Did you know that women often become overweight or obese during the menopause transition years? Over 65 percent of women 45 to 55 years old and 70 percent of women 55 to 75 years old are overweight.
If you’re a woman you may be asking yourself why? I know I did. This is the first of a two articles about menopause and its effects on our weight and health.
There are physiologic reasons why most women gain five to 12 pounds in the first eight years after menopause. First, the decline in estrogen in menopause dramatically affects how and where we store fat. Fat storage shifts from the hips and thighs to the stomach. This is sometimes called “Buddha” belly because of the increase in girth. That belly fat is called visceral fat and, because of it, after menopause we have the same risk for heart disease as men.
There are many other health risks related to weight gain, like obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, arthritis, high blood pressure and certain cancers.
We also become much more efficient at storing fat. Add to this a downturn in our fat-burning ability during exercise and you have a double whammy for rapid weight gain. Consider yourself warned. It will be harder to lose weight during this time, but not impossible. And you’ll need to be more thoughtful and intentional about what goes into your mouth — food or drink.
Two other changes that occur as we age make gaining weight easier. The first is loss of muscle mass (women lose it twice as fast as men). Because it is more metabolically active, less muscle means less calorie-burning potential. With every year after age 40, we lose about 1 percent of our muscle mass.
The second is that our metabolic rate slows by about 5 percent with every decade as we age. The good news is we can do something about all this! The best approach to managing weight during this season of life is being consistent with healthy lifestyle patterns that involve nutrition, exercise and sleep. What are most important strategies?
First, eat healthy every day and control your calories by cutting down your portions. That means you have to eat less if you don’t want to gain weight — about 350 to 400 calories per day for most women by age 50. Be sure to include lean protein sources in all three meals throughout the day to help maintain muscle mass. Eat more vegetables.
Cut down on drinking alcohol — set limits and stick to them.
Sleep at least eight hours a night to help tame gut hormones that control appetite
Exercise every day and include strengthening exercises twice a week — doing something is better than doing nothing!
Kim Larson is a registered dietitian nutritionist, founder of Total Health, www.totalhealthrd.com, and a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition &Dietetics.
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