Perimenopausal Weight Gain

All women of a certain age gain weight, particularly around the middle, and this just means you are perimenopausal. Surely that’s right?

Plenty of women find their figures changing and the weight creeping up and often this is despite the efforts made to eat better and to fit in a bit more activity. It might be tempting to put this down to your hormones and assume not much can be done about it. We will examine what factors contribute to this weight gain and the steps that can be taken to get rid of it and why they are important.

Can we blame those unstable hormones? Not entirely.

Firstly, during your perimenopausal years, you will experience hormonal changes and this is natural. Levels of oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone will fluctuate and/or decline and this leads to physical and emotional changes. For example, you may start experiencing night sweats and hot flushes, you may feel deeply anxious over things you would have previously just dealt with or at other times there may be feelings of absolute rage that scare you with their strength.

All these things can leave you feeling not yourself and quite exhausted. Hormonal changes also affect the fat distribution around the body, meaning that fat tends to be stored around the abdomen rather than the hips and thighs. However, it is important to understand that the hormonal changes during the perimenopause and after do not create the fat and nor do they prevent fat from being lost.

What causes the weight gain?

The weight gain is most likely to be caused by being in a calorie surplus, in other words eating more than our bodies need and storing the excess as fat. As we age, our lean muscle mass decreases and this in turn affects our metabolic rate as the body requires more energy when it is maintaining muscle than fat.

The diet and lifestyle you had previously which didn’t affect your weight now may do so. We also tend to exercise and move less due to general demands of life such as an office job or feeling too tired. There is also the vicious chain of having interrupted sleep, perhaps due to anxiety or night sweats, leading to tiredness and less inclination to get up the next day and exercise or plan healthy meals, which makes you feel worse and possibly stressed, releasing cortisol which is a hormone that messes with your metabolism and makes you crave fatty, sugary foods all leading to overeating and less movement. The situation is slightly different for each person, but what we all have in common is that we can take control back of the weight gain.

Why should we lose weight?

From an aesthetic perspective, weight is extremely subjective, however from a medical lens, carrying excess weight raises the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, respiratory problems and general health decline. Additionally, for some women, carrying more weight than they did before can affect confidence and energy. We like to focus on health and wellbeing rather than appearance!

Awareness of change

The menopause transition time is a wonderful opportunity to reset and refocus on yourself and looking after your wellbeing for your overall health and happiness. If you are aware that things have recently got you feeling far from your best, this is the moment to start making positive changes. It is not necessary to overcomplicate a new routine, start with these three areas to build a solid foundation for weight management and a healthy lifestyle.

Eat

Eating well is a great place to start. Small changes can make a big difference. Once you make a switch to less processed foods and look carefully at if your diet is rich in protein, healthy fats and a wide variety of vegetables and fruit, you can then think about portion sizes. Watch out for the calories in alcohol, it is surprising how a glass or wine or two a night significantly ups your calorie intake without providing much nutritional value.

Be honest with everything that passes your lips and you may be surprised at how much you are consuming unwittingly: eating the children’s leftovers, having your third latte meeting of the day or being unaware that a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice has twice as many calories as a scoop of ice cream.

Exercise and movement

Maintaining muscle mass is so important to health and muscles require more calories than fat, which means a person with proportionally more muscle can consume more calories than someone who has less. A good weights programme will set you on your way to improving body composition meaning a reduction in body fat and an increase in muscle mass.

Many women are afraid of weights either because they don’t know how to use them and the gym environment can be intimidating or they do not want to develop an overly muscled physique. It is actually very difficult to build muscle and without a lot of effort and time it is just not possible to turn into a female Hulk! Think a toned, strong body that means you can run for the bus, walk up the stairs or lift your suitcase off the luggage carousel – all useful everyday situations that will become much easier.

Rest and Rejunvenate

If you are burning the candle at both ends there are a number of cumulative effects which could lead indirectly to weight gain. Not being well rested will make it harder to get out there and get your steps in or to make time for a session in the gym. Equally, putting the body under stress causes it to release cortisol and this hormone has been found to increase cravings for sugary and fatty foods. Anyone stressing out is unlikely to be in the mood to calmly sit and eat their meals or even prepare healthy options. The body is complex and the biological, chemical and physical interactions vary for all of us. However, generally taking time to actively improve your stress levels and sleep will do wonders for your overall health and well being. 

You can take control

There is no quick magic remedy for weight loss, it is all centred around a lifestyle change and adopting habits that are repeatable and incremental. Taking small steps will enable you to build the foundations for that lifestyle change. Educate yourself on healthy eating, a good exercise routine and how to minimise stress and recognise the power of sleep. If this is still overwhelming, do not be afraid to look for support whether from friends and family or the

Elzen community.