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The combination of stress, hormonal distress, and impaired metabolism does have the possibility of hampering the condition associated with the lack of weight loss during menopause. In order to lose weight during menopause, it is important to stay dedicated and true to your aspirations and requirements.
There are a number of ways for effective perimenopause weight loss and you would be surprised how you can control the process in the best possible way.
By the end of this article, you will have a better idea of the best way to lose weight during menopause and everything there is to the process.
Why Does Menopause Cause Weight Gain?
Many women don’t realize this but weight gain during menopause is one of the very common side effects that women face on a daily basis.
It is important to ensure that you know your way around to successfully be able to lose weight during menopause and lead a healthy life altogether.
Wondering what causes the rapid and rampant weight gain during menopause?
The induction of menopause is characterized by the deposition of fat around the abdominal region in the body, mainly in the form of visceral fat which is often one of the hardest to lose.
Apart from the hormonal implications, often times, the process of aging, lifestyle factors and even the genetic factors do have the possibility of contributing to the unexpected weight gain.
Additionally, a sedentary lifestyle along with the lack of proper motivation to fight through the condition has been found to have unprecedented impacts in the weight gain in the female individuals.
Lack of sleep or even the lack of an active lifestyle could end up playing a very crucial role in this and impact one’s overall health for the worse.
Is It Difficult To Lose Weight During Menopause?
To answer the question, yes, it is difficult to lose weight during menopause.
There are a number of reasons that could be influencing the condition altogether. But, why do you think weight loss during menopause is a tough nut to crack.
Why do you think it is hard to lose weight during menopause? Some of the probable options include:
- Hormonal fluctuations (R) are probably the very first issue impacting the condition. Given the fact that the estrogen levels are out of control and could be more or even less in the body, the same ends up impacting the body and promotes the storage of fats in the body.
- Lack of sleep is a very common side effect of the condition of menopause. Studies (R) (R) have shown that women who have an altered sleep cycle and don’t get the adequate quality of sleep tend to gain more weight during menopause.
- Women in menopause are always at risks of developing insulin resistance (R) and are at a higher risk of diabetes than normal people. Insulin resistance is often times one of the most common reasons behind the weight gain.
How To Lose Weight During Menopause?
When it comes to the effective ways on how to lose weight during menopause, the process is quite extensive.
There are a number of ways in which one can achieve that, be it through dietary changes or even with the lifestyle changes.
In here, we have shared some of the effective ways for weight loss during menopause.
1. Focus on your gut microbiome
You’d be surprised to know that your gut microbiome does play a very crucial role when it comes to the successful weight loss in healthy individuals.
Apart from playing a crucial role in our digestion and immunity, the gut microbiome does have a crucial role in promoting better weight loss.
Studies (R) have found that the gut health of an individual does have influence on the estrogen receptors in the body as well.
The lack of proper levels of estrogen in the body does have the capability of inducing weight gain which can be prevented if you keep a check on your gut microbiome.
Focus on consuming a diet which will effectively promote better gut health because that is what helps in maintaining the levels of good bacteria in check while driving out the bad ones.
2. Focus on consuming wholesome meals
You will be shocked to know that one of the primary reasons why women fail to lose weight during menopause is because they spruce up unrealistic goals and diet plans.
That is not how it works. If you have been consuming a healthy diet before you stepped into menopause, it is very important to ensure that you do focus on consuming healthy meals all along.
They key to ensure long term weight management is to have a realistic diet plans that helps keep your nutritional needs into consideration.
Consuming a healthy and wholesome meal has beneficial impacts in handling the condition associated with the accessory symptoms of fatigue, stress etc.
Even a conducted study (R) did find that women focusing on the calorie control are less likely to lose weight in comparison to the ones who focus on healthy eating.
Crash diets can end up making you lose muscles momentarily but the same isn’t going to be prove out beneficial in the long run and might even end up making you gain more than you anticipate.
3. Handle your stress
Handling stress can have effective impacts in handling the signs and symptoms that accompanies the condition of weight gain in women suffering from menopause.
You’d be surprised that the hormonal fluctuations brought about with the cortisol levels in the body can have impacts on one’s overall body.
In order to promote better weight loss during menopause, it is very important to ensure that you ward off the possibilities of stress and focus on your mental health in the process.
If required, indulge in yoga and meditation (R)(R) to channel in better peace of mind because the same has been found to have amazing impacts on one’s health for the better.
Additionally, acupuncture (R) also does have positive impacts in handling such signs and symptoms effectively without any kind of issues whatsoever.
4. Reduce the Calorie Intake
What it entails is that the excess calories that you are consuming are not going to be utilized by the body as efficiently as you would need or expect it to be. This is the primary reason why it is important to keep an eye out on the calorie intake and not consume more than what is needed.
If possible, in a healthy way, cut down and reduce the calorie intake for a better health as well.
Instead of junking out, try and divide where you source your calories from. Consume more of complex carbohydrates, proteins and even healthy fats to maintain a balance of the nutrition you are consuming.
5. Pay attention to the liver function
Our body’s liver function plays a very crucial role in the body’s metabolism. The gut’s microbiome does have impacts on the overall liver health. Liver does have the capability of detoxing and regenerating for the body.
The liver functions (R) have beneficial impacts on the overall process of breakdown of hormones and any kind of bugged functionality of the liver can end up causing issues to the overall metabolism of the body.
If you want to maintain a proper impact on your body of the functions altogether, it is important that you do maintain your liver function too. Given the fact that liver does have impacts on the metabolism, it is important that you ensure to consume a liver-friendly diet that will help in maintaining a healthy diet altogether.
Some of the liver friendly foods include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage etc.
Consuming green tea (R) has also been found to be quite beneficial in helping detox the liver and keep it healthy and thriving.
6. Include more fiber rich foods in diet
If you have opted for all the exercises to lose weight during menopause only to experience no change in your weight at all, it is time to spruce up the diet.
Adding more fiber to the diet has beneficial impacts in handling the condition associated with weight gain. Fibers help in keeping you satiated for an extended period of time and has beneficial impacts in handling the blood sugar levels in the body.
Some of the examples of soluble fibers that are good to consume to help lose weight during menopause include apples, brown rice, cabbage, Brussels sprouts etc.
7. Lift weights
As women age, their body tends to start losing the muscle mass following the age of 35. Regular training with weights is one of the best exercises to lose weight during menopause and for a healthy weight loss altogether.
[ Also Read: 10 Best Free Weight Workout – Complete Guide and Exercises ]
Even studies (R) have found that women who indulge in strength training following their days of menopause have been found to have better impacts on losing weight. Apart from weight loss, it mellows down the accessory symptoms associated with menopause that people often tend to complain about.
Make sure that you train under a professional to get better guidance and help reduce and lose unwanted pounds.
8. Consume more fruits and veggies
These are not just helpful in meeting your daily nutritional requirements; they also do help in managing your daily calorie intake.
Additionally, apart from helping you shed off those extra pounds, the fruits and vegetables have beneficial impacts in warding off the risks associated with a number of diseases altogether like heart disease and even diabetes.
9. Sleep better
The combination of hormonal changes along with the added stress often tend to end up playing a crucial role in preventing you from getting good quality sleep.
The lack of sleep, as studies (R)(R) do suggest, have impacts in contributing to weight gain. If you have been struggling to get a proper night’s sleep, ensure to opt for ways that will help promote better sleep in you.
Try and use essential oils in the air diffuser, especially lavender oil to help calm down your mind and get a good night’s sleep altogether.
Often times, hot flashes and night sweats tend to be a problem for several women in their menopause. This can be a contributing factor in disrupting one’s sleep. If you are experiencing something similar, it is best to sleep with a fan facing you or even try and sleep with an air conditioner on.
[ Also Read: What Happens If You Sleep 6 Hours A Day? Know The Side Effects! ]
10. Add more protein to the meals
You’d be surprised but protein does play a very crucial role when it comes down to weight management during menopause.
While the requirement for calories decreases as we age, the protein requirement of our body increases as we age.
Every single part and function of our body does depend on the presence of protein. If you are wondering why, it is because it helps in replenishing the lost muscle mass in the body. Major aspects of our body like skin, bones, muscles, organs and even the cartilage need proteins in them to function efficiently.
Studies have found that the shortage of proteins in the diet has been related to the weakened muscle as well as lack of proper immunity.
It is important to ensure that you source your protein from healthy sources that will help keep a check on your health and won’t end up affecting it for the worse.
Soy protein is one of the best components that you can possibly have. The isoflavones in that handles the condition associated with handling the signs of menopause.
Consume more lean meats and fishes because the same has impacts on the body in the long run.
[ Also Read: 12 Roles Of Proteins In The Body – Know The Importance! ]
11. Try and quit sugar
You might not realize this but sugar does worse for women suffering from their menopause. Not only does it heighten the risks associated with insulin resistance and diabetes, but it also causes excess dehydration.
It has adverse impacts on the additional signs and symptoms associated with the condition of menopause.
Additionally, the inclusion of caffeine, as well as alcohol along with sugar, has adverse impacts, especially for a woman trying to lose weight during menopause.
These specific factors have profound negative impacts on the body, making the condition worse than ever.
[ Recommended: 11 Reasons Why Sugar Is Bad For You – Take A Look At Its Ill-Effects! ]
12. Don’t skip out on fats
It is very important to ensure that you do consume a good and healthy amount of fats because that is what helps in forming the building framework for the hormones and such in the body.
[ Related: 18 Healthy Fats To Eat For A Healthier Well Being ]
Apart from that, fats are also quite beneficial in contributing to the optimal brain function and nervous system as well.
For the best of impacts, opt for the monounsaturated fat sources like the nuts and plant based oils or even the polyunsaturated fat sources like that of the fatty fishes and such.
13. Indulge in a more active lifestyle
Maintaining an active lifestyle doesn’t mean you only need to rely on rigorous workout regimes. Try and just start it off with some casual strolling and even that is enough to keep your life on track.
Walking helps lose the abdominal fats around the belly and hips that many often tend to struggle with.
[ Also Read: 14 Ways To Main A Healthy Lifestyle For A Rejuvenated Mind & Body ]
14. Indulge in some cardio
Cardio training has immense impacts in handling the weight gain and preventing the unprecedented problems many face with losing the excess pounds.
Additionally, these forms of exercises have important impacts on improving the cardiovascular health of an individual.
[ Also Read: 5 Cardio Workouts For Weight Loss At Home ]
The three types of cardio training that you can indulge in include:
- Interval training
- Circuit training
- Speed play
When it comes on how to lose weight during menopause, the process is not just tough but there are a number of other factors influencing or rather, preventing the steady weight loss process. Be firm on your decisions and ensure that you do stick to the effective ways and make healthier switches to one’s diet and lifestyle.
