How to lose weight after 50 years for a woman with menopause
The content of the article:
- Causes of excess weight with menopause
- Ways to solve the problem of excess weight
- What to include in the diet
- What should be limited
- Cooking methods
- Folk remedies for losing weight
- Video
Menopause (menopause, menopause) is a stage in a woman's life, which is characterized by a gradual extinction of the hormonal activity of the gonads, cessation of reproductive, menstrual function, metabolic and endocrine disorders and occurs at the age of 45–55 years. The features of this period include an increase in body weight due to adipose tissue, which is deposited mainly in the abdomen. In women who are overweight before menopause, the problem is exacerbated during this period. How to properly lose weight after 50 years for a woman with menopause, in order not only to maintain attractiveness, but also health - read this article.
Many women during menopause face the problem of being overweight
Causes of excess weight with menopause
Several factors contribute to weight gain during the menopausal period.
| Predisposing factor | Processes in progress |
| Extragonadal estrogen synthesis | In menopause, the deficiency of female sex steroids - estrogens, the body tries to compensate through their production in peripheral tissues. Most of all hormones synthesized outside the ovaries are in adipose tissue - which is why in the menopause it is so easy to gain extra pounds and various diets are ineffective. |
| Psycho-emotional background | Hormonal imbalance often leads to emotional lability, irritability, and depression. Not all women are calm about the inevitable age-related changes and often "seize" experiences with sweets and other high-calorie foods. This contributes to excessive weight gain, obesity. |
When choosing methods of losing weight, this should definitely be taken into account.
Ways to solve the problem of excess weight
Reducing excessive body weight during menopause solves not only aesthetic problems. First of all, it is necessary to lose weight to maintain health, since obesity in menopause is often combined with a number of diseases, including:
- arterial hypertension;
- type 2 diabetes mellitus;
- atherosclerosis;
- cardiac ischemia;
- pathology of the musculoskeletal system.
A properly organized process of losing weight helps to influence the course of the listed diseases. The real tips for losing those extra pounds are as follows.
| The rule | Characteristic |
| Avoiding strict food restrictions, especially fasting |
During menopause, not only hormonal changes are observed, but also age-related immunosuppression, significant metabolic-endocrine shifts. The body needs a sufficient amount of proteins, vitamins, microelements for normal functioning at this time. Additional stress, which undoubtedly are rigid diets and starvation, only exacerbates the negative processes occurring at this stage of a woman's life. |
| Balance the diet for the main significant components | Nutrition should be complete. The menu should include products that provide the body with a sufficient amount of essential substances (proteins, vitamins, trace elements). The fat and carbohydrate components are subject to correction in the direction of decrease. |
| Form a negative energy balance | Calories need to be counted. The calorie content of food should be less than the real level of energy expenditure per day. Nutritionists recommend reducing the calorie content of the diet by about 20% of the energy consumption. But at the same time, the daily calorie content should not fall below the 1500 kcal mark. |
| Reduce calories selectively | The calorie content of the diet should be cut by reducing the consumption of animal fats and simple carbohydrates. The proportion of proteins should not be limited. |
| Lose weight gradually | For the fight against obesity to be successful, and the result is lasting, it is necessary to part with extra pounds gradually. For safe weight loss, weight loss should not exceed 200-300 grams per week. |
| Increase physical activity | Physical inactivity, or limited physical activity, contributes not only to obesity, but also reduces muscle strength, disrupts the functions of blood circulation, respiration, digestion, and the musculoskeletal system. If not regular exercise in the gym should be made the norm, then at least daily walks, lasting at least 2 kilometers, and exercises in the morning. An excellent way to effectively burn calories is swimming in both open natural waters and the pool. |
| Give up addictions |
It is imperative to exclude the use of strong alcohol. Stop smoking. If you cannot do this quickly, then as much as possible reduce the number of cigarettes smoked per day. Smoking in the morning on an empty stomach has a very bad effect on the body. The conventional wisdom that stopping smoking leads to weight gain is unfounded. |
| Observe the drinking regime | To normalize metabolic processes and feel good, you need to drink from 1.5 to 2 liters of fluid per day. Preference should be given to pure water, maybe mineral water without gas, herbal teas, freshly prepared vegetable and fruit juices. |
| Adjust your food intake system | Meals should be frequent and fractional. You should not reduce the number of meals to 2-3 times. It is advisable to take it in small portions every 3-4 hours. This mode regulates the activity of the gastrointestinal tract, normalizes metabolism. |
| Rationally distribute the daily ration. | The main amount of food eaten should be in the first half of the day, you should not be loaded with food at night. The last meal should be no later than 2 hours before going to bed. |
What to include in the diet
To lose weight after 50 years for a woman with menopause, it is necessary during this period to give preference to:
- cold-pressed vegetable oils (olive, sunflower, linseed, sesame, corn, mustard);
- seeds (flax, sesame, pumpkin, sunflower, chia);
- nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashews, pistachios, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans);
- dried fruits (dried apricots, prunes);
- fish (mackerel, salmon, tuna, herring);
- fermented milk products (low-fat fermented baked milk, kefir, yogurt);
- lean meats (veal, chicken, turkey, rabbit);
- porridge (oatmeal, buckwheat, millet, pearl barley);
- whole grain bread, with bran, rye;
- fresh vegetables and dishes from them (pumpkin, carrots, zucchini, beets, bell peppers, asparagus, cauliflower, tomatoes);
- greens (parsley, dill, lettuce, spinach, basil, celery, mint);
- fresh fruits and drinks made from them (apple, pear, orange, lemon, tangerine, apricot, plum, persimmon, peach, kiwi, pomegranate);
- fresh berries (currants, raspberries, blackberries, mulberries, cranberries, blueberries, gooseberries, strawberries, blueberries).
It is helpful to include foods containing phytoestrogens in your diet. This concept refers to natural compounds of plant origin, which have a similar structure to female sex hormones. They, interacting with estrogen receptors, have an effect on the body similar to the effects of hormones. In conditions of hormonal deficiency, this helps to alleviate or eliminate the vegetative-vascular manifestations of menopause, called hot flashes. Considering that phytoestrogens are found in soybeans, lentils, barley, red grapes, sesame seeds, flax, their use will be useful for normalizing weight.
What should be limited
During the period of age-related involution of the gonads, in order to normalize weight, it is advisable for women to exclude from the diet or limit as much as possible:
- fatty meats (pork, duck, goose);
- meat offal;
- sausages;
- solid fats (bacon, bacon);
- fast food;
- dairy products with a high fat content (sour cream, cream);
- canned meat, fish;
- smoked meats;
- pasta;
- sweets (preserves, jam, confectionery products, pastries);
- black tea, cocoa, coffee;
- carbonated drinks.
If there is a problem with high blood pressure, salt should not be overused. Instead, mild seasonings and herbs can be added to dishes in small amounts, giving the usual food an original taste.
Cooking methods
Preference should be given to fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs. They can be eaten as part of fruit salads seasoned with low-fat yogurt, vegetable salads flavored with any vegetable oil. It is useful to drink juices made from fruits, berries, vegetables listed earlier.
The best way to prepare food is by boiling, steaming, baking and grilling. It is necessary to exclude such options for heat treatment as frying in oil, and even more so deep-fried cooking. It is advisable not to prepare food for future use, but to consume it immediately after cooking.
It is important that the food during menopause is balanced, contains a sufficient amount of vitamins, macro- and microelements.
Folk remedies for losing weight
It is necessary to deal with obesity in a comprehensive manner. The list of measures to normalize body weight during menopause may include folk recipes. They are not able to deal with the problem on their own, but sometimes they are a useful addition to the recommendations of nutritionists. These means include various herbal decoctions, tinctures. Folk recipes are very useful to normalize bowel function and eliminate constipation. The latter are a serious problem for women over 50.
Medicines to normalize weight should be used only after consulting a specialist. When choosing them, you cannot rely on the advice of friends and recommendations on the forums. The body of a woman in the climacteric period is experiencing great stress, one should not aggravate the condition with dubious means and methods. The problem of excess weight is not solved instantly. You can lose weight without harm to health by consistently moving towards your goal and leading a healthy lifestyle.
Video
We offer for viewing a video on the topic of the article.
Anna Kozlova Medical journalist About the author
Education: Rostov State Medical University, specialty "General Medicine".
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