About Beat Menopause Weight Gain

Hi - and thanks for visiting my site, Beat Menopause Weight Gain.

My name is Elizabeth Martyn, and I live in the UK.

Like a lot of women, I wasn't too happy when the shape of my body began to change as I went through the menopause.

It started gradually. When I turned 50 I noticed my weight starting to creep up - and the first place it settled was around the belly. I dug out some old photos of my mum, who'd always had a neat figure and trim waistline - until she hit menopause. At that stage, almost overnight it seemed, her shape lost definition, and became squarer and more solid around the middle. I didn't want the same thing to happen to me.

Gradually I began to change the way I ate and take more interest in healthy food. Already working as a freelance writer, I used the knowledge I gained to start my first website, Healthy Eating Made Easy.

I have a deep distrust of reducing 'diets' and slimming regimes, and keep my approach to a healthy menopause dietas simple as possible - using smaller food serving sizes, eating plenty of fresh fruit and veg and wholegrains. I cook simple meals from scratch and serve poultry, fish and vegetarian dishes far more often than red meat.

Most importantly I've cut junk foods and ready meals to a minimum and stopped buying over-sweetened and processed items so that there's no temptation to nibble on unhealthy foods. It was difficult at first, but in time the whole family got used to it, and now the kids, both teenagers, know there's no point looking for potato crisps or canned drinks, and are happy to eat healthy snacks like veggie sticks and hummus, and drink water.

If a healthier diet is one important strand of tackling menopausal weight gain, using exercise to lose weight, tone up and keep fit is another must-do. Pre-50 I was an exercise-phobic and had never been to a class in my life. But once my kids started growing up and the daily sprint down the road to school was done with, I knew I was spending far too much time sitting on my backside...and it was spreading. Reluctantly I dragged myself off to the gym.

It took some experimenting to find the kinds of exercise I enjoyed, but as I got into a regular programme of exercise I began to enjoy it - and even miss it, if I had to skip a class. I definitely believe that it's regular exercise that keeps my waistline stable and stops the weight going on. It makes me feel good too - exercise lifts the blues, and makes me feel supple and flexible...a great way to be, in my late 50s, and something I can build on as the years go by.

I keep my regime flexible and often try new things. On the agenda this week, for example, is an hour of aquarobics, a 45-minute yoga class, a 30-minute DVD workout with weights done at home, and two brisk 45-minute walks.

The final part of my three-sided attack on menopausal weight gain, is de-stressing. I've learned the hard way that if I get stressed I suffer, and so does everyone close to me. I've learned about a lot of ways to relieve stress, and put my favourites into practice every day - taking good care of myself, and not attempting to fill every minute with activity. Stress has a hormonal effect which encourages weight gain, but that's not the only reason why I choose to live a less hectic life - I don't want to feel frazzled any more. Life is precious, and it takes time and space to enjoy everything it has to offer.

Healthy eating, good exercise and stress reduction - those are my antidotes to menopausal weight gain, and something must be working, because my weight has been the same for several years now, having stabilised at about 7lb above what it was when I was 30. This feels ok to me. So many things change as we get older, and it's unrealistic to expect our body shape and size to stay the same.

If my weight sneaks up another 2-3lb, like after a holiday, and my waistbands start to cut in, I eat very lightly for a couple of weeks and up my exercise until my weight drops back.

Keeping menopausal weight gain at bay feels like an important thing to do, and not just for the way I look. It's also to do with taking responsibility for myself and preserving my health and mobility longterm so that I don't become a burden to anyone else or a drain on society's resources as I grow older...and so I can keep actively enjoying life to the full. Menopausal weight gain has so many health implications and there are many compelling reasons to lose weight - we owe it to ourselves and to others to keep our weight from spiralling upwards.

I hope you enjoy my site, and find something here that helps you. If you'd like to get in touch, you canContact me here, or add a question to my Menopause Weight Loss FAQ.

Here's wishing you health and strength through menopause and way beyond. Feel good in your body!

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