Diets and Weight Loss

Diets and Weight Loss

Weight Loss During Menopause: Stopping the Inevitable

Yes, gaining weight is one of the most common complaints about women entering the menopausal stage. Some blame their hormones while others blame their newly found (or regained) appetite for food. Another factor may also be age. At a time when metabolism begins to slow, some women feel that life activities should also wind down, which is a mistake. Menopause is a time for action, not complacency and here's why:

You gain weight during menopause Weight gain during menopause might be blamed on aging. As the body 'winds down', so will its ability to burn calories effectively. However, for many women, lifestyle factors figure in significantly. These include: eating more, burning less calories and exercising less.

Your body changes during menopause and you will notice as you age that it no longer performs as well as it used to. When you're 18, for example, you could travel from New York to Japan, hop in a car, see the sights and not feel fatigued. Imagine doing that when you're 50.

Although women on the average gain at least one pound per year during menopause, weight gain is not inevitable. In fact, there are many women who look as good as or even better than they did before menopause and they don?t always have their genes to thank for that. With a few simple and common sense steps, you too, can keep your waistline and look fabulous as you feel. Here's how:

Diet, diet, diet. The things you can do with a great diet! With a few simple changes, you get to eat healthier and feel better. Bulk up on healthy fiber, eat more fruits and include more vegetables in your meal. Take non-fat milk to ensure that your bones are good and strong. Fight hot flashes and keep cool by drinking more water.

Substitute. If you loved sweets and rich foods before menopause, you don?t have to give them up. You do need to reduce your intake, though so that you don?t feel like you're denying yourself. If you must give in to the temptation of the fattening foods that you loved, eat in smaller portions or better yet, learn to substitute with healthier fare. That way you don?t sacrifice the taste.

You might also want to limit fat to just 20% to 30% of your daily caloric intake. Dietary fats from certain sources are the most difficult to burn. Use healthier sources instead, such as olive oil, canola and peanut.

Get moving. Menopause is no excuse to become lazy. On the contrary, this is a time when your body needs you most and laziness might just cause you to gain pounds. Get active and maintain a good exercise program to supplement a good diet.

Spend 30 minutes a day doing vigorous, concentrated exercises or spread out your activities in shorter, 10-minute sessions 3 times a day. Alternate or combine aerobic exercise and weight training. This way, you burn off calories and also replace fat with toned muscles. If you feel yourself getting bored, use other forms of physical activities such as dancing, gardening, cleaning the house, brisk walking, hiking or bicycling.

Amanda researches natural remedies to help women cope with the symptoms of menopause. For practical tips that will help you through this challenging period take a look at this website that covers Weight Loss During Menopause .



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