Skip to content

Top Navigation

Health.com Health.com
  • Health Conditions A-Z
  • News
  • Coronavirus
  • Diet & Nutrition
  • Fitness
  • Beauty
  • Mind & Body
  • Lifestyle
  • Weight Loss
  • Newsletter
  • Promo

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences this link opens in a new tab
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Health.com

Health.com Health.com
  • Explore

    Explore

    • Is Your Doctor Gaslighting You? Here's What to Do

      How to handle a physician who doubts or dismisses your symptoms. Read More Next
    • 9 Signs It's More Serious Than the Common Cold

      Doctors explain how to tell if you have a head cold or something more serious that requires medical attention, such as the flu, strep throat, meningitis, or mono. Read More Next
    • How Your Period Changes During Your 20s, 30s, and 40s

      From easier cramps to a heavier flow, here's a guide on what to expect decade by decade. Read More Next
  • Health Conditions A-Z

    Health Conditions A-Z

    See All Health Conditions A-Z

    12 Anxiety Symptoms That Might Point to a Disorder

    The symptoms of anxiety can be hard to detect. Here are the ones you need to pay attention to, and how to know if you may have an anxiety disorder.
    • Allergies
    • Anxiety
    • Birth Control
    • Breast Cancer
    • Coronavirus
    • Chronic Pain
    • Cold, Flu, and Sinus
    • Depression
    • Digestive Health
    • Diabetes (Type 2)
    • Eczema
    • Eye Health
    • Fibromyalgia
    • Heart Disease
    • Headaches and Migraines
    • Oral Health
    • Pregnancy
    • Psoriasis
    • Sexual Health
    • Skin Conditions
    • Sleep
    • Thyroid
  • News

    News

    See All News

    Shannen Doherty Reveals Stage 4 Breast Cancer Diagnosis—Here's What It Means

    "I'm petrified," the actress said when she shared the news that her breast cancer came back. Here's why a stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis can be so frightening.
    • Celebrities
  • Coronavirus
  • Diet & Nutrition

    Diet & Nutrition

    The Best (and Worst) Diets of 2020, According to Experts

    FYI: The keto diet is not number one.
    • Food
    • Nutrition
    • Vitamins and Supplements
    • Groceries
    • Restaurants
    • Diets
    • Keto Diet
    • Mediterranean Diet
    • Whole30
    • Recipes
  • Fitness

    Fitness

    See All Fitness

    10 Moves for a Cardio Workout at Home—No Equipment Required

    Stay in your living room and still spike your heart rate.
    • Cardio Workouts
    • Strength Training
    • Yoga
    • Ab Workouts
    • Arm Workouts
    • Leg Workouts
    • Butt Workouts
    • Fitness Gear
  • Beauty

    Beauty

    See All Beauty

    These 13 Women Prove Every Body Is a Bikini Body

    We're loving their inspirational, body-positive messages.
    • Skincare
    • Makeup
    • Hair
    • Nails
  • Mind & Body

    Mind & Body

    See All Mind & Body

    Why Do People Lie? We Asked an Expert

    Here's the truth about lying.
    • Body Positivity
    • Self-Care
    • Misdiagnosed
    • Invisible Illness
    • LGBTQ+ Health
    • Health Diversity and Inclusion
    • Resolution Reboot
  • Lifestyle

    Lifestyle

    20 Things You Should Throw Away for Better Health

    Clean out expired products and clutter to make way for a healthier you.
    • Healthy Home
    • Pets
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Style
    • Holidays
    • Sex
    • Gifts
    • Money
    • Tech
    • Medicare
    • Best Life Now
  • Weight Loss
  • Newsletter
  • Promo

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences this link opens in a new tab
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home Chevron Right
  2. Weight Loss Chevron Right
  3. Fat-Proof Your Life

Fat-Proof Your Life

By Maridel Reyes
June 17, 2013
Skip gallery slides
Save Pin
Credit: Getty Images
Heard you're destined to gain at certain life stages (marriage, motherhood, meno)? Don't believe it. We asked top experts for their strategies to help you ward off weight creep at these tricky life stages.
Start Slideshow

1 of 13

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Prevent the pounds

Credit: Colin Anderson/Getty Images

It’s true that there are certain times in your life (after getting married, post-kids, during perimenopause) when extra poundage seems to appear out of nowhere…and settle on you.

"Life transitions, having a baby, and going through menopause cause many women to pile on pounds," says Susan Albers, PsyD, author of But I Deserve This Chocolate!: The 50 Most Common Diet-Derailing Excuses and How to Outwit Them. "But with planning and prep, you can stay thin."

We asked top experts for their strategies to help you ward off weight creep—and even shed pounds—at these tricky stages.

1 of 13

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 13

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Fat trap: Getting married

Credit: Kristiane Vey/jumpfoto.com

Heavier ever after? It can be the flip side of wedded bliss: "Six out of 10 of my clients come back heavier after the honeymoon," says celebrity fitness and wellness guru David Kirsch.

Young newlyweds pack on an extra 6 to 9 pounds in the five years after getting hitched compared to singletons, according to research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. And most of that gain happens in the first year of marriage.

"Couples start to mirror each other’s eating habits," explains Albers. "You might be matching him calorie for calorie without realizing it."

2 of 13

3 of 13

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Be a portion teller

Credit: Getty Images

Women tend to eat more when dining with their mate, says Albers. Back when you were only eating together a few times a week, that was no biggie, but once you have a dozen meals a week or more together, those extra calories add up.

As a general rule, have a serving each of carbs (fist-size), protein (palm-size), and healthy fat (around a tablespoon), and fill the rest of your plate with any non-starchy veggie, like broccoli, cauliflower, or green beans, says celebrity dietitian Ashley Koff, RD, co-author of Mom Energy.

Yes, his hands are bigger—so he gets more.

3 of 13

Advertisement

4 of 13

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

End dinner drama

Credit: Getty Images

Just because he’s a steak-and-fries kind of guy doesn’t mean you have to give up your favorite healthy meals.

"Alternate days to choose dinner," says Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, author of The Flexitarian Diet. "If you want sushi on your night, he can go along with it or fend for himself."

Leave the love nest
Gym classes. Social obligations. Couple time. Once you’re hitched, it may feel like something has to give. To make sure it isn’t your gym time, work out with your girlfriends, suggests Koff.

4 of 13

5 of 13

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Fat trap: The holidays

Credit: Getty Images

One extra pound—that’s how much the average person gains between fall and winter, according to a study in The New England Journal of Medicine.

That may not sound like much, but most never shed those holiday pounds, and they add up year after year, notes Albers. Here, some keys to not getting ho-ho-hefty.

5 of 13

6 of 13

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Sweat more

Credit: Getty Images

Kirsch has clients up the workout ante a few months before Halloween. "I bump up the intensity," he says, with fat blasters like rope jumping and squat thrusts.

Don’t doggie bag it
Indulging on Thanks-giving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve won’t wreck your waistline, says Blatner. It’s all that grazing on leftovers for weeks that’ll do you in.

Save treats for events: "Make it special and make it social," she says.

6 of 13

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 13

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Ditch the wine goblet

Credit: Istockphoto

"It’s not so much the calories from booze that are the problem," says Blatner. "It’s that alcohol kills willpower."

You can still enjoy some dips into the bubbly; just stop at one a day.

7 of 13

8 of 13

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Fat trap: Having a baby

Credit: Jamie Grill/Getty Images

Here’s a hefty fact: A married woman who has a baby gains an average of nearly 20 pounds over 10 years, found a study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

And women face an average of 7% increased risk of obesity over a lifetime per child born, according to research from Duke University Medical Center. That means after three kids, you have a (yikes) 21 % increased risk of developing obesity.

Hormonal changes don’t help: "Pregnancy increases insulin production and the accumulation of fat," says Lori Bastian, MD, associate professor of medicine at Duke University. Beat those stats with these rules.

8 of 13

9 of 13

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Eat, already

Credit: Getty Images

"I was working with Josie Maran, and she told me her child was eating better than she was," says Koff. "Josie was forgetting to fuel herself. You need to eat every three hours."

Otherwise, you’re likely to get worn out or famished and binge.

Eat your own food!
No grazing off your kids’ plates, says Blatner. "Put the baby in a bouncy seat and grab a quick bite."

Stock healthy foods with low prep time, like canned tuna and frozen veggies.

9 of 13

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 13

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Keep burning

Credit: Getty Images

Breast-feeding can burn an extra 300 calories per day—but that translates to just an extra half pound per week. You still need to exercise regularly and eat right to get your body back.

10 of 13

11 of 13

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Fat trap: Perimenopause/Menopause

Credit: Getty Images

Welcome to arguably the toughest "fat patch" of all. We’re due for an average gain of 12 pounds within eight years after menopause, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have shown.

And fat burning plunges by 32% in post-menopausal women, possibly due to a drop in estrogen, reports a study in the International Journal of Obesity.

"You burn on average around 150 to 250 calories fewer per day," says lead study author Jennifer Lovejoy, PhD. Fight back with these expert fixes.

11 of 13

12 of 13

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Cut cals

Credit: Getty Images

To ward off the pounds, you may need to slash about 200 calories a day now. Make sure you’re getting enough lean protein and fiber to keep full, but stick to a low-fat plan, since your body isn’t as efficient at burning fat as it once was, Lovejoy says.

Sleep on it
Stress hormones like cortisol can creep up now thanks to hot flashes and other discomforts, making you crave sugary foods, which your body then turns into belly fat.

The best way to metabolize stress hormones and reverse this trend: Get enough zzz’s, says Christiane Northrup, MD, author of Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom.

12 of 13

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 13

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Sculpt muscles

Credit: Getty Images

Don’t want to eat less? Lift more. Since muscle mass diminishes with age, if you don’t do anything to replace it, your body will shift to more fat and less muscle—which slows down your metabolism even more, says Dr. Northrup.

Aim for two 40-minute sessions of weight training a week to keep muscle and bones at pre-meno level. Other days, try for 30 minutes of cardio, like dancing or the elliptical.

That simple formula—strength plus cardio—really can keep mid-life gain away.

13 of 13

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Maridel Reyes

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 13 Prevent the pounds
2 of 13 Fat trap: Getting married
3 of 13 Be a portion teller
4 of 13 End dinner drama
5 of 13 Fat trap: The holidays
6 of 13 Sweat more
7 of 13 Ditch the wine goblet
8 of 13 Fat trap: Having a baby
9 of 13 Eat, already
10 of 13 Keep burning
11 of 13 Fat trap: Perimenopause/Menopause
12 of 13 Cut cals
13 of 13 Sculpt muscles

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Login

Health.com

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • About Us
  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Contact us
  • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
  • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
  • Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en Español this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
Health.com is part of the Meredith Health Group. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved. The material in this site is intended to be of general informational use and is not intended to constitute medical advice, probable diagnosis, or recommended treatments. All products and services featured are selected by our editors. Health.com may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.health.com

View image

Fat-Proof Your Life
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.