Menopause and Weight Loss – A review of Dr. Mickey Harpaz’s Strategies

Nutritionist Dr. Mickey Harpaz

After publishing content on 10 different coping mechanisms for Menopause, FoundHealth took to scouring the web and bookstore for quality content on menopause. We recently read Menopause Reset! by Dr. Mickey Harpaz, and have written a book review for our readers. Enjoy! 

From the beginning until the end of Menopause Reset!, Dr. Mickey Harpaz sticks with this fundamental theme – MENOPAUSE IS NOT A DISEASE! Instead, it is a phase of life and women must treat it as such. Just as any other life change, it mustn’t be coped with using a narrow minded approach like a single medication, or a single ‘craze’ diet. Instead, Dr. Mick argues that it must be treated holistically, starting with mental well-being, followed by physical well-being.

As an integrative health platform, FoundHealth strongly advocates Dr. Harpaz’s recognition of Menopause being a ‘life transition’ rather than a disease, and loves his integrated care approach.

In creating a personalized care plan for menopausal women, Dr. Harpaz focuses on a goal that often ranks as a top concern for women: weight loss during menopause. To create a plan for keeping the pounds off, Dr. Harpaz focuses on these three key steps: Reset! your Mind, Reset! your Diet, and Reset! your Movement.

Reset! your Mind

In resetting your mind, Dr. Mick focuses on four key elements, 3 of which revolve around harnessing motivation, forgetting what you thought in the past (i.e. random diets, unsustainable/ineffective exercise routines etc.), and staying the course. This guidance is no doubt invaluable; however, as a team intimately familiar with developing menopause content, it wasn’t necessarily pertinent to us. For a woman just beginning to accomplish weight loss during menopause, Dr. Mick’s motivational strategies are worth noting.

The fourth element, regarding identifying stress triggers and developing mitigation mechanisms, is the one we found particularly interesting. Dr. Mick discusses how stress is often what takes women off the course when trying to achieve weight loss during menopause. To address the issue, he provides a systematic approach for listing stressors, learning to identify them in the moment, and then relieving the stress through healthy tactics.

Everyone knows that stress can lead them astray; however, learning to deal with it can be tough.  Dr. Harpaz provides tangible methods for staying the course though our stress-filled lives.

Mindfulness is key

Reset! your Diet

In addressing dietary approaches to obtaining weight loss during and after menopause, Dr. Mick does a good job explaining the science of digestion and pitfalls of most diet regimens. For example, he explains in a simple way the relationship between sugar, insulin, and fat metabolism, and relates this to why diets with carbohydrate emphasis are ineffective. For any novice, this understanding will prove vital in shaping and sticking to a dietary regimen.

Amongst other points, Dr. Mick emphasizes that the best dietary regimen involves eating early and often. We’ve all heard that it is healthier to eat 6 small meals rather than 3 big ones, and intuitively, that makes sense. However, few people understand why the reason for this is, and Dr. Harpaz does a great job explaining why. To do so, he delves into different case studies and provides charts such as the one below, where blood sugar levels are related to times and size of meal consumption. 

Dr. Harpaz discusses how keeping blood sugar levels within a steady range (65-99 mg/dl) enhances fat metabolism. With great graphics, readers of Menopause Reset! get a strong sense of not just what and when to eat, but also an understanding of why they are taking these actions.

Reset! your Movement

Dr. Mick’s guidelines on exercise will prove useful those women who are just starting their workout regimens or are resuming them after a hiatus. When starting a workout routine, both women and men fall into common mistakes like taking on too much too fast, exercising hard but not effectively, or not instilling the correct ratio of body building to aerobic techniques. To combat these errors, Dr. Mick provides a slew of strategies. For a woman who is no stranger to the gym, however, this advice may not be needed.

What we really did appreciate from the Reset your Movement section was Dr. Mick’s emphasis on making lifestyle changes to movement. Strategies like taking the stairs, not choosing the nearest parking spot, or getting up from your desk at work for 10 minutes an hour can prove huge in terms of improving well-being, and improving a woman’s likelihood of achieving weight loss during menopause. At FoundHealth, we make a point of adopting work breaks, and ‘work-place wellness best practices ‘ in general, and we’re glad that Dr. Mick advocates them as well.

A sustainable exercise routine is essential

In summary

FoundHealth is all about taking a personalized approach to health. After reading over Dr. Mick’s approach to menopause, we’re certain that he also believes that there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ plan. Menopause is a journey, and every woman must recognize their own symptoms, and develop their own coping mechanisms. We believe that Menopause Reset! will help you do so.

Learn more about Dr. Mickey Harpaz’s strategies for menopause and weight loss. 

Any tips for how to make menopause and weight loss go hand-in-hand? Share by leaving a comment!