Navigating Menopausal Weight Gain: How to Feel Like Yourself Again
Do the words menopausal weight gain fill you with apprehension? If you’re a woman who has hit your mid forties, you’ve probably got some questions about menopause.
Like, how to avoid menopausal weight gain?
Or, what’s the best supplement for menopausal weight gain?
October is Menopause Month! Making this the perfect opportunity to answer your questions about menopausal weight gain. Plus, we’ll also talk about what it takes to get your hormones back on track.
The truth is, weight gain, at any stage of your life can be stressful.
Women navigating menopause and weight gain may find it challenging to talk about them openly. Or even experience frustration and have difficulty finding a solution that works.
There are two important things to remember here:
- For any woman experiencing menopausal weight gain – you are not alone. A significant number of women will experience perimenopausal and menopausal weight gain.
- Menopausal weight gain is often reversible.
So, before you start to buy every weight loss supplement you can find on Amazon, here is our guide to maintaining a healthy weight.
Let’s go through all the dos and don’ts. Plus, what actually works when it comes to minimizing perimenopausal and menopausal weight gain.
5 Reasons Why Menopausal Weight Gain Occurs
Going through menopause itself does not mean that you will experience weight gain. However it may trigger a number of external factors that contribute to weight change.
Before we dive into why menopausal weight gain occurs, let’s consider that menopause:
- Represents a physical shift in your body
- Might require a change in lifestyle, state of mind and habits
- Requires different forms of care than your pre-menopausal body
Does this mean that you have to change your entire way of life?
No, but keep an open mind as we go through the 5 top reasons why you may be experiencing menopausal weight gain:
#1 Lower Hormone Production
We can’t talk about menopausal weight gain without mentioning hormone production. This is the biggest internal factor that will change during perimenopause and menopause.
As you probably know, women’s bodies produce estrogen and progesterone. Both of these hormones play a role in maintaining weight and metabolic function.
When women go through menopause, there is a reduction in the production of estrogen and progesterone.
This hormonal shift may cause your metabolism to slow down which may lead to menopausal weight gain.
#2 Estrogen Dominance
Although levels of estrogen AND progesterone can drop during menopause, progesterone levels decrease first.
During perimenopause, progesterone is the first to lower, which may then cause estrogen dominance.
Estrogen dominance often leads to weight gain and fat storage. Especially around your midsection and belly area.
#3 Poor Sleep
As we age, sleep becomes vital for maintaining a healthy weight.
Why? Because lower levels of estrogen and progesterone can also impact our glucose carrying hormone – insulin.
When we fall asleep, our insulin levels are supposed to drop. However, if we have trouble sleeping, insulin levels remain high, causing our cortisol to spike.
High levels of cortisol can impact melatonin production. It can also disrupt your sleep cycle and make it more difficult to lose weight.
#4 Increased Stress
Poor sleep is closely tied to the next reason causing menopausal weight gain – stress.
Menopause often comes with menstrual changes, hot flashes and fluctuating moods.
If you add poor sleep to the mix, stress and cortisol levels can continue to rise.
It’s also worth considering that as we age, we become less physically resilient to stress. Physical or emotional stress can lead to you getting caught in a cycle of menopausal weight gain.
Stress → high cortisol → poor sleep & weight gain → more stress → repeat
If you want to read more about the impacts of stress on weight loss, here’s our close up of the issue!
#5 Muscle Loss
It’s common for people to move less and reduce their activity as they age. But menopausal weight gain can also occur due to a change in muscle mass and physical strength.
The drop in estrogen lowers bone mass density and muscle mass. Which means that menopausal women need to work out a lot harder.
…just to achieve the same physical strength.
Adapting to Your Menopausal Body
We have talked through the symptoms and causes. Now let’s look at menopausal weight gain treatment and how to reverse it.
Although your hormones are fluctuating, menopause lets you reconnect with your body on a deeper level.
It’s important to remember that menopause changes the way your body operates. Which means that your pre-menopausal lifestyle might need a slight update.
This might include changing your eating, sleeping and exercise habits, all in order to feel your best.
If you’re experiencing menopausal weight gain, here are some things to consider.
Focus on Protein Intake
Lower hormone production can result in menopausal weight gain and decreased muscle mass.
An easy way to combat your muscle loss is to increase protein. This is a great first step and natural treatment for menopausal weight gain.
Focus on getting about 25-30g of protein each meal with:
- Animal based foods such as meat, eggs, fish and dairy
- Beans, legumes and quinoa
- Adding a supplemental protein shake to your meal
Regular Low Impact Exercise
High impact exercise can be great for improving your cardiovascular system. However if your body is physically stressed, high impact exercise can also add to high cortisol levels.
…and menopausal weight gain.
Regular, low impact exercise is the perfect middle ground. Not only does low impact exercise lower cortisol levels, regular exercise is helpful if you’re trying to lose weight.
Walking 8000 to 10,000 per day is an effective way of giving your body the movement it needs.
Hot tip: make it easy and count your steps on your phone or smart watch or go old-school with a pedometer!
Bedtime Routine
You might think that bedtime routines are only for children under the age of 12. However, developing a relaxing bedtime routine can make a huge difference to stress levels and sleep quality.
Consider turning off your devices each evening an hour before bed. Instead of watching TV or scrolling your phone, read a book or write in your journal.
Lastly, create a calm and clean bedroom space. One that will have you looking forward to jumping under your comforter each night!
Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT)
Have you tried changing your habits without any success?
Or are you looking for an alternative to menopausal weight gain supplements?
Our BHRT treatment helps to balance your hormone levels and alleviate symptoms – fast!
Synergy will support you holistically through the process. We’ll also ensure that you’re getting the results you want! Speak to our BHRT expert about your symptoms today.
Work With a Health Coach & Menopausal Weight Gain Expert
If you’re struggling with menopausal weight gain, remember that slowing down and giving yourself space to adapt is a great place to start.
Tune into your body and listen to what it needs.
But maybe you’re dealing with too many symptoms at once! It’s not uncommon to struggle with poor diet choices, overwhelming stress, and a lack of sleep throughout the entire menopause transition.
Want to speed up the healing process? Want to put an end to self-sabotaging habits and feel like you’re making real progress?
Consider working with our holistic health coach and/or integrative and functional dietitian nutritionist.
After an in-depth consultation, they’ll guide you through actionable steps to achieve your optimal health. They’ll adapt their techniques to suit your unique situation, support and keep you accountable until you reach your wellbeing goals.
Working one-on-one with a holistic health expert can be the difference between seeing results in a couple of weeks or in six months time.
Book in for a consultation here and feel fully supported as you make positive and sustainable changes to your hormonal health!