Experts know that major transitions like getting married, having a baby, menopause, even the holidays, are likely to cause women to gain weight. Here’s some smart, simple suggestions on how to stop weight gain going forward.
1. Getting married - Experts tell us that 6 of 10 people come back heavier after the honeymoon and young marrieds add an extra 6 to 9 pounds in the first five (most comes in the first) years after tying the knot compared to those who are single – this based on research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It often happens that couples unknowingly mirror each other’s eating habits.
We also know women eat more when eating with their husbands, and once married are sharing more meals with that man. To avoid packing on the pounds, keep an eye on those portions, you’ll want a serving each of carbs (about the size of your (not his) fist), protein (the size of your palm) and good fats (a tablespoon), then fill the rest of the plate with any non-starchy vegetable – broccoli, cauliflower or green beans are all good choices.
You might also try alternating days for choosing what to eat for the evening meal. If you want something healthy when it’s your night, your hubby can go along with it, or get something for himself. Same goes for his night of thick steaks or calorie laden starches – you can choose something healthier, or eat less than you normally would.
Be aware too of how much “us time” you get, and what you’re missing – usually that workout. Fight back by getting your partner to workout with you, or make the gym the time you spend catching up with girlfriends. Just don’t skip on the workouts.
2. The holidays - According to research in the New England Journal of Medicine, the average person gains a whole pound from fall to winter. While this doesn’t sound all that bad, holiday weight gain adds up year after year.
To fight back, up your workout time or intensity a few months before treat laden Halloween. Add fat busters like jumping rope or squat thrusts to give your workout the extra edge you’ll need to keep the holiday pounds at bay.
It’s also a good idea to stop grazing on those leftovers. Save the splurging on calorie-laden foods for special times, like Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas, and work to cut down on the calories as much as possible the rest of the season.
Refusing the wine with dinner might also be a good idea, not so much because of the calories in the alcohol, but because drinking weakens your willpower, making it harder to deny the extra piece of pie, or holiday chocolate. Try to limit yourself to a single drink a day during the festive season.
3. Having a baby - A married woman who has a child gains nearly 20 pounds over the next ten years according to a study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. What’s more, women faces an average of 7% higher risk of obesity during her lifetime per child born… so 3 children brings a 21% increased risk of obesity. Ouch.
And hormones hardly help things. Pregnancy ups insulin production and the accumulation of fat according to Lori Bastian, MD who is an associate professor of medicine at Duke University.
Here’s what you can do. Begin by feeding yourself as well as you are your child. Remember to eat every three hours, so that you don’t run the risk of being famished, worn down and at risk for binge eating. And don’t graze off the kids’ plates, make your own food and be sure to eat it – healthy options with little or no prep are best. Consider canned tuna, frozen veggies or fresh, easy to eat fruits like apples and pears.
And while breast-feeding is known to burn 300 calories a day, this only works out to an extra half pound a week. You’ve still got to exercise on a regular basis, and watch what you eat to get your body into pre-baby shape.
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Fighting Weight Gain That Comes With Major Life Changes… Continued…
4. Menopause – Hands down the toughest time for keeping weight in check. Most women gain an average of 12 pounds within 8 years after menopause according to research out of the University of Pittsburgh. What’s even worse, the ability to burn fat goes down by 32% (an average of 150 to 250 fewer calories a day) in postmenopausal women, perhaps because of the drop in estrogen.
What can you do? Cut calories – about 200 a day from your daily intake. Be sure that you’re getting enough lean protein and fiber so you stay feeling fuller longer. But since your body isn’t as good as it once was at burning fats, limit these as much as possible.
Also be sure you get enough sleep as stress hormones like cortisol can sneak up on you due to hot flashes and other normal discomforts associated with this time of your life. You might find yourself craving sugary foods, which your body helpfully turns into belly fat. One smart way to fight back is to make getting quality, restful sleep a priority.
You might also try to lift weights more than you do, as muscle mass goes down with age, and if you don’t do anything to replace it, your body composition will shift to be more fat and less muscle. This slows metabolism even more and makes it harder to stop weight gain. You’ll want to try for two 40-minute sessions of weight training each week to keep yourself at pre menopause levels. Other days, 30 minutes of cardio to help that mid life weight gain disappear.
