If you ask a woman over fifty what effect she thinks menopause has had on her, weight gain will almost always make the list. It is very common to gain weight around this time, which probably won’t surprise you, but what might is that where you gain weight changes as well. Young women, when they gain weight, tend to put it on mostly around the hips. After menopause however, this shifts to the abdomen, and any weight gained is concentrated there.
After menopause the levels of estrogen in the body are drastically reduced. This is because estrogen is the hormone responsible for regulating the ovulation cycle, however it has also been shown in animals that low levels of estrogen cause weight gain. This most likely contributes to the post-menopause weight gain that women experience, most likely in combination with other hormonal changes. This is probably also the reason for the change in fat distribution. After menopause, women no longer store fat primarily in their hips, but rather around the abdomen like men. A downside to this, is that it does increase the risk of heart disease.
For both men and women, fat gradually replaces muscle as a natural part of the aging process, and the metabolism slows down. To combat this, it is important to align your diet with your age – if you keep eating today what you were eating ten years ago, you’ll find that you gain a lot more weight from it!
A treatment called Hormone Therapy can be used to avoid some weight gain, by countering the effects of low estrogen levels, so that weight gets stored in the hips (like it does when you are young) rather then around the waist. This can also help to lower your risk of heart disease, although the downside is that it does marginally increase your risk of breast cancer. Like any treatment, of course, it is up to you to weigh the benefits and risks and decide if you think it is worth doing.
If you find that you are gaining weight around the menopause, there are several things you can do.
- Eat a healthy, low fat diet with plenty of fiber, avoiding sugar.
- Exercise regularly. As you get older, you’re natural inclination is to exercise less. With no kids to look after, less active holidays, and a tendency to do things more slowly, it can be all too easy to slow down. So you need to take deliberate measures to counter this – even doing a half hour of moderate activity each day will help to keep you in condition.
- Keep your legs in good shape by regularly jogging or cycling, and lift weights to maintain fitness in your arms.
- Get used to your new body shape. If you just have slimmer legs and a thicker waist, this is not a big deal. As long as you are not actually overweight, you just need to get used to the changes.
Consult with your doctor before starting any exercise program if you have any medical conditions or your fitness levels are low. Your doctor can also help with symptoms of the menopause and weight gain.
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