Losing It During Menopause
Posted: Tuesday, November 10, 2009
by Yulia Berry
Great Home Remedies
Losing weight during and after menopause is not very easy; in fact, most women tend to put on the pounds because of hormonal changes that occur as they enter into peri-menopause. During these years of change, a woman will on average put on one to two pounds a year, with most of the weight being added around the abdomen. The sooner this problem is addressed, the easier it is to transition past menopause.
Women gain weight during menopause because of the fluctuation of the hormones levels in the body and the impact this has upon appetite, metabolism, libido, and the storage of fat. The hormones accountable for maintaining weight are estrogen, androgen progesterone and testosterone.
- Estrogen: This hormone is responsible for a lot of the weight gain that occurs. Estrogen levels fall during menopause which in turn causes the body to convert more calories into fat cells in order to produce more estrogens. This results in further weight gain.
- Androgen: this is the hormone is the one that causes the buildup of weight around the mid-section. During menopause, androgen is in abundance leading to the production of fat and weight in the abdominal area.
- Progesterone: This hormone is thought to be responsible for controlling water retention. During menopause, progesterone levels fall causing more water to be retained by the body leading to bloating and weight gain.
- Testosterone: testosterone helps the body turn calories into lean muscle mass. Muscle cells burn more calories than fat cells which increases metabolism. This hormone also declines during menopause cause a lower metabolism rate.
- Stress: Stress hormones increase during menopause which makes the body store more calories in the form of fat.
- Insulin resistance: Insulin resistance occurs because of the consumption of processed or refined foods. It is the situation in which the body mistakenly turns every calorie it takes in into fat.
- Walk: park your car on the far end of the parking lot, join a walking group or purchase a pedometer and walk 10,000 steps a day.
- Take the stairs in lieu of the elevator
- Avoid sugar and artificial sweeteners by cutting out the soda
- Stick with a sensible diet that includes more green vegetables and less bad fats
- Cut your stress levels by learning to relax and meditate
- Switch to bread and pastas made from whole meal
- Drink 8 glasses of water a day
- Use skim milk in your coffee, or drink black
- Drink green tea
- Exercise regularly, dancing for a half an hour is a real calorie burner
- Have some homemade vegetable soup in place of you evening meal
- Increase your metabolism by eating more smaller meals throughout the day as opposed to 3 big ones
- Make raw fruit and veggies your snack of choice
- Put more Omega 3 fatty acids into your diet by including sardines or salmon. Buy these fresh or preserved in spring water.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)My wife retains so much water that when she turns over in bed you can hear the tide come in!And I thought that the title suggested handguns and mood changes and temper tantrums during menapause!Nicely done:Paul
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