Welcome to another edition of Carol’s Corner. Hope everyone is having a great week. Now if we could just have winter in our rear view window, I would be so happy. The blouse I am wearing in today’s picture is the first form fitting top I purchased after I lost all my weight. The color is one I love and the print is pretty cool. And I got to wear the necklace and ring again that I love. My Genie Cami Shaper goes perfectly underneath it. I’m not sure there could be a better match.

Love my FitBit combo and the bracelet with the matching earrings. It all works together quite nicely.

Ok tonight’s topic is of importantance to a lot of women. We are going to be discussing how perimenopause and menopause affects weight loss efforts. We are going to start this out by using a section in a website called 34 menopause symptoms. We will be using the section on weight loss and perimenopause.

As women age they are prone to putting on weight and it is especially true during perimenopause. The definition of perimenopause is the transition period from normal menstrual periods to full fledged menopause. This is when women normally start to experience such symptoms as hot flashes,night sweats, and weight gain. I am lucky that I didn’t really have these, and any weight gain was from my eating habits combined with lack of exercise.

Weight gain and perimenopause often go hand-in-hand. During this time women may feel self conscious and helpless. It is then that women tend to seek out help with weight loss and other symptoms. There are many ways to achieve weight loss and relief from symptoms. Staying positive and arming yourself with information is a good way to start. The following can help you find ways to achieve weight loss and relief from symptoms associated with menopause and it’s precursor.

UNDERSTANDING WEIGHT LOSS AND PERIMENOPAUSE SYMPTOMS

Most women enter menopause in their 40’s and 50’s, which signal’s the end of the reproductive years. Perimenopause often causes weight gain and the theories why are varied. Many believe a woman’s metabolism slows down, while others argue that this stage in a woman’s life provokes hormonal imbalance, which in turn affects her weight.

Hormonal imbalance can be caused by low estrogen levels. Because estrogen is stored in fat, when you approach menopause, your body responds by holding onto fat cells in an effort to boost falling estrogen levels. It’s much tougher to lose fat at this time, but weight loss and perimenopause can work together.

Other causes of weight gain during menopause include anxiety, emotional stress, over-exertion, and fatigue, although these factors are much less common, and if properly controlled, can ensure weight loss and relief of perimenopausal symptoms.

An estrogen imbalance is the most probable cause of weight gain during perimenopause. If this is the cause it is a good idea to seek hormonal treatments. Your doctor or family physician should be able to advise you on this. There are many safe and easy ways to combat weight gain, so that weight loss and perimenopause symptom relief should be easily achievable.

TOP TIPS FOR WEIGHT LOSS AND PERIMENOPAUSE SYMPTOMS RELIEF

To start on your journey to relief, it’s important to work out if your weight gain is due to physical (hormonal imbalance) or physchological factors( e.g. stress). Once you have established this you can work out the most effective method for weight loss and relief of symptoms. The following simple tips should be considered as a first course of action:

1) Schedule rest into your daily routine.

2) Do more regular exercise, at least 5 hours per week. I certainly have this one covered these days.

3) Eat a more balanced diet; eat more fruits and vegetables and limit your intake of processed foods, sugar, red meats, and use healthy oils such as olive oils in moderation.( I think they made a mistake on what they meant to write on the last part on healthy oils, so I improvised on what I thought they really wanted to say)

4) Consider using an alternative medicine in conjunction with the above methods.

All of the above can help you in the fight for weight loss and perimenopause symptom relief.

The following are links to weight gain overview and weight gain treatments:

http://www.34-menopause-symptoms.com/weight-gain.htm

http://www.34-menopause-symptoms.com/weight-gain-treatments.htm

Here is something from a website called womentowomen.com., titled “The Top 10 Menopause Myths”. https://www.womentowomen.com/menopause-perimenopause/menopause-myths/

Here is another good link from About Health, titled “Menopause And Weight Gain”. http://exercise.about.com/od/healthinjuries/a/menopauseandweightgain.htm

There is so much good information out there . I will give you some more good links to follow. Please make sure you bookmark any that you find helpful so you can return to them at your leisure.

Next one is “How To Lose Weight During Perimenopause”. http://www.livestrong.com/article/43593-lose-weight-during-perimenopause/

Next we have someone’s personal story. “Six Step Guide To Weight Loss During Menopause”. https://fullplateliving.org/blog/6-step-guide-weight-loss-during-menopause

And lastly a good article from WebMD. http://www.webmd.com/menopause/guide/menopause-weight-gain-and-exercise-tips

Since I have been at this for many hours I think I will call this a wrap. I hope you will find this wealth of information useful in the trials and tribulations we all face as part of the journey. Remember now, to bookmark anything you want to return to. Have a great day and see you back in Carol’s Corner. Till next time, God Bless.