Menopause gets such a bad rap and to some extent I agree. Hot flashes and adult acne aren’t fun but no period again, ever? Sign me up. Yes please.
But weight gain during menopause is a giant no thanks.
In the last 3.5 years my weight has varied in big ways. I’ve been my lowest in a long time and also my highest. I’ve had a few things affect it, including 6 long rounds of steroids but, I’m also getting to the age where my body is deciding whether or not it still wants the option to have babies.
In other words – menopause.
Since I have no intention of having any more kiddos I would rather if it just moved right on into it and get to the other side.
What I have noticed like so many others is that the fat I am carrying, 25 extra pounds to be exact, seems to have parked itself right in my middle and I’m finding it harder and harder to pull it back off.
Remember the days of a cutting a few snacks and walking a bit more and boom 5 lbs burned? Yeah that changes as we get older.
Is weight gain inevitable?
No, it doesn’t have to be.
Weight gain happens as we age for a few reasons.
We don’t move as much. Women tend to be more active in there 20’s and 30’s for some it’s because they have small children during that time and are on the go a lot more and for others they may be on there feet more at work or in the evenings socializing with family and friends.
Muscle mass decreases as we age and fat increases. It’s dumb, I know, but it happens. As we age and we lose muscle mass our body starts to slow itself down and therefore our metabolism slows down.
We aren’t getting as much sleep. As our hormones fluctuate our sleep can be affected. I hear a lot of women, myself included, who aren’t sleeping as good as they used to during this time. Lack of sleep usually results in more snacking and often times, poor food choices because we are tired and cranky and running through the drive through instead of preparing dinner is just plain easier.
There are several other things that can affect our weight during menopause – genetics, environmental, lack of exercise, and money.
What can we do to prevent weight gain in menopause?
Get moving. Start moving more through out your day. Can you get a quick walk on your lunch break or before work? Can you find a way to be more active during your work day? People are moving to the standup desks and treadmill desks in order to avoid sitting at your desk for hours on end. You can also just find ways to do easy body weight movements that keep you active.
Increase your muscle mass. I’m going to spend some time here. Women are often times afraid that if they pick up a weight they will get big and bulky. You won’t. Unless of course that is your goal and you are lifting heavier and heavier weights and eating a combinations of the right foods in order to grow your muscles.
That isn’t at all what I’m talking about. Your goal is to maintain a balanced amount of muscle and avoid losing what muscle mass you have heading into your 40’s and 50’s and beyond.
Why is keeping the muscle mass important? The more muscle we have the faster your metabolism will be and the faster your metabolism is the more calories you will burn and the more food you can eat.
And isn’t that we all want- the ability to eat more and not gain weight? Of course.
How much weight should we be lifting? Body weight exercises can be enough. One of my rules with clients I have trained in the past, is I need to know you can move your own body before you ever need to pick up a weight. You can get all the workout you need by doing basic exercises of pushups, sit-ups, lunges, squats and planks. If you have some weights and want to use them, go ahead. Just start small and with a basic set of exercises until you are comfortable and have safely built up to a weight training routine.
Ok, deep breath, now that we covered that let’s look at a few other things.
Get better sleep at night. In the past 10 years I’ve rarely slept through the night fully. I usually can fall asleep pretty easily but staying a sleep for the full night usually doesn’t happen. It’s partly because my sweet pup get’s up through the night to go out and also because I just wakeup.
Where I end up being up for hours is because I get on my cellphone. I can fall down the rabbit hole of social media and emails which then get my brain working and hours later I’m still up.
Try to create a peaceful environment that is conducive to sleep. Keep your bedding clean and your room decluttered. Avoid your cellphone in your bedroom if at all possible. I know sometimes I wake up with anxiety and watching a Netflix movie is better for me then laying there worrying and I will almost always fall back to sleep.
Avoid or limit alcohol. Alcohol not only adds extra calories to your diet but it also can affect your sleep leading to the tired snacking we talked about above.
Tweak what you eat. While this is true at any age the more whole real foods you can add the better your body can process it. You can exercise all you want but if you are not paying attention to the foods you are putting in your body you can still gain weight. I tell all my clients- you can’t out train a poor diet. It’s just true. The 30 minutes you spend walking can be outdone in one meal so take a look at what your eating and try cutting just 100-200 calories out of your day. Sometimes that is enough to help you maintain your current weight.
And a bonus tip – find a friend. Find an accountability partner that will help keep you on track. Girlfriends can be the best way to get you where you want to go!