Weight Loss in Menopause

Weight Loss in Menopause

Gaining weight during menopause is a normal situation that happens to almost every woman and it is possible to overcome this situation with a planned and disciplined diet-nutrition-sports program.

The slowing down and eventually complete cessation of menstruation, that is, the slowing down and cessation of menstrual bleeding that a woman experiences every month, means that the greatest energy expenditure in the female body disappears. Metabolism suddenly slows down. This is why all women, with some exceptions, gain weight during menopause. Thickening in the waist area is one of the most common complaints during menopause.

So, is it possible not to gain weight despite menopause and to lose the weight gained? The answer is yes. Nutritional counseling aims to help you reach and maintain your ideal weight with a personalized nutrition plan prepared according to the body's hormonal status, biological age and metabolic rate.

If you do not want to gain weight during menopause, you can get nutritional counseling with the menopause weight loss program to spend this period in the most comfortable and comfortable way, and you can make a healthy investment in the coming years.

Menopause

Reproduction and hormonal structure in women spans a period of 40-50 years from puberty to the postmenopausal period. The premenopausal period begins with the first menstruation. It continues as perimenopause, menopause and postmenopause.

Menopause is not an end. Menopause is the beginning of a new period in a woman's life. What ends is menstruation, which means ovulation and the expulsion of the unfertilized egg. Since women's life does not consist of reproduction, menopause should only be seen as a biological phase.

In order to continue to look healthy and fit in menopause, we should first of all regulate our nutrition and then add sports to our lives. Thus, we can minimize the possible devastating effects of menopause.

What is Menopause?

Entering menopause before the age of fifty is considered early menopause, but 45-55 years is the age range accepted as normal by medicine for menopause. Menopause is a condition in which menstruation (menstrual bleeding) is disrupted and eventually stops completely following the decrease in estrogen and progesterone hormones, which are determinants of female biology.

The age and stages of menopause are different in every woman depending on genetic structure, environmental conditions arising from climate and geography, and living standards. The common point caused by menopause in every body is the slowdown in metabolism due to the decrease in estrogen production. If we consider that gynecological diseases such as Polycystic Ovary cause weight gain, we can see the connection between being at an ideal body weight, menopause and women's health more clearly.

Weight gain in menopause occurs due to a decrease in estrogen synthesis in the body and early menopause is possible in women who are above their ideal weight. Menopause is a dangerous time, especially for those at risk of obesity. Weight control can be achieved with nutritional support in menopause starting from perimenopause. Losing weight during menopause provides both metabolic relief and significantly reduces the severity of menopausal symptoms.

What are the Symptoms of Menopause?

Weight gain is one of the symptoms of menopause. As the progesterone level in the body decreases, the metabolic rate slows down and weight gain occurs accordingly. The person may gain weight even if she continues her usual diet, and may also gain weight due to eating attacks due to fluctuations in estrogen levels.

The hormonal imbalance and decreased metabolic rate during menopause is a body condition that is favorable for weight gain in any case. Thickening of the waist and increased weight are considered to be signs of menopause or perimenopause from the forties onwards.

Heat intolerance, also known as hot flushes, is the most common menopause symptom. Mood and emotional states may change frequently, the anxiety threshold may suddenly increase, unreasonable psychological tensions and changes are normal during this period. Insomnia and sleep disturbances are also interpreted as harbingers of this period. The stress of menopause and body temperature imbalances can cause side effects such as headaches and skin diseases.

Why Weight Gain in Menopause?

A woman who plays sports and takes care of her diet does not gain weight during menopause or experiences small changes at very reasonable levels. When we talk about a healthy and active body, it is quite possible to gain a few pounds during menopause and keep fit by adapting to this new biological period.

Excess weight during menopause is often a problem for women who eat unhealthy and do not move enough. If there is already excess weight, weight gain increases with menopause due to the decrease in metabolic rate. As weight gain occurs, hormonal balance is disrupted and metabolism slows down even more. This is a vicious cycle that happens to many women during menopause.

There are many direct and indirect causes of weight gain during menopause and there are some variations from person to person. To give a general answer, we can explain why you gain weight during this period as follows:

Decreased metabolic rate and inactivity.

Weight gain due to decreased sleep quality, thickening in the waist area.

Changes in cholesterol values due to decreased estrogen levels.

Growth of fat cells due to decreased estrogen and progesterone levels.

Frequent meals.

Wrong diets.

Eating attacks.

Regional weight, known as menopause belly, is identified with the menopause period. During menopause, swelling can be interpreted as weight gain, which is one of the situations we encounter very often. The support of a specialized dietitian during perimenopause or menopause is an important measure to understand the condition of the body.

How Should We Eat During Menopause?

If the person has entered menopause with excess weight and is uncomfortable with this situation, first of all, a personalized nutrition plan should be created to reduce the ideal weight. Since the metabolism will gradually slow down after menopause, healthy eating models should be made a habit of life, not periodic diets.

So, what do we mean by a healthy eating model? Obtaining all the body's needs from clean food sources and eliminating packaged foods from the diet...

With menopause, nutrition becomes more important because we now have a responsibility to maintain bone health. Hormonal decline leaves bones unprotected. In order to protect the spine and bone health and to strengthen the body against osteoporosis, it is necessary to list the things to be done in nutrition:

Avoid sugar.

Focus on green leafy vegetables at every meal.

Adopt a diet rich in Omega 3 from natural food sources.

Limit carbohydrate consumption. Get your carbohydrate needs from vegetables such as sweet potatoes, broccoli and beets.

Avoid animal milk containing sugar and acids.

Eat dinner early.

Do not snack in between.

Drink plenty of water.

How to Lose Weight During Menopause?

Dieting and losing weight in menopause is not as difficult as it is thought to be. When we look at the average age of women who lose weight with the support of a dietitian or who apply to a dietitian with the complaint of overweight, we can already say that the vast majority are in perimenopause or menopause. Menopause is not an obstacle to dieting or impossible to lose weight during menopause.

After making sure that there is no other condition that causes weight gain, it is possible to lose weight easily in menopause with sufficient physical activity in addition to a personalized nutrition plan.

How to Lose Weight Fast in Menopause?

Any fast weight loss diet causes the weight lost to be regained at the same speed and at least twice as fast. In a period such as menopause, when nutrition is important, it is beneficial to stay away from diets that cause rapid weight loss, especially in terms of bone health.

Which sport is better for menopause?

Menopause should not be considered as a period of illness. You can engage in any sport you want within the possibilities of your body. Walking is the best activity to meet the body's daily movement needs during menopause, as it is at any age.

How to Follow a Menopause Diet?

There is actually no such thing as a menopause diet. If there is an increase in weight with menopause, a weight loss plan should be applied with a personalized nutrition plan under the control of a dietician.

Which Vitamins Should I Take During Menopause?

It is not right to take any vitamins without a blood test. The main vitamin we want to have high levels in the body during menopause is vitamin D3 and should be taken together with K2. Omega 3 support may be preferred from time to time. Apart from this, the requirements of the body should be obtained through nutrition.