Menopause Weight Gain
 Many women going through menopause become disconcerted with the extra weight they seem to put on suddenly, and for no apparent reason. Indeed one of the most disturbing symptoms of menopause is weight gain and overall change in shape of body. Whilst very few (if any) women are actually happy about putting on extra weight, remember that weight gain is normal and regrettably, to be expected. Statistics suggest that over 90% of women gain weight between the ages of 35 and 55, and thus should not be a cause for concern or feelings of personal shame. Read over the following paragraphs to learn more about the shift in hormones that causes weight gain during menopause.
Why is menopause causing my body to change shape?
Most women begin to notice a change in their body shape as they start to go through menopause. Usually, women will gain between 10-15 pounds during the menopausal years and this in part accounts for the change. During menopause the body tends to redistribute weight to the areas around the abdomen as opposed to the hips, thighs and backside. This happens because the body no longer places emphasis on protecting the reproductive organs – and subsequently alters from a “pear” shape into an “apple” shape, with the area around the stomach becoming rounder.
Women who have experienced early or surgical menopause tend to put on more weight at a faster rate than those who have not.
What is distressing for most women is that they may be eating and exercising the same or even more frequently as before, but still can´t seem to maintain the same weight. This symptom is directly attributable to hormones.
How is menopause causing the weight gain?
 The body´s hormones affect our appetite, metabolism and fat storage. This is why during menopause, when the hormones are fluctuating wildly, it is so difficult to keep control over your weight.
During menopause, estrogen (the sex hormone responsible for ovulation) levels decline to the point where the body stops ovulating completely. In order to compensate for the loss of estrogen the body starts to convert fat cells into estrogen. The body thus works harder to convert calories into fat, which don´t burn calories like muscles, causing the extra weight gain during menopause.
During menopause the body also produces less progesterone. Less progesterone causes higher water retention rates, which in turns produces the bloated feeling and look that some menopausal women can´t stand. Mercifully though, water retention and bloating tend to disappear after a few months.
Testosterone – helps create lean muscle mass out of the calories you consume. Because muscle burns calories faster than fat cells, testosterone is also responsible for increasing metabolism. During menopause testosterone levels drop and thus so does the metabolism. The lower the metabolism the slower the body burns calories.
What can I do about menopause weight gain?
Just because weight gain during menopause is somewhat inevitable is no reason to stop and give up on healthy living altogether. Indeed without a healthy diet and regular exercise weight gain may really start to swing out of control. Having said that, crash diets and losing huge amounts of weight are not recommended, especially given that the extra weight can help with other menopause symptoms such as hot flashes. Some women find natural herbs and alternative treatments to be helpful in regulating weight caused by hormonal swings.
For more information about treatments for weight gain as a result of menopause click here.
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