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As a younger woman, one thing I have the pleasure of looking forward to is menopause. Believe me I am extremely thrilled about this. A few women in my life, who are menopausal, have been describing what happens during menopause; hot flashes, night sweats, and weight gain, to name a few. Weight gain seems to be of most concern with the women I talk to. What really happens to our bodies when we go through menopause? Why are we more likely to gain weight? What can we do to help prevent weight gain?
The main reason we tend to gain weight during menopause is women have a drop in estrogen levels. Reduced estrogen can decrease metabolic rate, which is what your body converts from stored energy to working energy. The higher your metabolism, the more likely you are to lose weight.
So what can you do to prevent weight gain? Unfortunately for women, once we have a drop in estrogen, causing our metabolism to decrease, our metabolism will never be what it once was. The two biggest things we can do to prevent weight gain is to eat healthy and stay active.
Healthy eating is not going to be the same as before menopause because after menopause our bodies are less sensitive to insulin. Whole grain breads, sweet fruits, dairy food, and starchy vegetables could actually be working against you. Stick with foods that are low starch vegetables, low sweet fruits, and high in protein.
Exercise is very important. Short intense exercise lasting between 30-60 minutes seems to have the most benefit. Using resistance training to build muscle will also help increase your metabolism.
To sum up, menopause is a time when your body is going through a lot of hormonal changes. Your estrogen levels decrease, causing your metabolism to decrease. A healthy diet and exercise can help prevent weight gain during menopause.
