When the body suffers a decline in oestrogen as a woman enters her 50s, she may notice drastic changes in her physique.
But with diligence and hard work, many women defeat the middle-aged bulge and enjoy long-term improvements in body composition.
Angie, the face of the YouTube channel HotAndFlashy, noticed great improvements in her weight after cutting out foods labelled ‘low-fat’.
“I’m 59 and I’m going to be 60 in just six months," she told her followers. "Once I became menopausal I was having a hard time maintaining the same results that I had been earlier.
A woman claims that she avoided foods with low-fat labels to lose weight
GETTY / YOUTUBE / HOTANDFLASHY
“When we become post-menopausal our bodies stop producing oestrogen, and unfortunately, when our body stops producing oestrogen, our body metabolism slows down, by as much as 15 to 20 per cent.
“Even though I’m on hormonal replacement therapy, I still struggle a little with my weight and with belly fat and with keeping my muscle mass, keeping my muscles nice and strong, and being able to do the workouts that I did and getting the same results that I did with them."
Although menopause and weight gain appear to go hand in hand, diet and exercise can enhance body composition.
Many studies have proven that the symptoms associated with menopause tend to be exacerbated with the ingestion of processed foods during the transition period, suggesting these should be avoided where possible.
“Before I was eating a roll-up sandwich with deli turkey, I don’t eat as much processed foods now as I did then," noted Angie.
"One of the big keys to keeping weight off during menopause, or losing weight during menopause is getting rid of the processed foods and a lot of the added sugars that come with the processed foods.
“Also a big key is not to eat foods that are labelled low-fat, because unfortunately, it’s a big marketing ploy.
“What the food manufacturers have done is they’ve taken the fat out of food and they’ve replaced it all with sugar, and unfortunately, sugar is so bad for you.
“It increases the inflammation inside your body, it turns right into fat, and makes you pack on weight in the middle as opposed to foods that are prepared from scratch, are fresh, and that you make at home yourself. “
Tackling menopause symptoms is another key step for women seeking improvements in their overall appearance during their golden years.
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Intake of processed foods can speed up weight gain during menopause
PAManisha Morgan, a menopause expert and nutritionist, recently explained on TikTok why addressing menopause symptoms is imperative for managing weight.
“What you eat and how much you eat has to change,” explained Manisha. “And the type of exercises that you do, in line with the changes [...] happening during this time of your life.
“[The] majority of women cannot get away with living the life [...] led back when they were 20 and 30.
“So what can you do? The first thing we need to control your symptoms because that is one thing we can control.”