Why Do Women Gain Weight in Perimenopause and Menopause?

There’s a lot of changes that happen in perimenopause, not the least of which is dealing with midlife body changes. Can you relate to this?

"I'm SO frustrated by this body. I'm not doing anything differently and yet I keep gaining weight. Ugh, I just don't know what to do anymore, but I have to do something"

 Ok, here we go. I'm diving into the topic that comes up almost every day in the conversations I have with women in midlife.

Why is your body changing and what can you do about it?

First, let's get something out of the way. As a non-diet dietitian who uses a weight-neutral approach to health, I'm not going to be laying out any weight loss plans for you in this blog post. ;) BUT that doesn't mean you won't come away with helpful and useful information - so stick with me! 

The most important first step is to step out of the diet mentality. Simply put, try to move away from the idea that you need to control what your body looks like in order to be healthy and happy.  As I often say, health and body confidence are inside jobs so let's take the focus off the number on the scale.

Next, let's understand why 80% of women in midlife experience weight gain and body changes.

  • Metabolism doesn’t slow with age as much as previously thought, but life does. For example, the amount of movement naturally built into your day may be changing due to work or an empty nest.

  • Muscle mass does change with age, and both men and women can lose up to 3-5% per decade, leading to changes in how your body feels, functions and looks.

  • Estrogen fluctuations change how and where your body stores fat. So, even if the scale hasn't changed much your clothes may be fitting differently because the distribution on your body has changed. So even if the scale isn’t changing much, how your clothes fit almost certainly will. That’s why you shouldn't hold onto your favourite jeans from college. ;)

Here's why starting another diet isn’t the answer

I know it's SO tempting to "try one more time" hoping this time will be different, but the reality is that...

  • It's normal for bodies to change! The expectation that they don't (or shouldn't) is driven by diet culture's narrative, not science. Body confidence comes when we shift our primary focus from how our bodies look to what they can do, and how we feel. In other words, let's focus on real health outcomes in midlife instead of making weight a proxy for health. diets don't work more than 90% of the time - meaning any weight that's lost is regained within 1-2 years.

  • Dieting predicts weight gain. Research shows that a history of dieting and weight-cycling can both predict future weight gain, which isn’t surprising given that most diets only work in the short term.

  • Losing weight does not guarantee health, nor does it protect you from a negative self-image.

  • There's also evidence to suggest that weight cycling (aka yo-yo dieting) comes with several increased risks, especially for cardiovascular health, but also overall health and wellbeing. I recommend reading Christy Harrison’s blog post on weight-cycling and then listening to our conversation on The Midlife Feast about trading in wellness for well-being.

5 things you can start doing NOW that will help you feel better about your body in midlife.

  1. Move your body in any way you enjoy! Not only will it help to build and maintain some of the lean muscle that's involved in metabolism, but it will help you feel good IN your body.

  2. Put away your scale, even if just for a week. Don't start every day in fear of what the scale will say. No one needs that kind of negativity in their life. ;)

  3. Make managing attunement disruptors in midlife a priority. Lack of sleep, stress, and hot flashes make it difficult to listen, let alone respond to your body's hunger and fullness cues.

  4. Use "AND" statements to manage bad body thoughts. For example - "I don't like how I look in these jeans today AND that doesn’t mean my body is wrong or that I need to change what my body looks like.”

  5. Try "playing it forward" if you still feel drawn to return to dieting. Remind yourself of how you felt when you had to count points or calories, why you ultimately stopped following the plan, and explore what life could look like if you were able to make peace with food and feel amazing in the body you have today.

Think of how much more fun life would be if you could trust your body instead of feeling betrayed by it?

Need help feeling like yourself again in midlife & menopause?

Menopause, NutritionJenn HuberPerimenopause, menopause, midlife, Intuitive EatingComment