Menopause-Related Weight Gain
Talking to most women over 50 you will quickly find that menopause and weight gain are linked in their experience. It is very common to put on weight at this time and while some of this may be due to lifestyle changes, that does not explain why suddenly we develop a tendency to put on weight at different parts of the body, especially the abdomen, while any weight gained when we were younger tended to be centered on the hips.
The truth is that hormonal changes do have a part to play in this, although the process is not completely understood. At menopause a woman stops ovulating, her monthly menstruation periods end, and her body produces much lower levels of the female hormone estrogen which is responsible for the ovulation process. Low estrogen has been shown to cause weight gain in animals and it almost certainly is the reason why our bodies change shape. While women of childbearing age store fat in the lower body, after the menopause they store it on the abdomen instead, like men. This leads to a greater risk of heart disease.
For everyone, both women and men, muscle is gradually replaced by fat as they age and their metabolism doesn’t work as hard. This is where the lifestyle comes into it – if you are eating the same diet you were ten years ago, you will be gaining weight, because your metabolism will have slowed a little with age.
A treatment called Hormone Therapy can be used to avoid some weight gain, by countering the effects of low estrogen levels, so that weight gets stored in the hips (like it does when you are young) rather then around the waist. This can also help to lower your risk of heart disease, although the downside is that it does marginally increase your risk of breast cancer. Like any treatment, of course, it is up to you to weigh the benefits and risks and decide if you think it is worth doing.
If you notice that you are starting to gain weight after menopause, there are one or two things you can do about it.
- Eat a healthy, low fat diet with plenty of fiber, avoiding sugar.
- Take regular exercise. As people get older their physical activity levels naturally drop. Work often becomes less physically demanding, there are no kids to run around after, we take less active holidays and do things more slowly. 30 minutes of moderate physical activity every day will help to balance out the effect of this.
- Keep your legs in good shape by regularly jogging or cycling, and lift weights to maintain fitness in your arms.
- Get used to your new body shape. If you just have slimmer legs and a thicker waist, this is not a big deal. As long as you are not actually overweight, you just need to get used to the changes.
Consult with your doctor before starting any exercise program if you have any medical conditions or your fitness levels are low. Your doctor can also help with symptoms of the menopause and weight gain.
If you are are looking for advice on getting rid of fat, or other articles on how to lose weight, take a look at the author’s site.