Menopausal weight gain is one of the results of the fall of estrogen that women experience as they reach middle age. In the years before menopause (perimenopause) , the weight gain is about a pound a year. The extra weight is not healthy, but just as debilitating is the often emotional baggage that is created as the result of the poundage gain. Getting the pounds off is much harder than before the onset of menopause and it may take the cooperation of the woman, her physician and perhaps other support resources to get the weight off and keep it off. Understanding the basics of menopause may be the first step in getting the extra pounds off.
Menopause is the onset of the cessation of menstruation and happens on average in about year 50 or 51 in the Western world woman's life. In India and the Philippines it is about age 44 on average but it is a time when the ovaries begin to change. The ovaries almost completely stop producing most estrogen and menopause is not a disease but just a natural state of life. Menopause is a date in time, defined as the day after a woman's last period. This stage in life causes such things as hot flashes, sleep issues, changes in sexual response and of course menopausal weight gain.
Menopausal weight gain averages about twelve to fifteen pounds and causes many women to go from a pear shape to an apple shape. Metabolism slows down about five percent during this time and bloating is a very common symptom during this change in a woman's life. For some, both men and women, accepting the fact of getting older is not an easy job responsibility to shoulder. Some of us go kicking and screaming into our fifties and sixties, not accepting what life inevitably brings to us all. Having a personal relationship with God can make those life changes easier. "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea." (Psalm 46: 1,2)
Most experts say that the real answer to menopausal weight gain can be found only in the same place where weight loss before the change of life was found: eat less and exercise more. For many women, this change affects their emotions in a very profound manner. The loss of the ability to bear children sometime brings about great sadness and a sense of loss and there can be the temptation to eat more to placate the sorrow. As a general rule, women who grow older do not exercise as much as those who are younger so the combination of emotional eating and lack of exercise can be a double whammy on many women. But even women who maintain a rigid exercise program through the years of change still find the battle against extra pounds to be uphill.
One of the most powerful things that can help anyone facing any uphill battle is to find a support group of peers who are going through the same thing you are going through. Menopausal weight gain is only one of the issues that so many women are facing, especially with the aging of the Boomers. Mood swings, thinning hair, sleep disturbances, hot flashes, loss of breast fullness and other issues are all part of the menopause midnight express. Getting together with those who are facing the same menopausal weight gain issues as well as the many other challenges of this time of life and supporting and encouraging one another is one of the best ways to survive the many physical changes that come one's way. So if you find yourself depressed and there seems to be no way out, seek out a support group and get some encouragement from others.
There are some things that a woman can do to deal with menopause issues. Watching the types of foods one eats as well as avoiding alcohol can help minimize hot flashes. Kegel exercises can help with urinary incontinence and stopping a smoking habit will help a great deal in avoiding some symptoms. Natural supplements can also help such as isoflavens and lignans found in soybeans, chickpeas flaxseed, whole grains and some fruits and vegetables and vitamin E has been shown to provide some hot flash relief for some women. But all of these natural supplements raise an important safety issue: all supplements ought to be discussed with one's physician before using. The same goes for anything that is supposedly advertised to help with menopausal weight gain.
Weight loss is still a matter of math: when calories expended are greater than calories ingested, weight loss occurs. Getting the extra menopausal weight gain pounds off will have to be a committed program of upping the exercise routine and eating less. Joining an organized diet program such as Weight Watchers, South Beach, Jenny Craig or similar program where accountability is a large part of the success ought to be considered if continued trouble with getting the weight off occurs. Developing a good relationship with your family physician is the most important part of not allowing the menopause express to derail your best years. Do as much reading on the subject of menopause as possible and come to your regular doctor's visits with lots of questions and suggestions. No one can be a better advocate for your health than you!
Menopause is the onset of the cessation of menstruation and happens on average in about year 50 or 51 in the Western world woman's life. In India and the Philippines it is about age 44 on average but it is a time when the ovaries begin to change. The ovaries almost completely stop producing most estrogen and menopause is not a disease but just a natural state of life. Menopause is a date in time, defined as the day after a woman's last period. This stage in life causes such things as hot flashes, sleep issues, changes in sexual response and of course menopausal weight gain.
Menopausal weight gain averages about twelve to fifteen pounds and causes many women to go from a pear shape to an apple shape. Metabolism slows down about five percent during this time and bloating is a very common symptom during this change in a woman's life. For some, both men and women, accepting the fact of getting older is not an easy job responsibility to shoulder. Some of us go kicking and screaming into our fifties and sixties, not accepting what life inevitably brings to us all. Having a personal relationship with God can make those life changes easier. "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea." (Psalm 46: 1,2)
Most experts say that the real answer to menopausal weight gain can be found only in the same place where weight loss before the change of life was found: eat less and exercise more. For many women, this change affects their emotions in a very profound manner. The loss of the ability to bear children sometime brings about great sadness and a sense of loss and there can be the temptation to eat more to placate the sorrow. As a general rule, women who grow older do not exercise as much as those who are younger so the combination of emotional eating and lack of exercise can be a double whammy on many women. But even women who maintain a rigid exercise program through the years of change still find the battle against extra pounds to be uphill.
One of the most powerful things that can help anyone facing any uphill battle is to find a support group of peers who are going through the same thing you are going through. Menopausal weight gain is only one of the issues that so many women are facing, especially with the aging of the Boomers. Mood swings, thinning hair, sleep disturbances, hot flashes, loss of breast fullness and other issues are all part of the menopause midnight express. Getting together with those who are facing the same menopausal weight gain issues as well as the many other challenges of this time of life and supporting and encouraging one another is one of the best ways to survive the many physical changes that come one's way. So if you find yourself depressed and there seems to be no way out, seek out a support group and get some encouragement from others.
There are some things that a woman can do to deal with menopause issues. Watching the types of foods one eats as well as avoiding alcohol can help minimize hot flashes. Kegel exercises can help with urinary incontinence and stopping a smoking habit will help a great deal in avoiding some symptoms. Natural supplements can also help such as isoflavens and lignans found in soybeans, chickpeas flaxseed, whole grains and some fruits and vegetables and vitamin E has been shown to provide some hot flash relief for some women. But all of these natural supplements raise an important safety issue: all supplements ought to be discussed with one's physician before using. The same goes for anything that is supposedly advertised to help with menopausal weight gain.
Weight loss is still a matter of math: when calories expended are greater than calories ingested, weight loss occurs. Getting the extra menopausal weight gain pounds off will have to be a committed program of upping the exercise routine and eating less. Joining an organized diet program such as Weight Watchers, South Beach, Jenny Craig or similar program where accountability is a large part of the success ought to be considered if continued trouble with getting the weight off occurs. Developing a good relationship with your family physician is the most important part of not allowing the menopause express to derail your best years. Do as much reading on the subject of menopause as possible and come to your regular doctor's visits with lots of questions and suggestions. No one can be a better advocate for your health than you!
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