Along with all of the issues that women have to deal with concerning menopause, weight gain can be one of the most frustrating. Women at menopausal age can gain weight for a number of reasons, some of them hormonal and some of them due to lifestyle. Let’s face it, during these years you are probably exercising less and enjoying the fruits of a lifetime of work. You may be going out to eat more. And since the kids are grown, you are no longer running around as much.  All these differences in lifestyle can add to weight gain.
But what’s happening in your body during menopause also has a lot to do with gaining weight. Hormones seem to have a lot to do with the fat distribution of your body. Now that your hormones are decreasing, you may find that your fat storage is moving from your hips to your abdomen. This change in body shape can be a little frustrating, especially if you haven’t changed your eating or exercise habits.
Hormones also can influence your appetite and metabolism. Your body may be literally fighting you to keep the fat on! During menopause decreased estrogen levels can cause your body to store more fat and decreased progesterone levels can cause water weight gain. As if that wasn’t enough, the decrease in testosterone can cause a decrease in muscle mass. Since muscle burns more calories and fat, this means that your metabolism will slow down and you won’t be able to eat as much food without gaining weight.
Another thing that can contribute to weight gain at the time of menopause is insulin resistance. this means that your body is becoming resistant to the insulin produced which helps to metabolize the food you are eating. The result is that you gain weight more easily.
Fighting Menopause Weight Gain
Menopause should be a time to review your dietary and exercise habits. It is also a great time to adopt some healthier habits so that you can be active and disease-free well into your golden years. Many of these healthier habits will also help to keep down the weight gain brought on by menopause. In addition, adopting these healthy eating habits early on can also help ease some of the symptoms that many women experience during menopause.
What you eat is very important not only to overall health but to your weight as well. You want to be sure to eat a balanced diet and avoid high-fat foods. Get plenty of servings of fruits and vegetables - at least five a day but as many as you can fit in. Eating raw fruits and vegetables can give you valuable enzymes that help with your digestion. Be sure to buy organic foods whenever you can as this will help ensure that you are eating less toxins, freeing up some of your body’s resources to work on keeping you healthy. Avoid foods high in sugar and drink alcohol only in moderation.
While it may be your first reaction to go on a crash diet to lose some of this weight gained during menopause, this will really have an adverse effect. Starving yourself will cause your metabolism to slow down in order to conserve energy so you won’t lose as much weight. Then when you begin to eat normally again you will actually gain more weight than you would have if you hadn’t starved yourself in the first place!
Limiting alcohol, nicotine and caffeine can help reduce water weight gain as these all can contribute to water retention.
Exercise is important both during and after menopause. Not only will it help you keep weight off, but if you include weight-bearing exercises in your routine you can also help prevent osteoporosis.
Eating right and exercising can not only help relieve menopausal symptoms, it will help you feel better overall and it can also help to stem menopause weight gain.
Tags: menopause, hot flashes, menopausal symptoms, menopause weight gain
