Sunday, March 1, 2009

How to Lose Weight During and After Menopause

By Ricardo d Argence

When you hit menopause, you may find that like many women, you find your weight creeping slowly upward, even though there has been no change in your diet or your exercise. What you need to remember though, is that when you are dealing with menopause, you are dealing with a fairly big change in your body.

If you feel like you are gaining weight your estrogen level may have dropped. As you get older, things that you were able to eat when you were a kid, you can eat now. You become allergic to them and in some cases you end up in the hospital with reactions. So just be careful.

You have to consider that your habits varies from your adolescence and adulthood. It's understandable that a change needs to happen both before and after menopause.

The way that body fat is distributed has a lot to do with menopause, and you will find that with that in mind the decline of estrogen levels can increase fat around the middle in women, something that can happen even if the total body weight remains the same. It is very common to gain weight around menopause. Genetics may play a real role in your shape as well as an increasingly sedentary lifestyle. Many women retire around this stage, and that can play a role as well.

You need to remember that, during and after the menopause, there are plenty of things that you can do in order to lose weight. First make sure that you are getting all the nutrients that you need. Calcium is as important as reducing the amoung of estrogen which removes calcium deposits. Also, looking to get magnesium in your daily diet will assist the calcium in getting to where it is needed.

Beyond that, start keeping a food journal. Make sure you are aware of what you are consuming, and how it is affecting you. This is always a good idea. In this phase, your body is passing through a lot of modifications and it will definitely require various needs. Consuming fresh fruit and vegetables is a healthy way to diet, and in this way you keep up your energy to lose weight.

Similarly, remember that exercise is going to play a large role in what you need to do to keep your body fit and trim. Take some time and really find an exercise that appeals to you.

Consider which are your options to get (and stay) active. If you can find an exercise routine that you like and can mix it with other actions, it will help you stick with the routine without getting bored.

Consider what your body needs, weight loss during and after menopause is completely possible if you are only mindful of your body. - 15266

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