How Do You Lose Weight While Having Symptoms of Menopause?

As if menopause isn’t enough to deal with—never mind the hot flashes, how about the quick dashes…to the scale. Menopausal women often have to deal with weight gain as they experience the symptoms of menopause. Since menopause signals the body to start retaining fat (especially around the tummy area), weight gain is often an unwanted side effect.

Why Does the Body Retain More Fat During Menopause?

In a word, estrogen. Fat contains estrogen, and estrogen is an incredibly important hormone for women already—and it becomes especially valuable to women experiencing menopause. Extra estrogen leads to excess body fat tissue, and in this way menopause triggers not only physical symptoms, but emotional ones as well—women gain weight, and for many, this may have been a previous battle that they’ve won. It now resurfaces, during menopause. This may lead to a variety of emotional issues at a time when women are at their most vulnerable state already.

What’s Most Important in the Diet then, During Menopause?

In a word, protein. Protein chains form our bones, blood, immune system, hormones….Is it any wonder then, that as these break down (especially during menopause), the body goes into a mini system of shock? Breakdowns during menopause can affect health, certainly, but they can also affect mood, stamina, and quality of life.

Without the energy and vitality we’re used to, we may not feel like moving around as much during menopause. “I need to take a break—it’s that menopause thing again—those hot flashes, you understand,” we say, and we become more sedentary. Menopause may push us into becoming couch potatoes, which also doesn’t help the weight gain any.

So if these chains of proteins are breaking down, obviously, building them up again becomes vitally important during menopause. In fact, we have to manufacture billions of proteins every day to replace the broken ones experienced during menopause.

So How Can I Lose Weight Then, If I Have to ADD Protein During Menopause?

Well, let’s look at staying “organic” during menopause. Let’s search out the best source of protein that can actually be absorbed by the body. In our search, what do we find? The egg. About 47-48% of an egg’s protein will be absorbed by the body, and that’s important during menopause. But that still means that 52-53% is being turned into waste. And excess is excess. Unwanted, unneeded parts or nutrients will result in weight gain during menopause. And you can only eat so many eggs anyway, or you risk other health problems…especially when you are living through menopause.

Can protein bars help during menopause?

Certainly, there are protein bars on the market that can replace needed protein. There are a few drawbacks to them, though…

Let’s assume that you don’t like eating cardboard. Well, if you want a tasty protein bar to help you in your fight with menopause, then guess what? You’re going to pay for it. The Detour protein bar, for example contains as much as 30 grams of whey protein in each bar. The only problem? For every 30 grams of protein, there’s 10 grams of fat. Not a great ratio—especially for women trying to reduce fat during menopause.

If taste isn’t an issue, then Power Bars may be the way to go. They have a 5 to one ratio of protein to fat, much better for menopausal women than the three to one ratio of the Detour bar. The only problem? The calorie count is quite high for the amount you get. . . . 230 calories for 10 grams of protein compared to 310 calories for the 30 grams of protein in a Detour bar. There always seems to be some kind of drawback, no matter what.

Still, a Power Bar may not be such a bad choice. They are a low fat energy source that even athletes make use of to train. Obviously, they won’t be using a product that is going to store excess body fat, so if it’s good for them, it may be good for women during menopause too. Keep in mind that they generally have a much more active lifestyle, though, so burning fat isn’t the same problem for them as for a woman experiencing menopause.

Also, the simple sugars that are in a power bar tend to be from corn, grapes, and pears—natural sources of carbohydrates—even the lactose (milk sugar) of the milk protein has been removed, so the ingredients can be trusted. Free-form amino acids in each bar, like leucine, valine, and isoleucine and a range of vitamins and minerals are also present, and the best part of it is that these bars are portable and easy to ingest. For menopausal women, it may be a quick fix that works.

Test them out at first, and if you find they work for you, they are easy to slip into a purse or glove box, and you don’t have to mix them with anything, unlike many of the protein powders on the market, so you can get at them easily. But there is still another choice that doesn’t mean severely altering the diet, or creating a huge lifestyle change…

Supplements as part of the menopause diet

In many cases, taking a protein supplement may be a better choice for menopausal women. You can control the ingredients, you don’t have the “bulk” of a bar to ingest, and you can choose a supplement that contains protein that is easily absorbed by the body. Some supplements claim to have absorption rates as high as 99%--quite remarkable when we compare it to nature’s best—the egg, at 48%.

There are many on the market, and as always, check out the source of the protein, how well it’s absorbed by the body, and of course, the cost. The cost of supplements can be prohibitive. If you are going to use them regularly (and for menopausal women, they will), you need to calculate the costs BEFORE you start taking them and see if they are something you can afford. If cost isn’t an issue, they may be the best way to replace the proteins and building-blocks you need during menopause.

The main idea to keep in mind is this—the larger the lifestyle change, the more likely it is that you won’t stick to it. Keep the changes in your diet to a minimum if you can, replace the building-block protein that you need, and you’ll feel better during menopause. You may even find yourself becoming more active and…gasp…LOSING weight.

It all begins to make sense now, doesn’t it? Increased protein and decreased fat means you’re healthier and have more energy. More energy means it’s likelier that you may stay active or get more active, and THAT is what will lead you to weight loss the fastest. A small change in diet can lead to big changes in your activity, and that will lead you to success!