How To Control Your Weight During The Menopause

The menopause is a natural process that happens to every woman at some point in their adult life. Most women experience the symptoms of pre-menopause between the ages of 40 and 58 and these symptoms last for an average of four years before menopause is truly reached.

During this time the female body goes through a number of major changes, the most important of which is a dramatic decrease in the levels of hormones that are produced, in particular oestrogen. It is this decrease in oestrogen that causes many of the common symptoms of menopause and it is also this decrease that causes a change in the eating habits of many menopausal women.

The majority of women who are going through the menopause process find that their appetite increases and so start to gain weight within a year of the first symptoms becoming apparent. Occasionally women lose their appetite and so subsequently lose weight however this is rare when compared to the alternative.

It is important that pre-menopausal women control their weight to some degree as they will already have an increased risk of heart disease following menopause and being overweight will only make matters worse.

It is easy to say that pre-menopausal women need to control their weight however when their appetite increases this can be hard to do. So what steps can be taken to keep your weight at a healthy level when going through the menopausal process?

1. Try to eat healthy foods – your diet should include fruit and vegetables as well as high-fibre foods, for example wholewheat products, soy, beans and pulses. It is okay to have the occasional take-out or fried meal however they should be restricted to one every two or three weeks to get the most out of your diet.

2. Stay active – unfortunately the hormone changes that occur during pre-menopause can affect the rate at which your body metabolises the food you eat. This means that food is broken down and used for energy and cellular repair more slowly than normal and so left over food is converted to fat rather than carbohydrate for energy.

Taking pert in some type of physical activity on a daily basis can help to raise your rate of metabolism so that a smaller proportion of the food you eat gets converted into fat. A brisk 30 minute walk in the park or an exercise DVD will be sufficient providing it is repeated 5 out of every 7 days.

Unfortunately one of the common symptoms of pre-menopause is tiredness but this is often caused by a sluggish digestive system. By staying active the digestive system is constantly stimulated, which means that you become less tired and more likely to do something else physical i.e. it’s a catch 22 situation.

3. Snack on healthy alternatives – the majority of women like to snack and when your hormones are all over the place and you feel emotional this tendency can become worse. In order to keep your weight at a healthy level it is therefore important to snack on healthy alternatives as apposed to biscuits, crisps, chocolate, cakes etc. Normal supermarkets sell a wide range of healthy snacks that taste great and don’t look like a piece of cardboard or polystyrene and providing that you limit yourself to one or two a day you can try as many as you like!

Joking apart, it is important that you keep your weight within a healthy range because not only will it reduce the risk of heart disease and bone fractures i.e. from osteoporosis, it will also give you extra confidence in yourself because you feel good and look great.

Weight Gain And Menopause