Posted on: July 20, 2007
Fight the Fat after ‘The Change’
Many women pack on the pounds after menopause, which is a dangerous time to lose health-control. Here’s how to combat mid-life weight gain, and some simple solutions to staying fit and trim
By Hannah Seligson
CTW Features
Perhaps Nora Ephron, the acclaimed screenwriter and now best-selling author of “I Feel Bad About My Neck And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman” (Knopf, 2006), captured the feeling of aging with her observation about what swimwear you can sport after you pass a certain age.
Ephron says flatly, “You can’t wear a bikini,” which isn’t your fault, really, says Bette Caan, who has studied weight fluctuations in menopausal and post-menopausal women as a senior research scientist at Kaiser Permanente Medical Program, Oakland, Calif.
“As you age, three things happen: You lose lean muscle, which gets replaced with fat tissue, there is a decrease in physical activity and a change in hormones that can affect your appetite control and cravings.”
But that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to have a burial ceremony for your bikini just yet.
Here are simple steps Caan advises women to take for maintaining their weight as they age.
Cut your calories by 100 a day
“Even if you are eating the same number of calories you always ate, you could still be gaining weight,” Caan says. “When you lose lean muscle mass, your metabolism slows down.” Caan cautions this slight change in metabolism is no reason to go on a starvation diet. “All it means is a minor adjustment – say, eating 100 or 50 less calories a day.”
Don’t just think about the number on the scale
In her study, Caan found that the people with the biggest change in their weight were those aged seventy to seventy-nine, who were actually losing weight. However, Caan says not to be fooled by the number of the scale. “While those women were losing weight, it was all muscle. The circumference of their waist wasn’t any smaller.”
Exercise 30 minutes a day
Since women do lose lean muscle mass as they age, Caan advises doing weight-bearing exercises that increase muscle tone. Even if you can’t do weight-bearing exercises, do something physical, Caan says. “Whatever type of exercise you do, 30 minutes of it a day can prevent weight gain.”
Take Calcium and Vitamin D
While Caan says this isn’t a magic bullet, her research found that women who take calcium and vitamin D gained slightly less weight than those who didn’t. “Calcium and vitamin D work in concert to increase fat burning. But women of all ages should be taking those supplements anyway to preserve bone health.”
Keep it in perspective
Caan’s advice is to keep the menopausal weight gain, which, on average, is about five pounds in seven years, in perspective. “It’s a very subtle weight gain. It’s happening from minor changes in your metabolism that can be remedied with something as simple as just eating just slightly less.”
Hannah Seligson is a writer based in New York and the author of “New Girl on the Job: Advice from the Trenches” (Citadel Press, 2007).
