The Most Fattening Times in a Woman’s Life

Milestones like puberty, marriage, your first pregnancy does not only mean more memories.  They can also mean more fat cells!

A woman of normal weight has about 25 to 35 billion fat cells.  That many??? For a woman who has been overweight since childhood, she  can have 50 to 100 billion.  A severely obese woman can have as many as 270 billion fat cells.  And the not so fun part? Research indicates that a person has more fat cells will have a harder time losing weight than an individual with fewer fat cells.

The worst part? Fat cells are forever.  Once created, they remain with you until death or, if you’re a Belo baby, after liposuction.  They are made most rapidly during specific times – the last three months in your mother’s womb until about 18 months of age, between the ages of four and seven, and during early adolescence.

After that, fat cells only increase or decrease in size depending on whether you gain or lose weight.  Here’s the thing. If you become significantly overweight, you can develop new fat cells because there is a limit to how much your existing fat cells can store.

The milestones in a woman’s life are transitions or passages from one season to another – when a child becomes a woman, when a college girl becomes a working girl, when a single woman becomes a wife and mother, and when fertility turns into hot flashes.

These special times are no doubt memorable moments in our lives.  But they can also be the most fattening moments!  Sometimes, weight gain may be due to hormones; other times it’s because of a change in attitude, status and environment. 

Here are stages of a woman’s life when she is most prone to enlarged fat cells:

Pre-pubescent, boys and girls are quite on the same footing.  They have the same body structure and fat percentage.  Until adolescence happens.  Adolescent hormones make boys become more muscular.  The girls will have a layer of fat in their breasts, hips and thighs. This is the way nature intended things to be.

With society and social media having a different perspective on what is attractive, a teenager does not welcome this very natural occurrence.  But media and society can cause a teenager to view this natural occurrence as undesirable.  This is when young girls start to diet.  Deprivation of nutritious food can start off periods of bingeing and starving, which can be very unhealthy for the growing teen.

Girls need to be taught that it is normal to put on fat in the “female” areas.  They don’t need to diet, but they do need good nutrition and regular sports or dance activities to stay within normal limits.

Recognize that you are no longer as physically active as your college days.  Adjust by exercising in the gym or at home or by making a conscious effort to move more at work by taking the stairs instead of the elevator and walking during lunch break.  Being aware of what goes into you mouth helps a great deal, too.

The greatest motivator to being slim is being “single and willing to mingle.”  But statistics show that once you get married, the pounds come creeping in.  In the first 10 years, several studies have shown that weight gain ranging from 10 to 40 pounds is inevitable.

An attitude adjustment is required to keep the pounds at bay after getting married.  Remember that maintaining your figure isn’t just good for your health and relationship, it’s also good for your self-esteem and respect.

Have you eaten for two when you were prego?  The proverbial eating for two” is a complete myth.”  You only need an extra 300 calories a day for a healthy pregnancy.  Carrying a baby is not a license to eat as much as you want.  What you need is high-quality nutritious food.  Excess calories only can lead to excess fat cells for you and your baby.  Research has proven that gaining a large amount of weight during pregnancy can create new maternal fat cells.

Every woman should return to normal weight after giving birth.  It is beneficial for future pregnancies and to prevent diabetes and heart disease.  The solution is the same for all stages of life – regular exercise and sensible eating habits.

A menopausal woman’s figure can transform from an hour glass to a shot glass.  Declining estrogen levels cause excess weight to accumulate in the waist and abdomen instead of the hips, butts and thighs.  Loss of hormones may also lower metabolism.

This is why it is normal to gain a little weight and be more “voluptuous” in your later years.  In fact, the Annals of Internal Medicine states, “All women are equally susceptible to menopausal weight gain regardless of premenopausal body types.”  This means that even if you were lean and lanky in your 30s, you can put on five to ten pounds.

However, it is not healthy to gain too much weight, which can increase the risk of breast cancer and heart attack.

Again, exercise and good eating habits are the solution.  Proof?  A 2002 study found that sedentary menopausal women had 38% body fat compared to fit women, who only had 25% body fat.