Gina Jackson Personal Fitness

This question came in in the past week from another site for which I contribute Strength Training commentary, VitalHealthZone.  Given that the writer and I share the same age, I thought it was purposeful to share my response, given perhaps the differences in our perspectives on managing peri-menopause and the required work, nutrition and support of a body over 40+

“I am 52 years old. I am 4ft 11inches tall. I weigh approximately 102 pounds. I recently had my body fat calculated at a health fair and learned I have 38% body fat. I have a lot of access weight in my stomach and abdominal area.

I do not exercise regularly, but I don’t eat a lot. Breakfast is usually breakfast bar, lunch is banana or apple with peanut butter and then I eat a regular dinner. I can’t understand why I would be gaining weight if I’m not eating. Everyone keeps telling me to eat more frequently and eat smaller amounts, but I can’t imagine getting any smaller amount than I’m eating for lunch and breakfast.

What should I do?”

Oh that darn body fat!  First of all, congratulations on paying attention to the statistic of your BMI (body mass index), a measure of body fat based on height/weight.  However, keep in mind the best (most accurate) measurement of body fat is performed with skin-fold calipers vs a BMI table estimate that I anticipate may have been performed at the health fair.

That being said, 38% body fat is cause for concern and adjustment in your lifestyle.  Three things stand out from your comments, however, that may be negatively contributing to the numbers:  your age, your activity levels and your diet.

AGE: At 52 years of age, your body is physically undergoing changes due to the transition toward menopause.  Your metabolism may have begun to slow down.  Peri-menopausal (and menopausal) women tend toward carrying excess body fat in the areas you described.  The hormonal changes in your body contribute toward this effect.  Which brings me to the second issue, your activity level.

ACTIVITY: Your activity level is described as sedentary.  You may want to consider making an  immediate adjustment in this area first.  Consider the fact that if your metabolism has slowed down and your activity level is minimal, your body is holding any excess calories you injest as you are not moving the body to use those calories.

Consider joining a fitness class or program; investing in a bicycle; regularly walking and/or jogging to increase your activity level and pursuing a strength training program (weight, pilates and/or yoga)  to build muscle and bone strength and positively impact your metabolic rate.

All food gets converted into glucose to be used by the body.  Any excess that is not used to fuel your system’s activity requirements is stored as excess fat.  For a peri-menopausal female, that storage tends toward the middle, hips and thighs.

So, in a nutshell, you will have to “move it” to “lose it.”

DIET: Your diet of “not eating a lot” seemingly needs the support of a nutritionist to help you devise a healthy, caloric specific plan that meets your lifestyle, age and activity requirements.

You cannot starve yourself to thin.  The description of your breakfast and lunch sound a little sparse of the full spectrum of quality nutrition recommended for a healthy, active adult.  Please don’t fall into the trap of “not eating” to lose weight.

In fact, the contrary will be true.  Your slowed down metabolism recognizes the minimum amount of calories you are feeding the body and has placed you in a catch-22.  The less you eat, the more your body believes it is being starved and the more body fat it will hold (in those stubborn spots).

I hope this challenges any of you in the same boat to make a few thoughtful adjustments.