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Menopause for some women may signal a less stressful time of their life, however menopause is not time specific and occasionally arrives at an earlier age than expected. Either way, the symptoms, concerns, and results are the same. One of the most overwhelming results of menopause is that inevitable weight gain. The weight is gained in areas that were never a problem prior to menopause. Each woman's body transforms into a shape that seemingly is impossible to change.

It takes a tremendous amount of effort just to maintain ones weight after menopause and loosing weight is even more difficult. All of the great suggestions and plans used prior to menopause will not suffice for loosing menopausal weight gain. A woman's thinking regarding food and how much, when, what, and how often to eat all must change during this period of her life. No longer can snacking go unchecked or eating on the run with dinner to come later, as all eating must be deliberate and planned. If fast food was ever in the menu, it definitely is no longer an option.

The following tips for loosing weight during menopause have been used time and again, still proving helpful.
* Get plenty of rest
* Eat 6 smaller meals at regular intervals
* Drink plenty of water
* Always eat low fat and a low sugar/no sugar diet
* Always bake or broil foods
* Make sure all dairy products are NO fat or Skim
* Eat plenty of whole grains or add flax seeds to salads and cereal
* Limit soda to 1 a day
* Avoid all cakes, cookies, or candies unless it is a small piece of dark chocolate
* Keep carbohydrates to a minimum, get plenty of protein (it will keep hunger to a minimum)
* Exercise is a MUST and plenty of it...no longer is 30 minutes OK and it must be EVERY day
* Build as much muscle as possible, walk the stairs every day rather than the elevator
* In lots, park far away from the door, then walk to the store
* Be vigilant with your eating, make good choices for YOU, not the friend who made the food, they won't be wearing it!
* And most of all RELAX...while this is easier said, but harder to do...find what works for you and commit to 30 minutes each day just for YOU...the reward will be big

Menopause can be a very difficult time of life for any woman. For the younger woman who unfortunately must experience this transition before her time, it can be awfully disturbing. Since she is really in the middle age, not only is she young and in the "prime" of her life, but she may very well have young children or young teens at home too. As well, she is usually still active and working each day with all the stresses of life with which she must contend. This is the most unenviable position when menopause arrives. With her family bearing the brunt of her moodiness, no one will understand the horrible mood swings that typify this stage of life. As her moods change so does her weight and it only goes one way, UP!

Hopefully, with the above tips many can find at least one or two that work for them. If one is vigilant and can apply these tips for a few weeks, later adding additional tips as the weight begins to change, and then positive progress toward menopausal weight loss has begun. With menopause, the weight gain is faster, easier and more noticeable and yet it is more difficult to loose, slower to come off, and the shape afterward is still the "classical menopausal distribution", being a large matronly chest, thick middle, large abdomen, and skinny legs. Be patient with menopausal weight reduction, as it is like no weight you've ever attempted to loose before, but it is a goal that can be achieved!

Learn more about this author, K.D. Saffron.
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