Introduction
The menopause (also called “climacteric”) is the transition from the reproductive to the postmenopausal phase in women. The hormonal change takes several years and is associated with a multitude of changes in the female body. For some women, the changeover begins at the age of 40, for others it does not begin until around the age of 50.
About twelve months after the menopause, the last spontaneous menstruation, the menopause is complete. The change is mainly connected with the decrease of the hormone oestrogen. In addition to hot flushes, sweating and other symptoms, many women also experience difficulties maintaining their weight or even weight gain.
Why is it so difficult to lose weight during menopause?
Weight gain during the menopause is mainly explained by increased age. Older women and men have a lower basal metabolic rate with increasing age, which is related to the proportion of muscle mass. Muscles generally consume significantly more energy than the same mass of fat.
The basal metabolic rate also decreases with the decrease in muscle mass with age. If this is not increased by additional activity and the lifestyle and diet remains the same, unwanted weight gain occurs. The body now receives more energy than it needs.
This energy is stored in the form of fat reserves and leads to an increase in body weight. Nevertheless, the drop in oestrogen during the menopause has an important influence on the female body. Fatty tissue is redistributed, causing the waist to disappear and the breast and abdomen to lose their firmness.
In addition, the menopausal symptoms can be a drastic physical and psychological burden for the woman. In the face of hot flushes, for example, physical activity is reduced or even everyday stress is reduced to a minimum. In addition to the lower basal metabolic rate, there is now also a lower performance metabolic rate due to less physical activity. Depending on lifestyle, depressive moods, which can also occur, can also lead to the consumption of higher calorie foods. In addition to the reduced energy turnover, we therefore also have an increased energy intake through diet and lifestyle.
What is the best way to lose weight during the menopause?
A simple principle also applies to losing weight during the menopause: if you want to lose weight, you have to consume less energy, i.e. calories, than you consume. Women and older men should bear in mind that their basal metabolic rate decreases with age. Portion sizes must be adjusted accordingly, and the selection of healthy foods also has a decisive effect on body weight.
If you want to increase your energy metabolism and do your body good, you should also take regular exercise. This is generally the motto for a healthy lifestyle, but it is also the most important thing for women in the menopause who would like to lose weight. In addition to everyday exercise in the form of walking or cycling, this includes physical activity such as weight training or endurance training.
This not only has a positive influence on weight, but also has numerous other advantages: Physical activity strengthens the musculoskeletal system, prevents age-related postural deformities or tendencies to fall, supports the cardiovascular system and has a positive effect on general well-being. Especially women in the menopausal years, when the hormonal changes favour the appearance of osteoporosis, benefit from the effects of physical exercise. salts belong to the arsenal of many homeopaths and are also used for menopausal complaints.
The effectiveness of Schuessler salts has not been scientifically proven, but they are nevertheless very popular and frequently used. Indications for Schuessler salts are indisposition, diseases or metabolic disorders of all kinds. The effect is based on the assumption that missing minerals negatively influence the metabolism and therefore lead to deficiency symptoms or metabolic disorders.
A substitution with Schuessler salts is supposed to replace these deficiencies and can therefore also have a positive effect on the metabolism during menopause. For menopausal complaints, salts No. 7 and No.
8 are used for general complaints, for specific complaints other salts are used in addition. However, it should be repeated that the effect of the Schuessler salts could not be medically confirmed and that it is only a homeopathic remedy. Besides the Schuessler salts there are further possibilities in homeopathy to alleviate menopausal symptoms.
The principle of homeopathy is to heal “like by like”. The substances that cause diseases or metabolic disorders are administered in extremely diluted concentrations, thus boosting the metabolism. Again, there is no medical proof of the effectiveness of the preparations.
The most common form of administration includes, for example, globules which are taken several times a day. In order to find the suitable preparation, it is recommended to have yourself examined by the treating physician or a non-medical practitioner. However, it has to be said again at this point that taking globules or any other medication alone is not expected to result in any noticeable weight loss, but at most an improvement in general health. There is no way around a change in lifestyle such as eating or exercise habits if the aim is to reduce body weight.
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