Even though you may still be having menstruation periods on you middle stage of your life, you will undergo various kinds of discomfort such as hot flashes and sweating at night, you may feel frequent irritability, mood swinging, bone loss density and others: the clear signs toward menopause process. On the physical aspect, gaining weight is one of the most common menopause symptoms.
Gaining weight, along with the various psychological and physical signs, is often the common problem that women complain about when they start interacting with menopause symptoms. This dilemma is a natural result when people age but with women who are dealing with menopausal stage, this can be more depressing probably because they experiences different levels of emotional stress. Weight gaining could add up to their anxieties so it is important that you know how to maintain and deal with your body even before perimenopause stage occurs.
Causes of gaining weight during menopausal stage
Perimenopause is the time when your menstruation cycle starts to fluctuate. This is also the most common time wherein women may feel the increasing and shifting of their weight. During this stage, women?s ability to produce hormones ceases. The female sex hormone, called oestrogen, is the one responsible for the woman?s ovulation. Because of the hormonal imbalance, the woman is no longer fit for fertility. Some studies showed that the lack of oestrogen distributes fat to the body, which leads also to gain weight.
Aside from the oestrogen being an influence to the weight gain, there are other factors why women of this stage quickly change their body composition. Along with the aging factor, the following are basis for the weight gain:
- Reduced physical exercises. For women reaching menopausal age, they tend to have less physical activities than other younger women. With their sedentary life, they can easily gain weight.
- Increase in their food intake. As their lives become sedentary, they tend to turn their attention to eating. Naturally, eating more will mean more calorie intake. Calorie intake is converted to fat. Because they have less physical activities, fats accumulated are not burned down for energy.
- Slowing down of your metabolism. Because you burn more calories than fat, your muscles weaken and decrease their amount. The result is stored fat instead of taking them away.
Some truth about menopausal gaining weight
In contrast to the weight loss commercial pitches, weight loss is really not all about willpower. Gain weight during menopause is a natural result. It is inevitable that women who undergo menopause symptoms will increase their weight, because however frequent they take on early weight loss diets, certain factors that they encounter during this crucial stage of their lives will end them up overlooking their healthy lifestyles. One factor is the consequences of emotional menopause symptoms. Because of different depression levels they interact with, often, unresolved emotional issues, they cause these women to lead into unhealthy eating habits.
How to deal with weight gain during menopause process
Gain weight during menopause stage, however, may be countered albeit cannot be avoided when women can regulate their healthy eating habits in their younger years, prior to perimenopausal stage. After your menopause, you can manage your weight by maintaining your healthy lifestyle by eating low-fat, high-fiber diet. Sustain regular aerobic exercises so your metabolism will boost. This should be carried on on a daily basis. Other training exercises, such as walking, bicycling or any other weight bearing exercise will help maintain and build your muscles again.
And finally, maintain bright and positive outlooks in life. Learn to accept the changes on your life, specifically the second phase of your femininity.
