How to take care of the weight in menopause? During this stage, weight gain is normal, but it can be prevented and even avoided. Find out how.
The menopause is a stage that tends to worry many women. About the age at which it appears, it usually begins between 40 to 45 years of age, although in some women it can begin much earlier (you have more information in our note dedicated to early menopause).
Contrary to what many women tend to think, it is not a stage that appears suddenly overnight. It is a period that appears little by little, and that represents the end of the reproductive phase of women.
This means that the ability to menstruate gradually decreases as the ovaries tend to gradually lose the ability to produce estrogen and progesterone (the hormones responsible for regulating the menstrual cycle).
Among the most common effects of menopause on the woman’s body (in addition to the different characteristic menopausal symptoms) we find that many tend to gain weight.
Why during menopause can you gain weight?
With the beginning of menopause, a woman’s ovaries are not capable of producing estrogens, which before this stage were stored in fatty tissue but constantly used.
This means that, by way of compensation because the ovaries are no longer capable of producing these hormones, the body increases the mass that serves as deposits.
In addition to the metabolic and hormonal change, the practice of physical exercise in women also tends to decrease, so that the body burns fat much more slowly.
How to prevent weight gain?
As you obviously cannot prevent the ovaries from continuing to produce estrogen, the key is to increase your daily physical activity. The ideal? Practice physical exercise every day, for at least 30 minutes. It is also essential to follow a balanced diet, based on the consumption of healthy foods.
And if I gain weight, what can I do?
Since during menopause it is normal to gain weight, you must remain calm, be patient when following the advice indicated above and above all be constant.
You can go to your doctor or nutritionist to advise you on a low-fat diet that you can follow, and to discover what habits you should reduce or eliminate.
