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Many women experience weight gain, particularly central weight gain, during their middle-years. This occurs due to a number of factors including a reduction in oestrogen levels after menopause, ageing and other lifestyle changes during this time. It is well known that central obesity is associated with an increased risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. Additionally, many women also feel uncomfortable with these changes to their body shape and size. Today we are taking a deep dive into menopausal weight gain and strategies to prevent it. Read on to find out more!

What is Menopause?

Menopause is a term used to describe the point in time which is 12 months after a woman’s last period. However, many women experience a variety of symptoms in the years leading up to this point including irregular periods, hot flashes, difficulty sleeping, brain fog, mood changes, body composition changes and more. This transition period is also known as perimenopause and can last between 4-6 years.

Menopause and weight gain

Hormonal changes throughout perimenopause, particularly a decrease in oestrogen, can lead to reduced feelings of satiety (or fullness), reduction in muscle mass and an increase in fat mass. Additionally, sleep disturbances may also contribute to weight gain. This is generally a result of increased fatigue which can lead to poorer food choices and reduced exercise. However, many women notice a change in body composition, or increase in abdominal fat, without a change in the number on the scales.

Is it avoidable?

The good news is, yes! Studies have shown that lifestyle changes around the time of perimenopause can prevent weight gain during this time. Plus, these changes may also reduce common peri-menopausal symptoms. Some positive changes you can make include maintaining (or building) a regular exercise routine which includes strength training, increasing protein intake, moderating carbohydrate portions and types, and increasing your intake of healthy fats such as oily fish, avocado, nuts/seeds.

Menopause and metabolic health

Understanding your own metabolic health, allows for a more tailored approach to weight loss. This can remove some of the guesswork around menopausal weight changes, thus empowering you to feel more in control of your own body. Understanding your individual requirements is particularly important since a reduction in metabolic rate post-menopause is common. This may be due to factors such as reduced physical activity and a decrease in muscle mass. 

Our metabolic health program uses indirect calorimetry to measure your resting metabolic rate and fat burning capacity, providing a tailored approach to your menopausal weight management. It also includes body composition testing, allowing you to monitor changes in your body fat and muscle mass, rather than relying on the scales alone.

References:

Hodson, L., Harnden, K., Banerjee, R., Real, B., Marinou, K., Karpe, F. and Fielding, B.A., 2014. Lower resting and total energy expenditure in postmenopausal compared with premenopausal women matched for abdominal obesity. Journal of nutritional science, 3, p.e3.

Kapoor, E., Collazo-Clavell, M.L. and Faubion, S.S., 2017, October. Weight gain in women at midlife: a concise review of the pathophysiology and strategies for management. In Mayo Clinic Proceedings (Vol. 92, No. 10, pp. 1552-1558). Elsevier.

Proietto, J., 2017. Obesity and weight management at menopause. Australian family physician, 46(6), pp.368-370.

University of Jyväskylä - Jyväskylän yliopisto. "Women burn fat even after menopause." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/06/220614122713.htm (Accessed May 15, 2023).

What is menopause? (30 Sept 2021) National Institute on Aging. Available at: https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/what-menopause (Accessed: 16 May 2023).