Decreased levels of estrogen during menopause can affect muscle size and function, leading to a loss of muscle mass. Althought the loss of muscle mass can lead to a lower metabolic rate, when you lose muscle, you may also lose weight, overall7, as muscle tends to be denser than fat.
You may resolve to try a low-calorie diet and exercise more, but still, you wonder: Is it even possible to lose weight during menopause? Yes! The good news is that, yes, a menopausal woman can not only shed excess pounds and achieve a lower body mass index but also prevent weight gain in the future.
Menopause typically occurs at a time in a woman's life when her body starts to experience the result of age and lifestyle factors. One of the major changes caused during this time is an overall loss of muscle mass that naturally occurs with age. As muscle mass is lost, the body needs fewer calories to sustain itself.
Before, during, and after menopause, your estrogen levels begin to wane and your metabolism slows, making it more difficult for you to lose weight, particularly around your middle.
As your estrogen levels decrease, your metabolism slows down. This makes you gain weight — even if you haven't changed a thing about the way you eat or move — and makes it harder to lose weight.
Performing regular exercises is an excellent way to lose menopause belly fat and improve your overall physical health. Women can start with moderate to vigorous activities and might consider including aerobic exercises such as cycling, running, jogging, swimming, walking, and resistance or strength training.
On average, women gain 5-8% of their baseline body weight during this time,” she says. For the sake of simple math, this means if you weigh 100 pounds, on average you will gain five pounds in the two years after your final period. If you weigh 200 pounds, you are expected to gain at least 10 pounds.
How Estrogen Replacement Therapy Can Help with Belly Fat During Menopause. Recent studies show that menopausal women on hormone therapy tend to have less body fat, especially visceral belly fat. Because estrogen affects how your body distributes fat, low estrogen levels can contribute to gaining fat in your belly area.
Hormone Replacement Therapy Improves Body Composition
In fact, a recent study found that women who used HRT had one point lower on the BMI scale and also about three pounds less of body fat compared to women who didn't use hormone replacement therapy.
You may notice weight gain during menopause changes your body in different ways—for example, your face looks fuller or your belly is softer than it used to be. The weight you've gained in your abdomen during menopause will usually feel fleshy and thick, and you might notice some "rolls" of fat.
The transition through menopause may cause several changes to the breasts, potentially affecting their shape, sagginess and texture. They might even noticeably increase in size, with many women going up by two bra sizes or more.
Epidemiologists have observed that the average person typically puts on 1 to 2 pounds a year from early adulthood through middle age. The CDC's numbers show that much of the increase is concentrated in the 20s, for men and women.
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.
Some evidence suggests that estrogen hormone therapy increases a woman's resting metabolic rate. This might help slow weight gain. Lack of estrogen may also cause the body to use starches and blood sugar less effectively, which would increase fat storage and make it harder to lose weight.
The hormone leptin is produced by fat cells and is secreted into our bloodstream. Leptin reduces a person's appetite by acting on specific centres of their brain to reduce their urge to eat. It also seems to control how the body manages its store of body fat.
Cardio such as swimming, aerobics, running or dancing will burn this excess fat store. HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) is the fastest way to trim down stomach fat.