Gaining weight during menopause is caused by several factors. Hormonal changes as a woman grows older are one of them where she experiences very low levels of estrogen in the body. In addition,  weight gain, estrogen and testosterone levels are closely inked to one another .

Developing insulin resistance also plays a role in menopausal weight gain. During the menopausal years, the body grows to be weaker in taking in the calories and so it eventually turns into fats. Eating foods that are processed and refined can make your body resist insulin from being created into the blood stream later on. This is usually the cause of gaining weight of women who passed the age of 40.

Stress during menopause is also another factor that contributes to weight gain. Once the stress hormones are produced, they create signals to the storage mode that makes losing weight very difficult. This condition is called the “famine effect” in which the stress hormones make the body think that it will not be getting any food again for a long period of time. That is why it tends to shift to keeping every calorie inside the body which results to weight gain.

Undergoing weight loss during menopause is actually very hard for women. One important thing that women can do is to accept the fact that gaining weight at this period of time is a natural thing, not really awful, and may result to something good. Gaining a little weight may lessen anxiety and hot flashes as well which are also the common symptoms of menopause. Also, weight gain can also prepare the body for possible illnesses in the future such as osteoporosis and other health conditions.

In order to maintain their weight during menopausal period, women should always keep their weight in check. One important thing to do everyday is to eat a balanced diet. Refined sugars and processed foods should be avoided and fruits and vegetables are preferred instead. Moreover, crash diets should also be avoided by women who are undergoing menopause and weight gain. It will create an even bigger problem for this diet involves starving the whole body. It can only cause a woman’s metabolism to go slower and thus, more weight is gained. At this stage, women should be losing huge amounts of weight rather than gaining them.

Women who are experiencing weight gain and menopause can cause thinning or drastic weight loss and even a greater condition like osteoporosis later on. The body has to remain active to be able to increase the body’s metabolism and burn the unnecessary fats in the body during or after menopause.

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