MENOPAUSE AND WEIGHT GAIN: CAN IT BE AVOIDED?

For many women, menopause marks a new phase in their battle with excess weight. Unfortunately, menopause and weight gain commonly go hand-in-hand. In fact, one of my most common patient situations is weight loss for menopause.

During and after menopause many changes occur within a woman’s body. Hormone levels change. Metabolismslows. Fat deposits shift to areas they have never been before, like around the abdomen.

Even women who have never had trouble with excess weight before tell me things started to change for them at menopause and that no matter what they did, they just couldn’t seem to avoid it.

The good news? While you can’t avoid menopause, you can avoid menopause and weight gain! And if you’ve already gained weight, there are successful methods for weight loss for menopause.

First, you will have to put in some extra effort. For some reason it is the body’s natural tendency to put on weight easily and in places you haven’t before after menopause. This means you’ll need to pay attention to what you are eating much more closely, get regular exercise, and make lifestyle changes to offset menopause and weight gain.

Second, you shouldn’t give in or give up. This weight gain around the abdomen that’s common after menopause is thought to be the most dangerous kind of fat for your health. It increases the risk of things like heart disease, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. So it’s not just cosmetic menopause and weight gain can be hazardous to your health.

Third, don’t try to do it on your own. Patient after patient in this situation tell me they’ve tried everything before coming to my office for help. Weight loss for menopause is different and it requires a different approach.

A medically supervised weight loss program like that at The Center for Medical Weight Loss that includes body composition monitoring, a sound diet and exercise plan, and counseling to help you break old patterns and learn new ones offers you the best chance not only for losing weight for menopause, but also for successfully keeping it offlong-term.