Weight Loss After Menopause

Weight loss after menopause is a major problem that many women have to face and it can seem impossible.

But don’t lose heart or give up. There are some things you can do to help your body with weight loss after menopause.

You may find you’re having more trouble maintaining your weight, now that you have entered your post-menopause stage, even though you’ve always managed to keep your weight steady before.

And perhaps you find that the extra weight you’re carrying tends to accumulate around your mid section now whereas before it was more evenly distributed throughout your body.

The first thing you need to understand before you can succeed at weight loss after menopause is this, all those little tricks that used to work for you before are not going to work for you now because your body is changing.

For most women weight issues related to menopause generally begin during the peri-menopause stage. This means a steady gain of about a pound a year during this time leading up to the menopause itself.

Contrary to popular belief, hormonal changes are not necessarily the main reason for weight gain in menopausal women. While hormonal factors do play a role in weight gain, there are other factors to take into consideration and lifestyle is another important aspect that affects how your weight changes.

Weight loss after menopause is not just a vanity issue, gaining too much weight can cause many weight related health problems too. For example, research has shown that women who gain around 20 pounds after menopause are at a higher risk of developing breast cancer. Other weight related health problems are painful joints and knees, lower back problems, and heart and lung problems.

Being overweight can also cause high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes. If your blood pressure and cholesterol levels are too high you may actually be biologically ten years older than you think you are. Not all overweight people die young, but statistics show that excessive weight predicts an earlier death.

So, in many cases, it can be vitally important for you to find out how you can achieve weight loss after menopause so that you can enjoy an active and healthy life for many years to come.

Unfortunately, the menopause is all part of the aging process and changes are taking place inside your body that are ultimately making weight loss after menopause more difficult for you. It’s not all down to hormones though, because when the aging process slows down your metabolism, your caloric needs decrease at the same time.

Diet and Weight Loss After Menopause

You need less food as you get older, usually no more than 1,800 calories a day. You need the right food – vegetables, fruit, lean meat, milk, cheese, fish, little or no animal fat. You need to weigh yourself daily, even if you’ve never been in the habit of doing so before, because the secret to weight loss after menopause is never to put on more than a few pounds above your norm. These extra pounds can be taken off without too much effort or sacrifice. Starvation and crash diets are not a good idea, these type of diets tax temper and nerves, shrivel the body and collapse the face, because the skin is no longer capable of re-adjusting its elasticity and coverage.

As we age naturally muscle is gradually being replaced with fat. When we were younger our muscles burnt up the calories quickly but now there is less muscle to do this and so unburned calories are being stored as fat. This is what happens when your metabolism slows right down and why weight loss after menopause can seem virtually impossible.

Make sure you are getting an adequate supply of vitamins and minerals. Supplement your diet with brewers’ yeast, kelp, rose hips, yoghurt and honey. Use garlic and onions a lot; include ginseng tea in your beverages; make apricots, fresh or dried, one of your most important fruits. Vitamin E is thought to be particularly good as a regenerator, and one of its best natural sources is wheatgerm. Vitamin C is recommended to help regulate hormones and keep the collagens of connective tissue healthy.

If you have a sweet tooth, substitute these homemade honey balls for shop bought sweets:

1 cup of sesame seeds
1-2 tablespoons of solid honey

Grind the sesame seeds, pour into the honey and knead until the mixture forms a firm dough; make into balls, and sprinkle with desiccated coconut if you like.

Pollen tablets as a diet supplement are considered by many to help build up stamina and body resistance without the need to increase your food intake.

They are made from pollen, which is the male sex cells of flowers and contains a concentration of essential food elements.

Pollen, together with unstrained honey, is an integral part of the diet of the longest-living peoples such as the Hunzas and the Caucasians.

The tactics you need to use for weight loss after menopause are basically the same as they were before for natural weight loss but now; your biggest asset is a thorough understanding of what is happening to your body and why your metabolism has slowed down so much. From here you can take the necessary steps you need to overcome this.

Check List for weight loss after menopause:

Increase your activity levels.
Add weight training to your workout to keep your muscles strong and toned.
Decrease the number of calories you consume to about 1,800 a day.
Make sure every calorie you eat contributes towards weight loss after menopause. Cut out fatty, sugary, salty, and convenience junk food and replace with highly nutritious, natural, healthy alternatives. Do not be taken in by products marketed as being low-fat alternatives. Low fat diets can do more harm than good.
You can still eat your favorite foods as treats now and again in small amounts, there’s no need to deprive yourself of all the things you love to eat.
Increase the calcium in your diet. Research shows that calcium, found in dairy products, has a positive effect on weight loss.
Decrease the amount of salt in your diet. Salt causes water retention and can give you a bloated heavy feeling.
Decrease your alcohol consumption.
Find ways to relax. Stress blocks weight loss and causes fat to accumulate in and around the abdomen, so take up yoga or a relaxing pastime.
And finally, serve yourself smaller portions. Portion size is where most people fall down; remember you don’t need so many calories now. It’s far better to not eat the food in the first place than to battle with weight loss after menopause on a regular basis.

Even if you didn't pay much attention to your diet and exercise regime during the early years of your life, it is of tremendous importance to do so now.

Simple guidelines for weight loss after menopause:

Pay attention to where your calories are coming from; as a guide use the rule of one third. Your meal should consist of one third of good quality protein, one third of slow release carbohydrates and one third of high fiber. Choosing the right foods is a contributing factor to weight loss after menopause and for better all round health. Make healthier choices and you will lose weight.
Exercise is extremely important for weight loss after menopause. Make sure you do weight training, aerobic activity and stretching. This can be achieved through resistance training, aqua fit classes, weight lifting, running, walking or aerobics classes, stretching classes, Pilates or yoga. There are many activities to choose from that incorporate all the important elements that make up a good exercise regime.
Don’t take up exercise suddenly; it can do more harm than good. If you’ve never exercised much, start gradually and with the more gentle workouts such as walking, swimming, stretching or yoga. Active sports are the most enjoyable way to exercise and usually the most consistent. Walk with a spring in your step and with good posture; don’t get into the habit of dragging yourself along – it looks and is aging.

Weight loss after menopause is not easy and it could mean a complete change of diet and lifestyle because your body is changing. The good news is, it is achievable and it’s worth pursuing because the benefits for you far outweigh the effort needed.

Ask yourself this - how much do you want it? How much will it improve your quality of life? If the outcome means enough to you then you should have no problems now with achieving weight loss after menopause.

Find out more information about:
Menopace Plus

Menopace Plus

Menopace Plus is a specially formulated food supplement for women during the menopause who are looking for even greater support. Menopace Plus provides a unique formula in a handy dual pack combining the original multinutrient tablets with a unique active botanical tablets.

Plus Active Botanical tablet:

New Menopace Plus contains the additional benefits of an ‘active botanical’ tablet to be taken alongside the multinutrient tablet. This has been specially formulated for women who are looking for extra nutritional support during this time of change. Each tablet contains an additional 100mg of soya isoflavone extract, 250mg sage extract, 50mg green tea extract and 50mg of flax lignans.