Every woman in the perimenopause & menopause years knows that her body is changing. Yet we all struggle to accept the increase in weight & fat disribution that comes with it!For some it is the advent of hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, swollen/tender breasts, for others it looks like a heavier body, weight gain and fat around the thighs, lower belly and back.
This write-up is not about extremes, when hormonal disbalances cause extreme sleeplessness, excessive/non-stop bleeding or hot flashes so severe that they can disturb the electrolytes.
Rather this write-up is about the ‘expected normal’, the slight increase in fat cells and redistributed weight.
Estrogen, Fat Cells and Midlife Weight Changes
The fact that estrogen is going to come down once the ovaries say ‘goodbye’ is a known fact. As the organs that produce the most estrogen in the body, how does the body then maintain some semblance of estrogen productions.
It now looks at the fat cells, the other cells that can chemically produce estrogen! So as a safeguarding mechanism, the fat cells tend to increase in the bodies of near-menopause women. The fat then also must stick or lock itself somewhere and it goes to the thighs, buttocks, lower belly and upper arms.
Aren’t these the areas where women suddenly feel ‘more fat’ than before or feel are getting out of shape?
Even if one understands that this might be a safeguarding feature one still needs to get comfortable with the ‘new changing body’ and the extra kilos that shows up on the weighing scale.
What seems to help is Radical Acceptance, a term heavily borrowed from psychology.
Acceptance that this is your body safeguarding you and not turning ‘against you’.
Acceptance that it might not be a permanent state but might last a few years.
This is also not the time to go on radical diets, or brutal exercise regimes to lose the weight. Instead, slowly and gradually build STRENGTH.
Strength Training
This is where all the talk about strength training aka muscle training aka resistance training comes in for women over 40, though the best way to have done this is to have started early. For women who did active sports and strength training in their 30s, the 40s & 50s are easier. But it is never too late to start. Start gradually: 5% of body weight and then 10%. Get stable & consistent with these, might be enough.
The one thing you can do to ‘look good’ despite the new weight is to have a more toned body.
Do it for the physical appearance: toned bodies are way more attractive than frail/thin bodies with hanging flesh.
Do it for the bones, which go through their own adjustment as estrogen drops.
Do it for heart strength as estrogen is the protective cardio hormone, which now is declining.
Do it simply to feel strong and a sense of achievement.
