4 Ways To Conquer Middle-Age Weight Gain and Belly Fat

Once perimenopause begins, your waistline will likely expand – even if you’re eating like you did before and your exercise habits haven’t changed. You’ll have more belly fat, and some may shift to your abdomen from your hips or other areas.

Some perimenopausal women gain so much weight that they become obese or even morbidly obese.

The reasons are clear: Your estrogen level is dropping, and your metabolism is slowing down. You have four ways to battle that bulge, one at a time or together.

Steps Toward a Flatter Midsection

Extra weight can lead to medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart issues and sleep apnea, so it’s better to have a body mass index, or BMI, within what doctors consider a normal range. With the right guidance, you can attain that healthy bodyweight — and keep it.

It’s best to use a multidisciplinary approach, possibly with the aid of nurses and dietitians who specialize in weight loss and maintenance. You can try popular weight-loss programs first, like a keto diet or counting points. If you don’t lose enough weight, or lose it then gain it back, seek professional help.

1.     Eat Protein at Every Meal

Diet will still be a No. 1 priority, but it will work better if you design your new eating habits together with a dietitian and pair your new eating habits with specific types of exercise.

To reach and stay at a healthy weight, make protein a centerpiece of your meals, and choose high-fiber carbs. Both will keep you full for a relatively long time, meaning you’re less likely to snack between meals. Here are some specifics.

• Consume 25 to 35 grams of protein at every meal.

• Choose lean proteins such as grilled chicken, broiled fish, tofu, turkey, beans or lentils.

• Pair the protein with low-glycemic vegetables including broccoli, cauliflower, kale and zucchini.

• Include 25 to 35 grams of high-fiber foods a day. That might be whole grain bread, fruits, berries, flax seeds and chia seeds. Stir an over-the-counter powdered fiber supplement into your morning coffee or tea, too.

2.     Don’t Skip Resistance Training

Resistance training is just as important as a high-protein, high-fiber diet. That’s because you’ll lose muscle mass as you age, and muscle burns more calories than adipose tissue — a fancy name for body fat. You should do this type of exercise two to four times a week.

You can join a gym with resistance-based weight machines; you may receive a free lesson on how to use them with your membership.

You can also do resistance training at home. Start with light weights and follow one of the countless routines offered for free online. If that seems stressful, buy a membership to an app streaming service that offers on-demand strength classes. If weights intimidate you, try resistance bands instead. They are stretchy rubber bands that, with instruction, you can use to build muscle strength. Gallon jugs and water bottles work just as well.

3.     Pharmaceutical Interventions: GLP-1s and Other Meds

If a diet-exercise combo doesn’t do enough to keep your weight at a healthy level, you have many drug-related options. One might take care of your challenges, or you may need to change tactics over time, depending on your reactions, your body and your goals. All work best when paired with diet and exercise.

Classic weight-loss medications such as phentermine alone, or together with topiramate, can make you feel less hungry, and so you’ll likely eat less. You can only take them for 12 weeks maximum at a time.

New weight-loss medications, notably GLP-1s and GIPs, can make you process foods more slowly. Most involve weekly injections that you use at home. As a result you’ll feel full and satisfied longer, signaling your brain not to think obsessively about food. Two new oral pills work in a similar way, but you’ll take them daily and they’re not as strong.

4.     Weight-loss Procedures: Endoscopic and Bariatric

Surgeons can change how you process food using either of two types of procedures. They both involve rerouting your insides in such a way that, in most cases, you are physically unable to eat large meals, and your “food noise” may decrease. These are more aggressive options, but the results are likely more durable, meaning they’ll last for a much longer time.

The first, which is less invasive, is called endobariatrics. The surgeon will reach your abdomen through your mouth while you’re asleep. The second, bariatric surgery, involves a menu of surgeries. Each has a different way of limiting what you can eat at one time. You’re likely to lose a lot of weight and keep it off.

You needn’t live with a big belly just because you’ve started or completed the change of life. With the right food and exercises, maybe together with a medication or surgery, you can reach a weight that will keep you healthy and energetic for decades to come.

This content is not AI generated.