I have been going through the “joy” of perimenopause for about two years now. In the last few months it has vamped up and now I am beginning to experience some more radical changes in my body. Being only 41 years old, I have been told by others that I am not “old enough” to be going through that. Yet the fact remains that my mother was completely through menopause by the time she was 42. Early menopause runs in my family.
I was doing some reading on menopause because I wanted to better understand how to deal with some of the newer symptoms I had been experiencing and I read something that quite frankly was a bit disappointing. It said that weight gain during this time is normal and that losing it would be pretty difficult. So what was their advice? Learn to accept your new body. That wasn’t exactly what I was looking for.
So in other words, I can keep eating healthy and keep exercising but I pretty much should count on the fact that I won’t lose weight? Wow, that’s not very motivating. I really had to mull over that for a few days. I was back to feeling discouraged and thinking, “What’s the point then?” But then I reminded myself, health is more than just how much you weigh. It is taking care of your body and keeping it free from breaking down. It is feeling good, energetic and ready to take on the world. I may not like the weight I am at but I can still like myself.
I may have to accept that there won’t be any dramatic weight loss. I’m only looking to lose a few pounds anyway. Whether I get there or not, I can at least know that I have done everything I can to create a healthier lifestyle. Who knows…maybe the pounds will end up getting shed in the process. Hormones can wreak havoc on a woman’s body and so I guess some of this just has to be accepted. I can look at this as the curse of being a woman or I can look at it as a way to accept, appreciate and enjoy the fact that I’m a woman. It’s really all up to me.
Related Articles:
Keeping Your Weight Under Control During Menopause
Keeping Motivated While Reaching Your Goal