Weight Gain During Menopause
Do you know that weight gain during menopause is pretty much unavoidable for many women? Hormonal changes may make it more likely for your body to store fat in your abdomen rather than in your hips and thighs. However, with a little bit of effort, you can make sure that this doesn’t happen to you.
The most important thing to remember is that weight gain during menopause is not inevitable. If you are taking care of your health by following a healthy diet and exercise program, you can help reduce your chances of gaining weight.
The Dangers of Weight Gain During Menopause
When it comes to menopause, weight gain is not always a welcome prospect. However, if you’re struggling to keep your weight down, it’s important to know that weight gain during this time can have serious implications for your health.
Weight gain around the midsection, specifically, is a particularly important concern. Not only does excess weight increase your risk of many issues, including breathing problems, heart and blood vessel disease, type 2 diabetes, and excess weight also increases your risk of various types of cancer, including breast, colon and endometrial cancers.
So, if you’re dealing with weight gain during menopause, it’s important to take measures to ensure your health remains intact. One way to do this is to focus on reducing your calorie intake. If you can’t do this on your own, you may want to consider talking to your doctor about weight loss surgery.
Regardless of what you do, it’s important to stay mindful of your weight and make sure to keep track of your progress. As long as you’re taking steps to keep your health in check, you can enjoy a healthy, happy menopause.
Maintaining a Healthy Weight During Menopause
Here are some tips to help you reduce your chances of gaining extra weight during this life transition:
- Keep a healthy diet. Eating a balanced, nutritious diet is essential for any stage of life, but it’s especially important during menopause. Make sure to include plenty of vegetables, whole grains, fruits and lean protein sources in your diet. Most importantly, remember to eliminate snacks and keep your portion sizes small.
- Avoid sugar and processed foods. These foods are high in sugar and processed carbohydrate, which can lead to weight gain and other health problems.
- Get regular exercise. Exercise is one of the best ways to reduce your risk of weight gain. Exercise can help to improve your mood, help to reduce stress levels, and increase your feelings of well-being. Try resistance and weight training that builds lean muscle. Over time, having more lean muscle raises your resting metabolism so that you burn more calories. This helps you to fight back against the metabolism-slowing effects of menopause.
- Make sure you get enough sleep. Getting enough sleep can help to improve your overall health and reduce your risk of weight gain.
- Take supplements. Some supplements, like magnesium, might help to reduce your risk of weight gain. Talk to your doctor about which supplements might be best for you.
- Avoid excessive alcohol consumption. Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to weight gain through adding hundreds of “empty calories to your diet” and may cause other health problems.
- Manage stress. Managing stress can be a key to reducing your risk of weight gain. This may be because compulsive eating and poor decision-making (think comfort foods) is often caused by stress.
“…having more lean muscle raises your resting metabolism so that you burn more calories.”
Dr. Rotem Amir’s Weight Loss and Metabolism Center
If you are already overweight or obese, your chances of gaining weight during menopause are increased and it may be difficult to stop the momentum of gaining more weight during menopause. If you’re following the tips above and you’re still finding that you’re gaining weight during menopause, you may require the assistance of a medically supervised weight loss program with Dr. Amir’s Weight Loss and Metabolism Center. Dr. Amir and her team can help you to determine the cause of your weight gain and make recommendations for reducing your risk of weight gain in the future. In addition, through lifestyle interventions, meal replacement and even prescription medication, Dr Amir and her team can reduce your weight down to a healthy level.
If you are ready to lose weight during your menopause years reach out to us online using our contact form.
