Menopause rapid weight gain is normal for women. If you have noticed that you have added pounds accumulating in addition to experiencing the symptoms of menopause, then remember that this is normal. Everyone goes through some level of this issue. While this is annoying to most women they should be encouraged to learn that there is something that can be done about it. Here is some information about rapid weight gain and how you can relieve these symptoms.
How Did This Happen?
Most women experience weight gain that averages between 12 to 20 pounds. It doesn’t happen all at once either. It happens over time throughout the menopause process. It happens because of changing hormone levels. These changes force your body to react in the following manner.
Progesterone controls the water level of the body. When menopause begins hormone level declines gradually. This causes the body to hold more water, resulting in he appearance of weight gain.
Estrogen is the hormone that regulates ovulation each month. When menopause begins, this hormone also declines, resulting in the stored calories becoming fat. This makes it more difficult to lose weight. It is kind of like your distribution of fat gets stuck at “intersections” within the body.
Testosterone is a hormone that few people realize is part of a woman’s hormonal balance. It makes the calories form lean muscle. Muscles burn calories by increasing the metabolism of a woman’s body. Guess what happens when a woman goes in menopause? You guessed it, her body stops producing this as well contributing to weight gain.
This balance of hormones slowly declines until the body eventually loses the fight and gains weight. Then the question becomes, “how can you lose that weight?” That takes some creativity and dedication. Here are a few ideas.
Is There a Fix?
Rapid weight gain means that the body has gone through the stages of menopause rapidly. This must be respected. You can’t just lose the weight fast and expect it to stay off. It takes life changes. These changes have to become habits that stay with you for life. Otherwise the whole process repeats itself.
Danger, Danger!
Do not, under any circumstances diet and lose the weight quick and then go back to unhealthy eating. If you do this, your body will not only gain the lost weight back, but it will gain more weight on top of that. Your metabolism gets very unstable when you participate in rapid weight loss. That goes double with menopause rapid weight loss. You have to take it slow and keep it up for life. Never believe anyone that tells you otherwise.
Where to Start?
You have to know your body first. You can go get your heath analyzed by a nutritionist. Then you can find out what works for your body. This point is key. Everybody is different. What you body needs is not what everyone needs. This means that you have to know what you need. Your body might need more protein than carbohydrates while others might need more carbohydrates than protein. There are even people that cannot live well eating only vegetables and fruits.
Start the Diet
Start the diet once you get the analysis from the nutritionist. Then you just stick with it. You also have to make sure that the foods that you eat are whole foods. You must make sure that the foods you eat are actually feeding your body. Remember that any foods with preservatives are not helping you. What will help you is the consistent maintenance of healthy eating.
Exercise
You have to get your muscles burning the fat again and this is done by creating the lean muscle. Add weights to your program and get back in shape. You have to stick with this regime. Then you have to simply continue it.
The key to preventing rapid weight gain from happening to you is to follow that and stick with it for life. There are no such things as rapid weight loss programs. In fact, it’s dangerous. Eat right and exercise and you can beat the menopause rapid weight gain.
You can still exercise at 40. There are plenty of low-impact work-outs available for women in their 40's and 50's who want to get back into shape and alleviate many of their menopausal symptoms.
