Banish that menopause belly
Menopause can wreak havoc on your weight as hormonal changes kick in. A new book explains what you can do about it!
YOU go into a shop’s changing room and do a double-take. Who’s that woman staring back at you? The one with the puffier tummy, the slacker breasts, the wider hips? It can’t be you, surely?
Sound familiar? If it does, you aren’t alone. Many women in their forties and early fifties have so much on their plates they lose sight of their bodies for several years. They then “suddenly” register the changes, as if their body had transformed overnight. Of course, that’s not the case – the changes have happened gradually. And it’s all our hormones’ fault.
In their new book, Our Hormones, Our Health, Dr Susanne Esche-Belke and Dr Suzann Kirschner-Brouns tap into their experience as health experts and women to show us how we can adapt to and embrace our changing bodies as the inevitability of time takes its course.
They say it’s essential you don’t regard (or treat) your body like a disappointing lover who’s suddenly abandoned you, but as a good friend who’s temporarily run into some difficulties.
WHY WE PUT ON WEIGHT WITH AGE
Hormonal changes don’t start with menopause – when your periods stop around the age of 51 – but much earlier during the period called perimenopause.
Your body is no longer using the energy it once did for ovulation. From the age of 35, anovulatory cycles – where no ovulation occurs – become more frequent.
After menopause, women burn a whopping 1 252 fewer kilojoules per day. Lower levels of the hormone dehydroepiandrosterone – a form of oestrogen sometimes known as the “fountain of youth” for its age-slowing properties – inhibit the build-up of muscle and since muscle is the best fat burner we have, that’s the reason the kilos creep up.
Resistance to the hunger hormone leptin often kicks in at this time of life too, which makes you feel constantly hungry.
And oestrogen dominance, one of the features of perimenopause, leads to water retention and the redistribution of fat towards the belly.
No wonder that midlife midriff appears. So, what can you do about it?
WATCH HOW YOU EAT
The body needs at least four hours between snacks or larger meals. Continuous snacking results in insulin spikes and can lead to diabetes.
Eat three large meals rather than 10 small ones. And above all, eat regularly, because the microbiome (the genetic material of all the microbes – bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses – that live on and inside the human body) also has a biorhythm. If breakfast or dinner keeps getting cancelled, it gets grumpy.
FIND OUT WHY YOU EAT
Eating can be a longing: the smell of a Sunday roast can remind us of our childhood. Eating can be social: the potato salad reminds us of our student days. Eating can be a reward: a cheese platter with a glass of red wine sets the mood for a family dinner. Eating can be comfort: a bag of crisps or a tub of chocolate ice cream can help ease heartbreak.
Getting to know what it is you want to feel by eating whatever it is you crave can help you to start thinking about other ways to address that unmet desire.
KEEP A FOOD DIARY
A food diary uncovers causes and effects and helps us to eat more consciously. You’ll recognise your patterns around when you reach for foods that don’t really nourish you, or how many snacks you eat in between meals. If you manage to figure out your patterns, then you can reprogramme your body.
SET A REALISTIC GOAL
Don’t be too impatient or too ambitious. A scientifically proven realistic goal – and one that’s unlikely to result in a long-term yo-yo effect – is to lose 10kg within a year.
This rate of weight loss is healthy and can be measured in significantly lowered blood-sugar, blood-fat and blood-pressure values: for example, with a weight loss from 100 to 90kg.
A study conducted by the University of Massachusetts showed that diets containing less than 4 184 kilojoules per day cause bad moods, concentration issues and hunger attacks, and this then leads people to abandon their diets.
So don’t torture yourself. Eat regularly, preferably always at the same times, even at weekends. This way the body trusts in the fact that it’ll always be given good food and doesn’t need to stock up in advance or go overboard later. This relaxes your brain, so eating isn’t stressful. This is why you shouldn’t skip meals. It might lead to quick short-term weight loss, but it’s stressful and unsustainable.
Some artificial additives in food lead to a slight increase in weight, an increase in body fat and elevated blood-sugar levels. Try to eat everything freshly prepared, if possible.
GET YOUR VITAMIN D LEVELS CHECKED
Studies have found vitamin D sends out signals for fat burning, deciding whether fat will be burnt for energy or not by directing special vitamin D receptors on the fat cells. If it’s not used for energy, it’s then stored on the hips. Get your vitamin D level assessed by your GP.
EXERCISE IS NON-NEGOTIABLE
Exercise of any kind supports the metabolism and keeps insulin at a steady level. Our metabolism slows down from the age of 40, in particular because our muscle mass decreases. This causes our bodies to lose their best customer for the direct consumption of carbohydrates.
You’ve probably been wondering why you need to exercise so much more than you used to to maintain your weight. The reason is less muscle mass. Alongside endurance sports such as jogging or cycling, we recommend a moderate session of muscle-building training two or three times a week. Make sure the weights you lift are right for your body. Ask a fitness trainer at the gym, or if you don’t belong to a gym ask someone you know with a membership to find out on your behalf.
IT’S OK TO FALL OFF THE WAGON
First: sometimes, it’s so right to eat the muffin or the ice cream. Enjoy it! Second: if you find yourself eating in a way that doesn’t feel mindful and supportive of your health, don’t give up. It’s normal to slip up. Try saying something kind and loving to yourself, then returning to your nutrition programme.
ARE YOU HUNGRY OR THIRSTY
Hunger is often confused with thirst and many people eat too much and drink too little. When you feel like you need a snack in between meals, have a glass of water then see how you feel.
The first few kilos of weight loss are usually just liquid that’s been flushed out of your tissues, as the carbohydrate stores in the liver and muscles bind a lot of liquid.
These are the first to be attacked when you go on a diet. Try to stay focused on your health improvement, and don’t give too much thought to whether you’re experiencing significant changes in your weight and appearance or not. Changing your metabolism in a sustainable way is complex and takes time.
Go easy on yourself – there’s a lot going on in your body.
‘KEEPING A FOOD DIARY HELPS US TO EAT MORE CONSCIOUSLY’
CHANGING A METABOLISM TAKES TIME