Weight Gain and Perimenopause

By Joe Whiticer


During perimenopause women usually gain extra weight, especially around their stomach. Most women start going through this stage in life beginning in their early 40s, but some may start as early as their 30s and others as late as 50. Changing hormone levels are mainly the reason for the extra weight gain. Perimenopause typically lasts four to five years, and it's the transition time before a woman enters menopause.

Besides weight gain, women can also gain additional water weight. This gain is because changing hormone levels make women susceptible to water retention. Sometimes, women can gain as much as five pounds just in water weight. In addition, the stress from fluctuating hormones can cause women to secrete more cortisol, and higher cortisol levels makes the body store more fat because of increasing insulin levels. This increase in size mostly occurs around the stomach. Other symptoms of perimenopause include hot flashes, night sweats, dry skin and headaches. Here's what health experts say you can do to fight weight gain during perimenopause:

Women who are in perimenopause should increase their dairy intake because several studies show that people who eat more dairy lose more weight compared to those who don't eat as much dairy. One study showed that participants who ate three to five servings of dairy every day lost up to 80 percent more fat compared to those in a control group who didn't consume as much dairy. Health professionals believe it's the calcium in dairy that fights extra fat. Moreover, an increase in dairy helps fight the fat around the abdomen. Make sure to eat low-fat and non-fat dairy products along with a healthy diet.

Another thing women can do to fight fat during perimenopause is include interval training and weight training in their workouts. Interval training helps people burn more fat. All you need to do is increase and decrease the intensity of your workouts. For example, if you walk every day for exercise, simple walk at a steady pace for a few minutes. Then increase the intensity to a slight jog or fast walk for the next few minutes. In addition, women who are in perimenopause should lift weights to fight the decrease in lean muscle mass that occurs during perimenopause.

Perimenopausal women should also watch their diet a little more closely. Most women, and even men, see a decline in their metabolism as they age, so people need fewer calories each day to stay at their current weight. Typically, metabolism declines .5 percent each year after age twenty-five. Women in perimenopause should be aware of the glycemic index and opt for low glycemic foods. These foods have a better effect on insulin levels as they don't raise blood sugar levels as quickly. Choose foods like non-starchy vegetables, raw apples and skim milk, and overall eat more lean protein.

Finally, women should consider giving up diet soda because several studies suggest that diet soda makes people gain weight, especially in the stomach, and perimenopausal women are already fighting fat around the abdomen. Health experts state it's the artificial sweeteners that appear to cause weight gain.




About the Author:



0 comments:

Post a Comment