WHAT IS THE MENOPAUSE? The menopause represents the time in a woman's life when egg production ceases as the ovaries stop producing estrogen.
It usually occurs between the ages of 41 and 59, with the average age being around 51.
When there has been no menstruation for one year, a woman is officially classed as being " menopausal".
The physiological changes which occur at this time increase the risk of osteoporosis and heart disease, with the associated weight gain also leading to an increased risk of diabetes, high cholesterol and breast cancer.
WHAT ARE THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF THE MENOPAUSE? Symptoms occur when the production of oestrogen starts to decrease.
Signs can begin more than a year before the last period and can include changes in the menstrual cycle, excessive sweating, susceptibility to urinary tract infections, incontinence, thinning hair, vaginal dryness, sleeplessness and, not least of all, weight gain.
Although all of the above symptoms can be present in a menopausal woman to a greater or lesser degree, most women would agree that weight gain is the most disturbing aspect of the menopause.
Not only is it outwardly visible, excessive weight gain can be uncomfortable and give rise to depression as clothes may no longer fit and many women feel very unhappy with their changing body shapes.
IS WEIGHT GAIN INEVITABLE OR CAN IT BE PREVENTED? With pre-menopause diets and exercise regimes remaining constant, most women would gain between 10-20 pounds, with a significant number going on to gain considerably more than this.
After the menopause, excess weight tends to accumulate on the abdomen whereas prior to this stage in a woman's life, it would distribute itself evenly around the bottom, thighs, hips, middle and arms.
For menopausal weight gain to be prevented altogether, it would be necessary for a woman to take appropriate measures as she began the perimenopause.
These could include the following:Reduce overall calorie intake by around 10% Exercise portion control Avoid fad or crash diets Increase physical activity Drink 8-10 glasses of water daily Unfortunately, most women do not think to do this beforehand and a certain amount of weight gain becomes inevitable.
However, it is certainly possible to lose weight menopause related, even if the amount gained is significant.
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO LOSE WEIGHT? Experts agree by consensus that the best way to lose weight is by following a safe, healthy eating plan coupled with a relevant exercise regime.
Diets which advocate losing huge amounts of weight in a short space of time should be avoided at all costs.
We have all heard stories about crash or fad diets where people might appear to lose a "stone in a week" and how they have subsequently gone on to regain the weight in a very short space of time, once they have began to eat normally.
In addition, steer clear of diets which encourage the omission of whole food groups, such as carbs or fats as the body could be missing out on essential nutrients.
Also to be avoided are expensive pre-packaged meal plans as although they may be low in calorific value, most are also lacking the necessary nutrients.
During the menopause when numerous changes are taking place in your body, the very last thing you would want to do is to deprive yourself of foods your body needs to function properly.
Even worse, the natural decline in estrogen increases the susceptibility to osteoporosis and failure to eat calcium-rich foods can result in bone fractures in later life.
This is exactly why the choice of diet is of extreme importance.
If you have more than just a very small amount of weight to lose, a sustainable (and even enjoyable!) healthy eating plan is essential.
This should give you the opportunity to choose from a wide variety of foods and not exclude any major foodgroup.
There numerous diets, all claiming to help you lose your menopausal weight that it can seem impossible to choose.
One plan consistently beats the rest in diet reviews as it genuinely is a plan which can be followed easily.
After just two short weeks, you could easily have dropped 10lbs, with 4lbs of this being PURE BODY FAT!
It usually occurs between the ages of 41 and 59, with the average age being around 51.
When there has been no menstruation for one year, a woman is officially classed as being " menopausal".
The physiological changes which occur at this time increase the risk of osteoporosis and heart disease, with the associated weight gain also leading to an increased risk of diabetes, high cholesterol and breast cancer.
WHAT ARE THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF THE MENOPAUSE? Symptoms occur when the production of oestrogen starts to decrease.
Signs can begin more than a year before the last period and can include changes in the menstrual cycle, excessive sweating, susceptibility to urinary tract infections, incontinence, thinning hair, vaginal dryness, sleeplessness and, not least of all, weight gain.
Although all of the above symptoms can be present in a menopausal woman to a greater or lesser degree, most women would agree that weight gain is the most disturbing aspect of the menopause.
Not only is it outwardly visible, excessive weight gain can be uncomfortable and give rise to depression as clothes may no longer fit and many women feel very unhappy with their changing body shapes.
IS WEIGHT GAIN INEVITABLE OR CAN IT BE PREVENTED? With pre-menopause diets and exercise regimes remaining constant, most women would gain between 10-20 pounds, with a significant number going on to gain considerably more than this.
After the menopause, excess weight tends to accumulate on the abdomen whereas prior to this stage in a woman's life, it would distribute itself evenly around the bottom, thighs, hips, middle and arms.
For menopausal weight gain to be prevented altogether, it would be necessary for a woman to take appropriate measures as she began the perimenopause.
These could include the following:
However, it is certainly possible to lose weight menopause related, even if the amount gained is significant.
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO LOSE WEIGHT? Experts agree by consensus that the best way to lose weight is by following a safe, healthy eating plan coupled with a relevant exercise regime.
Diets which advocate losing huge amounts of weight in a short space of time should be avoided at all costs.
We have all heard stories about crash or fad diets where people might appear to lose a "stone in a week" and how they have subsequently gone on to regain the weight in a very short space of time, once they have began to eat normally.
In addition, steer clear of diets which encourage the omission of whole food groups, such as carbs or fats as the body could be missing out on essential nutrients.
Also to be avoided are expensive pre-packaged meal plans as although they may be low in calorific value, most are also lacking the necessary nutrients.
During the menopause when numerous changes are taking place in your body, the very last thing you would want to do is to deprive yourself of foods your body needs to function properly.
Even worse, the natural decline in estrogen increases the susceptibility to osteoporosis and failure to eat calcium-rich foods can result in bone fractures in later life.
This is exactly why the choice of diet is of extreme importance.
If you have more than just a very small amount of weight to lose, a sustainable (and even enjoyable!) healthy eating plan is essential.
This should give you the opportunity to choose from a wide variety of foods and not exclude any major foodgroup.
There numerous diets, all claiming to help you lose your menopausal weight that it can seem impossible to choose.
One plan consistently beats the rest in diet reviews as it genuinely is a plan which can be followed easily.
After just two short weeks, you could easily have dropped 10lbs, with 4lbs of this being PURE BODY FAT!
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