What I discovered about metabolism shocked me. As a 55+ woman who has never experienced a diet in her life, when I discovered that once you hit menopause and say goodbye to more than just that monthly feminine annoyance, your metabolism grinds to a halt. It literally closes. Zipper. Zero. Any. It’s all gone!
It doesn’t matter if you don’t eat more than 750 calories a day, you’ll STILL gain 10 pounds a year. It is not the food that is the problem for a woman over 50, it is the metabolism. And what happens after menopause is that you start storing that fat exactly where men do it: in the abdomen. It’s called visceral fat and it can be life-threatening. It wraps itself around your organs and is incredibly awkward to carry around too!
The best thing you can do to get back on track is:
1. Eat foods that increase metabolism.
2. Start an exercise regimen.
3. Try not to spend a lot of time sitting. Even standing up burns calories.
4. Join a gym or start a swimming program.
5. Try a natural estrogen supplement every day.
6. Walk for twenty minutes every day (not as part of an exercise program).
In addition, they have discovered that the muscle that is accumulated in the younger years turns into fat as you age. Unless you’re Ms. Super Athlete or Wonder Woman, you’ll need to adjust your diet and lifestyle to accommodate this change.
You can do this by:
o Eat a healthy, low-fat, high-fiber diet (helps with those irritable bowels)
o Regular exercise: 30 minutes of moderate exercise every day
o Maintain your strength and muscle mass by using light weights for your arms and walking or biking for your legs.
And by all means, check with your doctor before beginning any exercise regimen if you have any medical conditions or are out of shape.
