Menopause marks the point in your life when you stop having your periods. The transition period is accompanied by a cascade of hormonal fluctuations that trigger uncomfortable symptoms like hot flushes. The way you store fat also changes, with certain parts of your figure taking the hit. Fortunately, Davina McCall shares how certain lifestyle tweaks helped her.
“Menopause belly” describes thickening of the waist and protruding tummy, which is usually triggered by hormonal changes making you prone to gain weight.
Speaking on ITV’s Lorraine, menopause specialist Dr Naomi Potter said: “During the perimenopause and menopause, where you store fat changes.
“When we are younger, we tend to store fat peripherally, so around arms, legs, face. As you go more towards midlife and beyond, it changes.
“You tend to store fat around your organs and around your middle and you tend to put weight on with increasing years and you also tend to lose muscle. That all contributes to that change of shape.”
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Davina shared that your diet is “really important” during this time, with portion control being the key.
She said: “I found out that I need to eat less than I used to – portion control.”
The presenter of the show, Lorraine Kelly, also agreed that this practice is “the thing that gets you through” menopause.
However, Davina also added that exercise could make a difference as well.
“Although it sounds a little bit cliched, it actually isn’t. It really works, [things] like dropping alcohol, or dropping sugar, exercising.
“All of those things can make a massive difference.”
Davina has also given up these menopause culprits. She said: “I’m sober…so that’s quite helpful in a way and there’s so much sugar in booze so we forget about that.
“Exercise is amazing for mental health, that low mood.”
What are the symptoms of menopause?
While the first red flag tends to be the changes in your period pattern, there are various tell-tale signs that could break the news of the change, according to the NHS.
The full list of menopause symptoms includes:
- Hot flushes (sudden feelings of hot or cold in your face, neck and chest which can make you dizzy)
- Difficulty sleeping, which may be a result of night sweats and make you feel tired and irritable during the day
- Palpitations (your heartbeats suddenly become more noticeable)
- Headaches and migraines that are worse than usual
- Muscle aches and joint pains
- Changed body shape and weight gain
- Skin changes including dry and itchy skin
- Reduced sex drive
- Vaginal dryness and pain, itching or discomfort during sex
- Recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs).
The health service recommends seeing a GP if you start experiencing signs like these.
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