Menopause is a natural transition that women experience as they age. Various symptoms like hot flashes, fatigue, and mood swings appear as hormone levels drop with advancing age. Many menopausal women also experience significant weight gain, especially in the abdomen. For women who have remained fit and toned throughout their lives, a menopausal belly can become particularly frustrating.
In addition to weight gain, many women also notice excess skin due to the loss of collagen and elastin, which can affect body contouring.
Fortunately, menopausal women no longer have to suffer from stubborn unwanted fat. The medical professionals at VIVAA have treatment options that can help you safely lose excess fat that doesn’t respond to diet and exercise. CoolSculpting treatment is just one of those options.
Why Women Get Menopause Belly Fat
Understanding the causes and challenges of menopausal belly area fat can help you effectively manage it. Women are generally less prone to stubborn belly fat than men, but as we age, hormonal changes and a slowing metabolism affect how and where our bodies store fat. Many different processes occur in women’s bodies after menopause, so fat cells redistribute, locating to the belly area. This redistribution can also lead to sagging skin due to aging and changes in fat distribution. Three factors work together to result in excess weight gain: hormonal changes, metabolic slowdown and loss of muscle mass.
Lower Levels of Hormones
Menopause reduces progesterone and estrogen levels. These changes can increase belly fat, bloating, and weight gain.
Metabolic Slowdown
As people age, their metabolism naturally slows. The body burns fewer calories, making it easier to gain weight, especially in the midsection.
Reduced Muscle Mass
Aging and hormonal changes can lead to a loss of muscle mass. Because muscles burn more calories than fat, a decrease in muscle mass can further inhibit metabolism and result in weight gain.
Menopause Belly Fat Challenges
Many women know that menopause comes with increased health conditions, as excess fat is linked with a higher risk of health issues like cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. Addressing menopause belly fat can reduce these risks and maintain overall health. Unfortunately, belly fat gained during this time tends to be more stubborn than fat deposits in other parts of the body, making it more challenging to lose weight through a healthy diet and exercise. Menopausal women often have a negative body image and poor self-esteem. However, you should remember that menopausal weight gain is typical and not solely a result of personal choices and behaviors.
Managing Stubborn Belly Fat
Nevertheless, you shouldn't give up tried-and-true methods of managing weight and fat. Regular exercise, including cardiovascular sessions and strength training, can boost metabolism, burn calories, and build muscle. Adopting a healthy diet is also crucial for managing weight and menopause fat. Emphasize fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins. Reduce your portion size and limit sugary and processed food. Chronic stress can contribute to weight gain in the abdomen. Practice stress management techniques like meditation, deep breathing and yoga to ease these concerns.
Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy Can Help Stubborn Belly Fat
A safe way to rid stubborn fat cells is through bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). This therapy can help reduce and even eliminate many of the problems brought about by the reduced level of hormones in your body, including fatigue and weight gain, hot flashes, mood swings and much more. After starting BHRT treatments, many patients find that they have renewed energy and may be able to increase their exercise levels to help achieve weight loss in the following weeks while attaining other noticeable results. When combined with nutritional and diet counseling, you may be able to take off considerable weight. However, as noted previously, belly fat gained during menopause is quite often extremely stubborn. No matter what you do, it hangs around your midsection. That's where CoolSculpting work comes in.
How CoolSculpting Sessions Treat Menopause Belly Fat
As a non-invasive procedure, CoolSculpting uses controlled cooling to zap stubborn fat deposits out of your midsection or any other area where you want to reduce fat, such as your thighs, chin area and more. Most treatments last less than an hour, so you can easily fit one into your busy day.
CoolSculpting treatment uses paddles that gently grab and freeze the fat in the treatment area. Also called fat freezing, the procedure targets only the fat cells where you want to achieve a sculpted appearance while leaving skin and muscle unaffected. The fat cells in the treated area eventually crystallize, die, and are naturally eliminated. Within a few weeks, you’ll begin to notice the difference.
With each CoolSculpting treatment, you’ll lose approximately 25% of fat cells in the targeted area. One of the best benefits of getting CoolSculpting for menopausal belly fat is that these stubborn fat cells won’t return. Every person is born with a limited number of fat cells. Once Coolsculpting eliminates them, they are gone forever.
CoolSculpting may also have a secondary effect of skin tightening, which can help address skin laxity. Combining CoolSculpting with other non-invasive treatments like radiofrequency or ultrasound can further enhance skin tightening results.
To get the best CoolSculpting results, you should be within 10 pounds of your target weight. However, some patients may need multiple treatments to get the optimal results they desire.
Is Menopause Fat Getting You Down?
Seattle-area menopausal women seeking fat reduction in the belly area who have tried sit-ups and all manner of diet and exercise to no avail can benefit from our innovative treatment solutions. At VIVAA, we treat the whole person.
Contact our office today at 425-250-9999 for a complimentary consultation about CoolSculpting and BHRT and how those two treatments can help you achieve the desired sculpted appearance. You'll soon feel like yourself again.
Author Dr. Navdeep Kaur
SPECIALITIES: Women's Healt, Including Contraceptive and Hormone Management, Supervised Weight Loss, Management of Medical Conditions, and Preventive Care.