Avoiding Weight Gain Due to Menopause

Menopause is a period in a woman’s life that comes with its own set of unwritten rules and in order to best adapt to the changes that our bodies are experiencing, it is good to know how to begin with preemptive measures. While menopause will affect everyone differently, one very common side effect associated with the onset of menopause for most women, is weight gain in all the wrong places. It is estimated that the most profound weight gain women will experience will take place during the years leading up to and during menopause. Because menopause is largely based on our hormone levels, usually a decrease in estrogen and progesterone, the weight gained will be distributed differently during menopause than at any other time in our lives.

Estrogen is vital to many life-sustaining functions, and since the levels of estrogen produced during menopause are lower, the body looks for other places to generate the needed estrogen. Because fat cells can produce estrogen, the body reprograms itself to convert calories into fat to meet the needed hormone levels it craves. Menopause weight gain is often one of the most distressing effects of menopause that women experience. When women experience weight gain during menopause, it is usually around the waist and in the abdomen. When estrogen is present in normal amounts in women’s bodies weight gain will be seen in the hips and thighs, this however, will not be the case during menopause because the body is already depleted of estrogen.

Hormonal changes alone cannot he held responsible for weight gain during menopause, as life style choices and genetic factors will also come into play. Menopausal women have a tendency to work out less than other women and this can become a contributing factor to weigh gain. Because muscle mass naturally diminishes with age, if you don't do anything to replace the lean muscle you lose, your body composition will naturally shift to more fat and less muscle which slows down the rate at which you burn calories. This means that while you may be eating very much the same as you have been for years, the way your body will begin to process food will be different. Genetically our bodies also come hardwired with certain dispositions, and weight gain is one of them, but is something we can control through diet and exercise.  A nutritional supplement called Kuhl Care (http://kuhlcare.com) can help. 

Besides the fact that unwanted weight gain will shift one’s perspective of self, it can also lead other serious health issues. Excess weight increases the risk of high cholesterol, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. In turn, these conditions increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer. 

Knowing what to expect is half the battle during menopause. The other half is taking control of our bodies as they experience it. We can monitor our food intake, creating healthy choices through everything we purchase and consume. Finding an exercise routine that we enjoy is also crucial. No one stick with an exercise program or eating habit if they do not like. They may do it for a few days or perhaps even a few weeks, but the key to successful eating and exercising is find healthy choices that can withstand the test of time. You do not have to become your mom, you do not have to become a static, and you do not have feel like your body is no longer your own. You have choice and the manner in which you will experience menopause is greatly determined by the choices you make before, during, and after it.