Weight Loss After MenopauseHaving a tough time losing weight as you grow older? Most women do. But weight loss after menopause doesn’t need to be difficult if you correct the underlying causes of weight gain that occur during this period.
Why We Gain Weight After MenopauseMenopause is defined as the cessation of menstrual cycles for a period of one year.Menopause occurs because as we age the ovaries progressively secrete less estrogen and progesterone - the hormones responsible for menstrual periods. While the loss of menstrual periods is perceived by most women as the one good thing that occurs with aging, the loss of estrogen and progesterone also has many undesirable health effects. And one of these is the increased tendency to gain weight. In fact, at menopause, the average woman will gain twenty pounds due to the loss of sex hormones. And, unless the hormones responsible for this weight gain are restored, weight loss after menopause can be difficult at best.
Other Hormones Affecting Weight LossWhile estrogen and progesterone are the most obvious hormones that decline during our middle years, they aren’t the only ones.Your body's production of many other hormones including testosterone (Yes, Ladies! You do have testosterone and it is as important for you as it is for the men in your life!) human growth hormone, thyroid hormone and melatonin also declines as you age. Loss of these hormones makes weight loss difficult since they are largely responsible for maintaining the metabolic rate that helps keep us slim during our younger years.
Weight Loss in Peri-Menopausal WomenMost women experience menopause around the age of 51 or 52. But the sex hormones normally produced by the ovaries don’t just drop off precipitously at this age. Instead, they decline slowly beginning as early as age 35.So hormonal loss also explains why so many premenopausal women in their 30s and 40s also have a strong tendency to gain weight and so much difficult losing it.
How to Lose Weight After Menopause
Although the loss of estrogen, progesterone and other hormones that occurs with aging is inevitable, there is some good news.
It is possible to measure the levels of many of these hormones using a simple saliva test, and, in most women, to safely restore them to normal. Restoring hormones like estrogen, progesterone and testosterone to healthier levels can make weight loss after menopause much easier and can also reverse the many other adverse health effects caused by hormonal loss.
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