We hate to be
the barer of bad news, but menopause and weight gain
often occur together. It's the sad truth that the majority of women who enter
menopause, will have to deal with this issue. In fact, about 90% of
premenopausal and menopausal women will end up gaining weight of about ten to
fifteen pounds. It's even worse for women who have undergone surgical menopause
or early menopause, as weight gain tends to be more rapid in those
situations.
The Unfortunate Truth
The unfortunate
truth about it is, that during menopause, increased
weight can result even if you are eating and working out the same exact way you
were before you even entered menopause. The only difference now, is that you
may find it extremely difficult to maintain the weight you previously had, even
if you're doing everything you were doing prior. The key is to know this from the start. At the early signs of
menopause, it’s important to go ahead and intensify your workout regimen.
Your hormones
play a big role in the symptoms and effects you may experience due to
menopause. That is why it's incredibly difficult to seize control of your
weight during menopause. Your main hormones are on a fluctuating roll,
primarily estrogen, progesterone, and androgen.
- Estrogen: The main sex hormone in a female is estrogen. This is the hormone that is responsible for causing ovulation every month. During menopause, however, your estrogen levels will significantly decrease, and eventually your body will cease ovulation altogether. As such, estrogen also plays a key role in weight gain. This is because as your ovaries continue to produce less and less estrogen, your body will work even more hard to convert calories into fat. So, the unlucky part for you is, fat cells do not work to burn calories the way that muscle cells will, which will in turn, result in your body packing away and storing unwanted fat and thus gaining weight.
- Progesterone: As you enter menopause, your progesterone levels will also decline. Just like with estrogen as well, lower levels of this particular hormone can also result in gaining weight due to increased water retention. This can be significant as water retention and bloating can go hand-in-hand with increased weight and menopause. In the end, it's for these factors that can make you feel or appear heavier.
- Androgen: Last but not least, this hormone is also naturally responsible for directing new pounds to your waist and middle section. Super! Androgen though, usually makes you gain weight around your abdomen instead of your rear end and hips.
Decreased
amounts of testosterone (which is present in women in already low amounts), as
well as stress and insulin resistance can also lead to more pounds during your
menopause days. As do frequent inactivity and disorders regarding the thyroid.
Preventing Weight Loss During Menopause
In orderlose weight and maintain a healthy weight, you will need to engage
in a steady exercise routine that should occur almost daily (at least four to
five days out of the week). Also, stepping it up in the diet department is the
way go. Make sure that you don't skip out on any of your meals in order to
consume all the necessary nutrition your body requires, but also make sure that
you're sticking to more low calorie foods and avoiding sugary snacks and
drinks.
The battle of
weight loss is already a hard one, and harder yet during menopause. But the
truth of the matter is, menopause and weight gain go together. However, if you
try hard, eat right, and workout everyday, you should eventually be able to
reach and maintain your weight loss goals.
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hala, murag hapit nako mo enter ani nga lane dah! tapuls na raba kaayo mag exercise... magsaka kanaug na lang siguro ko sa among hagdanana nya magbitbit ug tag-isa ka baldeng tubig kada kamot, syaro mo tambok japon waaaaaaaaaaa...
ReplyDeleteah ko diri hehe.