Watching the Weight Creep Up After Menopause

If you're a woman embarking on the journey through menopause, you already know that the change of life will be challenging. The good news is that by the end of the trip, the most annoying symptoms, including hot flashes and night sweats, will be gone.

The bad news is that the weight gain that typically accompanies the menopausal transition may be a little harder to shake. If you don't take measures to prevent it, you could end up with a 10- to 15-pound souvenir.

While there's little doubt that menopausal women have a tendency to pack on extra pounds, experts believe that hormonal changes aren't solely to blame. It's likely that a number of factors contribute to the problem.

Advancing age is one of those factors. The prevalence of obesity in adult women rises significantly with each passing decade, until it begins to taper off late in life.

Studies show that on average, women gain about a pound a year after the age of 40. The greatest increases in weight normally occur during the time of menopause.

As weight creeps up, body composition and fat distribution patterns begin to change. With each passing year, the percentage of body fat tends to increase, while the percentage of lean muscle mass tends to decline.

Loss of lean muscle mass worsens the problem of weight gain, since muscle burns more calories than fat, even when the body is at rest. As muscle tissue dwindles away, the metabolic rate begins to slow, and the body needs fewer calories than it once did.

While pre-menopausal women often struggle with fat deposits around their hips and thighs, much of the newly acquired fat in menopausal women is deposited around the waist. As it turns out, excess fat deposits in the abdominal region are far more worrisome than a little extra padding around the hips and thighs.

Abdominal obesity is known to elevate the risk of a number of dangerous diseases. In women, a waist circumference of 35 inches or greater increases the chances of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers.

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