As a man, I have little personal insight into the struggles women face with the scale in the wake of menopause and thereafter. However, as a professional, I can tell you I see many women in this exact situation who are looking for answers, and for that reason I set out to find some.
Here are a few facts. Becoming or progressing through overweight and obesity is a major concern for many women, and with good reason. It is estimated that postmenopausal women will gain a little over one pound each year. In fact, there are more overweight and obese women than men, and fluctuations in sex hormones have been proposed as a contributor to weight gain. A study by the International Menopause Society investigated the cause and effect of these hormonal changes and their effect on female midlife weight gain.
I will tread lightly as I report these facts, as I plead to my readers (a large portion of which are women with personal attachment to this topic), please "don't shot the messenger." According to the review leader, Professor Susan Davis, "It is a myth that the menopause causes a woman to gain weight. It's really just a consequence of environmental factors and aging which cause that. But there is no doubt that the new spare tire many women complain of after menopause is real, and not a consequence of any changes they have made. Rather this is the body's response to the fall in estrogen at menopause; a shift of fat storage from the hips to the waist."
I know that there are tempers rising in the reader audience today reading these claims. Rising weights and expanding waistlines are cause for countless hours of sleepless nights, in men as well as women. Please allow to me attempt to cast a silver lining on this new found information.
While I am not a postmenopausal woman, I am person who has experienced the physical and mental wears of weight gain, and the equally exhausting, yet far more satisfying reward of weight loss. I feel that being a weight loss professional and successful weight loser allows me the right to an opinion on successful approaches to weight loss, both physically and mentally. I would like to share that the most successful approaches of weight loss that I have seen in myself and my clients have been when "excuses" are not offered, and instead, "weaknesses" are addressed.
Science is leading us to the conclusion that weight gain is not initiated by menopause, but that the hormonal changes experienced may lead to redistribution of fat to the midsection. Fat accumulation in the midsection is undoubtedly a health concern, and understandably a cosmetic concern. This in itself is enough to hamper the strongest of resolves to lose weight. However, there is no "excuse" that menopause is causing postmenopausal weight gain, but maybe there is solace in the realization that these women are in control of their body weight, regardless of what stage of life they find themselves in.
If you have found yourself a lady currently in, or thereafter this stage in your life, be honest with yourself. Have you given yourself the excuse that your weight gain is out of your control and at the will of your hormones? It may be time to embrace what science has gifted you; a reason to take responsibility for your behaviors regarding your food intake and physical activity. The truth shall set you free.
Reference:
International Menopause Society (2012, October 16). Menopause does not cause weight gain, but increases belly fat, major review finds. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 16, 2012, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121016084938.htm
S. R. Davis, C. Castelo-Branco, P. Chedraui, M. A. Lumsden, R. E. Nappi, D. Shah, P. Villaseca. Understanding weight gain at menopause. Climacteric, 2012; 15 (5): 419 DOI: 10.3109/13697137.2012.707385
