Losing weight during menopause: This is how it works

Losing weight just before and after menopause becomes increasingly difficult. Hormonal changes are to blame. However, a few simple tricks can make slimming down easier.

The menopause (also known as the climacteric) begins in women between the ages of 45 and 50 in this country. Menopause begins on average at the age of 51. An unpleasant consequence of hormonal changes is often weight gain.

What happens during menopause?

Menstruation becomes more irregular and eventually stops altogether (menopause). The woman then enters the infertile phase. Even before that, the interaction of the hormones changes. The production of the female sex hormone estrogen is gradually reduced, slowing down the metabolism. In addition, the proportion of the male sex hormone testosterone increases and with it the tendency to store more abdominal fat.

The energy requirement decreases

When the body changes, not only does the metabolism slow down, but the proportion of muscle mass also decreases. The result: fewer calories are burned. This reduces the so-called basic requirement, i.e. the number of calories that the body needs to maintain all bodily functions at rest.

And another bodily function is lost: the body used up about 300 calories a day for monthly ovulation. If the woman continues to eat normally during the menopause as before, she will inevitably gain weight.

Which helps against weight gain

Move every day, use the bike instead of the car, the stairs instead of the elevator. And do sports: jog, walk, swim – whatever you enjoy.
Stick to the “5 a day” rule, which means eating fruit and vegetables five times a day – three times vegetables, two times fruit. Watch out for low-sugar types of fruit. You can find an overview here.
Eliminate highly processed foods from your diet (prepared meals, sweets, pastries or cakes).
Use herbs instead of salt. This only stores additional water in the body.
Avoid simple carbohydrates like white bread, sugar, rice, and pasta (for the latter, opt for the whole grain variety).
Ensure that your meals are balanced with a proportion of protein (dairy products, legumes, lean meat, poultry or fish), carbohydrates (potatoes, whole grain products) and little fat.
Drink plenty of water or unsweetened teas.