As you get older, you might notice that maintaining your usual weight becomes more difficult. In fact, many women gain weight around the menopause transition. Menopause weight gain isn't inevitable, however. You can reverse course by paying attention to healthy-eating habits and leading an active lifestyle.
"If post-menopausal women cut back on calories and up the intensity of their exercise, they lose weight and tone up, just like younger women. It may be a bit slower, but it happens. It requires long-term adherence as well." Pinkerton suggests aiming for a 400- to 600-calorie daily deficit.
Most people gain 5-8% of their baseline body weight in the first two years of menopause. This is due to slower metabolism and lifestyle choices such as diet and exercise. Prevent fat gain by eating smaller portions, avoiding added sugars and adding fruits, vegetables and whole grains to your diet.
Start with a mix of moderate and vigorous exercise to burn off menopausal weight gain. Your routine should include aerobic exercises like swimming, walking, bicycling, and running, as well as resistance or strength training. “What you want to employ now is high-intensity interval training (HIIT),” Dr. Peeke says.
At menopause, many women experience weight gain, particularly around the abdomen. Contributors to weight gain at menopause include declining oestrogen levels, age-related loss of muscle tissue and lifestyle factors such as diet and lack of exercise.
This phenomenon, also known as menopause belly, is a result of shifting hormones, an activation of a “menopausal gene“, as well as changes in exercise and diet. A decline in estrogen causes fat cells in the abdominal area to store more fat. It may even reduce your body's ability to burn fat.
Menopause may lead to hormonal changes, loss of muscle mass, poor sleep, and insulin resistance. These effects may, in turn, increase the risk of weight gain.
Exercise during and after menopause can help you lose excess weight or maintain a healthy weight, which might offer protection from various types of cancer, including breast, colon and endometrial cancer. Strengthening your bones.
After menopause, your body stores excess energy around your midsection rather than your hips and thighs. This is partly due to hormone changes, which make it harder for you to burn fat and more likely to store it around your waist.
The Bottom Line
A whole-foods diet high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, high-quality protein and dairy products may reduce menopause symptoms. Phytoestrogens and healthy fats, such as omega-3 fatty acids from fish, may also help.
Understanding the menopausal transition
The menopausal transition most often begins between ages 45 and 55. It usually lasts about seven years but can be as long as 14 years. The duration can depend on lifestyle factors such as smoking, age it begins, and race and ethnicity.
Overview Menopause
Menopause is when your periods stop due to lower hormone levels. This usually happens between the ages of 45 and 55.
Conclusion: About one in five women experienced an increase in breast size after menopause. The most important factor associated with such an increase was found to be weight gain.
Menopausal bloating
Your abdomen may shift and enlarge throughout the day, depending on what you've been eating. Water retention or gas retention can be the source of this type of bloating. This bloating is not weight gain, per se, and it might resemble bloating that you're used to from when you had your period.
Many women actually find that they lose weight by using HRT as it shifts the metabolism back into a pre-menopausal metabolic state. Progesterone can sometimes cause fluid retention which can mimic weight gain, but there are alterations that can be made to the regime to minimise this impact.
Because estrogen affects how your body distributes fat, low estrogen levels can contribute to gaining fat in your belly area. However, estrogen replacement therapy can help your body redistribute this fat to different areas on your body, rather than your abdominal area.
Estrogen is directly involved in metabolism and maintaining a healthy weight, including helping to regulate glucose and lipid metabolism. When your estrogen levels drop, your metabolic rate declines and your body begins to store fat. In other words, you gain weight.
Leptin. What it is: Leptin is derived from the Greek word for “thin,” because rising levels of this hormone signal the body to shed body fat. Leptin also helps regulate blood sugar, blood pressure, fertility and more.