Studies of women aged fifty and over reveal that most women in this age group are convinced that their weight increase is connected with the menopause in their judgment. If you take into account the fact that some people might be using this as an excuse and that others may not have made allowances in their diet for decreased levels of activity due to lifestyle alterations, it is still difficult to explain why women in this age group have a tendency to put excess weight on different parts of the body, in particular the abdomen, whereas any weight gained in younger women tends to be on the hips.
In fact, the reality is that hormonal changes do have a role to play in this phenomenon, although the process is not completely understood. At menopause a woman stops ovulating, her monthly menstruation periods end, and her body produces much lower levels of the female hormone estrogen, which is responsible for the ovulation process.
Low estrogen has been shown to cause weight increase in animals and it is almost certainly the reason why women’s bodies change shape. While women of childbearing age store fat in the lower body, after the menopause they store it on the abdomen instead, like men. This leads to a greater risk of heart disease.
At the same time, both men and women tend to find muscle turning to fat as they grow older and the metabolism slows down. This means that if you do not adjust your eating habits, you will probably find that your weight increases. A person of 60 just does not need as many calories as a person of 40.
Hormonal therapy with estrogen is occasionally prescribed to control menopausal symptoms. Many women will be astonished to hear that studies have shown that hormonal therapy does not cause weight increase. Some women go through bloating and water retention in the early stages of hormonal therapy but this is usually temporary.
Hormonal therapy can reduce the risk of heart disease by preventing the changes in storage of body fat around the abdomen and lowering cholesterol. On the other hand, hormonal therapy has been linked with an increased risk of breast cancer in some studies.
If you find that you are gaining weight around the menopause, there are several things you can do.
Firstly, you should eat a healthy, low fat diet with plenty of fibre and avoid sugar.
Secondly, you have to take regular exercise. As people get older their physical activity levels naturally go down. Work frequently becomes less physically demanding, there are no kids to run around after, we take less active holidays and do things more slowly. Thirty minutes of reasonable physical activity every day will help to balance out the effect of this.
Thirdly. you must preserve your muscle strength and mass. Use weights for arm muscles and walking or cycling for your legs.
Fourthly, try not to get worried about the alterations to the shape of your body. If you are not too overweight, but just have a thicker waist and slimmer legs, then don’t worry.
As customary, you ought to seek advice from your doctor before starting any exercise program, if you have any medical conditions or if your fitness levels are low. Your doctor can also help with symptoms of the menopause and weight gain.
Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with how to lose weight online. If you have an interest in losing weight too, please go over to our website now at Why Can’t I Lose Weight?