



A majority of middle aged people have to cope with the menace of excess body weight. However, for women in their 40s, unexpected weight gain can be quite a headache. It has often been seen that women who managed to stay svelte till 40, put on ugly layers of flab after crossing the age. While this can be inconvenient and annoying for women, it is important that they know the root causes behind this phenomenon.

Below Listed Are The Top Reasons For Women Gaining Excess Weight in Their 40s:

Genetics:





Just like men, some women also tend to get fat as they grow older and the root lies in genetics. If this is the case with you, not much can be done about it.

Thyroid Issues:





Women tend to cope with more thyroid issues compared to their male counterparts and the issues grow with age. Thyroid gland malfunctioning can also lead to weight gain in women in middle age.

Muscle Mass:

As humans age, they tend to lose muscle mass. Studies indicate that women fare worse than men in this department. Since muscle mass helps burn more calories when you lose it, losing weight becomes difficult.

Hormonal Imbalances:

As women enter menopause or near it, the hormonal cycle changes in their body. Imbalance of estrogen in particular can lead to fat tissue formation.

Lifestyle:





A lot of women, especially those who are homemakers become subjected to certain lifestyle factors that make them obese in their 40s. Excessive amount of watching TV, leading sedentary lifestyle worsens the situation for them.

Dietary Factors:





Compared to younger generations, women in their 40s tend to be less conscious about their diet and components which also leads to excess weight gain.

Fruits and vegetables laced with preservatives and pesticides are not only harmful to health, but their consumption also leads to weight gain.

Some women may also gain excess weight owing to the consumption of poultry or livestock raised on hormones, albeit unknowingly.

Grooming Product Usage:





As lots of women in their 40s have become interested to retain youthful looks and implement anti ageing measures, they end up using chemical laden products that can contribute to obesity. These products get soaked to the body and flushing the toxins out is hard. It leads to fat accumulation. It is better to use organic products and herbal solutions to evade this possibility.

Similarly, solvents and chemicals found in a number of cosmetics and colouring products used by women can also be blamed for obesity.

Stress and Insomnia:

Like the younger women who struggle with balancing personal life and career, older women their share of worries to fret about. Owing to several personal and other reasons, middle aged women remain stressed out most of the times. As a consequence, this affects their regular cycle of sleep. When regular sleep cycle is disrupted consistently, this takes a toll on health. Lack of sleep does not allow the human body to let metabolism run as desired. This is another reason why women in their 40s tend to gain excess fat and find it harder to get rid of the flab.

Coping With The Menace

If you are a woman entering her 40s, it is important to take precautions and measures to prevent excess fat formation. There are some factors you simply cannot control like heredity, but lifestyle factors can certainly be controlled.

The reasons for putting on weight may be many, but the way to lead a healthy life is to make small changes in diet and your exercise regimen. Step out each morning for a long walk, and ditch the fries and junk food. Not only will you feel more rejuvenated, you also will feel fresh and healthy.