How To Lose Abdominal Fat After Menopause In 4 Ways?

This is for all the women out there – the moment you enter the fourth decade of your life, an expanding waistline comes free! With menopause comes a host of issues, such as – hot flashes, mood swings, and sudden night sweats. But what is more troubling is the skyrocketing number on the weighing scale. After all, the increased weight on the scale results in a host of other health complications such as diabetes, high pressure, and renal issues. In this content, you will get an idea of how to lose abdominal fat after menopause.

As you will scroll through this article, you will get an idea about the causes behind this weight gain, the risks associated with this, and ways to lose abdominal fat post the menopause phase.

What are the causes behind the menopausal weight gain?

There are multiple causes behind menopausal weight gain in women. Some of the most prominent factors are – the fluctuations in hormone levels (even if the estrogen levels are not balanced, that affects the fat content in your body, and you tend to gain weight), loss of sleep (poor sleep is one of the direct results of weight gain), enhanced insulin resistance (with age women are more prone to heighten their resistance to insulin causing weight gain) and loss of muscle mass (this also happens due to reduced physical activity).

With these reasons at hand, it is time to look for ways to solve this problem.

So, how will you shed down the ‘extras?’

How to lose abdominal fat after menopause?

If you want to lose fat after menopause, there are strictly 3 areas you must concentrate on. They are –

  1. Watch what you are eating

This is the first factor that you need to check – your food. Now that you have become aware of menopausal belly fat, it is better that you watch your portions. Regarding that, you will have to cut off certain foods from your list and reduce the portions of the others from your diet.

Let’s check how to lose abdominal fat after menopause by shifting diet –

• You will have to eat a nutrient-rich diet – Ensure that your diet has an ample amount of protein, and if you are not allergic, then include dairy products in your daily routine.
• Foods with high soluble fibre – To ensure better gut health, you must consume foods that are high in fibre content, such as flaxseeds, broccoli, and avocado, that help in increasing insulin sensitivity and promote loss of body fat.
• Cut the carbs – Among multiple studies, you will see that menopausal women who cut their carbs have lost weight comparatively at a higher rate than women who still rely heavily on carbs. A paleo diet is a great way to limit the carb consumption in your diet (it almost consists of 30% calories).
• A vegan diet is a great way out – Quite contrary to the ‘story of fads’ weaved around vegan diets, it really works well with post-menopausal women. In fact, in more than a single case, it has been proven to reduce hot flashes in menopausal women. However, you may extend this diet by including occasional eggs and dairy products.
• Try opting for the Mediterranean diet – This form of diet which has its base in nuts and olive oil, is one of the best for menopausal and perimenopausal individuals (in fact works for both genders) to reduce their fat content in the body.
• Check your emotional eating – It is without a doubt that your hormones are going all topsy turvy since post-menopause is a phase categorically known for that. Apart from certain physical backlogs, you also have emotional baggage, and courtesy of all that, your abdominal belly fat is on the rise. Emotional eating is part of the menopause phase, but rather than consistently cutting down on the consumption of junk food, it is better to strategically limit it to specific times and tone down binge eating. You need to distract yourself and become aware of whether you are actually hungry.

Overall, it is better that you cut down on full meals and rather concentrate on having smaller meals (inclusive of nuts) and that too at an interval of 3-4 hours gap. If followed according to the clock, supposedly you will have 3-4 meals per day, in perfect proportions (minerals/protein/carbohydrate).

  2. What are the exercises to follow?

For those asking how to lose abdominal fat after menopause with the help of exercises – then let us inform you that there are ample exercises for you in that case. Whether some hard-core ones or lighter ones, along with yoga, all of them are ideal for helping you shed some pounds without much of a hassle.

• Exercises to try to reduce abdominal fat – When you have abdominal fat to shed, and age is not exactly on your side, not every exercise will suit your body. Keeping that in mind, it is better to stick to some of the specific exercises, such as – running (try to start with low intensity one and then go in for a full-fledged format) is one of the best cardio exercises that can help you shed weight. Apart from that, you can always try pilates, stationary jogging, planks, and leg raises. These are categorically designed to help shed abdominal fat, and if you manage to do them well will help shed menopausal fat. The key idea is to strengthen your core.
• Yoga poses that are specifically helpful – Poses such as the boat pose, plough pose, wheel pose, camel pose, one-foot pose, and bow pose are the ones you must practice to shed the menopausal fat.

  3. Ways to manage your stress

We might sound like a broken record when we say this, but you must manage your stress levels to ensure a reduced menopausal belly! Multiple pieces of research have confirmed that heightening stress levels increases cortisol which is directly connected to the accumulation of belly fat. The fact that this rises during menopause thereby adds to the menopausal abdominal fat.

Therefore, how to lose abdominal fat after menopause especially when you know it is stress related? Manage your stress!

• Get set to a schedule – follow a sleep pattern, make a to-do list, and set some time aside (as mentioned before for exercise).
• If you have a habit of stressing or do get sudden anxiety attacks – start by drinking a glass of water to calm down and then follow the 4-3-2-1 method. This will help in regaining your mental balance and ensure that your hormones are not mismanaged.
• Do you have a hobby? Try taking some time out for the same. If not, get yourself a hobby and try to dedicate some time to that – which reduces the stress levels in the body.
• For those looking for alternatives – psychotherapy sessions (specifically cognitive behavioral therapy) work well in these cases. You can also opt for acupuncture sessions.
• If nothing works, try to seek professional help. Go for therapies and life coaching sessions. Ice baths are a great opportunity as well.

 4. Cosmetic procedures

For those wondering how to lose abdominal fat after menopause through cosmetic procedures – (since, understandably, lifestyle changes did not help much), you can try procedures such as liposuction or abdominoplasty. However, it is advised you consult a doctor and carry on with these procedures under strict medical surveillance.

If the above-mentioned techniques do not completely provide the desired results, you can always fall back on cosmetic procedures to lose some ‘body fat.’

What are the associated risks?

You now have clarity about how to lose abdominal fat after menopause. Hence, one may assume that you will follow the above-mentioned steps to better your health. But, if you are still in two minds, let us tell you –

• Not losing menopausal weight could result in you having Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and blood pressure, as well as multiple heart ailments.
• Apart from that, you will become more prone to suffer from arthritis, osteoarthritis, and gall bladder diseases.

Therefore, to save yourself from these ailments, it is better to shed some pounds at the earliest.

Final words

Assuming you have read this article well and have a better idea regarding how to lose abdominal fat after menopause – you will actively follow the steps and work on reducing those extra ‘pounds.’ If you still require help regarding the steps, do leave your comments below. For more exciting updates like this, keep following this page!