Two out of 10 women gain at least 10 pounds during menopause. Weight gain may happen and often causes unhealthy belly fat.
At Women’s Wellness MD, Chetanna Okasi, MD, specializes in caring for all aspects of women’s health, including menopause and weight loss.
She’s here to help with weight loss, whether you’re struggling with a meal plan that fits your lifestyle or need hormone balancing.
Here, she explains why menopause leads to weight gain and four tips for staying healthy after menopause.
Many changes take place during menopause that can affect your weight. The top challenges include:
Your metabolism slows as you age, allowing the pounds to build up even if you don’t eat more or exercise less.
One in four adults over 50 is inactive, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Lack of exercise lowers your metabolism and weakens muscles, accelerating weight gain.
As you age, hormonal changes combined with decreased protein production lead to losing muscle mass and strength. As you lose muscle mass, you burn fewer calories.
Hormonal changes often have the most significant impact on your weight. Estrogen regulates fat storage, metabolism, muscle strength, and appetite.
When estrogen levels fall, you lose muscle and store more fat, especially around your abdomen. Storing fat in your belly increases your risk of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
Without estrogen, leptin production decreases. Leptin usually helps suppress your appetite. That means your hunger increases with leptin levels drop.
Here are four tips for controlling your weight after menopause:
One of the challenges of weight management is setting a healthy calorie range and creating a meal plan that stays within those guidelines while providing essential nutrients.
If your weight is healthy, you must consume at least 200 fewer calories daily to maintain that weight after menopause. If you need to lose weight, factor that into your daily intake goals.
A healthy meal plan focuses on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, fish, and low-fat dairy products. Eating smaller meals more frequently also helps stabilize your metabolism.
We’re here to help you develop a lifestyle plan and answer your questions about optimal calories, nutrition, and meal planning.
One of the healthiest and fastest ways to cut calories is to eliminate (or reduce) sweets, alcohol, and high-fat foods.
Sugary sweets and alcohol don’t provide nutrition, and they’re high in calories. Though some fatty foods are rich in nutrients, they’re also higher in calories than proteins and carbs.
Cutting back on these foods will go a long way toward managing your weight and lowering your risk of developing chronic diseases.
Staying active is crucial for burning calories, staying strong, boosting mood, and preventing chronic health conditions.
You should include strength training and cardiovascular and weight-bearing exercises, but you can often combine all three in one activity.
Weight-bearing exercise is any activity in which you move against gravity while remaining upright. As a result, muscles pull on bones and stimulate new bone growth.
The following weight-bearing exercises can also raise your heart rate:
Strength training uses weights and resistance bands to build muscles. For example, you can carry light weights and do arm lifts while walking. Or, try resistance band exercises like wrapping one around your ankles and doing leg lifts.
Most importantly, start slowly and consult with us or your primary care provider to be sure you don’t have any health concerns that might limit your activity.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) after menopause isn’t a magic solution for weight problems. But restoring your body’s natural hormone levels can help redistribute weight, preventing excessive fat storage around your waist.
We can also run tests to identify other hormone imbalances often contributing to weight gain. Then, we can recommend the treatment you need to achieve your weight goals.
Women’s Wellness MD offers a medically supervised weight loss program that helps you prevent weight gain or lose weight after menopause. Book an appointment online or call the office today.
