10 Tips for Avoiding Weight Gain in Menopause
Weight gain is harder to avoid as you age, but it’s not impossible. By making simple changes, you can dodge that spare tire that often accompanies menopause. Read on for 10 expert tips to stop middle-age belly fat…
If you’re a woman in midlife, you face more than your share of problems: hot flashes, night sweats, too many responsibilities and too little time. But perhaps none is more dreaded than the sudden appearance of that midlife muffin top.
A belly bulge is common around menopause, explains Nanette Santoro, M.D., chairwoman of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Colorado at Denver and a spokeswoman for the Endocrine Society. But it has as much to do with aging as with menopausal changes, she says.
“Decreases in growth hormone, increases in insulin resistance and reduced physical activity all contribute to the tendency to gain weight and fat,” she notes.
Metabolism tends to slow with age, reducing the body’s ability to burn calories, adds Margery Gass, M.D., executive director of the North American Menopause Society.
While the loss of estrogen may not be responsible for all those added pounds, it can affect where they end up.
“There has long been an association between menopause and accumulation of more belly fat,” Dr. Santoro says.
“Studies in women have demonstrated an increase in waist circumference and abdominal fat associated with the final menstrual period,” adds Deborah Rhodes, M.D., associate professor of the Department of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.
“What women perceive as weight gain due to menopause may more accurately be described as fat accumulation around their middles,” she says.
Fortunately, midlife weight gain and menopausal belly fat aren’t inevitable. By following some basic weight-management tools – along with advice designed to reduce abdominal fat – you can prevent, or at least minimize, that spare tire.
These 10 tips will get you there…
1. Change your diet.
Your caloric needs decrease as you age, so watching what you eat is more important than ever.
By reducing calorie intake and exercising regularly, healthy women prevented both weight gain and increased waist size from perimenopause to post-menopause, according to the best-known research, a 2003 study by the Women’s Healthy Lifestyle Project published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine.
What you can do: Ask your doctor how many calories is healthy for you, based on your age, size and activity level. (Get a general idea with Lifescript’s Total Health Calculator.)
Then pay attention to portion sizes; it’s too easy to overeat when you start with a giant plateful of food, says registered dietitian and exercise physiologist Samantha Heller, nutrition coordinator for the Center for Cancer Care at Griffin Hospital in Derby, Conn.
Base your meals on lean proteins (such as fish and chicken), complex carbohydrates (like vegetables, fruits and whole grains) and healthful fats (olive oil), she says.
2. Don’t be fat-phobic.
Your body needs fat for energy and to absorb certain nutrients – such as vitamins A, D and E. Because it’s filling and digested relatively slowly, fat also keeps you satisfied longer, Heller says.
What you can do: Eat more of the “good” fats – those that are liquid at room temperature, like olive and nut oils, and foods like avocados, nuts and olives.
“They’re essential for optimal immunity and brain, heart, artery and skin health,” Heller says.
These also can help keep your weight steady. For example, eating a handful of nuts every day is associated with lower weight gain over time, according to a 2014 study from the Harvard School of Public Health, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. That may be because they’re filling and lead people to eat less of other foods, the researchers found.
Replacing saturated fat, such as those in meats and dairy, with unsaturated fats from vegetables and fish may reduce or decrease your body’s storage of belly fat, according to a 2014 Swedish study published in Diabetes.
One caveat about fats: “Watch your portions,” Heller warns.
Adults over 50 should get 20%-35% of their daily calories from fat, according to the Institute of Medicine (IOM). But that can add up fast. A gram of fat has 9 calories, while carbs and protein have 4 and a tablespoon of oil has about 119 calories, Heller notes.
3. Focus on fiber.
“Fiber is important for weight management, as well as gut health and digestion,” says Virginia-based registered dietitian and nutrition consultant Danielle Omar, author of Skinny Juices (Da Capo Lifelong Books).
That’s because foods with fiber are digested more slowly, so you stay full longer. Fiber-rich meals are likely to be lower in calories, fats and added sugars, according to a 2002 University of Minnesota study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
The IOM recommends 21 grams of fiber per day for women over 50, but most Americans consume less than half of that, Heller says.
What you can do: To get enough fiber, eat vegetables, fruits (not juice) and whole grains. Middle-aged adults who ate more whole grains, and fewer refined grains like white bread, had a lower body mass index (BMI) – which measures weight versus height – and tended to gain significantly less weight over time, according to a 2009 Tufts University study published in the Journal of Nutrition.
Protein helps keep your blood sugar steady, which reduces food cravings. And your body burns more calories digesting it than it does for fat or carbohydrates, Omar says.Consuming more protein frequently throughout the day also helps reduce abdominal fat, according to a 2013 study by Skidmore College in New York.What you can do: Eat protein at every meal, including breakfast.
Women over 50 should eat about 5 to 6-1/2 ounces of protein-rich foods, such as meats and poultry, fish, tofu and low-fat dairy, at every meal, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). One egg or 1/4 cup of beans equals 1 ounce of meat.
5. Boost the burn.
Since metabolism slows in midlife, consume foods and beverages that can rev it up, Omar suggests.
What you can do: Drink green tea, which has been shown to boost metabolism for a couple of hours, due to the combination of caffeine and chemicals known as catechins, Omar says.
It may also reduce fat absorption, according to a 2011 study published in the British Journal of Nutrition.
Spicing up foods with cayenne pepper also works. That’s because it contains the chemical capsaicin, which increases metabolism and helps the body burn fat more efficiently, according to a 2009 University of Maryland study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Other “hot” spices – chili peppers, curry powder and cinnamon – may boost your body’s fat-burning power while adding flavor to food with few extra calories, Omar says.
6. Set aside the sugar.
Sugar-drenched foods, such as soda and sweets, quickly elevate blood sugar levels, causing your body to release more insulin, Omar says. And that signals your body to store more fat, especially in the belly.
People who regularly drink sugar-sweetened beverages – the largest source of added sugar in the U.S. diet – have more belly fat than people who avoid them, according to a 2014 study published in the Journal of Nutrition.
But sweet foods aren’t the only problem – about 30% of added sugars don’t come from soda, fruit drinks or desserts, according to a 2014 University of Washington study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
You’ll find sugar in salad dressings, ketchup, flavored yogurts, dried fruits, sauces and marinades, notes registered dietitian Bonnie Taub-Dix, author of Read It Before You Eat It (Penguin Group).
What you can do: Drink water and other unsweetened beverages. If you can’t resist soda, switching to diet can help reduce body fat, finds a 2014 University of Colorado study published in the journal Obesity.
Read packaged-food nutrition labels to determine the amount of sugar in each serving, and scan ingredient lists for terms such as sucrose, fructose, dextrose, corn syrup or evaporated cane juice, Taub-Dix says.
“Label reading is your best defense against hidden sugars in the diet,” Omar adds.
7. Don’t skimp on sleep.
Years of research have shown that too little sleep is associated with being overweight, according to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF). Too little shut-eye slows metabolism. It also increases levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin, which can increase food cravings, and decreases levels of leptin, which helps you feel satiated, according to a 2010 University of Chicago study.
That’s big problem because poor sleep is a common complaint among women in perimenopause and early menopause, who may have hot flashes and night sweats.
They also often complain that their weight gets out of control, Dr. Santoro says.
What you can do: Getting just one more hour of sleep per night reduces belly fat accumulation, according to a 2014 Canadian study published in Obesity.
So start by practicing good sleep hygiene, the NSF recommends:
- Don’t consume caffeine late in the day .
- Don’t eat or exercise too close to bedtime.
- Establish a relaxing bedtime routine, for example, take a bath.
- Sleep in a cool, dark, quiet room.
If symptoms of menopause are impairing your sleep, don’t assume you have to live with the situation: Talk to your doctor about what you can do to get more zzz’s.
Family and work responsibilities can make midlife a stressful time. And that can lead to unhealthful eating, Dr. Santoro says.“Studies show that in certain stress states, we choose salt-, sugar- and fat-laden foods,” she explains.Meanwhile, elevated levels of the hormone cortisol, which increases with stress, shift fat accumulation to the belly.
Postmenopausal women with higher levels of cortisol also had more visceral fat, according to a 2011 University of California, San Francisco study published in the Journal of Obesity.
What you can do: No matter how frenetic your life is, stress-reduction techniques can help, Dr. Rhodes says.
Try meditation, deep breathing or yoga. Or just set aside a time to relax with some soft music or a good book.
Want to learn more? Read about yoga and menopause.
9. Get active.
Regular exercise burns fat, and may help reduce belly fat in particular, says aging and fitness specialist Joan Pagano, author of Strength Training Exercises for Women (DK Adult). And because exercise improves your physical conditioning, the more you do, the more active you can be.
What you can do: The American College of Sports Medicine recommends getting at least 150 minutes of cardiovascular activity per week. It could be anything that raises your heart rate, from brisk walking to a family soccer game.
If you’re up to it, try high-intensity intermittent exercise (HIIE), in which you alternate all-out sprints with lower-intensity rest periods. That may be more effective at reducing belly fat than other types of exercise, according to a 2011 Australian study published in the Journal of Obesity.
Talk to your doctor before starting any exercise program. Then begin slowly and gradually increase your level of exertion.
10. Build strength.
Muscle mass can diminish by as much as 3%-8% each decade after age 30, according to the NIH – a condition known as age-related sarcopenia. But strength training can help prevent this, or build even stronger muscles than before.
And because muscle burns more calories than fat, that means you’re less likely to gain weight, the Mayo Clinic says.
What you can do: “It’s never too late to start strength training – and the earlier you begin the longer you benefit,” Pagano says.
She recommends doing two to three strength-training workouts each week. You can do them at home or in a gym, using weights, exercise bands or your own body weight.
If you’re unfamiliar with resistance training, take lessons or get help from a personal trainer to help prevent injury.
To learn more, visit Lifescript’s Menopause Health Center and Diet & Fitness Channel.
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