they often don't understand why they are now gaining weight in other parts of the body, usually in the stomach area, even though they did not have a problem with that when they were younger.
Hormonal changes contribute greatly to it, although it is still a mystery in some areas. The body stops producing estrogen when a woman reaches menopause and stops ovulation.
Low estrogen has caused weight gain in laboratory animals and it can be fairly safely assumed that this is why the female body changes shape. During childbearing years, fat is stored in the lower body. After menopause, women store more fat in the abdomen, just like men. The danger of abdominal fat is a greater risk of heart disease.
To compound the problem, unless you maintain regular exercise that includes strength training, both men and women lose muscle mass as they age, and the metabolism slows down. If you continue to eat the way you did when you were younger, weight gain is inevitable. You simply don't need the same number of calories at 50 or 60 as you did at 30 or 40.
One suggestion is to use hormonal therapy to control some of the side effects of menopause. Contrary to popular belief, it does not cause weight gain. You may have some water retention and subsequent bloating, but this is normally a temporary condition, and is not indicative of added fat. But there are still some debate around this therapy, because it has been linked to breast cancer in some studies.
So do you have to settle for being fat and fifty? Absolutely not! There are steps you can take to minimize the effects of menopausal induced weight gain that don't involve adding hormones back into your system.
1. Don't stop eating. Just make better choices. Eat the foods you know are good for you as part of a low fat diet. Get plenty of fiber and stay away from sugar and refined flour products.
2. Exercise regularly. Your metabolism is not the only thing that slows down as you age. Work is often less demanding physically, you're not running around chasing kids, your vacations are probably not as active as when you were younger, and in general you just do things a bit more slowly than before. You'd be amazed at what just 30 minutes of moderate activity every day will do for you.
3. Maintain your muscle mass by lifting hand weights or adding ankle weights when you walk. Of course, you should check with your doctor first before starting any exercise program if you're currently being treated for any medical conditions.
4. Love yourself. Even if you've put on a few pounds and your waist is thicker than it used to be, try to be okay with that. Like Mammy told Scarlett in Gone with the Wind, "You ain't never gonna have an 18 inch waist again!". Accept that and appreciate your life.
Another way is to use my Weight Loss Breeze Program. It contains simple exercises that take only a few minutes a day to do and makes losing weight at any age a breeze.
