Dealing With Weight Gain During Menopause
Aside from the myriad of symptoms that happen during menopause, weight gain is something that a lot of women are not happy about. Although hot flashes, night sweating, mood swings and a little bout with depression every now and then are really annoyin 00004000 g, many women are more concerned about bloating and swelling during menopause because the weight gain seems to stay on even after this phase.
The declining levels of sex hormone estrogen experienced during menopause greatly affect a lot of things in a woman's body. The reason why those who are in their 40s-50s are feeling hot flashes, water retention and others is due to the body's reaction to declining production of estrogen.
The main cause of weight gain during menopause is water retention. When you age, the lymph system may not properly work anymore. Thus, water is retained inside the body tissues and cause edema, the medical term for swelling and bloating. The areas where edema is common include the legs, arms, feet, hands, and abdomen.
When you experience water retention, the first thing you need to do is consult a doctor. Edema may be a symptom of more serious diseases, such as chronic lung problems, heart ailments, damaged or blocked veins, and thyroid and kidney diseases. However, if the doctor says that your water retention is just due to hormonal imbalances, high salt intake, the weather, or things that are not very serious, then there are other things you can do to beat edema-related weight gain.
Lower Your Salt Intake
Too much salt in your body could wreak havoc to your kidneys. If you want to lose weight and reduce your swelling limbs, then try decreasing your salt intake. Furthermore, stay away from very salty snacks, such as potato chips, instant noodles, and other junk foods. Check the label and say no to foods that have high sodium content.
Exercise Regularly
When you were younger, you probably were conscious about your weight and body, so you regularly visited the gym and also participated in aerobic activities. Furthermore, you probably were more adventurous, gone to trekking trips with friends and participated in sports activities. But now, due to hectic schedule at work and too much things to do at home, many women end up forgetting the importance of exercise and moving around.
It is important to note that exercise is very important, not only for losing weight, but also for strengthening your bones and muscles and improving your heart's health. Ideally, you need to squeeze in gym sessions at least three times a week. But if you really are busy, doing stretching, jumping rope and other exercises while watching the television or waiting for the stew to cook are also good ideas.
Watch What You Eat
Another important factor in losing weight is reducing your calorie intake. You really do not have to starve yourself just to lower your caloric intake. The most judicious way to lessen the amount of calories you eat each day is by choosing your food carefully. Instead of grabbing a bag of potato chips, why don't you get an apple? In lieu of fat-filled porterhouse steak, you can always eat chicken, turkey or fish.
In order to become healthier, you need to take 9 servings of fruits and vegetables everyday. Aside from weight loss, eating plenty of vegetables could provide you with antioxidants, minerals and vitamins that you need to avert aging and to make your skin more rosy and glowing.
Go Natural
There are many things that are available in your kitchen that can help you with your water retention woes. Natural diuretics that you can try are green tea and ginger. Moreover, you can also take oral supplements that can help you deal with your swelling and bloating problems. One product that can help you get rid of water retention naturally is Expelis. Find out more about this supplement by visiting http://www.expelis.com/.
Frequently Asked Questions
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QUESTION:
Can somebody assist me with menopause and weight gain.?
I am hoping somebody can offer me some kind of advice in relation to menopause & weight gain. I am 45yo and have gone through, what my doctors say, early onset menopause. I have not changed any factors in relation to my diet that have caused me to gain the excessive weight that I have. In fact, I have always been an extremely small eater for most of my life and continue to be the same. Although, I do not do any form of exercise I am constantly on the go I do not sit down until about 10pm. Does anyone know of a good treatment that can assist me with weight loss. This is getting me more depressed and anxious than the actual menopause. The mood swings alone that come with menopause are bad enough but now I have a self confidence problem due to the weight gain. I do not mind if the treatment is a prescribed treatment by a medical practitioner, as I will see my doctor and request it. Please, if anybody can help me, before I go stark raving mad, it would be very much appreciated.-
ANSWER:
hi, what kind of meds. are you taking? lot of meds.have weight gain as a side effect .also start walking if that is all you will do it does help, or swim ,it does to .the reason i am posting is to ask you to PLEASE do lots of research if your dr. wants to put you on actonel,boniva ,or fosamax all of the meds.that are supposed to build bone mass .there are 401 of us on askapatient.com who have had terrible side effects from these meds. go to fosamax lawsuits ,it will scare you to death .also on health diaries women are posting their side effects on boniva .BE CAREFUL !!! i took boniva for 7 mo. & was almost crippled ,have been off 1 yr.& 5 mo. am finally getting back to normal .these meds. stay in our bodies for 10 yrs. good luck Regina. bestgrandma316@yahoo.com
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QUESTION:
Menopause weight gain help how can i stop it!!!?
I started menopause when i was 38 years old...I am now 43 it took 2 years for it to be complete and I have not had a period in 3 years...I have no problems lubricating nothing I can honsestly say that I love having gone through menopause early as I did ...i didn't want any more kids and it didn't effect my love life so I good!1
...I never had ANY problems whatsoever not hot flashes not anything...BUT NOW i am gaining weight like crazy!!! in the last month I have gained 10 freakin pounds!! How can I make it stop!! what can I do this is geting ridiculous i look fat it's so not cool!!! belly fat sucks!1 any ideas PLEASE HELP!
At the answer below you say ur an RN but what is causing my body now during menpoause stage of my life to make me gain so fast?? I have never done this before i know excersise is good but something is clearly going wring with my body righ tnow...i have never gained weight this fast-
ANSWER:
Well I'm not a menopause expert or anything, but I don't see why it would prevent some good old fashioned diet and exercise from helping you shed the pounds. We all gain weight as we get older which means we all must work harder to keep it off. An lady friend of mine gained some weight after quitting smoking, and I guess being 45 didn't help her situation. She joined the weight watchers and lost a good deal of weight. I personally believe she's smaller than before she even gave up smoking. I'm not saying you should join weight watchers, because ten pounds is not a lot of weight and you could probably loose it by yourself in about 6-8 weeks.I would recommend in terms of exercise:
-4 days a week - some sort of cardio exercise. Nothing too intense, maybe just a light jog to get your heart rate up.
-2 days a week - do some strength training. Again, nothing too intense. Just get some dumbbells and do curls while you're watching TV. The extra muscle will help your body metabolize fat more quickly.And for diet:
-Dieting is hard to explain as a general concept because not everything works for all people. However, it's true to say that if you burn more calories than you consume, you will undoubtedly loose weight. So, calculate your current daily caloric intake and reduce it to about 3/4 of what it currently is. You can start out slow and slowly drop more while beginning to switch out unhealthy options for more healthy ones.
-And most importantly! Track your progress. Keep everything written down so you don't get flustered. It helps being aware of your goal.NEVER judge yourself by the number displayed on the scale. Instead, take measurements and go by what your eyes are telling you. If your doing strength training, you will gain muscle mass, but with the cardio, you'll be loosing fat. Out with the bad, in with the good.
I wish you the best of luck and I know that if you take the time one day to sit down and plan it all out, you'll have no trouble losing the weight. Remember to still enjoy life, and don't get discouraged.
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QUESTION:
Question for menopause women about weight gain and change of body image?
I am a 46 year old woman who has suddenly hit the menopause, well for about a good year now. Apart from no periods I have noticed - as I'm sure has everyone - massive weight gain. I've gone from a size 10 to almost a size 14 in horribly quick time. I'm not eating any more than usual, but I can see this 'middle age spread' spreading and spreading and spreading.For the first time in my life I'm thinking of dieting - arghhhhh!
But my question is: if you've gone through the same thing eg menopause, and you dieted, did the gym thing, did it make any difference?
And if it did make a difference and you went back to you usual diet did the weight just pile back on again?
Is it best to embrace the new bigger me or try and fight it?
All answers greatly received.
Oh, and I hit an 'early' menopause because of having cancer and chemo, so I can't do HRT. Also if anyone has a good recommended diet for women like me I'd really love it.
Can I just say I'm six feet tall and size 12/14 UK size, not American, so I'm not fat, just getting that way...-
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