What is the "midlife spread?" Many of us know only too well. These are the pounds that crept on slowly, perhaps without your even noticing, and may seem especially difficult to lose. Many women experience this weight gain in their 40s and 50s at the approach of menopause and beyond.

Understanding why you might collect extra pounds at this point in your life is the first step to reclaiming your trim and healthy weight—and it's never too late to do so.

Hormonal factors in weight gain

For most women who experience mid-life weight gain, numerous factors come into play. One is the role of changing hormones.

In her book, SuperNutrition for Menopause (Avery Publishing, 1998), Ann Louise Gittleman, M.S., C.N.S. refers to research showing that up to 75 percent of women put on extra pounds around menopause. Gittleman explains that these additional pounds may be due in part to a lack of progesterone, since estrogen not balanced with enough progesterone has been shown to promote weight gain.

Another factor, according to Gittleman, is that prior to menopause, our bodies use up a substantial amount of calories during the first two weeks of the menstrual cycle in the process of ovulation. When we stop ovulating, we may be left with up to 300 calories a day that are no longer being burned.

It also appears that menopause may influence the way mid-life pounds are distributed. In her book The Wisdom of Menopause (Bantam Books, 2001), Christiane Northrup, M.D., explains that the hormone shifts of menopause may predispose many of us to excess belly fat. It turns out that excess fat distributed around the waist—the classic mid-life "apple" shape—is more metabolically active than fat around the hips and thighs.

Generally speaking, the more fat you have around your middle, the more estrogen you are likely to produce. As Dr. Northrup asserts out, this classic "apple" shape is also associated with increased risk for heart disease, breast and uterine cancer, diabetes, hypertension, and stroke, among numerous other health problems.

Given these hormonal influences, you may wonder if menopausal weight gain is simply inevitable. Apparently not, according to a growing body of research.

It seems that although hormonal factors around menopause may influence weight gain to some degree, this normal life transition is not the true culprit where excess pounds are concerned.

Data suggests that the mid-life spread so many women experience around menopause has far more to do with their sedentary lifestyles than with hormonal changes.

Other influences on the mid-life spread

A study in the International Journal of Obesity Related Metabolic Disorders (2001 June;25(6):863-73) points out that while the menopausal transition does affect body mass index, the effect is small relative to other influences.

Menopausal status, followed by chronological age, appeared to have the least influence on body mass index (BMI), while physical activity level had the greatest impact.

Additionally, the journal Menopause (2000 Mar-Apr;7(2):69-70) illustrated that behavioral factors—particularly exercise and alcohol consumption—were more strongly related to midlife weight gain than the menopause transition.

How can you reach and maintain your ideal weight as you approach menopause and beyond? One of the most essential factors is an efficient metabolism. Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is simply the rate at which your body burns calories to maintain its functions at rest, according to Elson Haas, M.D. in his book Staying Healthy with Nutrition (Celestial Arts, 1992).

Dr. Haas explains that many factors influence your metabolic rate, such as age, diet, activity level, body fat percentage, body weight, and genetics. An efficient metabolism promotes a healthy body weight. A sluggish metabolism, however, tends to sap our energy and encourage extra pounds.

Dr. Northrup asserts that a primary reason for weight gain around menopause is that most women experience about a 10-15 percent slowing of metabolic rate.

Many women have been dieting off and on for years, which can further impair healthy metabolic function. As Dr. Haas explains, when you dramatically reduce your calorie intake, your body slips into famine-protection mode, lowering the calorie burn-rate to conserve your weight. Therefore, the more you diet, the harder it is to lose weight.

Since a healthy metabolism is so important for weight loss and fitness, how can you make sure yours is running at peak efficiency? Eating and exercising to boost your metabolism are the keys to weight loss, and, as a bonus, provide increased energy and wellness.

The fitness connection

Your exercise level is a key consideration. With a sedentary lifestyle, the body tends to gradually exchange lean muscle for fat. By midlife, your metabolism is likely to be less efficient than it once was due to a higher ratio of fat to lean muscle.

Few women actually track this ratio, relying instead on the bathroom scale. Unfortunately, this tool—which fails to differentiate between fat and lean muscle—is a highly inaccurate gauge of fitness, since fat weighs considerably less than muscle, but takes much more space.

Without exercise, you may find over time that although the scale indicates your usual weight, your dress size continues to increase.

On the other hand, by embarking on a committed fitness program, you will likely find that as you convert fat to lean muscle, you reduce your dress size while maintaining or even gaining weight.

According to the Journal of the American Dietetic Association (2001 Oct;101(10):1181-8), women between the ages of 30-50 who engaged in regular physical activity were able to maintain lower body fat levels and body mass indexes than their sedentary peers.

They also showed a consistently higher metabolic rate, even at rest. For similar benefits, you should aim for a minimum of 20-30 minutes of exercise daily, 3 times per week.

Tools that help to accurately determine fitness include body fat testing, and the body mass index (BMI) reading, which is a measure of weight adjusted for height. Many health clubs and gyms provide body fat testing free of charge.

You can also have your BMI calculated in seconds at www.halls.md/body-mass-index/bmi.htm. These simple tests will provide the best baseline information on your level of body fitness.

Eating more—of the right foods

And now for some good news. Along with exercise, research suggests that one of the best ways to recover a healthy metabolism is simply to eat more often.

The key, however, is to eat only when you are really hungry, and to stop when you've had just enough. Eating more frequently without overeating will help promote healthy blood sugar levels and encourage calorie burning.

An excellent guide to healthy diet choices is the glycemic index. This index lists foods based on how they affect your blood sugar levels. Carbohydrates, such as refined white breads and pastas, white potatoes, and bakery products like cookies and cakes have the highest glycemic indexes. They break down quickly during digestion causing a rapid blood sugar response.

In comparison, whole, unprocessed carbohydrates break down more slowly, releasing glucose gradually into the blood stream. These include whole grain breads, brown and wild rice, whole wheat pita bread and tortillas, yams, oatmeal, soy products, beans, and nuts, all of which come in low on the glycemic index.

Choosing low glycemic index foods is the best way to avoid the blood sugar swings that send insulin spiraling, which can promote weight gain and other health problems. Whole, unprocessed carbohydrates will provide you with a more gradual energy release than refined foods, as well as offering more nutrients and fiber.

You can find out more information about the glycemic index at www.glycemicindex.com.

Incorporating more high-fiber choices like whole grain breads, bran cereals, oatmeal, popcorn, all beans and legumes, and fresh fruit and vegetables is well advised,

since these wholesome options are far more filling and satisfying than refined food choices. Aim for 25 grams of fiber or more daily.

Another way to boost your metabolism and increase energy is to consume smaller, more frequent meals instead of fewer large meals. You may want to consider five or six mini-meals daily, each consisting of approximately 250 calories.

Research suggests that this way of eating can help prevent the heavy insulin production that occurs with fewer, heavier meals that can lead to more,calories stored as fat.

Regular eating patterns are also important, since skipping meals can slow down your metabolism. Many Americans pass on breakfast, but this meal is especially important in activating your metabolism.

In her book The Energy Edge (HarperCollins, 1999), Pamela Smith, R.D. refers to research showing that overweight breakfast-skippers who began eating breakfast lost an average of 17 pounds in 12 weeks.

The research also suggests that those who eat breakfast tend to be less hungry throughout the day, and may be more careful about snacking indiscriminately.

Incorporating healthy fats for weight loss

Another wise choice would be the regular addition of essential fatty acids (EFAs) to your diet. The omega-3 fatty acids are especially important, since most Americans don't get enough of these beneficial fats. Omega-3 EFAs can be found in foods like salmon and other fatty fish, as well as flax seed oil, walnuts, and dark leafy greens.

In her book Eat Fat, Lose Weight (Keats, 1999), Ann Louise Gittleman discusses how essential fatty acids promote overall health, as well as help to regulate energy production and fat metabolism.

These vital fats also stimulate calorie burning in your "brown fat" tissue, according to a 1997 study in the International Journal of Obesity-Related Metabolic Disorders (Nov;21(11):955-62). Brown fat is the layer of fat underlying your white fat, and promotes weight loss by burning excess calories. White fat, on the other hand, is simply a fat storage site.

Integrating your daily multi-vitamin/mineral formula

Supplementing with a high quality multi-nutrient formula will ensure you get all the essential vitamins and minerals that are required on a daily basis for healthy metabolism, digestion, energy production, and immune function.

Your daily supplement should offer the full nutrient spectrum, including chromium, which helps insulin work more effectively, the full range of B-complex vitamins, and antioxidants like vitamins E, C, and beta carotene, all of which are especially important when you're under physical, mental or emotional stress.


Bringing it all together to get results

An energetic and fit body can be yours throughout your life if you're willing to make healthier choices one step at a time.

Making your diet a focus is essential. Opting for nutritious mini-meals throughout the day you will help stabilize your blood sugar while supporting a healthy metabolism. Increase fiber-rich, nutrient-dense choices that rank low on the glycemic index while minimizing refined, low fiber carbohydrates.

Another important step is adding the omega-3 fatty acids, which will boost calorie burning, promote health and wellness, and help prevent degenerative disease. You can further support your metabolism and boost overall health by adding a daily full-spectrum, multi-vitamin/mineral formula.

Incorporate these new adjustments one at a time at a pace that feels comfortable for you. Gradual changes are more likely to be lasting ones. Remember, a healthy and fit body is yours for the asking—at menopause, and well beyond.