Weight Gain and Menopause – Can it Be Stopped? Unfortunately, weight gain and menopause go together. So, if you’re starting to notice some additional weight around your waist it might be because you’re starting or going through menopause. So, why is this happening and how do you stop it? Many girls before you and many after will continue to ask these questions.
Weight Gain
There are just two things happening when you approach menopause, and these are what make weight gain and menopause inseparable. Firstly your metabolism is slowing down as you become older and less energetic and secondly you’re experiencing hormonal changes. Both these modifications on their own may lead to weight gain so putting them together means that you have double the problem to contend with.
Unfortunately these two changes happen between 40 to 60 years old. This unfortunate coincidence makes it harder but not impossible to handle your changing shape during this time period. Yes the odds are stacked against you, but you can break the cycle – weight gain and menopause don’t have to win.
Types of Women
When it comes to gaining weight gain and menopause, there are two different types of women. People who put up with it and decide that they’ll only live with their new body, and those who fight it and change their eating habits and activity levels. I’m an advocate for people who wish to do something about it and it actually takes just a couple of small lifestyle changes to make a difference.
Normally, a woman can wear about 10 to 15 pounds during menopause, and unfortunately due to the hormonal changes occurring, most of the fat appears to accumulate around the stomach region.
Risks
Excess weight around the tummy is potentially very dangerous and brings with it a greater chance of contracting diabetes, cardiovascular disease and even some forms of cancer. Because of this alone you owe it to yourself to do something about it. Increasing age, weight gain and menopause all come at once, but do not let that overwhelm you. The solution isn’t extreme. You don’t need to go on a starvation diet or spend your whole spare time at the gym. A few simple changes to your diet and activity levels will do just fine. It might be difficult at first but the advantages far outweigh the choices and are well worth sticking with.
What to do?
- Diet – Choose foods famous for their fat burning properties like green tea, beans, nuts and people high in calcium to mention only a few. Watch your portions and eat little meals, frequently so you never become hungry. Limit alcohol, refined sugars, salt and other high calorie foods.
- Frequent Exercise – Try to combine aerobic and strength exercises and aim for around 3 to 5 hours weekly. Good aerobic exercises include: walking the dog; gardening; dance and exercise classes and swimming and will serve to improve your metabolism. Strength exercises like yoga, sit-ups, crunches and leg lifts can help to construct fat burning muscle and as an additional bonus prevent osteoporosis.
- Avoid Stress – Stress can cause your body to go into self preservation mode and save extra fat. If you live a stressful life try some relaxation techniques like massage or yoga.
- Water – how often have you heard people say drink 8 cups (64 oz ) of water daily? Have you ever wondered why? The reason simply put is that it enables your kidneys to perform their job without needing to call on the liver to help. When the liver, who usually metabolizes fat, needs to help the kidneys, then it can not do its job so fat gets stored unnecessarily rather.
Conclusion
Sorry women weight gain and menopause will occur for you, so face them head on, remain optimistic, make these few smallish changes and you’ll be well on your way to beating them for good. She spends her time helping others to understand and find answers to menopausal weight issues.