Fast Weight Gain

Menopause weight gain is one of those stages that most women are afraid of. This is because weight gain during menopausal does not only indicate that they are indeed aging but also means that they cannot really control the drastic changes that their body will go through.

But, women should not sulk into the great pit of depression once they start to gain weight during menopausal because this does not mean that they are not doing something for themselves. They should realize that as people—especially women—age, their bodies will not have the same function as it did ten years ago. They should realize that this weight gain caused by menopausal is really inevitable.

Once they have accepted this fact, it will be easier for them to get out of the depression and start thinking of ways that can help them minimize the gaining of weight. Experts say that weight gain is one of the common problems women in their midlife stages—those who are in their 40s and 50s—complain about. Most of the complaints include the “uncontrollable” bulges in the hips, thighs and abdomen which can be unsightly of they remain using the clothes they used to wear.

Although there is nothing much that can be done once weight gain in menopausal stage rushes in, there are some things that can be done to minimize and totally prevent it while you are younger.

What causes weight gain menopause?

To be able to avoid suffering from too much weight gain caused by menopause, one of the things that younger women should do is to understand what the reasons behind this weight gain are.

Once they were able to discover and understand these causes, they can do something about it.

The following are just some of the common reasons that causes weight gain. Younger women should be very well aware of these causes so they can plan some ways to avoid gaining weight too much:

1. Less exercise. This is the considered as the number one reason why more and more women experience menopause weight gain. Studies show that as women age, they tend to move slower that is why they keep on accumulating fats on specific areas of their bodies. To avoid menopausal weight gain, younger women or even those who are in the border line can start increasing their physical activities by having regular sets of daily exercise and workout that is specially designed for them.



2. Increased food intake. This is also a major reason why women gain too much weight during their menopausal stage. Experts say that as women grow older, their appetite increases which leads to the accumulation of too much calories which later on becomes fat since they are not able to burn it right away.

3. Inability to burn lesser amounts calories. Studies show that this is also a great factor that contributes to menopause weight gain since it replaces fat with calories which are harder to burn. Once the muscles in the body are replaced with fat, the metabolism will be slower which will lead to deposits of fats in the body.

Women who have menopause weight gain in their family histories are more prone to this condition.

To avoid suffering from the burdens of menopausal weight gain it is best to include healthy foods in the diet, having a regular set of physical exercise and visit the doctor once in a while for a general check up.

Menopause and weight gain are closely associated with each other. Women undergoing menopause seem to suffer the unwelcome results of weight gain. Nearly every woman struggles through it during perimenopause and menopause. A woman gaining from 10 to 15 pounds during this stage in her life is not unusual. What makes it even worse is that various studies also show that weight gain before and during menopause can actually increase the risk of breast cancer in women.

There are many factors involved that allows women to gain weight during menopause. One of them is hormonal changes with age. During menopause, women begin to experience having lower levels of estrogen in the body. Estrogen has been linked to weight gain in menopausal women along with the decreasing levels of testosterone.

Another factor that has a role in weight gain among menopausal women is the development of insulin resistance. This can occur during the menopausal years when the body becomes inefficient in metabolizing every calorie taken in, eventually converting it into fat. Eating mostly processed and refined foods can make the body resistant to insulin that is being produced in the blood stream over time. This is being cited as one of the causes of weight gain in women after the age of 40.

Another probable reason for weight gain in women during menopause is stress. Stress is a major factor involved in weight gain during menopause. When stress hormones are produced in the body, they signal it to go into storage mode, making weight loss even more difficult. The stress hormones enable the body to undergo what is also known as the "famine effect". In this stage, the stress hormones lead the body into thinking that it won't be getting food again for a long time so that it shifts to storing every calorie it takes in, thus causing weight gain.

It can be very difficult for women to undergo weight loss during menopause. What most women can do is to learn how to accept weight gain during menopause as a natural thing. Weight gain during this period of a woman's life is not entirely bad. Weight gain may even provide some good. A little weight gained may help in lessening anxiety as well as hot flashes that are also the usual symptoms that is associated with menopause. Weight gain during menopause is also a means of the body to prepare itself from osteoporosis or other types of illnesses.

There is a way that women may be able to do in trying to keep weight gain during menopause in check. Eating a balanced diet may help make weight gain during menopause a benefit instead of a burden. Women should avoid the consumption of refined sugars as well as processed foods and instead fill up their daily diet with fruits and vegetables.

Women undergoing menopause and weight gain should also try to avoid crash diets. It will only makes things even worse as starving the body will only cause one's metabolism to slow down and cause even more weight to be gained in the process. In the same way women during this stage in their lives should avoid losing large amounts of weight.

Drastic weight loss or becoming very thin during menopause can result in increased risks of developing osteoporosis later on. Remaining active may help in increasing metabolism and burn some of the fats in the body during or after menopause.