Menopause Weight Gain - Menopause

Menopause Weight Gain: Why Does It Occur And How To Lose Weight Safely

A common complaint of women in the age group of 40 to 50 after their menopause is weight gain. So after menopause weight gain is very natural in many women. During this time maintaining present body weight becomes very tough for the woman. Interestingly most of the weight is accumulated in the abdomen and not in the thighs and hips. This creates even more problems for the woman.

Most women become frustrated as well as shocked to see the drastic changes in their body after menopause. They feel that although they are eating and exercising in the same way as earlier they cannot control the extra pounds that are getting added to their body everyday. Here women must realize that this is a natural phenomenon and the extra weight is due to change in the hormonal levels of the body. Hormones that are most affected during this process are- estrogen, progesterone, androgen and testosterone.

Also, change in lifestyle is another reason for weight gain. Menopausal women often reduce the amount of exercise they do in comparison to their younger life and thus it leads to accumulation of fats in the body. Women also tend to eat more in this age but the calorie requirements of the body gets decreased as a person gets older. The result thus is weight gain. Further, it is also believed that genetic factors also play a huge role in increasing weight in women after menopause.

Now the more important question is what should a woman do after menopause so that she does not gain much weight? Answer to this is very simple and indeed a regular weight loss methodology. However the only difference is that now you need to be more disciplined as well as careful about your health. Following are some of the age old but sure shot solutions to lose weight both after and during menopause.

Firstly, a balanced diet can always help you. Try to avoid sugar and junk goods and at best stick to fruits and vegetables. Also take lots of water.

Secondly, do not use crash diet for weight loss. This is a misconception that a crash diet can help lose weight. In fact a crash diet deteriorates your health even more.

You must also remember that losing drastic amount of weight in a very short period of time can be dangerous. It can in fact lead to osteoporosis. So your weight loss should be a gradual and balanced one.

Fourthly, you should avoid taking some foods like alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine. These foods exacerbate water retention and thus are not good for your body, even if you are in a healthy condition.

Finally regular exercising is the best solution for this problem. Try to do aerobics as it burns excessive fat and increases metabolism in the body. Also do a number of weight bearing activities to escape from menopause weight gain. These activities can be anything from walking, cycling to swimming also. But most importantly, do it on a regular basis.