This book seeks to serve as a guide for women who are looking for ways to maintain a heathy balance in midlife and beyond. For many of us, the signs of declining health show more clearly in midlife, with a wider middle than we had in our younger years. The fat that hides inside the belly and over key organs, such as the liver and intestines, is a health risk. It is more dangerous than the fat that settles around the butt or other parts of the body. I wrote this book to help answer many of the questions I asked myself when I experienced unexpected changes in midlife. The book takes the reader along my journey as I searched for ways to restore and maintain a healthy balance and to reverse some of the clear signs of aging. The key to my success was a combination of a mindset shift, some changes in food choices, and adjustments in my lifestyle habits that resulted in a healthier version of myself and that enabled me to revitalize my changing body. I relied on many expert resources and personalized their recommendations based on what seemed practical and realistic for me. This book is a call to action and a reminder that we have more control over the direction of our health than we give ourselves credit for. It helps to establish the link between the actions we take and the results we achieve. It shows also that science is not static. Some of the habits I had to change were no longer supported by science as it evolved. Therefore, the book invites us to keep an open mind and continue learning and making modifications as new knowledge becomes available. What I share is based on what worked for me, which I continue to practice to date. I hope it will inspire others to take action, achieve positive results, and to recognize that in the end, it is the sum total of our actions that determines the direction of our health.

"The first-ever weight-loss plan specifically designed to stop-and reverse-age-related weight gain and muscle loss, while shrinking your belly, extending your life, and creating your healthiest self at mid-life and beyond"--

Minimize the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause naturally through a sustainable, enjoyable eating plan, physical activity, and other beneficial lifestyle habits “My friends and well-respected colleagues have written The Menopause Diet Plan to help you feel healthier, happier, and more confident during this change in your life.”—Maye Musk, MS, RDN, and author of A Woman Makes a Plan Menopause is uncharted territory for women, and it can be difficult to know how to ease the effects of hormonal changes that can often start in your 40s. With honesty and optimism, The Menopause Diet Plan encourages a positive, fad-free approach to managing your physical and emotional health during perimenopause and menopause. It highlights current scientific knowledge about the best diet and lifestyle choices to manage your weight; keep your heart, brain, and bones healthy; and decrease the risk for cancer and other chronic conditions. It also offers natural strategies to help diminish hot flashes, manage sleep difficulties and mood swings, improve energy, and more. The Menopause Diet Plan takes a unique approach to eating before, during, and after menopause. Registered dietitians Hillary Wright and Elizabeth Ward provide a customizable, plant-based eating plan that is rich in protein, fiber, and other beneficial nutrients, moderate in carbohydrates, and low in saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars. Balancing evidence-based advice with real-life circumstances and personal experience, it combines the best of the world's healthiest diets with the latest nutrition research for women in the menopause transition. Recipes such as Peanut Butter Smoothie, Chicken Italiano, and Chocolate Oatmeal Energy Balls make it easier to eat delicious, satisfying foods that nourish your body. With a comprehensive approach to better health, The Menopause Diet Plan helps women take charge of their well-being and live life to the fullest.

The doctor duo that brought you to the low-carb lifestyle shows you how to regain in midlife the figure of sleek, flat-bellied youth. Why is it that even though we might maintain our high school weight, few of us maintain our high school belt size? In your twenties and thirties, the layers of fat on top of your abs were the problem. But once you reach middle-age, the enemy shifts. The 6-Week Cure for the Middle-Aged Middle is the first book to deal specifically with the issues we face in the next stage of life, providing a plan for eliminating the unhealthy fat that accumulates around the organs–visceral fat–that is the true cause of the middle-aged bulge. The good news is that with the right diet, visceral fat can be quickly reduced and eliminated, enhancing both your looks and your health. Even after twenty years researching and refining the science of weight loss and management, bestselling authors Drs. Michael and Mary Dan Eades fell victim to the middle-aged middle themselves. Although otherwise fit and healthy, both lost the flat belly that signals youth. In The 6-Week Cure for the Middle-Aged Middle, they share the simple dietary program they created to shed the weight. Discover: • How eating saturated fat can actively trim your middle • Why the “eat less, exercise more” prescription fails–and what to do about it • Why “inner” and “outer” tube fat measurements are important to your health • How to fight the fat stored inside your liver that leads to hard-to-lose middle-body flab

Ever wonder why you can skip meals and cut calories--but never see the scale budge? Or why you keep craving those rich foods that sabotage weight loss? It's easy to blame yourself for a lack of willpower. But the truth is, you can't lose weight and keep it off without balancing your master hunger hormone--ghrelin. Ghrelin is the hormone that tells your body to eat when you're hungry. The right level of ghrelin keeps you feeling satisfied, slim, and healthy. But stress, lack of sleep, or eating at the wrong times can throw off your ghrelin levels, slowing down your metabolism and packing on belly fat and excess pounds. The good news: It's easy to get your ghrelin cycle back on track and shed that belly fat for good. The Belly Fat Fix shows you how to incorporate the science of ghrelin into an easy plan: • A simple diet packed with anti-ghrelin superfoods. More than 50 easy, delicious, ghrelin-busting recipes. • A quick exercise plan to tone you up and help keep ghrelin at bay. Reset your hunger hormone, fire up your metabolism, and lose that extra weight--up to 15 pounds in 30 days--without ever feeling hungry!

Finally, a book that answers my questions, gives me an action plan, and arms me with the power of knowledge and choices. I have always dreaded menopause thinking it was the end of any youthfulness and the beginning of feeling and looking physically old. Dr. Bitner's book is full of possibilities of how I want to age. ~ Eva Aguirre Cooper, Community Affairs Director, WOOD/WOTV/WXSP

Inside the pages of this book, you'll soon discover that your menopausal symptoms can be related to other issues that you can actually control. In doing so, you can relieve yourself of much of your suffering.You can lose your menopause belly, lose the fat and get your sexy back, even after the age of 40.