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.
Move more. Physical activity, including aerobic exercise and strength training, can help you shed excess pounds and maintain a healthy weight. As you gain muscle, your body burns calories more efficiently — which makes it easier to control your weight.
“About two years after your last period, in general, the rate of fat gain doubles and lean mass, or muscle mass, starts to decline. On average, women gain 5-8% of their baseline body weight during this time,” she says.
"Postmenopausal women often eat as many calories as when they were younger, as they have long-standing habits that are harder to break," says Julie Upton, M.S., RD, C.S.S.D. "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.
What causes menopause weight gain? The decrease in estrogen and progesterone, along with aging in general, triggers metabolic changes in the body. One change is a decrease in muscle mass, resulting in fewer calories being burned. If fewer calories are being burned, fat accumulates.
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. Treatment options include a healthy diet, regular exercise, strength training and menopausal hormone therapy.
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.
Omega-3 fatty acids may help maintain your hormonal balance and aid in weight loss. There's also evidence that omega-3s can help control insulin resistance.
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.
Menopause is divided into three basic stages: perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause. During this time, the ovaries begin to atrophy which causes a decline in the production of the hormones that stimulate the menstrual cycle; estrogen and progesterone.
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.
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.
Exercise correctly
But to decrease your fat it's better to engage in moderate cardiovascular activity, such as a brisk 45 minute walk. Cardio exercises like this should be done regularly, at least 5 times a week, if you want to see a result.
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.
When you're younger, it's easier to bounce back from weight gain. But after menopause, it may be more challenging. Before you tackle weight loss after menopause, it's important to understand how your body changes during this life transition.
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.