Warning: You Can’t Eat Everything You Want
By Geri Brin, Co-founder, M.D. for You
You’re approaching or are in menopause. Would you rather:
A. Speed walk 40 minutes a day
B. Do high-intensity exercise 10 minutes a day
I’d choose B in a heartbeat. Unless I’m window shopping on King’s Road in London, passing exquisite architecture, engaged in lively conversation, or on the way to an appointment, walking bores me. Especially on a treadmill.
When I heard about Dr. Joan Grossman’s studies assessing the impact of short-term, “high-intensity interval training” (HIIT) versus lower-intensity longer workouts on menopausal women, I was eager to get the details.
Associate professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance at The University of Scranton in Pennsylvania, Dr. Grossman studies the impact of exercise and body mass changes on overweight and obese post-menopausal women.
FOF: Why did you become interested in the subject of weight and menopause?
Dr. Grossman: “I had my first child at age 36, my second at 39, and my third a few weeks before turning 42. I gained almost 34 pounds during my first pregnancy, 48 pounds with my second pregnancy, and almost 60 pounds with my third.
"As a registered dietician, I knew that nursing my children would help me return to my pre-pregnancy weight. Lactating mothers have an increased metabolic rate, which is the rate at which we expend energy, or burn calories. I nursed all three children, and lost the weight within a few months each time. I wasn’t even working out!
“The average woman gains 35 pounds between ages 25 and 50, and most women experience menopause around age 51. The childbearing years are over, hot flashes begin and hormone levels change, creating a perfect storm for gaining even more weight.
“A competitive tri-athlete, I was always lean. But about five years into menopause, at age 54, I weighed the same as I did right before I gave birth to my first child. I couldn’t believe that was happening to me. Besides gaining weight around my midsection, my blood pressure rose.
“Determined to lose the weight, I bought a 10-minute exercise program by trainer Tony Horton that involves five different high-intensity exercises. They target your upper and lower body, abs, and heart, and they’re hard. Sometimes very hard!
“Called high-intensity interval training (HIIT), the program alternates between several minutes of high-intensity movements to significantly increase the heart rate, followed by short periods of lower-intensity movements.
“Now, at age 59, the excess weight is gone."
Illustration by: Cé Marina
FOF: Did that experience motivate you to study other menopausal women, and what do your studies reveal?
Dr. Grossman: “Yes. I joined the University of Scranton in 2010, and in one of my first studies I recruited women who had never worked out to do the five high-intensity exercises five days a week. Many women spend most of their time caring for others, so I wanted my work to focus on quick exercise routines.
“I targeted obese women because their weight puts them at the greatest risk for chronic disease.
"Some other studies have shown that post-menopausal women who are overweight (25-29.9 body mass index) and obese (30 or higher BMI) will see body mass changes. Their waists shrink, their abdomen and hips become smaller, and their biceps gain muscle mass. The results give me goosebumps!
“A 12-week study compared women engaged in HIIT for 15 minutes a day with women who walked for 45 minutes a day. The high-intensity group saw significantly greater reductions in abdomen, hips, waist, and thigh circumference. Trimming these key areas also reduces a woman’s risk of diabetes, heart, and other chronic diseases.
“A 16-week study compared HIIT combined with calorie-restricted diets to walking. The HIIT participants significantly reduced their body weight, with additional reductions in waist, abdomen, thigh, and biceps measurements. Participants in the HIIT group lost twice as much weight as those in the walking group (8.7 percent vs 4.3 percent of initial body weight), and lost an additional 6 inches of body mass. Additionally, only the HIIT group significantly changed fat mass, body mass index, and fat-free mass. "
FOF: Please tell us about the exercises involved and why they’re effective in terms of weight loss.
Dr. Grossman: “The exercises are simple to follow, and engage many different muscles, but they involve movements you probably haven’t done much, if at all. You might feel frustrated at first, but you will improve.
“Our bodies are composed of fat mass (stored fat) and fat-free mass, which includes our muscles. We can change the size of our muscle and fat cells with these exercises, which target the large muscle groups that define us: Our glutes, hamstrings, buttocks, and quadriceps.
"Working these muscles tears down their cells, and the soreness you feel after an intense workout signifies your body is repairing itself, and laying down more muscle (skeletal mass.) The soreness disappears over time, and your muscles become more defined.
“Those with increased muscle mass often have three to four times faster metabolisms that burn more calories, even when they’re not actively exercising. These people can eat more.
Metabolism refers to the complex chemical processes taking place when your body converts foods and drinks into energy. This energy constantly fuels functions that keep us alive, including breathing, digesting food, and circulating blood. The body requires a minimum number of calories to keep these functions running smoothly.
Fat takes up three to four times more space than muscle, and doesn’t require much of anything to sustain itself. It’s just there.
“We naturally lose muscle as we age, which slows down our metabolism. What’s more, the decrease in estrogen and progesterone that goes along with menopause further hastens the loss of muscle mass, so we burn fewer calories, and fat accumulates.
“So even if you have the same diet as when you were younger, chances are you’re going to gain weight. Doing high-intensity exercises will increase your muscle over time. You’ve got to restrict what you eat, however, if you want to lose weight, since weight is directly related to what you’re consuming and your activity. Many women start exercising and then eat all the calories, plus some. You simply can’t eat anything you want and think that your weight won’t change.
“HIIT is a short-duration exercise regimen that can easily be done at work or at home in less time than it takes to drive to a gym. Interestingly, my studies also found the HIIT participants stuck to their program more consistently.”
Geri Weighs In on High-Intensity Exercise Regimen
I’ve checked out the high-intensity exercises that Joan applauds and has studied. Yes, they’re hard, but if you take your time, they’re doable, especially if you’re younger than I. Don’t become discouraged if you can’t make some of the movements. Just keep trying. I started Pilates about a year ago, for example, and some of the work that seemed impossible then is now a breeze.
I’m also following the principles of the Mayo Clinic protein-driven diet. I don’t like many of the recipes, so I create my own with the same ingredients. I’ve lost six pounds in 2.5 weeks. Although that’s slow going, my primary care doctor told me that’s typical for someone my age. “The people who lose 20 pounds in a month on other diets or drugs usually gain it back,” she said.
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