While no woman wants to hear this, menopause and weight gain can go hand-in-hand. In fact, one of the more common menopause symptoms is weight gain. Before panic sets in, however, know that this doesn't mean that you are doomed to carry extra weight.
Causes of Weight Gain
Your hormones affect how your body metabolizes food and stores fat. In addition, hormones can impact your appetite. The onset of menopause leads to fluctuating hormone production in your body, one of the causes of weight gains.
As you go through menopause, your body will produce less and less estrogen. This not only leads an increase in the time periods between your body's ovulation, it leads your body to look for other sources of estrogen. Fat cells can produce estrogen. Therefore, your body has a tendency to turn food into fat more than it did before the onset of menopause. In addition you produce less of the primarily male hormone testosterone, resulting in a slower metabolism, meaning that it is harder for your body to burn calories.
Your body will also slow down its production of progesterone. While this doesn't exactly lead to weight gain in fat per se, it does lead to water retention and bloating, which can make you feel fatter and make your clothes fit tighter.
Attacking Menopause and Weight Gain
The bottom line is that if you want to lose that extra weight, you are going to have to work out a little harder to burn calories. You are also going to have to eat fewer calories.
This doesn't mean that you will have to starve yourself. It does mean that you are going to have to examine your eating habits. Switch to low fat foods. Avoid processed foods and salt. This can be as complex as you want to make it, but perhaps it just means that instead of having a gooey dessert three times a week, you only have it once.
You also don't have to kill yourself with an exercise program. If you aren't exercising already, start slowly to avoid hurting yourself. If you are already exercising, make your walks a little longer. Vary your activities and include some strength training to keep from getting bored.
 | Signs and symptoms of menopause can begin as early as 35, but the average age is 51. Women aren't truly menopausal until they've had an absence of periods for 12 consecutive months. Symptoms and their severity vary from woman to woman. |
 | How long does menopause last? It is the question asked by millions of women each day. |
Did you know women in other countries experience very little menopausal symptoms? Why is that? Women in other countries tend to be more physically active than women in industrialized countries. Daily exercise can diminish hot flashes while improving bone density. |
A nutritious diet and a diligent fitness regime are all it takes to get through the discomfort of menopause. |
Two basic approaches can be used to address hormonal imbalance, reduce total estrogen levels or encourage the body to increase progesterone levels. |
