Know Myself & My Body: Menopause Journey Pt 4

Weight gain during menopause:

I am currently struggling on a journey to reduce my body  weight (was weighing 125 kilograms a few weeks ago and will soon weigh in to check how far). This body weight is way too much for my height and age. I was advised to at least loose 30 kg. Meaning I am too heavy for my body to carry me. This was evident because at the beginning I wold feel out of breath when I walked a short distance, my knees hurt, sleeping challenges etc. I had to make a choice of doing regular exercise. Today is my day 16 of aerobics. I love dancing and so i enjoy aerobics. I use Eugene Paul exercises (check You tube Eugene Paul). So far so good with visible improvements. 

We need to know that changes in a woman's body hormones and rapidly shifting moods are common, and you may notice weight gain around your midsection. Some people refer to this symptom as “menopause belly or love handles.” Your body shape may change without weight gain, or you may gain weight that all seems to land around your midsection.

Its advisable that we don’t neglect strength training. This is because we tend to loose muscle mass as part of aging. We loose 1% per year beginning at 30 years and  by age 45 years you have lost a significant muscle mass. That is why we begin to see flabby body parts. It is very shocking to know that as we lose muscle, our metabolism slows down. Ever wondered why your metabolism seems to slow down? This is because you are loosing muscle mass. That’s why we need strength training. This also helps strengthening your bones, and loose weight and enhances your brain. It also helps with blood pressure and diabetes. Its never too late to begin strength training. I just began..

I also experience acid reflex with almost everything I eat. Even with exercise.

I have also learnt that we ran the risk over the 10 years of menopause. A woman in menopause will gain weight and replace muscle with fat that tends to go to places she has never had it before; shifting from the thighs to be deposited as belly fat. This fat is incredibly dangerous. This fat is dangerous because it can cause arthritis and knee pain. We should know that as we start throwing in, gut hormones changes, the viscal fat , hormones changes . These hormones determine what to store, where and how to store fat, when to break it down and drive our hunger. Its just not about calories!

The menopausal belly can cause severe long term consequences. As you approach menopause age, you may notice that you start gaining weight in your waist. Research shows that postmenopausal women have an increase in intra-abdominal fat—the deeper visceral body fat. As estrogen levels fluctuate and drop, body fat is redistributed from the hips, thighs, and buttocks to the belly. Fat also becomes harder to burn. As progesterone levels decrease, cortisol levels increase, which can also cause the body to hold onto stubborn fat in the belly region (affectionately called the “menopot”) in your 40s and 50s, and it can be extremely frustrating to try and work it off. As a result, most women gain between five to ten pounds during the first decade after menopause.

This shift in body fat storage is way more than just a cosmetic issue. It brings an increased risk for mortality even with a normal BMI, and with an increased risk for heart disease, breast cancer, uterine cancer, diabetes, hypertension, stroke, sleep apnea, and many other serious and life-threatening diseases. 

Its also important to understand that there is a huge emotional, physiological and biochemical part which is hormone driven. When we get to menopause, these things get compounded. Through the menopausal transition, the body, metabolism and body changing.

I hope this piece of information is helpful. Kindly leave your comments

(also what else you want to know about menopause)