Lose menopause weight naturally, here are the tips

When menopause, the amount of the hormone estrogen in the body decreases dramatically. You also experience metabolic changes, stress, decreased muscle mass, and other factors that contribute to weight gain. Although difficult to avoid, there are a number of ways you can lose weight after menopause.

How to lose weight after menopause

You need to increase physical activity, adjust your diet, and increase your sleep time to lose weight after menopause. All of these changes won't be easy, but you can start with a few simple ways.

Here are some initial steps you can take.

1. Increase physical activity

The closer to menopause, muscle mass will decrease while the amount of fat actually increases. Physical activity is useful for maintaining muscle mass and losing fat so that body weight does not increase after menopause.

If you weren't very active before, try starting with light physical activity such as walking, climbing stairs, gardening, or making phone calls standing up. Once used, you can try aerobic exercise like jogging and cycling.

2. Reduce calorie intake

In order to lose weight and keep it stable, you will need to reduce your calorie intake by 200 kcal per day. Based on physical activity, here are the adjustments to the total daily needs for menopausal women aged 50 years and over.

Inactive: 1,600 kcal per day, reduce to 1,400 kcal per day
Enough active movement: 1,800 kcal per day, reduce to 1,600 kcal per day
Active sports: 2,000 per day, reduce to 1,800 per day

Cutting 200 calories can start with limiting sugary snacks, fried foods, or occasionally replacing rice with potatoes and whole grains. As long as you are consistent, this method is quite effective for losing weight after menopause.

3. Increase the consumption of nutritious foods

Lowering calorie intake does not mean drastically reducing food portions. You can work around this by eating nutritious foods, but also low in calories. One way is to increase the following food ingredients in your daily menu.

Sources of protein such as skinless chicken, lean meats, fish, eggs, milk and its products, and nuts.
Various types of fruit and vegetables.
Whole grains such as cereals and whole grain breads, quinoa, oats, as well as whole grains.
Healthy fats from avocado and olive oil.

You are also advised to avoid processed foods such as sausages, hot dog, and nuggets, foods high in trans fats, and sugary drinks. Choose healthier drinks such as juices and smoothie fruit without added sugar.

4. Manage stress well

Without realizing it, the stress of menopause can hinder your efforts to lose weight. This is because stress triggers the production of the hormone cortisol. Cortisol is thought to increase the amount of body fat, especially in the stomach.

Stress is unavoidable, but you can manage it in a number of ways. You can try yoga, breathing and relaxation techniques, spending time with family members, or other ways that make your mind more relaxed.

5. Get plenty of rest

Referring to a study in a journal Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics of North America, Lack of sleep can increase the amount of fat, disrupt metabolism, and disrupt the function of hormones that regulate hunger and satiety.

Symptoms of menopause often cause discomfort that interferes with sleep. However, you can try to sleep better by adopting good sleep habits. For example in the following way.

Make the atmosphere of the room and bed as comfortable as possible.
Using mattresses and pillows that are soft enough.
Go to sleep and wake up at the same time.
Do not use electronic devices before bed.
Not eating and consuming caffeine before bed.

Menopause causes many changes in the body, including weight gain. However, you can lose weight after menopause by adjusting your diet, physical activity, and sleeping time.

If changing your lifestyle is difficult, start with small steps such as walking more frequently and limiting sugary foods. As you get used to it, these changes will gradually become habits that will help you maintain your weight.