Weight
Loss After Menopause
Some women give up trying to control their body weight during their 40s
and 50s because weight loss after menopause is harder than it is in
earlier years.
There are several factors that influence the reason why our bodies seem
to get out of control during this time, but don’t give up, because
there are ways to get yourself back in charge of your body.
Abdominal
Weight Gain
Gaining weight around the middle is one of the inevitable signs of
aging.
It affects both men and women, but it can be worse for women during the
years leading up to menopause and continues to be a problem long
afterwards. According to the mayo
clinic, women on average gain a pound a year during
the menopause years.
Symptoms of menopause can come on several years before menopause
actually occurs (menopause is defined as occurring one year after the
last missed period). This can mean a gain of at least 10 pounds or so
for many of us. Since most of the weight tends to accumulate in one
place, around the middle, 10 pounds is an increase of one or
two dress sizes for most women.
The Aging
Process
There are several other things happening to a woman’s body during this
time that make it difficult to reach our weight loss goals and we can’t
blame everything on menopause.
Consider that our bodies are naturally slowing down because we are
getting older, and so we resist physical activity more than we used to.
Even if we are in the habit of going to the gym, it becomes harder to
sustain prolonged periods of aerobic activity, and therefore harder to
burn calories and accomplish weight loss.
At the same time our children are growing up and leaving home. This
means that we are not running around after them so much. We have less
picking up to do around the house, fewer dishes to wash, and we are not
burning calories dashing off to soccer practice every Saturday morning.
We allow ourselves to slow down somewhat. And why not? We’ve earned a
rest haven’t we?
Giving Up Hope
Something else also happens that makes weight loss after menopause very
difficult. We lose our motivation to keep trying.
The change to our bodies seems inevitable. Twenty years or so ago we
were able to drop a couple of pounds simply by skipping lunch, but now
skipping lunch seems like pure torture, and we argue with ourselves
that it is not worth the trouble. We listen to other women who have
given up and tell us it is impossible.
But weight loss after menopause is still possible and there are
millions of slim and trim women in their 50s and 60s who live as
testimony to the fact that it is possible to stay fit, stay trim and
continue to lose weight after menopause.
New Weight
Loss Rules
The rules are not different for weight loss
after menopause.
The more you move and the less you eat, the higher your chances of
dropping pounds. But because a lot of the weight we carry is around the
abdomen, typically a tough area to shape up anyway, we are going to
have to apply ourselves a little more.
Now that we are older and wiser, we have to educate ourselves about the
right fats, the right carbohydrates, and the right amount of protein to
feed our bodies, and then apply our knowledge with discipline.
There are plenty of tips on this website to help you fight abdominal
weight, get moving, and increase the nutritional value of your diet. So
don’t give up. Keep fighting ladies, and remember that armed with the
right tools and the right knowledge, weight loss after menopause is
just as possible as it ever was.
Weight Loss
after Menopause is Possible
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The
information found in and throughout The 7 Habits of Weight loss
(www.7habitsofweightloss.com) is not intended as a substitute for the
advice or treatment that may have been prescribed by your physician.Information
found here should NOT be construed as definitive or binding medical
advice and is NOT intended to diagnose, prescribe, nor endorse any
brand of products or services. Always seek the advice of your physician
or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new weight loss or exercise regimen or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
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