Midlife spread is the common name for the extra roll of abdominal fat many women develop around menopause, thought to be due to reduced oestrogen levels encouraging a change in fat storage. It is estimated that, between the ages of 45 and 55 years, the average woman will gain at least half a kilo each year.
The hormonal changes of menopause might make you more likely to gain weight around your abdomen than around your hips and thighs. But, hormonal changes alone don't necessarily cause menopause weight gain. Instead, the weight gain is usually related to aging, as well as lifestyle and genetic factors.
A combination of things happens as we age. We tend to lose muscle mass, so our abdominal muscles aren't as tight as they once were, and the loss of elastin and collagen in our skin allows gravity to have its way so skin starts to sag. Both can cause the waistline to expand.
Causes include poor diet, lack of exercise, and short or low-quality sleep. A healthy diet and active lifestyle can help people lose excess belly fat and lower the risk of problems associated with it.
A combination of diet and exercise may help symptoms. A person can perform exercises that burn fat, such as running, walking, and other aerobic activity. Reducing the calories a person consumes can also help.
Hormones help to regulate several functions in the body, including your metabolism, stress, hunger and even sex drive. In case your hormones are out of whack, it could result in a deficiency in certain hormones, and that's why your belly bulge is becoming more prominent than ever. It also has a name: a hormonal belly.
Many women also notice an increase in belly fat as they get older — even if they aren't gaining weight. This is likely due to a decreasing level of estrogen, which appears to influence where fat is distributed in the body.
Walking as a Means of Controlling Middle-Age Spread
Plus, it's the easiest form of exercise and requires no equipment. Studies show that walking regularly can reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, and type-2 diabetes.
Avoid super starchy foods, processed foods, and refined sugar. So there you have it, friends. There is no miracle cure for reducing belly fat. Eating well, moving our bodies, and reducing stress all seem to be the ticket to keeping it in check.
Menopause weight gain can show up without any obvious behavior change and will not go away on its own. Like any other weight loss, losing menopause weight requires you to use more calories than you take in. Menopause weight gain can affect how you feel about your body and how you feel in your body.
It's never too late. Many people starting out with exercise in middle age are discouraged because they think it's probably too late to reap real benefits. In fact, the opposite is true. Studies show that it's never too late to start realising benefits from exercise.
Artichokes and Asparagus. Like onions and leeks, these green veggies are prebiotic foods that produce acetate, an acid that turns on the fat-burning activity in your cells by helping them recover from inflammation.
You can use lemon to reduce belly fat along with following a workout and diet plan. Solely drinking lemon water without diet will only benefit your overall well-being.
Are Weetabix good for Losing Weight? If you're trying to lose a little bit of belly fat, Weetabix could be a good way to start the day. They are low in sugar and fat, yet high in energy, and will keep you full for longer.
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.
Gaining weight solely in your stomach may be the result of specific lifestyle choices. The two S's — stress and sugar — play a significant role in the size of your midsection. Certain medical conditions and hormonal changes can contribute to abdominal weight gain.
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.
“It is possible to overcome hormonal changes, particularly in women with perimenopausal belly fat or menopausal weight gain,” explains Registered Dietician, Lon Ben-Asher from the Pritikin Center.
After this age, hormonal changes take place in both men and women. Women go through perimenopause and menopause and the fat storage tendencies shift. They gain more hard abdominal fat due to lower testosterone and estrogen levels and men gain more soft fat.