Weight Gain During Pre-Menopause & Menopause

As a doctor who specializes in weight management, weight gain during pre-menopause and menopause are the most common condition that I remember.

So many women share a history of not having to worry about weight until suddenly with perimenopause and menopause, it is as if a switch goes off and metabolism changed. Either the story is that "I always had to work on my weight, eat well and exercise - and still do. But now, everything that used to make control my weight does not work. Instead, they are gaining weight, although being more attentive, more exercise and eat less. "Help!" I am very frustrated.

But as for weight gain during menopause? Many women take hormones or not take them if they knew that their use or that do not prevent menopause weight gain. I let women know there is no evidence that taking hormones or hormones affects a woman's ability to control their weight of perimenopause and menopause. What studies show that in the years after menopause, the average woman will gain pounds. Women can take hormones to make the first experiences of lighter weight, but some years later, the women on hormones have gained a similar amount of weight than women who never used hormones.

Weight gain during menopause can be prevented? Or less, as most of my patients are confused and win in twenty years despite doing everything possible to avoid it? This is the question I ask myself often during the day to day clinical practice of medicine in weight control. He was one of the main problems to find the answers for when I go to conferences or read the scientific literature. I found some answers to this dilemma very encouraging and my patients are very grateful.

The answer boils down to tolerance of carbohydrates. Regard to how the body metabolizes and utilizes nutrients. Carbohydrate tolerance is determined by the hepatic (liver, which means), the regulation and use of the device, which means that the cells of your body energy. Factors influencing the tolerance of carbohydrates nutrition, muscle mass, physical activity, age and sex.

A young male athlete has a high tolerance to carbohydrates. They have more muscle mass because of their young age, male and a high level of physical activity. The young male athlete is able to use carbohydrates or glucose at the appropriate level of muscles and muscle mass is important. The young male athlete would be able to run successfully with a high carbohydrate diet for athletes who have practiced loading carbohydrates before the events of peak performance.

The diet rich in carbohydrates, low protein diet, which is the backbone of the food pyramid, provides optimal nutrition for the sportsman. But as for menopausal women who are more sedentary, what do you need?

Most women become less active with age and experience a decrease in muscle mass. Even women who follow the exercise have a decreased muscle mass due to age, but is much less of a decline than that observed with sedentary women. The diet rich in carbohydrates requires the use of energy in skeletal muscle, or storage of excess calories to body fat. While decreases in muscle tissue of women, fat is where the additional carbohydrate-rich foods are stored. Earns fat mass, and, in general, more abdominal fat or central parts of his body. Increased abdominal fat is what triggers the cascade of hormonal imbalance greater resistance to insulin, which directly affects the risk of heart disease.

Women who have a weight in your abdomen tend to have higher levels of insulin and, therefore, multiple levels of glucose in the blood, in line with pre-diabetes. Abdominal weight gain levels of bad cholesterol and lowers good cholesterol, which is the reason that contributes to heart disease. Abdominal fat increases the level of anti-inflammatory hormones, which also contributes to heart disease. In my opinion, is the submission of a lack of estrogen and lack of abdominal fat, which are the main reason why most women experience heart disease after menopause.

Like women in perimenopause or menopausal years have difficulty tolerating a diet rich in carbohydrates, which is the best diet for them? Menopausal women do better with a diet rich in carbohydrates tested, which contains enough lean protein. Carbohydrates does not mean that any carbohydrate diet low in carbohydrates and many women believe that the Atkins diet or similar diets low in carbohydrates. Carbohydrates means that the amount and timing of carbohydrate should be monitored. A great example of my practice is a 56-year-old woman who has just eaten a cereal "healthy" and fruit every morning for breakfast or lunch of fruit alone. This woman will not have enough protein for this meal, and will be an overload of carbohydrates during the meal. A little 'better than might be the cottage cheese and fruit or eggs or wheat toast eggbeaters. Breakfast containing carbohydrates and protein but low in carbohydrates and protein.

What about protein? I believe that most women do not like or eat lots of meat. Many women who have tried low carb diets do not like because of the amount of protein, it is recommended to be eaten and the strict limitation of carbohydrate-rich foods they enjoy. Women who work with me to know that protein is sufficient protein is not excessive and not all proteins are expected to come from the meat. Indeed, one of the best sources of protein for postmenopausal women who are not meat, but rather the proteins of whey, which are derived from dairy products. Whey protein contains high concentrations of branched-chain amino acids, which are the foundation of all proteins and muscle tissue. Whey Protein helps maintain muscle mass as a woman to lose body fat.

Weight gain during menopause is the norm in the United States, but is not necessary. Thousands of women who worked with me over the years have been able to adapt their diet to meet nutritional needs that are unique to this stage of their lives. Often women who seem to lose any weight at all hungry, in spite of himself, or exercise more than they have ever used. Caloric restriction without providing important nutrients intake for this phase of life does not produce weight loss. Women are able to eat more and lose weight, once you understand how their bodies metabolize nutrients.