Is Menopause Weight Gain Inevitable?

As you age, you may discover that maintaining your normal weight has become a difficult process. In fact, a lot of women gain weight in their 50s when they reach the menopause transition.

Menopause weight gain isn’t inevitable, however. It is possible to reverse course by focusing on a healthy diet and leading an active lifestyle. Minimising sugary drinks and desserts, as well as limiting cheese and meat, eating more vegetables and fruit can all play an important role in maintaining your weight.

“A recent study proved that those who had the ability to minimise their intake of desserts and sugary drinks have a tendency to be more successful at losing weight and maintaining it,” claims researcher Bethany Barone Gibbs, PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh.

Less Sugar Means Losing More Weight

The study involved about 500 obese and overweight postmenopausal females with waist sizes higher than 31.5 inches. Not one of the women suffer from diabetes,cardiovascular disease, or high blood pressure.

50 percent of the women used a weight loss plan that involved frequent appointments with dieticians, exercise experts, and psychologists. Not any of these options were offered to the other women; however, they had been presented the chance to go to seminars on overall health.

The study has been going on for four years. The results that were found was that those women that worked with the dietician and exercise experts lost around 8 pounds, in comparison to about half a pound among the women in the overall health group.

Behaviors involving weight loss at 6 months in both groups involved eating:

• Less sugar (sugary drinks and desserts)
• Less fried food
• More fish
• Eating less fast foods

After four years, actions associated with long-term diet success surfaced:

• Also consuming less desserts and consuming less sugary drinks
• Taking in more vegetables and fruit and less cheese and meat

The study was published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Some Eating Habits Weren’t Maintainable

Barone Gibbs believes that methods that resulted in temporary instead of permanent weight loss, like limiting fried foods and unhealthy foods, could be challenging to maintain.

Executive director of the North American Menopause Society,MD, Mangery L.Gass,informed WebMD that although weight gain is typical among females in their 40s and 50s, menopause is not the cause. Gass is a lecturer of obstetrics at the University of Cincinnati.

“Weight gain is also common in men,” she explains. “For reasons unknown, as we age, weight usually respreads to our waist. This isn’t good since fat in the abdominal area increases the risk of stroke and heart attack.”

Eat Less, Exercise More and Avoid Gaining Weight

Gass states that although weight gain is not certain, most women in their 40s and 50s should eat less and become more physically active to keep weight off.

“Almost every patient who is successful informs me that they have done this,” she affirms.

She notices that weight gain in the menopause transition is significantly less common in Japan compared to the U.S., indicating that Western eating habits are mainly responsible.

Females in Japan generally eat more vegetables, fruits, and fish, and less red meat, sugar and fast food compared to women in the US.

“Japanese females also tend to live longer compared to women in any other state (around 88 years), and their healthy eating habits are the main explanation for this,” Gass affirms.

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Reference
www.webmd.com