Nigel Denby, an associate in hormone health, is the author of this piece.
Gaining weight is one of the most painful and distressing menopausal symptoms. The ‘spare tyre’ that literally appears from nowhere and won’t go away is a very real phenomenon. It affects most women in menopause and needs a very different approach to any other weight gain you may have previously experienced. One thing is certain though, you absolutely can do something about it, and you can take back control. Furthermore, you don’t need to follow any gimmicks, fads, or fast-fix diets to achieve this.
What causes weight gain in women during menopause?
An almost ideal storm of hormonal, metabolic, and social factors combine to cause weight gain in middle age.
The female hormone known as estrogen, which gives women an hourglass figure, decreases during perimenopause and menopause, giving rise to a more plump figure, particularly around the trunk. The rate at which things burn is also negatively impacted by declining levels of estrogen.
For both men and women, the natural aging process causes a gradual slowdown in metabolic rate, or how efficiently your body burns calories, and lean muscle loss begins to occur around the age of 35. Unless you reduce calorie intake, you gain weight.
Life changes in midlife may also have an impact on your diet and lifestyle. Menopause symptoms which affect mood, confidence and self-esteem can also impact eating, drinking and exercise behaviors.
It is very likely that there will be some weight gain if all or some of these happen at the same time.
How about HRT? Does it contribute to obesity?
Although many women believe that taking hormone replacement therapy has caused them to gain weight, this theory is unsupported by clinical data. Certain types of HRT may cause some women to retain fluid, but for the majority of women, the medication’s ability to relieve symptoms is actually a key factor in enabling them to make lifestyle changes that support weight loss.
Is menopausal weight gain preventable?
Yes – most definitely – but the only way you can prevent something is to take action before it happens. And if you don’t know about perimenopause or menopause, let alone menopausal weight gain, you can’t take action. Women need to adjust their exercise, eating and drinking habits before perimenopause even begins to prevent weight gain and most women simply don’t see perimenopause creep up.
Is it possible to lose weight gained during perimenopause and menopause?
Though we can assure you that it is, now is not the moment to start any kind of fad diet. Your body needs good nutrition during the menopause to support good health, particularly bone and heart health. Rather than using an off-the-shelf, one size fits all weight loss diet, we strongly recommend you develop a diet and lifestyle plan you can follow for the rest of your life. Whatever strategy you choose to eliminate menopause weight gain must be something you can stick with over the long term because the hormonal and metabolic factors that have contributed to it won’t go away.
What is meant by a lifestyle plan?
Women should anticipate living longer than in the past, and although the quality of the years to come cannot be fully predicted, it can be greatly influenced. Choosing to eat well, drink moderately, exercise regularly and manage your emotional health efficiently, gives you a much better chance of living an active and fulfilling second half of your life. In actuality, lifestyle decisions have a major influence on a number of diseases that lower quality of life for those over fifty. Try to see this as an opportunity to bring in new, healthier habits which can have a positive effect on your health and weight.