Are you irritable, find it difficult to get a good night’s sleep, and seem to constantly deal with hot flashes and headaches? These familiar symptoms are a few of the issues women face as they go thru perimenopause and menopause.  The contender for the most frustrating issue would no doubt be the muffin top. Women’s health expert, Dr. Pamela Peeke refers to it as the ‘menopot’. 

You know what I’m talking about…the overflow of fat at the belly…you put on a pair of jeans and the extra weight rolls over the top like a muffin. I’ve had numerous women refer to it as a pillow top…an expanded version of the muffin top. However you refer to it ladies, you don’t like it and you want to get rid of it along with the headaches, hot flahes and irritability.

Perimenopause is the time frame before menopause when the menstrual cycle and hormone levels start to fluctuate from what is typically normal. A woman might notice some of these changes as soon as her late 30s or not until the early 50s and perimenopause may have a time span of two to eight years.

Technically menopause is defined as the last menstrual period but the months leading up to it seem like a long, goodbye. Menopause occurs when the body’s estrogen levels begin to decline and along with this decline is the reshaping of your body.

Fat storage moves from the hips and thighs to the belly. Women take on more of an apple shape similar to men versus the traditional pear shape. Not only can this apple shape or expansion into a muffin or pillow top affect your psyche but when fat is deposited deep into the belly, the inflammation level in the body may increase.

Here’s what can you do to help lessen these irritating symptoms:

Find ways to reduce your stress. When you’re coping with hormone havoc, stress can exacerbate the way you feel resulting in increased irritability, hormone headaches and for many women, the desire to eat comfort foods such as cookies, candy or chips…aka stress-eating. These calories help to expand the muffin top. Look at your life and schedule and try to find some ‘me’ time every day or at least a few times per week.

Moderate your caffeine intake to help you:

Sleep better at night

Experience less frequent mood swings

Possibly reduce the number and severity of hot flashes

Increase your intake of water and diuretic foods to help reduce hormonal bloat. Diuretic foods are those that are high in water and include the majority of veggies and fruit along with beverages such as water, tea, milk, milk alternatives such as almond or soymilk, and juice. Diuretic foods plus water help maintain the body’s balance of electrolytes including chloride, potassium and sodium.

When you’ve eaten a high sodium meal resulting in fluid retention, water and diuretic foods help flush the excess sodium from the body. By the way, this is a smart time to become aware of the sodium in the food you eat. Cutting back will help with bloating as well.

Add more omega-3s from seafood such as tuna, sardines and salmon or ALAs (alpha-linolenic acid) from walnuts, flaxseed meal, even soybeans and soybean oil. Omega-3s help protect against inflammation in the body and mood disorders.

Be sure and eat regularly. Skipping meals can make you feel more stressed and irritable, ending up with headaches. When you eat three meals plus a snack or frequent small meals, you may find that your energy level is improved and your stress level and the number of headaches you experience go down. Eating regularly also cuts down on stress eating which means less weight gain and a deflated muffin top.

Find a lot of easy and yummy recipes on my Pinterest boards.

Check out the North American Menopause Society’s seventh edition of the Menopause Guidebook, hot ‘flash’ off the press.

Want more information? Listen to this week’s podcast below.