal Plan – Done for you with a shopping list 7-day Free Trial Click Here!

Comment below……

What is your biggest takeaway from reading this post today? And tag me on SM I want to see what magical meal creations you are coming up with, I want to cheer you on as you see the pounds start melting away as you are healing your hormones back to a happy healthy hormonal balance.