Menopause and Weight Gain - How to Protect Yourself
From the outside, it would appear so. Hormones are fluctuating, stress is elevated, fat is being stored in different places, organ function is changing, and food is being processed differently. Nevertheless, menopause and weight gain might look inevitable, but it is not necessarily a fact of life.
Menopause and weight gain tend to work hand-in-hand for the reasons mentioned. Let's look a little deeper at those reasons.
Fat storage is changing. Instead of storing fat just under the skin level (subcutaneously), it is now being stored within the body cavity well under the abdominal muscle wall. This new fat storage is called visceral fat. It changes your organ functions somewhat and is directly related to the onset of diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol and heart disease, among other things.
Stress levels play a major part in menopause and weight gain. When the body is stressed, hormones are released into the system that encourage the metabolism to slow. In addition, resources such as fat (for fuel and energy) are being hoarded when stress hormones are in the system.
The ovaries are shutting down and this means the body needs a new source for estrogen. Since fat cells can produce estrogen, the body wants to keep them in reserve as a future resource.
What is required to avoid menopause and weight gain? Strict adherence to a healthy lifestyle. Keep a food journal for awhile to get a clear pictures of what kinds of calories you are ingesting. It will also help you see where you need to make changes.
In order to replace missing hormones, HRT might be considered, so talk that over with your personal physician.
Activity levels must be up, so that menopause and weight gain are not inevitable. If you were active before, you are already a step ahead. But if you were leading a sedentary life, you will absolutely have to get moving. Any kind of activity that gets you up, moving and breathing is acceptable. Notice I have not used the "E" word, here. Exercise sounds boring and like a whole lot of no fun. Choose activities that make you want to repeat them. Doing fun things, like swimming, or dancing, or even tending your garden regularly, will fit the requirements.
You do not have to start out on a full role, but eventually, you will want to work up to 30 minutes of some kind of aerobic activity a day. Throw in some resistance training for muscle strength and you will be well on your way to never seeing menopause and weight gain as inseparable.
I know how hard it is to keep active when your body feels tired from other symptoms of menopause. But, menopause and weight gain don't have to affect you if you follow healthy diet plan. Knowing what to eat and how your choice of food influence your weight, will give you the weapon to fight the weight you already have, but also protect you from weight gain in the future. Visit http://www.menopause-weight.com to learn more about menopause and weight gain.
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