How To Lose Weight Around Menopause

Over the past 25+ years of clinical practice as a board-certified Ob/Gyn, thousands of women have asked me this same question, “Is menopause making me fat?”

 

If you were to look online, you might find some conflicting answers.  Yes and no. The real truth, menopause does not make you fat – the act of aging, with lower metabolic rate and less muscle mass makes you gain weight.  In reality, trying to same weight can be a struggle. Plus, the fact that estrogen and progesterone levels fluctuate with perimenopause and drop precipitously with menopause, a re-distribution of fat occurs– shifting fat from the hips and thighs to the abdominal area.  Muffin top, anyone?

 

 

For those of you who might need a refresher in all of the terminology, here’s a simplified version of what you need to know.  

 

Menopause is defined as the time during a woman’s life when her menstrual cycles stop for 12 straight months- one whole year without bleeding – going from a reproductive state to a non-reproductive state. 

 

Prior to this time, cycles become irregular and many other symptoms can occur such as hot flashes, night sweats, irritability and mood swings – this is called “perimenopause” and can last from 4-12 years before menopause.  The average age in the United States for women is 51-52 years of age.

 

Back to the muffin top. Did you know that the average weight gain during the menopause transition is approximately 5 pounds?

 

Part of this is due to interrupted sleep, with night sweats causing you to wake up with sheets completely wet. This then leads to poor sleep quality, which over nights, leads to daytime irritability, brain fog, fatigue and much less motivation to put on your sneakers and head to the gym.  This more sedentary lifestyle also leads to burning less calories, more fat deposition and feeling like your body is no longer yours.

 

Well, what about this fat deposition change from hip/thigh to belly?  Is this harmful to my body?

 

We have different types of fat and the fat we can't see, that's below the surface, can be really dangerous. That type of fat can lead to Type II diabetes, high blood pressure and certain types of cancer. 

 

Yet – don’t be discouraged. There are ways to combat this battle of the bulge.

 

You may have heard that sleep, hydration and digestive health can all affect your weight. I talk a little bit more about this in my FREE Anti-Aging Guide. 
 
Because so many of you have asked for a lot more information about weight gain during this time, and are frustrated, I’m going to release my weight loss module on “Losing that Muffin Top!“ EARLY. This module is a sneak peak of my upcoming Amazing Over 40 Transformation course coming soon!

 

Please stay tuned for the email coming into your inbox soon!

If you're not already on the Amazing Over 40 email list and want to stay up to date on weight loss, hormone health & balancing, anti-aging, and more, sign up HERE. 

 

In health and happiness,

Dr. Diana

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