At any stage of your life, having a healthy weight should be a priority. In addition to reducing the risks of developing certain health conditions, having optimal weight will improve the quality of life you enjoy.
During menopause, your attempts at weight loss may prove harder than you expect, especially if you go about it the wrong way.
Fortunately, we’re here to offer you much-needed guidance on weight loss during menopause. Here, you’ll get to understand how your diet can impact menopause and also learn the best way to achieve weight loss during this period.
What Is Menopause?
As women age, their menstrual cycle ends, thus marking the end of their reproductive years. The physiological changes women experience before or after the end of their menstrual cycle are what we refer to as menopause.
How does menopause affect weight gain?
Menopause typically begins when a woman hasn’t seen her period for a full year. Women going through this transition often experience weight gain.
The primary factor responsible for this increase in weight is the drop in estrogen levels and you may ask ‘how do I Balance My Hormones?’
Other factors like poor sleep, loss of muscle mass, shifts in fat storage, and other age-related issues can also influence weight gain.
How to lose weight during menopause
Eat healthy foods
If there’s any time to be more intentional about your diet, it’s during menopause. Make it a habit to include nutrient-rich foods like fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats in your diet. These foods provide your body with essential nutrients without making you add excess weight.
A low carb diet – rather than a complete carb-free diet – is another excellent option that can help you reduce abdominal fat and improve weight loss.
Exercise more
It’s not uncommon for women to become less active as they age. Interestingly, the changes that come with menopause can be better managed with exercise. As an important factor for a healthy life, proper exercise can promote weight loss, increase muscle mass, and improve your mood.
Your body type, endurance levels, and weight loss goal would determine the form of exercise you engage in. Still, you can’t go wrong with a mix of cardio and resistance training.
Get more quality sleep
Here’s an interesting fact;
When you get too little sleep, your body produces high levels of ghrelin, a hunger hormone, and lower levels of lepton, also known as a fullness hormone. This can lead you to consume more food than you right should.
Understandably, symptoms such as stress, and hot flashes that come with menopause can affect the quality of sleep you get. It’s important to adopt stress management techniques and other forms of therapy that could help you sleep better.
It would also be helpful to remove all forms of stressors around your environment and ensure that your bedtime habits do not affect your sleep pattern negatively.
Final word
You don’t need to adopt any major, life-altering changes. By simply consuming the right foods, getting the proper exercise, and living a relatively stress-free life, you can effectively lose weight during menopause.