Does anyone have suggestions on how to help women going through menopause lose weight?
Hello Jeff,
Try these links:
http://www.womenhealthfocus.com/women-health-articles/menopause-weight-l…
http://www.webmd.com/menopause/default.htm
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/menopause/DS00119
Hope These Helps!
Michael
Without knowing who she is and not having any subjective or objective data, I would encourage you to change your phraseology. Perhaps you might consider changing “lose weight” with changing body fat percentage.
When people say that they want to lose weight, many are saying they want to change the shape of their body. Weight loss doesn’t always equate to the individuals loving they they see in the mirror. It may simply be just what they worked for–weight loss.
A woman going through menopause should seriously considering engaging in resistance training as “menopause” is a risk factor for osteoporosis.
I hope this answer has give you some direction.
The same way as before!
‘Menopause’ is a natural transition period which may or may not bring physiological changes because of the hormonal changes. Maintaining what we have is getting more difficult as we age, but a large part of it is that we change our habits and often engage less often in physical activity.
Joanne is correct in pointing out the importance of resistance training. The rest – maintaining or building muscles while losing body fat – still is under the same principles as before. Just as some medications impact our metabolism, this transition period may mean for some that a rethinking of the amount of food and exercise is necessary.
/agree with top posts.
Aim to change body composition to keep it healthy instead of simply doing anything to drop weight on the scale.
Resistance/weight bearing exercises will be great- especially because muscles pulling/levering against bones will promote bone growth. This will help their metabolism as well as fight off osteoporosis.
All of the previous statements are great. I’ll add that women who are menopausal/ perimenopausal are often experiencing more than just the hormonal symptoms. An average menstrual cycle burns approximately 1100 calories per month. When women stop having cycles, their bodies are not burning so many calories and weight gain becomes imminent without a change in their fitness/nutritional regiment. The “same thing” they’ve been doing for years is no longer as effective. They’ll need to either boost their exercise routine (with any FITT principle) or become more aware of their nutritional choices. This is just one component of a complex bodily transition, but it’s something to keep in mind. Good luck to you, Jeff!