The Stress-Weight Gain Connection!
Power Surge™ Live!
Host: Dearest
Guest: Pamela Peeke, M.D.
Body for Life for Women:
A Woman's Plan for Physical
and Mental Transformation

About Pamela Peeke, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.P.

Body for Life for Women: The 8-Point Plan To Conquer Adult Food And Weight Obsessions

Dearest: Pamela Peeke, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.P., is a clinical assistant professor of medicine, and a Pew Foundation Scholar in Nutrition and Metabolism. Dr. Peeke is a medical commentator for CNN, and has appeared on Oprah, Larry King Live, The View, The Today Show, Dateline, PrimeTime, and others. She is the Chief Medical Correspondent for Nutrition and Fitness with Discovery Health TV. Dr. Peeke regularly contributes to numerous magazines and is medical director for the National Women's Health Resource Center. Among her numerous books, her bestselling, "Fight Fat After Forty," presented groundbreaking research describing how chronic stress contributes to weight gain and threatens the length and quality of life after the age of forty, Dr. Peeke has become known as the scientist who first presented the scientific basis of the "stress-fat" connection to the American public, raising awareness about this potentially life threatening medical condition. Dr. Peeke's newest New York Times #1 bestselling book is Body for Life for Women: A Woman's Plan for Physical and Mental Transformation and is the subject of our chat tonight. It's a pleasure to welcome you to Power Surge, Dr. Peeke. Pamela Peeke, M.D.: It's great to be here - thanks so much for asking me tonight! Dearest: Pam, in your book, you say "women are up to their ovaries in stress" and that this stress often results in weight gain. Can you enlighten us about your theory of the "stress-weight gain" connection in women? Pamela Peeke, M.D.: Sure. Please make certain to read my Power Mind Principle in the beginning of the book which describes the science of the stress-fat connection. High levels of stress hormones (cortisol) lead to increased fat deposits deep inside the belly. This is especially common in women over the age of 40. Too much fat inside the belly is related to an increased risk of diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Dearest: In your book, "Body For Life for Women," you say, "I've treated thousands of women, and not one of them was derailed by laziness or lack of willpower. No, they were done in by uniquely female traits." Your experience of working with women of all ages proved to you that women have unique female traits that prevent them from keeping both physically and mentally fit. Can you please share with us what those female traits are? Pamela Peeke, M.D.: You need to read the Power Mind Principle in my book which describe the unique traits in a woman's physiology which makes it more difficult for her to stay on track for her health care. For instance, a woman has a greater tendency toward rumination, anxiety, depression, perfectionism and stress over eating. What I try to teach women is how to navigate around these issues and to learn how to regroup and move on without self destruction. Dearest: The sub-title of your book is, "A Woman's Plan for Physical and Mental Transformation." Clearly, the mind-set, or mental transformation has to come before the physical. Can you describe what that mental transformation requires? Pamela Peeke, M.D.: The mental transformation is all about removing the mental baggage that women carry and that is a major obstacle for her self care. For example, a woman may find herself saying disparaging remarks about herself constantly which leaves her feeling vulnerable, anxious, and with a low self-image. I like to teach women to feel empowered and to honor themselves. When they can do this, they have undergone the mental transformation. Dearest: So, by hanging onto the emotional baggage you refer to - is it a form of sabotaging oneself and continuing on the old path of not doing anything to improve our health, quality of life, fitness and mind-set? Pamela Peeke, M.D.: Absolutely! It's important for women to first identify these negative thoughts and voices that they have carried around in their heads for years. Then, for each negative voice a woman then substitutes with a positive affirmation which allows her to raise her self-worth and esteem and power to sustain her for life. BrassedOff: What are your ideas on staying on bio-identicals after menopause for the rest of your life? My naturopath says why would you want to keep your body in this unnatural state of fertility. Stress and anxiety has been my biggest issues during perimenopause. Pamela Peeke, M.D.: Science has shown that women who have out of control stress as they enter perimenopause and menopause have an increased rate of symptoms. Therefore, the first thing to do is to improve your overall lifestyle, self-care, and stress management. Hormonal replacement therapy using the bio-identicals is classically used by women who have symptoms despite their healthy lifestyle. Even at that, it is good to maintain them for short-term use, not for a lifetime. I would suggest improving your lifestyle habits and only using the bio-identicals short term to help out with symptoms. BrassedOff: Thanks. Pamela Peeke, M.D.: You're welcome :) Dearest: Diets! Diets! Diets! There are so many of them. Most of us can manage to get into the mind-set to *start* diets, but why do so many people fall off the wagon and give up -- and why does such a large majority gain it back? Pamela Peeke, M.D.: In my book I make it very clear that excessive body fat is nothing more than an indicator of a woman who is living a life out of balance. Next, I really make the point that it's not about the quantity of a woman (scale weight) but instead the quality of a woman (body composition). It is now more important to pay attention to percent of body fat than it is to scale weight. If a woman has a normal weight but high body fat she is mislead by her weight to believe she is healthy. She is not. A high body fat regardless of weight is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer in women over 40. If the excess fat is settling deep inside her tummy, she is also at risk for diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Diets are out. Healthy nutrition combined with a balance of appropriate physical activity along with a stress resilient attitude is the key. JudithCoates: Is there a synthetic hormone available that women can take to lower cortisol levels? Pamela Peeke, M.D.: The only way to lower cortisol levels is to lower the stress in your life. Massage therapy, physical activity like walking, meditation, as well as aroma therapy and a calming environment all help lower cortisol. Many over-the-counter products state that they can alter cortisol levels. Do not believe them and certainly do not buy them KatWriter: Can you give some concrete steps on how to define who we really are at this age of exciting transformation? For example, my husband who has a very strong personality seems to dominate so much in the definition of who I am - I allow it to be that way. I don't like it. We have been married 26 years so I've grown up and around him, embracing his thoughts as my own. I am me. I want to be me without removing myself from him. Pamela Peeke, M.D.: My recommendation is to begin to express yourself openly to your husband and let him know your feelings. For 26 years you have allowed him to think that they way you were conducting yourself was truly you. Instead, it's time to reveal the beautiful, creative and powerful woman you are. The key is communication and that is going to take practice. I would highly recommend working with a couple's counselor to help guide you through this process. Good luck KatWriter: Thank you. Quick2Start: When I was younger and stressed, I used to lose weight. Then I was divorced. I worked though my problems and was calm and content. When perimenopause hit, I started to stress again. I am having negative thoughts about myself again and I have gained a lot of weight. I do not overeat. My doctor has just started me on bioidentical hormones, but they are not as yet balanced. Will things get back to normal when they are, if I continue to de stress my life? Pamela Peeke, M.D.: There are only a few ways one really gains weight. One of the first things you need to do is make certain that all of your hormones are in check. Don't forget your thyroid hormone. If this is normal, then the weight gain you are experiencing during perimenopause is about eating too much relative to your age and not moving enough. Balance what you are eating. During perimenopause there is a natural tendency to shape-shift - putting on more weight in the tummy area. Also, women during this period in life need to pay extra attention to the quality, quantity and frequency of their meals. In my book, Body for Life for Women, I describe a simple template for women to follow to fight the tendency to gain the weight in the belly as well, physical activity has to become routine rather than inconsistent and episodic. By doing this, you will be able to optimize your body composition and prevent further weight gain Dearest: Quick2Start, if I might insert one thing, don't settle for just a TSH thyroid test. Tell your doctor you want a full thyroid panel - which includes T3 and T4. Polina: How do we measure our own body fat? What would you consider to be a healthy "fat" body? Age is probably a factor as well? Thank you. Pamela Peeke, M.D.: Very good question. Body fat can be measured by buying a brand new form of scale called the Body Comp Analyzer. If you go to my website, drpeeke.com and click on to the icon about body composition, I describe some of these and their features. They are available in many places. The other thing you can do is to have it measured by a professional at a health club and simply follow that over time. A healthy body fat for a women who is between the ages of 40 and 50 is between 20% and 29%. As of the age of 50 on, the range extends to 32%. AnnieGal21: Do the high stress levels causing the fat deposits to occur happen even in slim and physically fit women and also do you suggest the 5 to 6 meals a day approach to losing those extra lbs? Pamela Peeke, M.D.: Yes to both of your questions. Slender women can easily have too much fat deep inside their tummies and in my book, Body for Life for Women, under the nutrition section I lay out a template for how to eat every 3 to 4 hours. Dearest: Pam, can you explain the template you use called "Mind, Mouth, and Muscle." Pamela Peeke, M.D.: Mind, Mouth and Muscle is a holistic and integrative approach to self-care for women in general. It's about balancing mental attitude along with optimal nutrition and regular physical. It's also a very simple way to remember a woman's critical elements for health and wellness. DesireeWyatt: I have problems with self-control. I eat with such unrepentant haste, as if I won't see food again. It gets worse two weeks before my periods. Is lack of self-control only associated with poor ability to deal with stress? I don't feel stressed but it seems I don't have the will-power to avoid those fatty foods. Thank you! Pamela Peeke, M.D.: Women are hard-wired to overeat the stress fuel, which includes carbohydrates and fat. Most women secrete far less serotonin than men. Serotonin is a mood modulator which also helps control appetite. During your menstrual cycle serotonin's levels can change enough to increase your cravings and appetite. Physical activity helps to regulate this as well as eating protein throughout the day. Again, these techniques are described in my book Body for Life for Women Puffin: I'm 48, had my testosterone checked and it is very very low. I exercise, practice yoga, eat very balanced meals, and have a supportive husband. I am currently on testosterone cream. How else would I help my testosterone level if it isn't with the bio-identical cream? I work out with some weights already too. Pamela Peeke, M.D.: It sounds as though you're doing everything you can. Lifting weights with greater intensity definitely helps raise testosterone levels. Kates: Hello, I am 44 and just lost 40 pounds in the last year without exercising. I only eat vegetables, chicken, turkey, eggs, salad. That's my diet because of bowel sensitivities. Do you think this is an ok diet for perimeno and beyond? Pamela Peeke, M.D.: I would highly recommend you seek the help of a nutritionist to customize a more balanced diet program. In addition you must become physically active for all the reasons I set forth in my book Body for Life for Women. Dearest: Pam, thank you for joining us in Power Surge tonight to discuss your new book, "Body For Life For Women: A Woman's Plan For Physical and Mental Transformation" and the excellent information and strategies we can utilize to get fit physically and mentally to improve our quality of life and live longer. I also personally recommend one of Pam's earlier books, Fight Fat After Forty. You can read more by visiting Dr. Pam Peeke's Web site at: www.drpeeke.com. Pamela Peeke, M.D.: You're most welcome. It was a lot of fun.

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Dearest
aka Alice Stamm
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