Weight gain during menopause seems inevitable and women are taught to believe it is a normal occurrence with aging. However, weight gain during the menopausal years is much more complicated than just overeating and lack of exercise. It involves a variety of factors that work against a woman’s body even when she is trying to maintain a healthy weight.
Granted, if a woman is eating an unhealthy diet and never exercises, weight gain is inevitable. But many women who cut back on calories and exercise regularly find they still gain weight. Generally, weight gain during menopause occurs in the belly and the hips. The good news is that woman can fight back against menopausal weight gain by understanding the culprits and making a few changes to their lifestyle.
Causes of Menopausal Weight Gain
One obvious factor in gaining weight during menopause is the fluctuating hormones women experience. As estrogen levels drop, the body looks for secondary production sites such as body fat, body organs and skin. Body fat becomes more important as the body struggles for hormonal balance. If nothing is done to help the body even out estrogen levels, the body holds on to fat no matter how a person diets or exercises. Adding foods to your diet that contain plant-based estrogen can help to balance the hormones. Eating soy, as well as fruits and vegetables that contain phytoestrogens, can help the body function normally so fat is not as difficult to lose. Plums, grapes, strawberries, apples, beets, carrots, cucumbers and lettuce are just some of the foods that can help balance estrogen during menopause.
Another cause of weight gain during menopause could be simple carbohydrates, like those found in white bread, pasta, processed snack foods, beer and wine, which raise blood-sugar levels and play havoc with the metabolism. Over time, eating a high-carb diet can lead a person into becoming insulin resistant. When a person is insulin resistant, every calorie is turned into fat. Limiting carbs in the diet and eating whole grain breads and pastas instead can help the body from packing on the fat.
Too much sugar in the diet has the same effect as too many simple carbohydrates. Sugar causes the blood sugar in the body to rise, causing the pancreas to release more insulin. Too much insulin causes the body to turn calories into fat. Artificial sweeteners are as guilty of doing this as real sugar. The body treats artificial sweeteners the same as it does sugar and produces excess insulin to balance the system. Instead, choose to limit sugar in the diet. Be watchful, however, because large quantities of sugar show up in the strangest of places. Read food labels to make sure you are not eating hidden sugar in such foods as fruit juice, breakfast cereals and low-calorie snacks.
Stress causes the body to release the hormone cortisol which in turn blocks weight loss. When stressed, the body goes into survival mode and holds onto fat. Stress can come from a job, family responsibilities, emotional troubles and even physical problems. Stress can even occur when dieting by limiting too many calories for the body, causing it to hold onto fat for survival. Eliminating all stressors from life is not an option for most people but there are ways to combat stress. Eating a health diet, including foods or supplements that contain B vitamins and adding exercise can help reduce the effects of stress on the mind and body.
Over the years, a woman’s body becomes filled with toxins from over-processed foods, allergens, plastics, chemicals, pesticides and bacteria as well as other dangerous irritants. These artificial toxins are unable to be eliminated from the body and are stored in the fat cells. Inflammation occurs in the body due to these toxins and can cause an immune system imbalance which works against weight loss. These toxins in the body can also cause negative affects, such as nausea, as estrogen levels drop during menopause. Crash-dieting or any speedy weight loss can cause these toxins to expel into the body, also causing uncomfortable symptoms. Eating a diet rich in fiber, antioxidants and nutrients is the best way to slowly lose weight during menopause in order to reduce the risk of toxins, and inflammation, being released into the body.
Losing weight during menopause isn’t impossible and understanding why weight gain occurs during menopause is the first step in starting a weight loss program. Eating healthy and eliminating certain foods is the key to maintaining a healthy weight during, and after, menopause.
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Menopause Weight Gain: Causes and Solutions
Deanna Lynn Sletten - Deanna Lynn Sletten has been a freelance writer for newspapers, regional magazines and websites for 20 years. She specializes in the ...
