If you’ve hit menopause or you’re in perimenopause, this article will show you how to lose menopausal belly fat.
Menopause officially begins after 12 months without a menstrual cycle. Most women start to gain belly fat when they reach this stage.
Some of the factors contributing to weight gain include loss of muscle mass, hormonal fluctuations, insulin resistance, and sleep interruptions.
Research shows that during and after menopause, the estrogen levels fall. As a result, fat accumulates around the belly and hips.
While these changes are inevitable, you can keep your belly fat during and after menopause.
Below are strategies you can use to lose menopausal belly fat.
How to Lose Menopausal Belly Fat Fast
1. Walk for 20+ Minutes Every Day
Walking is an underrated exercise. When done consistently, it can help you lose menopausal belly fat, ease stress, improve heart health, and much more.
Now, don’t skip walking because you lack time. If you’re too busy, walk during lunch break or in the morning or after work.
You can even divide your walking routine into 2 sessions of 10 minutes. Alternatively, you can walk on the treadmill.
Note that walking on hilly routes or setting the treadmill on incline helps burn more calories.
2. Manage Your Stress
High cortisol (stress hormone) levels lead to inflammation of the hypothalamus and as result, leptin resistance sets in.
The last thing you want is to have leptin resistance while dealing with other hormonal issues. You’ll end up overeating and your belly will grow bigger.
Avoid stressful situations and engage in stress-relieving activities. Exercise, yoga, meditation, and walking have been shown to ease stress.
3. Add Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) to Drinking Water
Most of the supposed benefits of ACV are not backed by science. But there’s some evidence that it can help you lose one or two pounds a month.
ACV contains acetic acid, which helps your body break down fats.
In addition, it helps your body get rid of any toxins.
Drink a glass of water with ACV vinegar in the morning.
Don’t take more than two tablespoons a day. Too much ACV has negative side effects.
4. Focus on Strength Training Over Cardio
According to this study, doing strength training for 20 minutes will help you lose age-related belly fat faster than doing cardio for the same duration.
As you may know, we lose muscle as we age. Strength training helps prevent muscle loss and even increases muscle mass.
You can lift weights or do bodyweight exercises at home. Use these bodyweight exercises to build muscle fast.
Now, I’m not asking you to quit cardio. You can do it once or twice a week but your focus should be on strength training.
5. Cut Back on Sugary Foods
Many of us don’t realize that cutting back on table sugar does very little to reduce sugar intake. Most of the sugar we consume comes from processed foods.
Therefore, you need to reduce your intake of processed foods to lose menopausal belly fat. Processed foods should make up less than 20 percent of your diet.
6. Get Enough Sleep Each Night
Menopause hot flashes and night sweats make it hard to get quality sleep. However, you can sleep deeply by keeping your bedroom cool and dark.
If you don’t have an AC, sleep naked or use light sheets. You may also want to avoid caffeine-containing beverages after dinner.
Most organizations recommend sleeping for 7 to 8 hours every night.
7. Avoid Emotional Eating
During menopause, your hormones are changing and affecting your emotions. Don’t rely on food to fix your emotional issues.
Assess your emotions first before you decide to eat junk food. If something is bothering you, handle it first or find a way to solve the situation.
If you’ve been struggling with stress eating, use these strategies to overcome it.
8. Do High-Intensity Interval Training
High-intensity workouts may not work for everyone. It’s better to stay away from these exercises for now, until you get in shape.
If you’re already in shape, take your workouts to the next level with high-intensity exercises.
The best thing about high-intensity exercises is that they burn many calories in a short period. A 4-minute high-intensity workout can give you the rewards of a 30-minute steady cardio workout.
I usually recommend doing hill sprints since they are easy on the joints.
9. Eat Whole Carbs
Carbs have gotten a bad rep over the years. But not all carbs are bad.
Only stay away from processed and simple carbs. They are high in calories and make you feel hungry fast.
Complex carbs, on the other hand, will help you lose menopausal belly fat. For one, they contain fiber, which helps control hunger. Secondly, they don’t cause blood sugar spikes.
Excellent examples of such foods include vegetables, legumes, whole grains, sweet potatoes, and oats.
10. Eat Plenty of Protein
A high-protein diet will help you lose menopausal belly fat.
Unlike carbs, protein digests slowly, making you feel full for longer.
I may also note that protein has a high thermic effect. In short, your body uses more energy to digest protein than it does when digesting carbs or fats.
Studies also show that a diet that contains 30 percent protein enhances fat loss.
Protein-rich foods include beans, lentils, lean meat, fish, chicken, eggs, and turkey.
11. Eat More Soluble Fiber
Chances are you know it is important to eat high-fiber foods. But are you eating them?
The truth is getting the recommended 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day is not hard. You just need to eat veggies in every meal and maximize on plant protein from legumes. It’s that simple!
You may also need fiber supplements for the days you skimp on veggies.
12. Follow the Bikini Belly
As you can see, you need to make many changes to lose menopausal belly fat. But you don’t need to apply every single strategy in this article.
The bikini belly plan will show you the top strategies that reduce menopausal belly in record time. You will even discover the 3 habits that make your belly bigger during menopause.
Do you know other ways to lose menopausal belly?
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