1. Changing More Than Hormones
The change, otherwise known as menopause, causes more than crazy hormones zipping through your body. Many women also find extra pounds latching on for dear life. Maintaining your weight becomes a challenge, and losing weight almost impossible. Those stubborn pounds of fat just don't want to budge. Gaining weight is a common side effect of menopause with fluctuating levels of estrogen, progesterone, androgen and testosterone. Weight gain sometimes starts as early as the perimenopausal stage in the mid- to late 30s. Gaining weight isn't inevitable; you just have to refocus on your health.
2. Slow Aging
Although hormones play a big part in gaining weight during menopause, they don't carry the entire burden. Age may bring wisdom, but it also brings less activity for many. Now's not the time to become a couch potato. Other factors that like to pair up with hormones for weight gain are genetics and stress. You can't do a lot about your genes. Your family's genetics dealt you certain cards, but it's how you play those cards with nutrition, exercise and lifestyle choices that counts. One of those lifestyle choices that you have more control over than you know is how you respond to stress. Stress hormones (yes, they're there, too) send signals to your body when under duress or fear. Your body reads this to mean that it had better store every calorie it can because it may not get any more for awhile. Stop stressing, and start relaxing. Your weight will thank you.
3. Spread Middle Age Spread
Remember the whole apples and pears analogy to body shape? Women of childbearing age tend to be pears with more weight in the hips. But after bearing children, one of those hormones androgen increases and leaves extra padding known as middle age spread around your waist. Now it's not just weight gain, but also the shape of your body shifting from pear to apple. Beware. Apples can have serious health problems like higher cholesterol and blood pressure, which put you at risk for diabetes and heart disease. Weight gain during menopause also increases your risk of breast cancer. Luckily, you can reduce these risk factors with weight loss.
4. Pump It Up
Testosterone is a hormone that both men and women have, although men have larger amounts of it. Women facing menopause also experience dropping testosterone levels. When testosterone drops, so does the amount of muscle in your body. And less muscle means a lower metabolism, making calories burn slower. Exercise more often and find a way to add strength training to your routine. Both cardio and strength training burn calories, but strength training also builds muscles, which boosts metabolism.
5. Eat Healthy
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.
