Menopause brings with it many side effects that can be difficult to manage. One of the effects many women experience is weight gain.
A gynecologist’s advice for losing weight during menopause PHOTO Archive
Typically, menopausal women gain about a pound a year, however, 20 percent of women gain 10 pounds during menopause.
If you are experiencing this directly, it is normal to feel discouraged and that nothing seems to work to prevent it. It’s something OB/GYNs hear from patients all the time.
But there is a better solution than following an overly restrictive diet or logging hours at the gym.
Before we get into the most effective ways to prevent weight gain during menopause, it’s helpful to know why it happens in the first place. Gynecologist Dr. Karla F. Loken told parade.com that many menopausal women assume that weight gain is due to changes in hormone levels and that there is nothing they can do about it.
But she says the reality is not that simple. “The inability to lose weight during menopause is not just due to changes in our hormones. It’s a combination of these and things like sleep patterns, changes in our lean muscle mass and activity levels.”she says.
In other words, there are a lot of factors that occur simultaneously, creating the situation that causes weight gain. For example, it is not uncommon for menopausal women to have trouble sleeping due to hot flashes and mood swings.
Scientific research shows that sleep deprivation is a significant factor in weight gain.
In addition, a decrease in estrogen is associated with a decrease in muscle mass. In addition to this, many people also tend to be less active as they age, which can also contribute to weight gain during menopause.
Because there is no single cause of menopausal weight gain, Dr. Loken emphasizes that preventing or treating it should be approached from multiple angles.
She says a big mistake many women make is focusing on a quick fix for menopause weight loss, such as following an overly restrictive diet.
“It takes a dedicated and multidisciplinary approach to make menopause weight loss work”she says.
Preventing weight gain during menopause doesn’t come down to just one change
“It’s not just about how much you train, what you eat, how much you rest, or what your strength level looks like. It’s all of these things put together that will have the biggest impact on your ability to lose weight healthily during menopause”says Dr. Loken.
Another mistake women make when trying to lose weight during menopause is to focus on a lot of intense cardio. While cardio can certainly be part of a healthy exercise or weight loss routine. Dr. Loken says it’s important to focus on building lean muscle mass through strength training.
“At a certain age, cardio-dominant exercise only causes serious changes in heart health and doesn’t help much with weight loss“, she says.
According to Dr. Loken, scientific research shows that strength training burns fat, even while the body is at rest, which helps prevent menopausal weight gain.
Unfortunately, Dr. Loken says weight loss doesn’t get any easier after menopause. She says it gets even harder. That’s why it’s important to create lasting healthy habits now so they’ll be in place as you age.
“The most important thing to remember when thinking about how to lose weight during menopause is that a one-size-fits-all approach is not going to help. Creating a lifestyle – including eating habits, activity levels and sleep – that is sustainable for you is essential to staying strong and healthy as we age.” says Dr. Loken.
“As women, taking the right steps during menopause is extremely impactful in ensuring we live a more stable life as we age.”explains the gynecologist.
Although maintaining a healthy weight becomes more difficult as we age, it is certainly not impossible. The key is to create lasting healthy habits. And this is good advice no matter how old you are!
