Fight Fat After Forty

Dr Pamela Peeke MD, MPH devoted three years to investigating the link between stress and fat at the National Institutes of Health as a senior research fellow.

Fight Fat After Forty explores the physiological changes that affect women at midlife. If you're a woman over 40, you are undergoing physical and emotional changes, declining metabolism, fat deposits at your waistline, decreased energy, mood swings, food cravings--do we need to continue this list? Now pile on chronic, long-term stress (which the author terms toxic stress), which hits women between 40 and 60 and leads to self-destructive eating behaviour. "Uncontrolled or toxic stress keeps the refuelling appetite on, thus inducing stress eating and weight gain," Peeke explains the association between stress and fat gain, and describes the stress/eating cycle ("the itch you can't scratch"). Then she teaches tools for "regrouping": formulating and following a contingency plan of nutrition, exercise, and self-care. Next are suggestions for a nutritional plan tied to stressful times of the day and an explanation of food needs after age 40. In the final chapters, Peeke nudges us to exercise to relieve stress, reduce body fat, and benefit overall health. Peeke is a highly regarded scientist and clinician who studies the link between stress and fat at the National Institutes of Health. She's also Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and works as the Medical Director of the National Race for the Cure for Breast Cancer.