As many women approach the perimenopause they start to notice changes going on in their body including weight gain.

This perimenopause weight gain can be hard to lose. Even if you eat the same amount of food you will still tend to put on weight as your metabolism is slowing down.

The areas of the body that tend to gain weight are the hips and the belly and this can make you feel unattractive and frumpy. Some women choose to take slimming pills and hrt in a bid to get their youthful figure back again.

Perimenopause weight gain can be caused by a decrease in activity. As people age it's common to slow down and become less active physically. Busy lives looking after elderly parents or grandchildren can leave little time for exercising.

Hypothyroidism or an underactive thyroid can also cause weight gain, The thyroid regulates metabolism so if it's not working properly it becomes very easy to gain weight. No amount of dieting or exercising will help you if suffer from an underactive thyroid. Other symptoms include tiredness and depression.

 Increasing the amount of exercise you do will help to lose perimenopause weight. Aim for around 30 minutes of exercise four or five times a week. The best type of exercise to lose menopause weight is resistance training as this builds muscle, and muscle tissue requires fuel to maintain it.

As a result you will speed up your metabolism as you burn more calories. You don't need to join a gym to do resistance training, you could get some resistance bands. These are available in different abilities and corresponding colours.

Cardiovascular exercise will both strengthen the heart and burn calories. This type of exercise is ideal if you want to lose perimenopause weight as you will notice a result fairly quickly. Cycing, jogging and swimming are all good examples of cardiovascular exercise. You could even get an exercise bike and do your work out as you watch your favourite show on tv!

As well as helping you lose menopause weight gain exercise will also help to prevent osteoporosis, a crippling disease fairly common in older women.

Simple changes to your diet and lifestyle can eliminate menopausal weight gain. Don't however make the mistake of thinking that starving yourself will lose those pounds.

If your daily calorie intake falls below 1800 your body will start to store fat in anticipation of a famine. This isn't what you are trying to achieve and will make it very hard to lose any weight.

By combining the correct diet and regular exercise you will soon lose that unwanted menopause weight gain. The first thing you need to understand is that you need to actually eat more.

Replace one or two large meals with 6 small ones spaced regularly over the day. Avoid processed or junk foods as these are full of saturated fats, hidden sugars and salt, as well as artificial colours and preservatives.

Replace sweet and sugary drinks with natural fruit juices and water. Add a slice of lemon to make water more palatable, and try sparkling if still is too unappetizing. Drink between 3 to 5 cups of green tea a day as this is a great weight loss aid. You could lose an extra 70 calories a day with this one simple thing.

Cut back on your alcohol intake. The odd glass of wine with friends won't hurt, but don't get through a bottle of wine every night as alcohol is full of calories and won't help your menopause weight gain!

For breakfast replace greasy fry ups with half a grapefruit or glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, a bowl of porridge topped with slices of fresh fruit and a slice of wholemeal bread.

For lunch replace processed meat sandwiches with tuna and a low fat salad dressing followed by a piece of fruit and a low fat yogurt. Add soy to your food as it's good for reducing menopausal symptoms. Replace full fat milk with low fat, semi skimmed or soy milk.

Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and steam food as much as possible instead of boiling or frying. These foods contain complex carbohydrates which fill you up for longer as they are slow release and will keep menopausal weight gain under control as you won't get so hungry.

Simple carbohydrates such as biscuits, cakes, white rice and white pasta give you a quick burst of energy, but this is only short lived and you will soon start to crave more food.

Avoid artificial sweeteners in drinks or sprinkled on food as they contain chemicals which can increase your craving for sugar and lead to menopause weight gain.

Some women find that HRT causes them to gain menopausal weight. There is no real evidence to suggest this, but anyway it's better if you can treat your menopausal symptoms naturally rather than resorting to chemicals.