Weight increase is common, almost universal, as we reach middle age. However, while it may be almost inevitable it is not healthy, especially if the fat we gain is stored around our stomach and abdomen.

We Need Fewer Calories As We Get Older
Calorie needs are highest during our mid-20s, then reduce at about 2-4 percent every 10 years. So if you need about 2500 calories a day at 20 years of age, then by 50 years of age you need only about 2200-2350 calories.

Less Muscle Tissue Means We Need Less Calories
The most common reason why we need to eat fewer calories as we get older, is because our muscle mass tends to decrease. Between the ages of 30 and 70 years, muscle tissue shrinks on average by about 30 per cent in most people. The reason for this is simple, lack of exercise. The problem is, muscle requires more energy to sustain it, than fat, does. So the less muscle we have, the fewer calories we need, and any surplus energy we take in will be stored as fat. Hormonal changes (e.g. thryoid function, adrenal function) may also slow down our metabolic rate and cause a drop in calorie needs.

How Much Weight Do We Gain With Age?
The age-related reduction in muscle tissue leads to an average weight increase of about 5 pounds per decade (men) or 3.5 pounds per decade (women).

It's Easy to Reduce Mid-Life Weight Gain
To minimize the risk of age related weight increase, all we need to do is eat about 50-100 fewer calories per day, per decade, or increase our calorie burning by about 50-100 calories a day per decade. An easy way to achieve this is to walking an extra mile a day (per decade).

What happens to your body during menopause
Your body starts to store fat around your tummy, instead of on your hips

Why? Because your body is producing less and less oestrogen. You see, oestrogen causes us to store fat around our hips, so when we run short of it, our weight stops going to our hips and goes to our tummy area instead.
Unfortunately, this is not good news. Why not? Because abdominal obesity is a risk factor for diabetes, hypertension, certain cancers, and cardiovascular disease.

Your cholesterol levels tend to rise
Why? Lack of oestrogen again! Oestrogen helps promote a favorable cholesterol level, so when we run short of it, our cholesterol level tends to rise. Which (as we know) is bad news for our heart.

You tend to gain weight
This is NOT directly caused by menopause. It is due to three things:
•We take in too many calories. Usually because we eat too much fat & sugar
•The point is, as we get older, we actually need fewer calories.
•We take less and less exercise
This further widens the gap between the energy we take in and the energy we expend.
We experience physical & mental disruption
For example, we give up smoking or suffer from increased anxiety and depression.
Result? We seek comfort in food.
How to control your weight, during menopause
In a nutshell, weight control in menopause in best achieved, as follows:

Eat fewer calories
Metabolism slows with age - by the age of 40, our normal maintenance needs are about 20% less than they were at the age of 20. Unfortunately, we fail to take this reduced need into account and eat the same amount - usually more! Result? We gain weight.

The correct approach
Limit yourself to about 1,200-1,500 calories per day.
These calories should come from nutritionally dense foods, like fruit, vegetables, grains, beans, cereal, fish, low-fat dairy foods and ultra-lean meat.
Increase your consumption of fibre
Reduce consumption of caffeine and alcohol.
Eat less fat
Before the menopause, oestrogen protects women from some of the effects of a high fat diet, but afterwards - as oestrogen levels decline - our level of HDL fat (the good fat) tends to fall, and our LDL (bad fat) tends to rise, thus increasing our risk of heart attacks.

The correct approach
Limit yourself to a maximum of 30-35 grams of fat, per day. Of this, a maximum of 10 grams may be saturated fat.

Take regular daily exercise
Regular active exercise increases the production of HDL fat (the good fat) and thereby reduces LDL (the bad fat). It lowers the risk of diabetes, osteoporosis and other medical problems. Also, regular exercise helps raise our metabolic rate (thus easing weight loss) and decreases our feelings of stress (thus reducing our need for comfort-eating).

Take at least 30 minutes of moderate activity, most days of the week.

Be aware!
Feelings of tiredness, depression and discomfort are greatly eased by staying on top of the situation and by knowing what is happening to your body.

Maintain regular contact with your doctor. At the same time, monitor your body, including your weight level.

Hormone Replacement Therapy

Hormonal Replacement Therapy (HRT) replaces some of the missing oestrogen and progesterone caused by menopause.
It can only be prescribed by a doctor.
HRT may be prescribed in pill, skin patch or implant form, in various doses and combinations.
As well as easing some of the 'minor' symptoms of menopause, HRT reduces the risk of heart disease and osteoporosis.
HRT may produce PMS-like symptoms including nausea, bloating, breast tenderness, spotting, and headaches.
The long term side-effects of HRT remain unknown.  Not for everyone HRT doesn't suit everyone. For example, women who have cancer concerns or who are at high risk of other complications should avoid HRT since the hormones may exacerbate these conditions.
 

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