You eat and exercise as usual – but the body is unrecognizable.
In connection with menopause, body composition changes and you may need to review your habits.
Here are our 12 best tips to lose fat after 50.
Even though you eat and move as usual, it seems as if the body is storing fat in new places. The clothes that previously fit comfortably, now tighten in completely new, unfamiliar ways. You don’t recognize your usual familiar reflection and no matter what you do, the change continues gradually and it’s getting hard and harder to lose fat. What is actually going on?
Regardless of whether you have gone through menopause or not, the female body can change in many ways both before, during and after menopause. Although it may feel hopeless, there are strategies and approaches that may look different to what previously worked for your particular body.
Menopause and fluctuating hormones
Before we look at what is important to consider during this period of life, it is good to understand what can be the reason for the body to change. What is happening in the body that makes what has always worked before suddenly not?
In connection with menopause, major changes occur that can affect your body. Hormones fluctuate wildly for many, eventually dropping to a low level. When hormones drop, several things are affected. Your muscle mass decreases when estrogen drops, the hormone thus helps to maintain your muscle mass. As you probably know, muscles are like their own little power plant where even at rest they have a certain amount of combustion, which affects the body’s ability to lose fat.
Metabolism can slow down
When hormones fluctuate, many women experience increased stress, hormonal changes and difficulty sleeping – which in turn creates even more stress. The stress hormone cortisol increases, which can contribute to increased hunger, greater fat storage around the waist and weight gain. When the hormones change, the metabolism slows down, while the fat stores are redirected from the hips and thighs to the stomach.
Lost muscle mass, larger fat deposits, higher stress and poorer sleep are all major factors that affect metabolism, i.e. how much your body burns during a 24-hour period. With increasing age, this happens to everyone, but menopause seems to intensify the process even more.
Now we have looked at why, so then it is time to pick out the motivation because now we come to the slightly more enjoyable reading. How can we help the body cope with these changes in the best way?
12 tips: Improve your body composition
- Cut down on fast carbohydrate sources
Eliminate fast carbohydrates, cakes, sweets, sugary drinks (even pure fruit juice), white bread and white pasta.
Then you lower insulin levels and the body can access and burn your stored fat. Eat full and satisfied at every meal with nutrient-dense food, by reviewing what you eat. - Replace your carbohydrates
Eat quality carbohydrates such as vegetables, root vegetables, beans, lentils, berries and other fiber-rich, nutrient-dense and slow-burning carbohydrates. - Eat enough protein
Protein satiates well and is the best way to reduce the desire to eat. Focus on the protein in each meal and you will get help in maintaining your important muscle mass. - Strength training
Muscles not only make you stronger, they also increase your energy expenditure. Gives you a more stable blood sugar (less insulin), reduces stress and also affects a whole host of processes that help you in your ambitions. Strength training with weights or your own body weight, it doesn’t have to be advanced or long training sessions to give a nice effect. Feel free to include some exercises that make you really out of breath. It gives you a longer afterburn and increased fitness, which is important in order to lose fat. - Stop snacking
Eat full and satisfied when you eat, by following the advice with an increased amount of protein, the satisfaction increases.
With longer breaks between goals, you keep insulin at lower levels for longer.
Snacking causes an insulin spike every time you eat, which results in increased fat storage. Longer breaks between meals result in lower insulin levels and then the body can burn your stores. - Stop the eating habit
Pay attention to why you eat! Are you hungry, or do you eat because your brain has made strong connections between a certain activity and eating? If you always eat in front of the TV, that place is strongly associated with putting something in your mouth. If you snack together with certain people and always when you are sad or stressed, then there is also a strong connection here. Ask yourself out loud: “am I hungry?” If the answer is no, then practice not eating and shift your focus to something else. Call a friend, move for a while or hug someone in the family. Over time, you will change those habits. - Treat yourself in a controlled manner
Avoid overconsumption, if the metabolism has slowed down, even a small overeating can make weight loss more difficult. It’s perfectly fine to treat yourself to extravagances but choose your occasions without exaggerating the amount and don’t let it be too often. - Prioritize sleep
Good sleep is important for mood, immune system and weight. Too little sleep affects appetite-regulating hormones that increase cravings and hunger. Exercise, daylight (preferably early in the day), less caffeine and good sleep routines before bed will help you with your night’s sleep. Avoid screens a few hours before going to bed, unwind with a cozy book, make sure the bedroom is cool, quiet and dark. - Stress
Do things you are passionate about and that make you forget time and space. Use nature, friends and your interests to reduce stress. Exercise, meditation, dance, yoga, mindfulness, music, friendship and touch cause us to secrete oxytocin, which lowers the stress hormone cortisol. Recovery doesn’t have to be complicated, sometimes there is peace closer than we think. - Cut back on caffeine
Try to reduce the amount of coffee, especially if you experience stress. Coffee increases the stress hormone cortisol. Many people experience a big difference from cutting down on coffee and drinking their cup in the morning. - Don’t drink your calories, cut back on alcohol
Use water as a thirst quencher, meal drink and as everything in allo. Alcohol is high in energy, can increase cravings in some people and is prioritized by the liver to burn, which means that fat burning does not work optimally. - Move every day
Daily exercise is hugely important for your metabolism. Everything you do affects your energy consumption. Feel free to take daily walks outdoors, they seem to relieve stress, give you daylight, better fitness and increased energy consumption to lose fat. Take breaks from the sofa in the evening, break the sedentary position as often as you can.
Read more about menopause
Losing weight in menopause
How to lose weight in menopause
13 Signs You’re Menopause
In menopause? Therefore, you gain weight more easily
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