Have you noticed the weight creep on over the years? You’re perimenopausal and approaching menopause and wondering where the Menopause Weight Gain has come from?

You might not feel like you’ve changed much in your lifestyle, but the kilos have crept on.

Where has the layer around the belly come from?

Today, I want to share with you what causes menopausal weight gain and what you can do to stop it!

Factors affecting weight gain during perimenopause and menopause

Many women think that it is purely hormones that are responsible for the extra layer that has crept on, but there is more to it than that.

1 – Lifestyle

Lifestyle Factors such as lack of exercise, unhealthy eating, lack of sleep and a stressful lifestyle can result in increased calorie consumption, and most probably has one of the biggest impacts on weight gain during menopause. Many women are less active than they were in their 20’s and 30’s, plus their diet might be more relaxed. Having a glass of wine at night becomes a common occurrence along with the afternoon sugar hit!

2 – Hormones

During perimenopause and menopause your hormones change. You’ll start to notice a reduction in Oestrogen and this reduction in oestrogen can influence where your fat is distributed. Previously, fat was stored on hips and thighs to help support pregnancy, however during menopause it gets stored on the belly.

As the female hormones decrease, fat storage replicates a similar pattern to how men store their fat. On their bellies! This additional belly fat is quite dangerous and can be linked to heart disease and diabetes.

3 – Slower Metabolism

As you age your metabolism slows down, although not as early as previously thought. From recent studies it looks like metabolism remains pretty stable from 20-60, with a decline at about 63. Factors that can increase the rate in which your metabolism declines are whether you undertake regular strength training. Every decade your body will naturally lose 3%-5% of muscle mass if you don’t keep resistance training.

Having lower muscle mass means you will burn less calories at rest (slower metabolism). You might be eating the same as what you used to, but as your metabolism decreases you don’t need the same amount of energy each day, which is one of the major contributing factors to weight gain as we age.

Is Menopause Weight Gain real?

Yes, menopausal weight gain is slow and steady at .5kg-1kg per year, which might not be noticeable at first, but the cumulative effect is!

Most of the weight gain accumulates around the belly which can be attributed to a change in hormones.

Menopausal symptoms can also contribute to weight gain. Night sweats can also make sleeping hard and result in insomnia which can increase your hunger hormone Ghrelin.

The Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study found that those who slept less had higher ghrelin levels and lower leptin levels and also a higher body mass index (BMI).

Stress also plays a part and we know how stress eating can contribute to an expanding waistline.

Ways to combat Menopausal Weight Gain

Nutrient Rich Diet

• Focus on portion Sizes
• Reduce Sugar
• Reduce processed carbohydrates
• Include as much real, unprocessed food as possible  

 Exercise

All women over the age of 40 should be including strength training as a part of their weekly routine. Strength training can help to increase muscle mass, resulting in an increased metabolism as well as strengthening your bones! Aim for 2-3 resistance training sessions each week.

Cardiovascular Exercise. Cardio exercise can help you to burn calories but is also essential for heart health and reducing your risk of heart disease which increases as you go through menopause.

Aim for 150 minutes of moderate activity such as walking, cycling or swimming or 75 minutes of vigoruous exercise.

Stress Reduction

Make lifestyle changes to help reduce overall stress in your life. It’s also important to learn to manage stress well.

Self Care

As women get older they tend to spend less and less time on themselves. Including regular self care can help reduce stress levels and is a really important part of overhauling your lifestyle.

As you can see, weight gain can easily occur during our menopausal years, although the reality is that a lot of it can be reversed through lifestyle changes.