Weight Issues with Menopause

Articles on Weight Loss | Topic: weight

by Orlan McFadden

Many women who are approaching or are in the clutches of menopause find themselves beginning to gain more weight. This weight gain is most prevailing around the hips and waist and does not seem to ever go away no matter how much one diets. The things that used to work for most women that kept them trim no longer seem to have the same effect or work efficiently. This weight gain and lack of being able to lose it is the most common complaint of women going through this phase of life. With all the hormonal fluctuations and the body's new rate of metabolism it is not uncommon to see this gain immediately after ovary function has decreased significantly. This however does not mean that you have to be stuck with the weight gain at all. You will now need to find a suitable diet that fits your metabolism now that you are in the menopause phase of life. Once this is accomplished you will see the weight come off and feel better. Now that the body is out of estrogen balance this can affect the way food is processed and metabolized. Many women find that the foods they once enjoyed and had no trouble with are the biggest culprits in their weight gain.

As the years pass by a woman's body can get infested with toxins that once under control before menopause now mess up the metabolic system that keeps weight under control. These toxins must be stored to keep them from affecting the major aspects of the body and are stored as fat cells. If a woman tries to get rid of the fat through crash diets or the like then these toxins are released into the blood stream and can have very nasty side effects. The body just wants to be happy and will try anything to keep these toxins in a stored place rather than lose weight. This toxin release can cause inflammation that is commonly associated with menopause. It is really common to develop many types of food sensitivities during this phase of life in women that can short circuit weight loss efforts. There are so many women who have been sensitive to certain foods for years but the soothing effects of estrogen on the digestive tract masked the sensitivity all together. Once a woman decreases her estrogen levels during menopause these food sensitivities show up with a vengeance and a woman may start relying on foods that are much less nutritious and put her body into a hoarding mode. This will make her gain weight even though she is eating less.

Bit of History

Ah! my friend, for whomever is alone, without a god and without a master, the weight of time is terrible. One must then choose a master, God being out of style.

—Albert Camus (1913–1960)

An incredible link between menopause and weight gain is between stress and the storage of body fat. The stress hormones such as cortisol can easily block weight loss. This is also known as the famine effect. No matter how great your food intake is the body sees itself as starving due to the stress and goes into a mode that promotes weight gain very effectively. The stressors do not have to be major life crises. They can be emotional, hormonal, physical, and even diet related. Food restrictions such as bingeing, yo-yo dieting, not addressed food sensitivities, and severe calorie restriction are all forms of stress that can cause weight gain during menopause. More woman today are under stress more than they even know, especially when dealing with all the effects of menopause. This can cause adrenal fatigue. The most important part about menopause and your diet is finding the right combination of foods that are good for you and do not cause too many unpleasant side effects as well. Diets and diets substitutes are not always the answer.

Weight loss is not just about will power or the calories you take or do not take. Losing weight is about putting the body and mind back in balance and is a complicated process. This is even harder during menopause for obvious reasons. The body is in a state hormonal imbalance, old toxins coming to the fore ground, and there is an amazing amount of stress during this time of life. The most important aspect for a woman going through the change to take control of her weight is to relieve the stresses in her life and learn how to eat what works for her. This will enable her to have the body she has always had without having to go through the pain of starving herself to lose the weight briefly to gain it back with a vengeance.

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Please note: All personal opinions expressed in the "Weight Issues with Menopause" article belong to the contributing author and are not necessarily shared by HealthExerciseSports.com.

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