Menopausal Women - Weight Gain | Your Body Can Heal

Menopausal Women and Weight Gain

Post category:Menopause

As if menopause didn’t bring enough major and minor changes to woman’s lives, menopausal woman also often have to deal with weight gain. Menopausal women and weight gain just seem to go together. It just doesn’t seem fair, does it?

If you’re experiencing both of these situations, it may help you to know that more often than not there is a biological reason for gaining weight during menopause—and you are not alone. Because of the decreased production of estrogen by the ovaries, your body turns to other secondary estrogen production sites. It also attempts to store estrogen, which causes the body to form body fat, usually in the waist and hips, in order to maintain its hormonal balance. Most all menopause women gain weight, despite their best intentions.

Factors That Contribute to Menopausal Weight Gain.

Stress – This is a major link between menopausal women and weight gain. Most women are stressed to the max anyway during this phase of their lives. Many are raising teenagers, putting children through college, working full time and helping their aging parents as well. This often leads to cravings for foods such as pasta, bread, sweets, and, of course, chocolate which are high in carbohydrates. Eating foods that have a lot of carbohydrates give a menopausal woman a brief rush of much needed energy, but will actually cause her greater fatigue when the body has used up the carbohydrates.

Food Cravings – Another factor that contributes to weight gain is the fact that many menopausal women are tired due to sleep disturbances caused by menopause. This also leads them to crave high carbohydrate foods. And again, the brief energy rush is often followed by a crash that makes women feel more fatigued than ever. Many of us know this, but it’s still hard not to give into that afternoon craving for a candy bar (or two!).

Normal Mid-Life Metabolic Changes – Metabolic changes are yet another link between women going through menopause and weight gain. It’s just a fact of life that as we age our metabolism changes and slows. Women who’ve never in their lives had a weight problem will find themselves gaining weight during menopause although they haven’t changed their eating habits at all. This can be very discouraging to a woman because she not only has to deal with menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, but she also has to deal with weight gain.

What You Can Do About Weight Gain During Menopause.

So, are menopausal women and weight gain doomed to go together? While there may not be a lot you can do about your body’s hormonal and metabolic changes, you can treat them. A diet rich in vegetables, fruits and protein will help you not only keep your weight down but also help you feel better. Getting some exercise at least several times a week will also help you lose and/or maintain weight.

The benefits of exercise just cannot be stressed enough. By building up muscle mass and lean body mass, your metabolism speeds up and helps keep your weight in control. Exercise has the added benefit of easing sleep disturbances that often go along with menopause.

There are also some excellent herbal remedies that can treat the underlying symptoms that go along with menopausal women and weight gain, such as the fatigue due to lack of sleep. Other herbal remedies treat specific symptoms and can help increase energy levels and speed up your metabolism.

Menopausal Weight Gain Remedies

Among the most beneficial and well-documented herbal remedies for menopause are:

Black Cohosh is a natural remedy that has been shown in clinical studies to have a positive effect on menopausal symptoms. It has phytoestrogenic properties and it’s widely used to treat hot flashes, irritability and sleep problem.

Dong Quai is a Chinese root recognized to benefit women’s hormonal system. It can help alleviate the symptoms associated with menopause.

Wild Yam extract is a well-known “natural alternative” for estrogen replacement therapy and postmenopausal vaginal dryness. It is also used to increase energy and libido.

These three herbal remedies are safe and can assist you through menopause while enhancing your quality of life. By supporting your hormonal system in a natural way they can help you offset those irritating symptoms that come with menopause and even help you keep your weight under control.

If you are to choose an herbal remedy that contains these natural ingredients you have to look for one that only uses standardized extracts to ensure safety and efficacy.

We have found a superb formula that includes these extracts in addition to other vital nutrients that enhance women’s health.

Total Balance Women’s Premium is a professional formula that includes a proprietary blend of herbs and supplements that support the health of menopausal women and overall well-being.