Women that are going through menopause will start to notice a weight gain. They may exercise and try to cut back on their calories but they will realize the weight is not as easy to lose as it used to be.
One of the reasons for weight gain during menopause is the change in the hormone levels in your body. You may develop insulin resistance which means that your body will turn all the calories that it can into fat. Stress plays an important part in weight gain during menopause. Stress produces cortisol which can block fat loss. As a woman ages, she may not be able to handle the stressors in her life as well as when she was younger. This will produce more cortisol and therefore make her gain weight.
Weight loss during menopause may be a little bit harder, but it is possible. The first thing women need to do is to take a look at their lifestyle. Most women, as they age, become less active. So if you find that you are not getting any exercise, now is the time to increase your activity level.
Aerobic exercises will boost your metabolism and help your body burn more fat. Find a good aerobic exercise program that you enjoy doing. This includes things like walking, jogging, dancing or anything else that gets the heart rate up.
Strength training is a great way for menopausal women to lose weight. Strength training will help you boost your metabolism and increase your muscle mass. It also helps to strengthen your bones which is very important for women after menopause.
When women become stressed they will turn to food as a stress reliever. This will lead to significant weight gain for a woman over forty because of her decreased metabolism. If you want to lose weight, it is important that you take a good look at your diet. Change your eating habits by cutting out the junk foods. Start including more fruits and vegetables into your diet.
To lose weight after menopause it is important that you reduce your caloric intake. As you grow older, your body does not need as many calories as it did when you where younger. Slowly reduce your calorie intake by 200 calories at a time. Don’t cut back too quickly or your body will go into “starvation” mode and start hanging onto every calorie you eat.
It is best to eat several small meals throughout the day instead of three big meals. This can keep your body in the fat burning mode. Just be careful that you do not go over your calorie limit when you are eating these small meals.
Cut out the high fat foods by limiting your fat intake to twenty to thirty-five percent of your daily calories. You should incorporate good fats into your diet. These good fats are the monounsaturated fats. These fats can be found in olives, nuts and certain seeds.