Midlife Weight Gain in Women: Causes and Prevention

Most women gain between 10 to 15 pounds between the ages of 35 and 55. It is so common that many feel it is just a part of being a woman and there is nothing a girl can do about it. Is this really the case, though? The truth is, age-related weight gain does not have to be a fact of life. Understanding the causes of midlife weight gain in women is the first step in preventing it.

Midlife Weight Gain in Women: Are Hormones the Cause of Age-Related Weight Gain?
As women age and reach the end of their childbearing years, their ovaries begin to produce less estrogen in preparation for menopause. The body still wants estrogen, however, so it begins to look for it in other places. One good place to find estrogen is in fat cells. Since more fat cells in the body means more available estrogen, the body starts to convert calories into fat instead of using them to support lean muscle. Unfortunately, fat cells do not burn calories as effectively as muscle and this leads to a slowing of the metabolism. The result is a gradual increase in weight.

While it might be nice to put all the blame on hormones, there is more involved in age-related weight gain. In the average woman, hormones account for about 2 to 5 pounds of the midlife weight gain. So where does the rest of it come from?

Midlife Weight Gain in Women: Poor Eating Habits and Lack of Physical Activity
Being a woman in today's society means working a job, shuttling children to various after school activities, and then coming home to quickly care for household chores. By the end of the day, most women are worn out and ready to collapse in front of the TV for an hour or two before heading to bed. Dinner may only be served after a quick run through the drive-thru and exercise is forever a 'tomorrow' activity.

The practice of making room for other things by cutting out exercise or not allowing time for the preparation of healthy, well-balanced meals plays more of a role in midlife weight gain than the shift in hormones.

Midlife Weight Gain in Women: Taking Steps to Prevent Age-Related Weight Gain
Even though some midlife weight gain is normal in women, much of the increase can be controlled through changes in diet and exercise.

Healthy Diet:
While a woman's first inclination might be to go on a diet as a way of controlling her weight, drastically cutting calories can be counterproductive in preventing midlife weight gain. The body wants those fat cells and it will fight to keep them! The average woman requires between 1,500-1,600 calories total for the day. Going below this most often leads to gaining more weight in the long run.

Middle-aged women need to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet full of whole grains, lean protein, and fresh produce. While it might be tempting to cut fat out of the diet, this will only encourage fat cells to protect themselves by growing larger. Instead, woman should focus on eating heart-healthy unsaturated fats, such as those found in olive and canola oil, fish, avocados and nuts.

Eating several small meals throughout the day, instead of the standard three big meals, can aid in preventing midlife weight gain by boosting the metabolism. Middle-aged women should try to eat a small meal or healthy snack every three to four hours.

Exercise:
Increasing physical activity is key to preventing midlife weight gain. However, the type of exercise is important. Middle-aged women should start to focus on strength training, as this will rebuild the lean muscle that has been lost due to hormone changes. Building lean muscle will increase the metabolism, thereby burning more of the calories that the body is trying to store as fat.

This is not to say cardio exercise should be pushed to the wayside. The American Heart Society and The American College of Sports Medicine recommend women under the age of 65 do some form of moderate cardio exercise on most days of the week. A weekly goal should be between 150-300 minutes of cardio exercise total and 8-10 strength-training exercises, 8-12 repetitions each, twice a week.

Midlife Weight Gain in Women: Nutrition for Midlife and Post-Menopausal Weight Gain Prevention
A study published in 2007 showed women who took a combination of 1000 mg of calcium and 400 IU of Vitamin D daily were less likely to gain midlife and post-menopausal weight than women who did not have enough calcium in their diet. While the overall effect on weight gain prevention during the study was small, the women who took both supplements had better success at staying within 2.2 pounds of their starting weight.

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Sources:

WebMD
Expert Q&A: Fighting Midlife Weight Gain

Healthline
Managing Midlife Weight Gain

Dr. Andrew Weil, M.D.
Avoiding Midlife or Menopause Weight Gain?

Archives of Internal Medicine
Calcium Plus Vitamin D Supplementation and the Risk of Postmenopausal Weight Gain

The American College of Sports Medicine
Physical Activity and Public Health Guidelines