A female friend of mine and I sat down the other day for a coffee and she is heading into menopause. I have not hit that time of life yet, but many of my friends are now struggling with the hot flashes and other side effects of our body changing as we get older. To each woman I know, menopause has different side effects and reactions to each of our own metabolisms.
Generally, as we grow older, we lose muscle mass if we do not maintain our levels of activity and especially if we are not using free weights in any of our workouts.
Needless to say, my friend has found it difficult to gain weight through menopause and in fact, she believes, she may be losing some weight through this period. I told her that I would research the facts and come back to her.
Mainly, women gain weight through menopause. But what I might be realizing is that many women believe they are losing weight - and they are - but it's after menopause. I wonder if I could be correct. My friend has always been very active and lifts frequently (4 times a week), and yet in the past 2 years has been lifting less so which added some weight to her lean structure. Now, she is more active again and can't seem to keep the weight up - although her lean muscle mass is probably about the same. I believe she must be losing some of the fat she put on through menopause. I wonder if I am correct in my thinking.
http://exchanges.webmd.com/menopause-exchange is a great place to start discussing your issues in a forum and to find support as we all go through this transformation.
I found this link as well as very imformative: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/menopause-weight-gain/HQ01076
In discussing this topic with friends all from the fitness industry, many of us have the same questions. But the overall piece of information I gleaned was that our diets have to be even more strict throughout menopause and afterward, toward green vegetables, fiber, and lean protein.
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