Post-menopausal Fat

Do you know why women put on weight after menopause?

An obvious answer is the changes in hormone levels. Estrogen levels decrease once a woman is menopausal and this causes her to put on weight. Fat gets stored in the abdomen just as in men and this raises the risk of heart disease. Muscle also turns to fat because of a more sedentary lifestyle.


Her metabolic rate slows down as she grows older and if she doesn’t change her eating habits, it goes without saying that she will definitely put on weight. As a woman ages, she doesn’t require as many calories as when she was younger and more active physically.

Thus she should opt for more vegetables, fruit and soup. Meat intake should be reduced. A juice of vegetables and fruit combined will be good for the digestive system and it will detoxify the body thus helping in weight loss.

A woman in her sixties no longer has to run after young children as her brood will have grown up and left home. She also slows down when doing work as she is not as energetic as before. Besides, housework is not as physically demanding as it used to be with all the household equipment at our disposal.

Is there anything that a woman who finds herself putting on weight, can do? Yes indeed, there are ways to beat the bulge.

The simplest way is to take brisk walks everyday.
A daily forty minute walk at a brisk pace, and not the slow sashaying walk while gossiping with a friend, will boost the metabolic rate and burn calories, at the same time building muscle and increasing bone density. This is important because as a woman ages, she tends to lose bone density and this makes her vulnerable to bone fractures as osteoporosis sets in.

Another alternative is the stationary bicycle on which she can exercise while watching television. If that is not an option, then head for the gym where there will be exercise equipment. Gym memberships can be expensive so investing in an exercise bicycle is worth considering. It can be used anytime and other members of the family can also use it.

Weights are also good for building muscle but start off with small ones such as a 1-kilo dumbbell. The weight can be increased as muscle strength develops.


However, if she is far too overweight, she can always take weight loss supplements. Fat binders are recommended so that she will not be absorbing all of the fat in the food she consumes and this will speed up the weight loss.