Breasts, Bellies and Bloating, Part 1
Overheard recently in Boston:
Lady # 1:"I haven't gained a pound, I exercise as much as I always have and all of a sudden none of my clothes fit right anymore."
Lady # 2: "I put on a skirt the other day that I wore the week before and couldn't zip it up. Got on the scale and I'd gained ten pounds in a week! I went to the doctor because I thought I had a tumor. He said, 'no tumor. Just menopause.' I was pissed. I really wanted it to be a tumor so I could at least fix it!"
Okay, so I'm lady # 2 and this conversation occurred with my sister-in-law recently. And I really did gain ten pounds in a week and all of it was in my breasts and belly. That is so wrong.
The places that weight accumulates during and after menopause, typically are in the areas of neck, chin, torso and abdomen. The reasons are varied, but many researchers think it is related to shifting estrogen-androgen hormone ratios, because this is typically where older men accumulate weight as well. Fighting the belly bloat during this time is tough. I can do a million sit-ups and crunches and my tummy still stays flabbola, basically because the weight that's accumulating is being stored as subcutaneous fat and visceral fat. There is a difference between the two. Sub q fat is just that: fat stored under the skin in areas like the thighs and tummy. It's the jiggly kind we all hate.Visceral fat is stored closer to your organs, or viscera. This is the fat surrounding your liver, heart and kidneys and it can be dangerous because of its location, because increased levels of visceral fat show a direct correlation in an increase in disease risk. So if you have a large abdominal fat increase, you will be at danger for increased cholesterol readings, hypertension and maybe even diabetes.
So what can you do to try and annihilate this fat storage? The biggest factor in my opinion is to start young. Begin exercising and eating right in your younger years and continue to do so as you age. Now that's pretty pie in the sky for someone like me who didn't really start up doing any of this until my forties, so for women like me who came to the party late, make some changes right now. Increase your fiber every day. 25-30 milligrams is the recommendation, but I think even a little higher is fine. You don't want to spend your day in the bathroom, but you do want to be able to keep your system regular and in good working order. Increase your H20 consumption and eliminate carbonated beverages like soda. Those bubbles seem to wreck havoc with your digestion and lead to even more bloating. Cut down on the animal fats and increase the whole grains and natural foods that aid in digestion. This also helps with the bloating. Exercise more, especially with weights. Cardio pumping is great. It burns calories and releases endorphins. But you need to be strong too. Weight training also has the added benefit of building muscles, which burn fat more rapidly.
Take a multivitamin EVERY DAY. DO NOT skip this. But not every Multivitamin is the same, so read the labels. A good place to start is really with the vitamins targeted for the age group, so the ones labeled Silver, or for Women in their fifties, are good.
Attitude can be everything during tough times. I wasn't kidding when I prayed my weight gain was a tumor because I could actually do something quick about that by cutting it out! Having a positive attitude and trying to laugh at all these ridiculous changes going on inside you really does make you feel a little better. Sharing with other women going through the same thing is really beneficial. It was comforting in a way to hear that my sisters-in-law are going through the same thing I am, and that I am not alone in this. None of us really are. We all have to endure this time but being able to joke about it and be proactive in our responses to the changes can really make this time more tolerable.
Part 2 of this entry will be able Breasts. We all have them, so the info, I promise, will be worthwhile. Until next time...
Lady # 1:"I haven't gained a pound, I exercise as much as I always have and all of a sudden none of my clothes fit right anymore."
Lady # 2: "I put on a skirt the other day that I wore the week before and couldn't zip it up. Got on the scale and I'd gained ten pounds in a week! I went to the doctor because I thought I had a tumor. He said, 'no tumor. Just menopause.' I was pissed. I really wanted it to be a tumor so I could at least fix it!"
Okay, so I'm lady # 2 and this conversation occurred with my sister-in-law recently. And I really did gain ten pounds in a week and all of it was in my breasts and belly. That is so wrong.
The places that weight accumulates during and after menopause, typically are in the areas of neck, chin, torso and abdomen. The reasons are varied, but many researchers think it is related to shifting estrogen-androgen hormone ratios, because this is typically where older men accumulate weight as well. Fighting the belly bloat during this time is tough. I can do a million sit-ups and crunches and my tummy still stays flabbola, basically because the weight that's accumulating is being stored as subcutaneous fat and visceral fat. There is a difference between the two. Sub q fat is just that: fat stored under the skin in areas like the thighs and tummy. It's the jiggly kind we all hate.Visceral fat is stored closer to your organs, or viscera. This is the fat surrounding your liver, heart and kidneys and it can be dangerous because of its location, because increased levels of visceral fat show a direct correlation in an increase in disease risk. So if you have a large abdominal fat increase, you will be at danger for increased cholesterol readings, hypertension and maybe even diabetes.
So what can you do to try and annihilate this fat storage? The biggest factor in my opinion is to start young. Begin exercising and eating right in your younger years and continue to do so as you age. Now that's pretty pie in the sky for someone like me who didn't really start up doing any of this until my forties, so for women like me who came to the party late, make some changes right now. Increase your fiber every day. 25-30 milligrams is the recommendation, but I think even a little higher is fine. You don't want to spend your day in the bathroom, but you do want to be able to keep your system regular and in good working order. Increase your H20 consumption and eliminate carbonated beverages like soda. Those bubbles seem to wreck havoc with your digestion and lead to even more bloating. Cut down on the animal fats and increase the whole grains and natural foods that aid in digestion. This also helps with the bloating. Exercise more, especially with weights. Cardio pumping is great. It burns calories and releases endorphins. But you need to be strong too. Weight training also has the added benefit of building muscles, which burn fat more rapidly.
Take a multivitamin EVERY DAY. DO NOT skip this. But not every Multivitamin is the same, so read the labels. A good place to start is really with the vitamins targeted for the age group, so the ones labeled Silver, or for Women in their fifties, are good.
Attitude can be everything during tough times. I wasn't kidding when I prayed my weight gain was a tumor because I could actually do something quick about that by cutting it out! Having a positive attitude and trying to laugh at all these ridiculous changes going on inside you really does make you feel a little better. Sharing with other women going through the same thing is really beneficial. It was comforting in a way to hear that my sisters-in-law are going through the same thing I am, and that I am not alone in this. None of us really are. We all have to endure this time but being able to joke about it and be proactive in our responses to the changes can really make this time more tolerable.
Part 2 of this entry will be able Breasts. We all have them, so the info, I promise, will be worthwhile. Until next time...
Comments
Post a Comment
Share your story!