Feeling great Fridays - life and weight gain begin at 40

 Several years ago a group of us were sat around the office table having lunch when the topic of weight gain entered the conversation. As we were all women in our 40s this sort of conversation was likely to crop up at some time when we were all together.

We all complained that in our 20s and 30s any additional weight had been easily lost with a week or so of careful eating but once we hit our 40s there appeared to be ongoing insidious weight gain and no amount of careful eating was working in the long-term. We had all tried various diets, all of them claiming to be the one true answer to our weight management. And they had all helped us to loose a few kilos but only in the short- term. Without fail, all of us had then returned to the starting weight and then endured the ignominy of additional weight gain on top.

What was going on? Had we started to eat more without realising it? Had we started to eat more weight enhancing food? For most of us it was a combination. One woman had a daughter who had started working in a local bakery. She brought home delicious buns and bread at the end of her shift because it would be thrown out otherwise. The rest of us had very busy lives fitting in work, children's activities and extra circular activities and in between we ran the house and frequently grabbed a snack on our way out to yet another band practise/sporting event/school debate/parent-teacher interview. But now we were fighting a new problem: perimenopause.

The perimenopause begins with the very first symptom that indicates a slowing down of hormone production and continues to pick up the pace until the menopause and the cessation of periods. Amongst many signs and symptoms it can cause weight gain which becomes more difficult to manage.

There are ways to manage weight after the age of 40 and they involve understanding the way the body works at a cellular level. A simple basic way to start to manage weight is to go back to nature and eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetable and reduce all processed and sugary foods.

For more information follow this blog or contact me on 0410 249 136

Get the most out of life after 40

Sarah