Drop 15 pounds in 14 days
Research reveals that 75% of women over 45 have a hormonal glitch that makes the keto diet backfire. To the rescue: this easy 14-day plan that improves energy, sharpens thinking and makes weight loss effortless!
The keto diet is hands down the most talked-about, most searched-for and most sought-after diet in 2019. Yet, chances are, for every person you’ve heard rave about how effective it is at blasting away pounds, you’ve heard another person complain that the food formula didn’t work at all. This dramatic difference in results made researchers at the University of Iowa curious. When they looked more closely, they realized: “Most studies of the ketogenic diet for weight loss have taken place in small numbers of patients or in only male mice,” says E. Dale Abel, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the University of Iowa Department of Internal Medicine. So Dr. Abel and his team decided to design an experiment that would uncover whether there’s something specific about women’s bodies that affects keto diet success.
Their surprise findings: Female hormones interfere with the keto diet. In their study, Dr. Abel and his team fed male and
female mice the same keto diet for 15 weeks. The male mice lost weight and had improved blood-sugar control, but female mice gained weight and had worse blood-sugar control. Suspecting estrogen, specifically, was behind the difference, the scientists repeated the experiment on female mice without estrogen-producing ovaries. “After we removed the ovaries from female mice,” says Dr. Abel, “the females on the ketogenic diet lost weight.” In other words: Without estrogen, the keto diet worked.
Many women over 45 mistakenly think their estrogen levels are low. The truth is, estrogen levels don’t stop being problematic around (or even after) menopause. In fact, more than 75% of women over the age of 45 have a hormonal imbalance known as estrogen dominance. “Often, we think of perimenopause and menopause as the years when our estrogen is dropping, so it can be confusing to hear this term ‘estrogen dominance,’” explains Sara Gottfried, M.D., author of Brain Body Diet. “But ‘estrogen dominance’ does not mean an excess level of total estrogen; it means that the level of estrogen is higher in proportion to its partner hormone, progesterone— even when, overall, estrogen levels are in decline.” This imbalance sets off a chain reaction in the body that instructs fat to take up residence around the belly, hips and thighs— even if you’re following a keto diet.
The traditional keto diet can worsen this hormone imbalance— and make weight loss all but impossible. “When your carbohydrate intake is very low, as it is on a standard keto diet, the body thinks it’s starving,” explains weight-loss expert Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph.D. “This causes the brain to send signals that reduce production of all hormones.” But fat cells produce estrogen independent of this feedback loop, pulling the ratio of estrogen and progesterone further out of balance and leading to an increase in belly fat, mood swings and fatigue. Fortunately, Gittleman has unlocked the secrets to lasting weight loss on a keto diet. Her simple, femalefriendly two-week plan includes meals built with plenty of keto-approved healthy fats as well as “smart” carbs, which bind to excess hormones and ferry them out of the body, naturally balancing hormone levels and reversing the body’s lockdown on slimming. “Just two weeks will help you get all of the benefits of a keto diet without the hormonal downsides,” says Gittleman. “Not only will you lose those stubborn pounds once and for all, you’ll thrive.” And the effects are fast. Women following Gittleman’s plan have dropped as many as 7 pounds in four days. Best of all, once your hormone levels are back in balance, the body is primed to rapidly lose weight no matter what plan you follow!
Weight loss and hormone balance are just two of the benefits you’ll reap. “You’ll experience greater energy, a better mood, sounder sleep, sharper thinking, tighter skin and better controlled blood sugar,” asserts Gittleman. Read on for the simple strategies that will jump-start your weight loss and help you reach your goals.
“You’ll experience better moods, sounder sleep, sharper thinking, improved digestion, tighter skin and better controlled blood sugar” —Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph.D.