Diet plans that work well during menopause

Losing weight during and after menopause can seem like an impossible mission.

Hormonal changes, stress and the aging process can work against you.

However, there are a few steps you can take to make it easier to lose weight during this time.

Menopause officially begins when a person has not had a menstrual cycle for 12 months. It can be very difficult to lose weight around this time.

In fact, many people notice that they actually start gaining weight during perimenopause, which can start a decade before menopause.

Many studies have shown that low-carb diets are great for weight loss and can also help reduce abdominal fat.

Also read: Why menopause makes it harder to lose weight

Although perimenopausal and postmenopausal women have been included in several low-carbohydrate studies, there have been only a few studies that have looked exclusively at this population.

In one such study, postmenopausal women on a low-carb diet lost 9.9 kilograms, 27.5% of their body fat, and 8.9 centimeters from their waists within 6 months.

Moreover, carbohydrate intake does not have to be extremely low for weight loss to occur.

In another study, a paleo diet providing approximately 30% of calories from carbohydrates led to greater reductions in abdominal fat and weight after 2 years than a low-fat diet. The low-fat diet provided 55–60% of calories from carbohydrates.