There IS A Way To Beat Menopausal Belly Bloat...

Over the years, I’ve worked with many pre and post-menopausal women who are looking for help and support as they approach the menopause. Some are seeking answers after they’ve started to notice certain changes happening within their bodies. Some are battling awful night sweats, sleep problems, terrible mood swings or even witnessing a decline in their usually-healthy libido. Some are deeply afraid of growing old.

But can you guess the number one concern I hear from all of these wonderful women?

It’s weight-gain, and more specifically, that middle-aged, menopausal spare-tyre that can slowly accumulate on your waist and tummy area as you grow older, and is said to be one of the tale-tale signs that your body is transitioning towards the menopause.

Most of the women that express their concerns have always been the really fit and healthy types who have always enjoyed being a healthy weight, without needing to do too much about it. Then as their hormones begin to shift, they notice that they’re finding it harder than ever to fit into their favourite pair of jeans, or harder to pull off their signature look with ease. And no matter what they try to do, it doesn’t seem to make the slightest bit of difference.

Now what I’m about to tell you might surprise you, and it will also give you hope.

You see, excess tummy weight ISN’T an inevitable part of the menopause, nor of the aging process. You CAN take control and keep your youthful figure, and I’m about to show you how.

But first let’s look at the science behind what is happening in your body.

The science of the menopausal tummy

As you may already know, as we get older, levels of a hormone called oestrogen decreases and so the menopausal years begin. This hormone is responsible for our entire reproductive system, from puberty, through the years when we menstruate, to when we choose to have children, right up until the menopause. Then as the years go by, our levels of oestrogen slowly continue to decline as we enter this new era of our lives.

Oestrogen is also the main thing responsible for that frustrating weight-gain in the tummy area. You see, as your oestrogen levels drop, your body fat storage shifts from your hips, thighs and bottom to your stomach. This is mainly because they it is no longer needed to be used as fat reserves during pregnancy or breastfeeding. In addition to this, your metabolism also begins to slow, making it increasingly hard to shift that weight once it’s there.

Stress also has a huge part to play in all of this. When you are feeling stressed, your body produces more cortisol which in turn increases the activity of an enzyme called aromatase which converts more male hormones to oestrogen. As the body is in the process of rebalancing hormonally, it doesn’t know what to do with this oestrogen and as a result it stores yet more fat.

Should We Be Worried About Excess Tummy Weight?

The answer to this question is a resounding ‘Yes.’ But it probably not for the reasons you think. Yes, for vanity’s sake, it can look unsightly to have a bulge emerging through your clothes, or horrible to have those love-handles that hang over your waistband. But the worst thing about all of this is the health problems at can occur as a result of this excess weight.

The bad news that this menopausal tummy bulge is mainly caused by a type of fat called visceral fat which is stored deep within your body around your organs and is so hard to shift.

It’s this fat that poses such a threat to your health, and can increase your risk of cancer, diabetes and heart disease. The latter is actually the biggest killer of post-menopausal women and is something that we should all be very concerned about. We need to take control and do something to combat this unnecessary symptom of the menopause.

If you’ve already been working hard to shift the bulge and finding that nothing works, you might believe that there’s absolutely nothing you can do that will make a difference. But you’re wrong; you can take control of your menopausal belly! Here’s what to do:

1.   Get active!

The very best thing you can do to combat all of your menopausal symptoms (not just the tummy problems) is to get moving. Even if you’re not be the sporty type, even if you groan when you hear the merest mention of the work, you need to knuckle down and do it for the sake of your health and wellbeing. Who knows, you might end up loving it too. Besides, it helps to balance your hormones, reduces stress, burns fat and also increases your metabolism. In fact, you’d be silly not to get moving more.

Just take thirty minutes of exercise three to four times per week it all it takes. You need to really get your heart rate up and break a sweat to make it effective. (I’m afraid to say that walking won’t do the trick on this occasion.) Drop me a line to discuss how you can do this to benefit your body best.

2.   Nourish your body

High-quality nutrition will make a huge difference to how you are feeling right now. And I don’t mean swallowing endless supplements in a bid to dose up. What I mean is taking great care of yourself and eating the very best food that you can. This means getting plenty of high-quality, organic fresh vegetables and low-sugar fruits, high-quality proteins, and plenty of healthy fats such as almonds, Brazil nuts and avocados. These will super-charge your health, provide essential vitamins and minerals and also provide heart-protecting benefits. Avoid processed foods as much as you can and try to do what your grandmother did, and cook from scratch more often.

 3.   Balance your blood sugar levels

It’s vitally important during the menopausal years to get our blood sugar levels under control. This is for several reasons. Firstly, and most importantly for menopausal women, our blood sugar levels play a role in the balance of our hormones, and as we all know, our hormones can become a bit haywire during these years. Secondly, increased blood sugar levels also increase the risk of other health conditions such as weight-gain, heart disease, and of course diabetes too.

The best way to do this is to watch your diet and avoid high-sugar foods as well as limiting your fruit intake to just two pieces of low-sugar fruit per day. Keep a close eye on those packaged foods like bread, ketchup and pasta sauces and white carbs which all contain high levels of sugars.

In addition to all of this, make sure you are eating little and often, spacing out your meals into 5 or more mini-meals to help keep your blood-sugar levels more stable and keeping the weight off.

Stress can also increase your blood-sugar levels. This is because when you are under stress, adrenaline triggers the release of stored glucose into the bloodstream which causes a spike in blood sugar. We’ll deal more with this in our next tip.

 4.   Reduce stress

Stress is enemy number one when it comes to the menopause, and when I say stress, I mean both external stresses and the internal ones as well. Most of us are pretty well clued up about the dangers of external stress such as job worries, money worries, problems with relationships, issues with health and so on, but we often forget to turn inwards and look at how our thoughts and attitudes are affecting our experience of the menopause.

The menopause is a difficult time emotionally for many women and this can cause huge stress upon both the body and mind. If you’re living in denial, angst and fear of what might be around the corner, your body reacts accordingly and you are fighting against a battle you can never win. After all, the menopause happens to us all and there is no way to avoid it.

The trick here is to take steps to tackle the stresses and to lessen the burden on our bodies and minds, helping us to accept this important life transition without the emotional baggage, feel positive and inspired instead of tense and fearful, and of course, keep that belly fat at bay.

What you need to do now is decide how you will tackle this stress. The majority of ladies I work with begin by dipping their toes into meditation or yoga, starting a positive visualization practice or even by starting a journal.

So now we’ve come back to my earlier points. There is no watch the pounds creep up on your and dread that menopausal tummy bulge. It’s not inevitable and you do have to power to do something about it.

You need to start loving yourself a whole lot more, giving yourself everything you need and treating yourself with understanding and kindness to find a way through these times and keep that tummy fat at bay. Get your body moving, eat the right kinds of foods, keep your blood sugar levels stable and also pay attention to any stress you might be under and you see it for yourself.

P.S. Are you looking for some extra support? As well as getting in touch with me, why not pop over to our really friendly and supportive Facebook group Easy Menopause? They’re a lovely bunch and I’m sure you’d love it there too.