“I call this the meno-pot” my 49 year old client remarked as she grabbed the flesh around her abdomen. “And I don’t like it! I dread the thought of gaining more and more weight.” She believed she was destined to get fat with aging. Not the case.

The truth is, menopause is not a sentence to gain undesired body fat. Factors other than hormones come into play. "Midlife" is more to blame than menopause.  Midlife changes in physical activity, poor sleep due to hot flashes, a sedentary workstyle name just a few. Some keys to minimizing the meno-pot are to make a priority of getting adequate sleep, staying active, and learning how to eat appropriate portions of food.

Not gaining weight in the first place is much easier than losing it... think twice before you eat and ask "Does my body need this fuel?"

My  Sports Nutrition Guidebook (2008) has a strong section on how to lose weight and maintain energy to exercise--as well as how to manage the meno-pot.  

Nancy