Don’t Blame Yourself For Putting On Weight, It’s Because Of Menopause!

Menopause is the period in a women’s life when the menstrual cycle ends. It’s a permanent ceasing of reproductive fertility of women. It usually occurs between the ages of 40 & 58. During menopause a female may undergo various hormonal changes which may show strange & unusual symptoms. It’s a gradual process & after a certain period of time it periods ends & stops completely.

How it affects on weight?

During a menopause the hormones of a women’s body tend to change faster as before, this leads to various changes in the lifestyle & bodily abilities. Gaining weight during menopause is a common type of hormonal change. It may become difficult to maintain or reach to the numbers you had before. Increase in weight is because of the fluctuating levels of estrogen, progesterone, androgen & testosterone. Many females may observe the change in their weight during perimenopausal stage itself, perimenopausal stage is the span of 2 to 15 years followed by menopause. ie. In the late 30s. During menopause period focus should be on keeping yourself healthy.

Aging does matter

It is true that hormonal changes affect the female’s body, during a period of menopause. But only hormones are not responsible. Aging factor also shares a contribution for gaining weight during menopause. Others factors that contribute are genetics & stress also. As far as genetic factors are concerned, its difficult to manage your genes, but still you can give it a try by having nutritional intake, exercise & changes in lifestyle. Stress is also a major factor that can cause increase in weight. It all depends on how you respond to stress. Stress hormones send signals to your body when you are under fear. To reduce your weight, you will have to overcome stress by exercising or by just relaxing. This will keep your mental state refreshed & will accordingly help you in maintaining fitness.

From pears to apples

When a woman enters the age of childbearing, they tend to accumulate more fats in the hips, in the further stage i.e after bearing child, the level of androgen hormones increases leaving middle age spread, an extra padding around your waist. This will not only affect your weight but will also change your shape from pear to apple. These changes may be harmful in your rest of the life; they may invite certain health problems like increase in the level of cholesterol & blood pressure. These changes may increase the risk of diabetes & heart related diseases. Putting on weight during menopause may also increase the chances of breast cancer. Weight loss is the only option available.

Burn calories

To lose weight it is very important to burn calories. During the period of menopause women may experience dropping levels of testosterone. Testosterone is a hormone that is present in both men & women, men have them in larger numbers than females. Lower the level of testosterone lower will be the amount of muscles. Fewer muscles in body will lower the rate of metabolism, this will make the calories burn slower. Working out is very essential, your workout chart should be loaded with cardio & strength training exercises. Those exercises will burn calories & will boost metabolism rate.

Healthy diet

The menopause period is a very crucial period in a women’s life, where she should focused on her day to day activities & diet. Healthy eating will generate energy & boost the metabolism rate which will keep her refreshed. Healthy eating includes more fruits & vegetables. Healthy eating does not mean frequent eating. Again it depends on your age, as your age passes on the calorie requirement of your body reduces. Your focus should be more on having proportionate diet. Avoid being insulin resistant, intake of high amount of carbohydrates & processed foods will increase the risk of insulin resistance, especially if you are undergoing a menopause period. This will turn your carbohydrate calories in to fats which will result in increased weight. Adequate intake if lean proteins are advisable. Reduce the portion of starchy carbohydrates from your meal. Sufficient amount of calcium in your body will protect you from gaining weight & will reduce the risk of osteoporosis. To increase the calcium levels, avoid excessive intake of calcium supplements, rather go for low-fat dairy food items.

Shift your thinking to eating healthy with more fruits and vegetables. Eating less is probably a good idea as well. A 40-year-old body needs about 200 calories less than a 20-year-old body, but there’s no need to starve yourself. Just focus on smaller portions of healthy foods. If your eating habits haven’t been so great up until now, beware of insulin resistance. High carbohydrate, processed foods can increase your risk of insulin resistance during menopause. With insulin resistance, your body starts turning carb calories into fat. Try eating fewer starchy carbs and more lean protein. And don’t forget the calcium, which not only helps protect you from osteoporosis, but also helps prevents weight gain. Don’t just depend on calcium supplements; get calcium from low-fat dairy foods as well.

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