One of the foremost menopause symptoms seems to be weight-gain and a change in the overall shape of the woman's body. It is important to keep in mind that this weight gain is normal and to be expected due to lack of exercise and a surplus of calories than to a reduction of hormones. During menopause, you will begin to put weight on around your abdomen, instead of around your hips, thighs, and rear. There is also a hormonal driven shift in the body fat distribution to mid-section fat stores in menopause.
Because your metabolism slows as you get older, you need about 200 fewer calories a day to maintain your weight as you get into your mid- to late 40s. As you enter the early stages of menopause, maintaining weight becomes more and more difficult, and losing weight becomes almost impossible. This is because of the fluctuation in your hormones. Your body's hormones have a direct impact on your appetite, metabolism, and fat storage. At this stage, women develop "insulin resistance" making their bodies store fat, rather than burn calories. Since muscle drives your metabolic rate, less muscle means a lower metabolic rate and fewer calories burned. Plus, if you are feeling chronically fatigued due to poor sleep habits and the hormonal shifts of menopause, you may lack the desire to exercise.
This perpetuates more muscle loss and a drop in metabolism.
As you enter the early stages of menopause the stomach area becomes rounder, maintaining weight becomes more difficult, and losing weight becomes a chore. This is due the fluctuation in your hormones. As your ovaries produce less estrogen, your body looks for other places to get needed estrogen from. Fat cells in your body can produce estrogen, as a result, your body works harder to convert calories into fat to increase estrogen levels. Unfortunately fat cells don't burn calories the way muscle cells do, as a result, the unwanted pounds increased.
Water retention and menopause often go hand in hand since water weight and bloating are caused by decreased progesterone levels. Water retention and bloating usually disappear within a few months. During the menopausal years, your body mistakenly turns every calorie you take in into fat. It is advantageous to follow a low-fat, diet. After time, processed and refined foods may make your body resistant to insulin produced in the blood stream. During the menopause stage, weight gain is regulated by your body, and helps prepare you against osteoporosis and other illnesses.
Keep a healthy and active lifestyle. Eat a balanced diet. Avoid refined sugars and indulge in fruits and vegetables. Avoid crash diets. Starvation will only cause your metabolism to slow down, causing you to gain more weight later on.
Women reach menopause at a range of ages, and are often less physically active than when they were younger. Along with aging comes a natural slowing of metabolism. When women go through menopause, they lose estrogen, causing their shapes to change. The key to avoiding this extra belly fat is to keep a healthy life style. Eating healthy is the best way to lose weight such as whole grain breads, fresh fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products lean meats, fish, soy foods, lentils, dried beans and nuts. It is critically important to women who face this "problem" to maintain and increase the amount of lean body mass, which will, in turn, increase their metabolism or calorie burn rate.
Women need to understand that weight lifting and strength training should be an integral part of their daily routine. The best way to prevent weight gain is to exercise and maintain an active and healthy lifestyle. Your exercise program should include both aerobic exercise to enhance your cardiovascular fitness and strength training to protect your muscles and bone density.
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