 Join our health discussion groups
 HRT (hormone replacement therapy)
does not cause weight gain.
Many women have heard that it does.
This is a myth that has been around for a long time.
The reason for weight gain
is simple- after age 35 and as we get deeper into perimenopause, our metabolism
slows done; a lot! Not only does this natural slowing down occur but our bodies notice the
decrease in our estrogen levels during perimenopause and menopause . In an attempt
to"help us" our body makes us hold onto the fat. Fat cells make a small amount
of weak estrogens.
So many times when a woman starts an estrogen/progesterone product it is at the
same time her metabolism is slowing down and her body is trying to keep the weight
on. This is why women associate starting HRT and weight gain.
Women who take low dose birth control pills, in fact, find
weight loss easier when taking the pills. The daily steady and stable level of hormones
they receive stops food cravings and overeating which frequently happens with hormonal
peaks and valleys during perimenopause.
So, it's not the HRT it's Mother Nature whose to blame for weight gain.
 Fit & Trim Support Group
The Menopause
Diet
  Dr. Larrian Gillespie in her book,
The Menopause Diet, does a tremendous job in talking about
this and offering a tremendous amount of help in losing weight (and
preventing weight gain):
She says:
This is a good time to begin an exercise program if you haven't already and if
you are already exercising this is the time to increase how often and for how long you
exercise. We have to also decrease our caloric intake by about 200-400 calories a day in
order to avoid weight gain.
See the rest of the interview
Meet the Author
"Menopause
Made Easy"
by Dr.
Carolle Jean-Marat, MD
hosted by Sue Spataro
 Interview & FREE Excerpt
  Today's woman must
educate herself about menopause and the risks and rewards of taking HRT, nutritional
supplements, and homeopathic therapies. With humor, candor, and plain non-technical
language, Dr. Jean-Murat discusses the current needs and concerns of midlife women,
empowering us to make the right decisions. In our interview, she discusses Selecting over the counter
products, Black
Cohosh, and Racial
Differences & Menopause and also features a FREE excerpt from her book, Stress and Depression.
If you have any questions, you can ask them on our HotFlash support group.
Why am I gaining weight?
This is a very common complaint from women; you're not alone. Our
metabolism starts taking a dip and continues to decline. See some of our tips on how to
control this.
Sleep disturbances and
perimenopause
Sleeping disturbances are extraordinarily common during perimenopause. Studies
have shown that women over the age of forty have more sleep troubles than their younger
counterparts. Look at the television commercial for sleeping aides. They are geared
towards women who are thirty five years old and beyond.
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