RID - The Renewal Institute Diet

Gout is a very common form of arthritis caused by buildup of excess uric acid in the blood. You are on the right track by eliminating alcohol, sugar and fatty food. You should also limit purines found in red meat, seafood, pork and lamb. Maintain a healthy weight, as excess body fat will exacerbate symptoms due to increased uric acid turnover. Other areas of your health to optimize would be blood pressure, thyroid function and sleep quality. Certain medication will increase urine flow and exacerbate symptoms. Supplementation can be recommended to bring down inflammation and to repair gut health.

During menopause, there is a change in hormone level and your estrogen decreases. Estrogen helps to regulate metabolism and body weight. Reduced estrogen may lower metabolic rate, the rate at which the body converts stored energy into working energy, making it very hard to lose weight as well as keep the weight off.

A decrease in Estrogen levels also makes the body use starch and blood sugars less effectively, this will increase fat storage, once again making it harder to lose weight. As we get older and enter menopause we also loose muscle mass, this lowers our resting metabolism, which once again causes weight gain.
 
Staying active, even it is just 10 mins of aerobic exercise a day, may help build muscle mass and keep your metabolism up. At Skin Renewal, we work with Bio-identical Hormone replacement therapy which can ensure that hormones levels stay as balanced as possible during menopause.

Firstly I want emphasize that the specific food and exercises that you seek is a myth. So is the idea of targeted fat loss from a specific area. At the end of the day, what is most important is the amount of calories that you consume versus the amount of calories you burn. When you are in a calorie deficit, you will lose fat indefinitely. Be careful to cut calories too low for a long time as this will certainly result in the loss of precious lean muscle mass and less fat and it will certainly result in metabolic adaptations, making it extremely hard to lose weight in the future. Always remember- slow and steady wins the race.

My advice to you will be to consult with a dietitian to compile a diet for you with a 20% calorie deficit according to your maintenance calories. In terms of exercise: strength training (weights) always outruns cardio when it comes to fat loss. Four days per week of weight training of about 60min per session will be extremely beneficial for you.

A lot of woman are afraid to get the "bulky/masculine" look when it comes to weight training. To be quite frank, us women simply do not have adequate amounts of natural testosterone to provide that look. Elite female athletes often supplement directly with testosterone to achieve this look. The toned look that you want will require some lean muscle mass with a lowered amount of body fat to achieve a more tight appearance. I will recommend heavy weight training for you with proper technique to avoid injury. A good investment will be to hire a coach to teach you the proper techniques. This is vital to build lean muscle for metabolic support. To achieve the "toned" look you will need to be in a caloric deficit to decrease the amount of fat that is covering those hard earned muscles. Fat loss and lean muscle gain can unfortunately not happen simultaneously. It is up to you, however, to decide whether you will embark on a muscle building phase or a fat loss phase first.