3 Tips for Successfully Managing Menopause and Weight Gain - Ellen Dolgen
Search
Close this search box.

3 Tips for Successfully Managing Menopause and Weight Gain

“You look great for your age!”

Have you heard these words? What do they mean to you??

To my friend, Camille, “for your age” indicated that “middle age” as it’s referred to required serious compromises in terms of weight gain.  She felt it was a slippery slope and she was going from sexy to dumpy. These words were the turning point for taking a more proactive role in her weight and health.

Like many of us, Camille began noticing the numbers on the scale rise beginning in her 30’s. Work and relationship stress were huge triggers for her. She was a bit of a “carboholic” and a dessert lover. So, she found herself comfort eating – half a pint of ice cream or a batch of cocoa icing – or half a leftover cake or cookies and chocolate at the office.  Sound familiar???

Later in her career and coinciding with her menopausal journey, Camille became President of a company that used a combination of scientific research into the drivers of chronic disease, genomic testing, nutritional counseling and interval training to help people reduce their risk factors for chronic diseases like obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. This research helped Camille focus on the science of health instead of embracing one fad diet after another.

What she learned helped her crack the code. She realized serious changes were in order. She began to read everything science-based she could find about menopause, metabolism, carbs, and nutrition.  She then began running a company focused on replacing petrochemicals with recycled plastics and bio-based products – and began to learn a great deal about chemicals mimicking estrogen and endocrine disruptors.

Through her business expertise and research, she discovered a wide range of critical science-based factors that enabled her to lose 25 pounds in a year and a half and keep it off!

I asked Camille to share the top three changes that she made that changed her body and health.

1. METABOLISM – “It is important to understand your true metabolism. A recent Biggest Loser Study shows that dieting can slow your metabolism – so you will need less food than a normal person of your height, age, and body type who has not dieted. In addition, your metabolism slows as you age particularly after menopause.  Finally, everyone’s metabolism is different thanks to our genes.  There is no reliable rule of thumb based on your age and height.  Experiment and track using an app to learn about your personal metabolism.” 

Camille’s favorites are MyFitnessPal and LoseIt.

“Learn how many calories you really need in a day to avoid gaining weight (on a no exercise day).  Once you know – keep tracking every day.  This is important because as you lose weight you need fewer calories.  This is because your body is actually smaller and requires less energy to sustain itself. An app is a great tool to help you understand where you are before and after each meal and what your choices mean calorie wise, carb wise and salt wise.  This is critical to progress.

Set small goals rather than your big goal and each week focus on a day where you want to show off your progress – it could be a night out with the girls or a new outfit at the gym.  Reward yourself at intervals with something that celebrates your progress – I got new jeans on my birthday after being too embarrassed to wear them for about 6 years.”

2. EXERCISE – Many people allow themselves to eat more on days they exercise. That did not work for Camille.  She began to focus on diet as the key means to achieve weight loss and exercise as reducing the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer. Also, exercise was a way to tone her body. This is especially important after weight loss so the skin does not become saggy.

During the period where Camille was working to lose the most weight, she found weightlifting to be the best way to speed up her metabolism.  She saw an increase in metabolism for two days after weightlifting versus only one day with cardio.  An increase in metabolism for Camille resulted in burning more calories. She told me that weightlifting using machines in the gym versus free weights worked multiple muscles and helped her avoid injury.   In addition, she found that cardio exercises like running, hiking, elliptical, and treadmill made her very hungry. Ideally, she found it helpful if she lifted weights three days a week and did her cardio two days a week. In addition, she walked every day.

“Make sure you eat a small amount of protein and carbs for muscle repair in the first half hour after a workout.  I love Greek yogurt or low-fat chocolate milk.”

3. FOOD – “Shop proactively so that you have the right foods and snacks on hand so you don’t binge or eat the wrong foods that happen to be at hand when you are starving.  Greek yogurt is your best friend – the perfect combo of high protein and the right number of carbs.  It keeps your gut/microbiome healthy, provides tons of calcium to keep your bones healthy, is loaded with protein to aid in muscle repair and slows the digestion of sugar so that it doesn’t spike your blood sugar.  It is much lower in sugar than desserts.  Enjoy caramel or chocolate flavor as a dessert, fruit flavors post workout or with breakfast.  Buy organic fruits and vegetables.  Pesticides and fertilizers used on non-organic foods mimic estrogen in your system and can cause weight gain. 

Avoid restaurants or plan ahead by looking at the menu online and selecting something healthy to ensure you don’t overeat, eat the wrong things, or eat a great deal of salt.  Split an entree and salad with a companion or take the other half home.  Aim for fish and seafood – restaurants do not usually but organic meats but wild seafood do not have hormones and drugs that can mimic estrogen and cause you to gain weight.”

What I love about Camille’s success story is that her tips are very doable!

We CAN change those old habits that cause us to become members of the sisterhood of the shrinking pants without sending ourselves into a panic attack or hot flash. A few easy, healthy changes incorporated into our lifestyle can do wonders for our health and waistlines.

Give it whirl……………. I know I am!

My Motto:  Suffering in silence is OUT!  Reaching out is IN!

Download my free eBook MENOPAUSE MONDAYS The Girlfriends Guide to Surviving and Thriving in Perimenopause and Menopause.

Share:

23 thoughts on “3 Tips for Successfully Managing Menopause and Weight Gain”

    1. Me, too! When we try to change too much at one time – we are often not successful. Then we get discouraged and end up reaching for those not-so-good for you comfort foods!

  1. Weight gain after a certain age is so frustrating. That’s really the only menopause symptom I had because up until 50 I was always skinny. I don’t have a sweet tooth, eat whole healthy foods and walk up and down hills everyday. I guess I’ll have to try weight training.

    1. I thought her whole approach to how your metabolism affects your weight was very interesting. She found weight training to help her burn fat more than aerobics. I am not sure if that would be the same for everyone, but it is worth a shot! LMK how it goes! Good Luck!

  2. Susan Andrews Kanoff

    This article came JUST at the right time, thank you! I’m going through menopause and gaining a few pounds a week!! I never had an issue with weight until this month. I’m panicking because I have a photo shoot tomorrow and literally nothing is fitting me! Yikes!! Susan wwww.themidlifefashionista.com

  3. I definitely needed to read this now. I’ve been traveling so much, eating terribly and not exercising enough. Time for a change!

    1. When I am traveling, I give myself a pass — time to just enjoy the trip and all the great food of the region. When I get home, I switch back to my healthier ways and it takes no time to get back in the groove. Hope you had a fab time traveling…………

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get The Latest Updates

Subscribe To MENOPAUSE MONDAYS® Blog

No spam, notifications only about new products, updates.

Social Media

Categories

On Key

Related Posts

Is There a Menopause Education Gap??

By now, we all (hopefully!!) know about the gender wage gap. “Equal Pay for Equal Work!” An infamous rallying cry became a movement’s slogan and entered our lives as a common phrase. But the wage gap was introduced in the 1860s… *cough* sorry, just typing that feels dusty… and it’s still not filled!!!!!!!!!!! It’s about

Birth Control and Menopause

If your cycle has been harder to keep up with than a spin class, you have intolerable menstrual cramps, or you are trying to prevent unwanted pregnancies… chances are you’re no stranger to birth control! For many women, birth control plays a leading role in their bodies’ performance– whether for pain or pleasure. So, what

My Recipe for the Best Thanksgiving Ever!

For this special edition of Menopause Mondays, let’s focus on how YOU can celebrate the day.  You may spend hours obsessing over the turkey today, but hey, let’s keep the cooking tips in the kitchen – stuffing a turkey with apples and oranges is great but definitely not a remedy for other kinds of moisture

family in kitchen cooking Thanksgiving dinner

Turning Hot Flashes into Thanksgiving Turkey Triumphs!

Welcome to another Menopause Mondays® , where we’re turning up the heat, quite literally, as we explore the unique connection between hot flashes and cooking Thanksgiving turkey. Today, we’re serving up three tips to help you master the art of managing hot flashes while keeping your turkey perfectly juicy this holiday season. Tip 1: The

WordPress PopUp Plugin
Scroll to Top

If you want to educate your employees, colleagues, or friends about menopause, look no further!

Share via
Copy link