How To Reverse Menopausal Belly: The Do's and Don'ts

DON'TS -  These things have not been shown the reverse menopausal belly and may work against you:

1. Increasing only aerobic exercise. While general activity is important (300 min of moderate activity per week), it’s important to build muscle to aid with fat loss.
2. Starvation.  Your body needs energy to function, even carbs.  Focus on nutritional selection and energy density.

DO’S - These things have been shown to help reverse menopausal belly:

1. Strength training 2-3 times/week is very important in order for menopausal women to maintain muscle mass and higher metabolism.
2. Intermittent fasting, timed restricted eating, calorie counting or macro counting? With so many nutritional lifestyles how do you decide which to follow? Choose the method that works best for you and that you can stick to. The bottom line is for sustained weight loss, you must use more energy than you consume and reduce processed foods. You must also be sure to have adequate protein intake (approx. 1.2-1.5 G protein / kg body weight) which can be difficult with intermittent fasting. Without adequate protein intake, you may actually lose muscle.
3. Body contouring. Combined with lifestyle changes makes a nice non-invasive way to rid of stubborn fat in target areas.
4. Hormone balance. Much of weight gain in menopause (especially our midsection) is due to our low estrogen level which leads to insulin resistance. Balancing hormones helps to reverse the insulin resistance and makes weight loss easier.

Remember, it IS possible to lose the menopausal belly fat with lifestyle changes and hormonal balance and maybe some help with body contouring. To schedule a consult, call 470-336-9616.