Whether a woman welcomes menopause or wants to run away from it, what most women will agree upon is why am I gaining weight?  The “change of life” has suddenly brought with it an unwelcome change in numbers on the bathroom scale.  For some women it may seem that no matter what they do, the pounds keep packing on.

What causes weight gain during menopause

What is it making menopause an almost overnight rite of passage of weight gain accumulating around the midsection?  The driving factor appears to be the hormonal changes that occur during this phase of a woman’s life.  The hormone estrogen begins to dwindle and when this happens any ounce of weight gain can turn a woman from a traditional pear shape into more of an apple.  Apple-shape is when a person carries any excess weight primarily in the central abdominal area – the gut - or where weight is distributed mainly above the hips.

The drop in estrogen also means a deterioration of muscle mass. Muscle mass tends to diminish with age while fat mass tends to increase. When a person, man or woman, lose muscle mass, this reduces the rate at which your body uses calories making it more challenging to maintain a healthy weight. Muscle mass burns more calories than fat mass so the less muscle mass a woman has, fewer calories are burned which leads to a slower metabolism.

Other factors for women to consider in menopause weight gain is if her parents or other close relatives carried extra weight during this time making it more likely she will too. Lack of exercise, unhealthy eating, and not enough sleep are other possible contributors of middle-age spread. 

Why is weight gain after menopause risky?

Some women may just assume that gaining weight during menopause is inevitable and not much can be done about it. But this type of thinking can lead to serious health issues. Accumulating excess weight, particularly in the mid-section, can increase the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, breathing problems, and various types of cancer including breast, colon, and endometrial cancer. 

What to do about menopausal weight gain

The first thing to do is try very hard not let it happen to begin with.  There is no magic formula, pill, diet, or food one can use to prevent or reverse menopause weight gain.  But that doesn’t mean a woman has to resign to accepting a body she is not used to. She can beat back menopausal weight gain with lifestyle changes and common sense. The best ways to achieve and then keep a healthy body weight is to simply stick with weight control basics:

• Pay close attention to your diet

Now more than ever, what a woman choses to eat will have a big impact on whether she gains or maintains her weight. Many women find that the way they used to eat 10 or more years ago, no longer applies. Suddenly eating lots of bread and pasta are not a friend to her waist line.  To prevent weight gain, a woman will need to reduce her intake of carbs by consuming about 200 calories less than what she did in her 30s or 40s. The days of having a dinner roll with a cup of pasta should be very infrequent if weight loss or maintenance is to happen. 

Instead a woman should load up on nutrient-rich, high-fiber foods such as fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and beans while reducing intake of refined and processed foods. Also choosing lean beef, skinless chicken breast and healthy fatty fish such as salmon and tuna, and low-fat dairy foods will help a woman to manage her weight.

Portion control is another important factor to consider. If a woman wants to avoid weight gain, the days of eating a big bowl of ice cream are gone. She can still have ice cream, just in a smaller portion size.

• Get much more physical

Now more than ever, a woman must move – frequently. Aerobic activity – brisk walking, bicycling, swimming, jogging – will help shed excess pounds. Strength training is also a must. Muscle mass atrophy will accelerate once a woman enters menopause and lifting weights can counteract that. Gaining muscle means the body burns more calories more efficiently making it easier to control weight.

It is recommended for most healthy adults to achieve at least 150 minutes a week of vigorous aerobic activity and to do strength training at least twice a week. 

Women should not forget to also stretch by practicing yoga, Pilates or other ways of maintaining flexibility. Flexibility is crucial for being able to move with ease, bend over to pick something off the floor, or to reach for something on a high shelf. 

If a woman gains weight, loses her muscle mass and flexibility, this can eventually lead to making her more prone to loss of independence and risk of diseases.

• Slash sugary beverages

The average American diet contains about 300 calories that come from added sugars. About half of these calories come from sugar-sweetened beverages, such as soft drinks, juices, energy drinks, flavored waters, and sweetened coffee or tea.

Other foods that contribute to excess dietary sugar include cookies, pie, cakes, doughnuts, ice cream and candy. 

None of these foods are valuable contributors to a woman’s health as they contain very little nutritional value that benefits her. Keeping these foods and beverages to a bare minimum is a must for managing weight.