Losing weight despite the menopause: Not so easy
During the menopause, many women find that they gain weight quickly or find it difficult to get rid of excess pounds. Why is that? Among other things, the body’s own messenger substances are to blame. During the menopause, the ovaries gradually stop producing the sex hormone oestrogen.
One consequence of this change is that the female body loses muscle mass and requires less energy to nourish the muscles. The calorie requirement decreases. If women now eat just as much as before, they gain weight.
The excess kilos often accumulate on the stomach during the menopause. The colloquial hormone belly is typical of older women after the menopause. Why the fat cells form in the abdominal area of all places is explained by the new ratio between the female sex hormone oestrogen and the male sex hormone testosterone.
The proportion of testosterone becomes more dominant during the menopause as a result of falling oestrogen production. The distribution of fat changes accordingly: it follows the typical male pattern, with fat accumulating mainly on the stomach.
Losing weight during the menopause: How to succeed
But how do women manage to lose weight while their appetite and hunger remain unchanged and despite reduced calorie requirements? Unfortunately, there is no special trick for losing weight during the menopause. The good news is that tried and tested methods can help you lose weight during the menopause – as in all other phases of life.
Reduce calories
As with all those who want to lose weight, the same basic principle applies to menopausal women: to lose weight, energy intake must be lower than energy requirements. The body should therefore burn more calories than it takes in.
But how many calories are allowed to lose weight during the menopause? For healthy weight loss, experts recommend cutting back on no more than 500 calories a day. In order to take your initial weight and your individual calorie requirements into account when calculating your calorie intake, it is best to consult your doctor or seek nutritional advice.
Change your diet permanently
To lose weight or maintain a healthy weight both during and after the menopause, nutritionists recommend a permanent change in diet. For example, the Mediterranean diet with lots of vegetables, fish and vegetable oil has proven to be effective. This style of eating provides the body with all the important nutrients, but is comparatively low in calories.
Losing weight during the menopause with intermittent fasting
Intermittent fasting also offers prospects of success. This involves eating only at certain intervals while fasting at others. According to the 16:8 principle, for example, people who want to lose weight abstain from food for 16 hours at a time, but are allowed to eat without restrictions for the remaining eight hours.
Other intermittent fasting methods limit eating to certain days of the week and establish one or two fixed fasting days per week. Dinner Cancelling – permanently abstaining from eating dinner – is also a form of intermittent fasting. Many people have had good experiences with intermittent fasting, but there is no clear scientific evidence of its success in losing weight.
Sport and exercise
Menopause: losing weight on the stomach
Important to know for women who want to lose weight during the menopause: It can take a little while for the extra pounds to melt away, as the metabolism slows down due to hormones and with increasing age. Stay on the ball and don’t get discouraged.
When the kilos start to fall off, the excess fat often disappears from the stomach first. This is because the body normally breaks down visceral fat (located in the abdominal cavity around the organs) faster than subcutaneous fat, which lies under the skin.
With a little patience, a permanent change in diet and exercise, women can lose weight during the menopause. A balanced diet and regular exercise are not only good for your figure, but also support your health.
