Menopause and Weight Gain

Many women are personal witnesses to the relationship between menopause and weight gain. Can you relate?

We're eating just like we were before, only now our bodies are committed to storing more fat in new places (mostly right around our middles).

Most women gain weight as one of the perimenopause symptoms, and the average weight gain from perimenopause to menopause is 5 - 12 pounds.

Causes

While it's true that metabolism slows with age, menopause and weight gain seems to be more about insulin and insulin resistance than metabolism.

Our bodies break the food that we eat into glucose, which gives our bodies energy. We need glucose to live, and we need insulin to absorb this glucose into our cells.

But, when we eat refined carbohydrates, these carbs cause a very abrupt leap in our glucose, which means that our insulin levels rise in order to normalize that glucose, or blood sugar level.

Over time, our bodies become resistant to insulin.

That means that our bodies have to produce more insulin in order to absorb glucose and normalize our blood sugar levels. The excess insulin causes our blood sugar levels to drop, which leaves us wanting another snack.

What You Should Do About It

It's because of this cycle that many experts on menopause suggest cutting back on your refined carbohydrates.

Refined carbohydrates are high-glycemic-index foods, or foods that are quickly turned to glucose and produce the negative insulin effect described above.

High-glycemic-index foods include alcohol, white bread, sugar, soda, starchy foods, and most processed foods. Read more at this site.

Try to eat protein at each meal, eliminate sugar, eat your fruits and veggies, drink water, and exercise.

What To Eat?

Fiber: In order to avoid the insulin spiking that happens from high glycemic foods, many doctors recommend getting 25-30 grams of fiber a day with a high fiber diet plan. Fiber can help stabilize your blood sugar level and leave you feeling fuller longer.

Primal: I have been eating a "primal diet" for about one year now, and I feel great. With a primal diet, you don't eat grains, and you focus on eating nutrient-rich foods that don't spike your blood sugar.

Not only has eating this way helped me maintain my weight, but I have way more energy than I had before, and my mind feels crisp and focused.

If you're interested in a primal lifestyle, you should check out my favorite blog, Mark's Daily Apple. It has tons of information on living a healthy lifestyle and getting the most out of life.

Wear the Right Clothes

Menopause and weight gain does not have to control your life... just choose the right clothes!

Find clothes that give you the right support that you need. NYDJ (Not Your Daughter's Jeans) Tummy Tuck jeans will flatten your stomach and help give your butt a lift! I love them.

Wearing the right undergarments can also help. Spanx can help you out with that. They're comfortable, slimming body shapers that will help you look slimmer without feeling uncomfortable.

Accepting Our Bodies, Menopause, and Weight Gain

Many women find that menopause leads them to a more fulfilled, centered life. They begin to cut out the guilt and negative attitudes that kept them bound to self consciousness.

Flow with that mentality and use menopause as a time to accept your body and feel confidence in yourself.

Strive to be healthy, but also, focus on all of the wonderful things that your body does for you.

Return to the Pre Menopause Symptoms page.

Go from the Menopause and Weight Gain page to the Estrogen Source Homepage.