Weight Gain in Menopause Have You Down? Try These 9 Lifestyle Changes

9 natural remedies for menopause weight gain

Have you noticed your clothes getting a little more snug as you age? It’s not your imagination. Many women gain weight in menopause, even those who’ve never struggled with their weight. Learn nine natural remedies to lose weight or avoid weight gain during menopause. You’ll feel better, and you may be able to lower the severity and duration of menopause symptoms.

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    Why do women+ gain weight during the menopause journey?

    The natural slow-down of your metabolism is called the “midlife metabolic crisis.” It affects aging men and women+ because your body loses muscle and gains fat as you age.
     
    For women, the menopause journey compounds the metabolic crisis. These changes are natural and slow, so you may not realize it’s a problem until you’ve added an extra ten or fifteen pounds to your waistline.
     
    If you’re struggling with your weight, you’re not alone.
     

    Weight gain and a slowing metabolism

    were the second most common menopause symptoms reported by women in a pausitive health survey.
     
    One woman lamented that she gained weight despite exercising for over 18 months.
     
    A slowing metabolism is often to blame, which means you may have to focus on basic lifestyle habits like what you eat and sleep.
     
    Sleeplessness, which can contribute to weight gain, was the third most common complaint. 59% of women reported insomnia in the survey.
     
    If you’re not sleeping, you’re more likely to eat fatty and junk foods. So, sleep is essential to losing weight during menopause. Yet, sleep is evasive for many women.
     
    Weight gain can creep up on you early in the menopause transition, during perimenopause. A time when you may not even know you’re approaching menopause.

    Perimenopause weight gain

    Weight changes can start when a woman hits her 40s and begins perimenopause. As you progress through the natural menopause life cycle, symptoms may come and go.
     
    It’s common for women to begin experiencing weight gain during perimenopause, and it continues through menopause (which is only the 12 consecutive months when your period stops) and into post-menopause.
     
    By the time you hit your 60s, don’t be surprised if you’re overweight. About three-quarters of women 60 years of age and older are overweight, and almost half are obese, according to a report in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
     

    The average woman+ gains 4.5 pounds

    during the menopause transition (40-55), according to the SWAN study.

    Then, when you're in your 50s and 60s, it's common to add an additional 1.5 pounds per year, according to the Healthy Women's Study.

    SWAN & Health Women's Study
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    Obesity concerns during the menopause journey

    Weight gain during menopause is such a concern for menopausal women that Mayo Clinic researchers recommend doctors proactively screen women for risks of being overweight and offer weight-management counseling to women with higher BMIs.
     
    In general, obesity increases the risk for many conditions, including cardiovascular disease, the number one cause of death for postmenopausal women. The risk is estimated to be four times higher in women+ with a BMI greater than 29 kg/m².
     

    During the menopause journey, it is common for any weight gained to tend to accumulate in a person’s midsection. It may also be more likely that fat accumulates internally around your organs (vs. right under the skin that you can check when you pinch your skin).

    This internal (visceral) fat increases inflammation in the body, which in turn increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (hypertension, heart disease, stroke) and metabolic conditions like type 2 diabetes.

    Should you use BMI?

    BMI is a common calculation based on your height and weight, which is categorized and commonly used as a measure of obesity. It ranges from being underweight to being obese.

     

    BMI Weight Status
    Below 18.5 Underweight
    18.5 - 24.9 Healthy Weight
    25.0 - 29.9 Overweight
    30.0 and Above Obesity

    Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

    This calculator from the CDC will generate a BMI for you.

    However, BMI does not take into account factors like:

    • age
    • body habitus (shape)
    • body composition

    And, according to the CDC, BMI (body mass index) screens for weight categories that may lead to health problems, but it “does not directly measure body fat.”

    So, for example, you may find an individual who is very muscular with a BMI that would put them into the overweight or obese category when, in fact, they are not. Additionally, BMI can vary depending on one’s race and across ethnicities within a given racial group.

    While BMI is an easy calculation to make, other measures appear to reflect body composition better and provide greater insight with a tighter relationship to health status and potential future health events.

    Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR)

    One of these is waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). WHR is the circumference of the waist divided by the circumference of the hips and is used as a quick measure of fat distribution.

    Recent studies have found WHR to be:

    • a more accurate indicator of risk of mortality from all causes
    • more useful tool in determining health risks and mapping healthcare interventions

    Therefore, when you speak with your healthcare practitioner it’s important to discuss these measures (and others such as skinfold measurements, DXA, or bioimpedance) depending on your particular situation. 

    What do I do if I’m gaining weight? 

    If you’re gaining weight, and perhaps for the first time in your life, talk to your doctor about the best approach.

    You’re probably looking for weight loss techniques like the latest diet trend – Keto, Whole 30, or Atkins.

    While they’re trendy, we don’t recommend them. Many of these approaches eliminate foods or bulk up on others in a way many do not find sustainable or maybe unhealthy long-term. Instead, focus on a balanced approach with moderation as your North Star.

    These are nine steps you can take to eliminate or help reduce the symptoms of menopause.
     
    1. Eat healthy. Choose a diet low in saturated fat and high in fruits and vegetables.
    2. Eat less. For example, eat an appetizer instead of an entrée.
    3. Watch your calories.
    4. Get enough sleep.
    5. Don’t eat 3-4 hours before you go to bed.
    6. Drink more water.
    7. Try strength training (e.g, working with weights).
    8. Manage stress.
    9. Talk to your doctor.

    Let’s dig into each one, so you know the types of healthy foods to eat, how to manage stress, how much sleep you need, and more.

    Healthy eating in menopause

    Healthy eating is a non-hormonal option for helping control your waistline and menopause symptoms.
     
    Try these healthy eating options:
     
    1. Lower your saturated fat intake and eliminate trans fats.
    2. Increase vegetables, fiber, and Omega-3s. 
    3. Eat plant-based foods.
    4. Try the Mediterranean diet (fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, and some red wine).
    5. Try the MIND diet (combination of the Mediterranean and blood pressuring lowering DASH diet).
    If you do nothing else, increase fiber, which can also help with digestion, lower your saturated fat intake, and eliminate trans fats altogether. These foods help keep your estrogen level stable, thereby helping to relieve symptoms.
     
    Focusing on foods high in vegetables and fruits can help menopause symptoms, which the Mediterranean diet will help provide.
     
    If you’re worried about brain health as you age, the MIND diet focuses on the connection between the gut and brain health. During menopause, the brain changes, causing emotional instability, brain fog and could increase your risk of Alzheimer’s disease. So, the MIND diet tries to improve these risk factors and symptoms.
     
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    natural remedies menopause weight gainPortion control

    A Woman’s Health Initiative study found weight loss can eliminate hot flashes and night sweats in some postmenopausal women. 
     
    The weight loss can be gradual. In this particular study, the women lost weight over a year. 
     
    While the number on the scale matter, don’t fixate on it. Instead, focus on a healthy lifestyle packed with healthy foods, exercise, and sleep. You’ll see measurable results when you holistically address your lifestyle.
     
    Plus, you’ll see improvements in how you feel during menopause. 
     

    You can watch what you eat, by lowering the fat content and increasing vegetables and fiber, but weight loss also requires portion control. Eating smaller portions is harder than ever, as serving sizes have drastically increased over the years.

    In the 1980s, a slice of pizza had 500 calories. Now, it has 850 calories according to NYC Health.
     
    A turkey sandwich used to be two slices of bread. Now, it’s more like a foot-long sub with lots of bread. The difference — 320 calories in the 1980s and 820 today.
     
    So, eat less. Don’t skip meals, but do a better job of eating less at every meal. Your plate should be ½ vegetables, ¼ protein, and ¼ starch.
     
    You can also use your hand to measure portions. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, this is how much food you should eat:
     
    • Fist: Vegetables and fruit
    • Scooped handful: Grains
    • Palm: Meat
    • Thumb: Peanut butter or cheese.
    • Fingertip: Fat like butter.

    Now, look at your hand? How often are you eating the right amount?

    Want to turbocharge your efforts? Consider mindful eating to help with portion control.
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    1200-calorie menopause diet

    A 1200-calorie diet is a general rule for someone looking to lose weight.

    It’s getting easier to count calories, with many restaurants posting calorie counts on menus. Perhaps those calorie counts have surprised you, as most restaurant entrees are close to your daily calorie intake.

    Eating 1200 calories a day

    can help a woman+ lose a half a pound a week.
    However, calories are just one part of the nutrition equation. Get support from a nutritionist, dietitian, or a calorie-counting app.
     
    You can lose weight by focusing on food alone. But, you can lose more weight with an exercise routine. However, exercise alone may not cut it for you during menopause.
     
    Remember the woman in the pausitive health survey who didn’t lose weight despite exercising for 18 months?
     
    You have to watch what you eat and exercise.
     

    Stay consistent

    Consistency is key, yet it’s the hardest thing to do when trying to lose weight or stick with a 1200-calorie diet.

    What’s the first thing you want to do when you don’t sleep or have menopausal mood swings? It’s probably eat!
     
    Find a support system or accountability partner to keep you on track with your weight loss goals.
     
    Meal prep as well. That way when you are stressed or busy at work and don’t have time to cook dinner, you have something healthy to grab rather than fast food or processed food.
     

    Be inspired by success stories

    There are also resources like the National Weight Control Registry. It’s a review of 10,000 people who successfully kept large amounts of weight off for an extended period.

    Those who successfully maintained their weight loss for at least 5 years had certain actions in common:
     
    • 78% ate breakfast every day.
    • 75% weighed themselves at least once a week.
    • 62% watched less than 10 hours of TV per week.
    • 90% exercise, on average, about 1 hour per day.
    Maintaining a healthy weight will make you feel better and may decrease menopause symptoms.

    Women+ who slept 5 hours or less a night gained weight

    compared to those sleeping 7 hours every night, in a study of 68,000 women.
    Nurses Health Study | Am J Epidemiology

    Sleep and weight gain

    People who sleep less also tend to eat more due to increased appetite driven by hormonal changes – lower levels of leptin (stimulates feelings of satiety) and higher levels of ghrelin (stimulates the appetite and promotes fat storage).

    But, sleep can be difficult starting in perimenopause.

    59% percent of women in our pausitive health survey had trouble sleeping.

    First, identify the causes of your sleep disruption. Don’t just blame menopause. Look at all causes.

    Then, establish a strong sleep hygiene routine, one that focuses on day and night sleep habits such as:

    • Relaxing before bed to signal to your body that it is bedtime.
    • Avoid caffeine after noon.
    • Don’t drink alcohol late at night.
    • Avoid a heavy meal before bedtime as well as snacking into the night
    • Sleep in a darkened room (or use a sleep mask) on a good-quality mattress.
    • Lower the temperature (66 – 68 degrees).
    • Stop using technology (cell phone, computer, TV, iPad, etc.) several hours before bed.
    • Avoid exercise several hours before bedtime.
    • Using binaural beats.
    • Trying cognitive behavioral therapy.

    While some people take medication to help with sleep, it is not a long-term solution and can result in dangerous side effects. 

    Is it bad to eat before bed?

    Yes, it’s bad to eat before bed.

    Eating late at night or right before you go to bed increases the likelihood of weight gain and reduces the likelihood of getting a good night’s sleep, which also increases the likelihood of putting on the pounds.

    It also increases the chance you will experience GI reflux, especially if you are prone to those symptoms.

    Two plates and an alarm clock for time restricted feedingTime-restricted feeding

    Some researchers believe when you restrict eating to certain times of the day, you can lose weight more easily, maintain a healthy diet, and prevent certain illnesses or manage them easier.

    Time-restricted feeding is a theory that your body is not designed to process food all day. So, you eat all your food in a 10 to 12-hour timeframe or go 12-14 hours between your last meal of the day and the first meal the day.

    You can adjust the times you don’t eat based on your sleeping schedule, but the concept is simple to follow.

    Drink more water

    Water has many benefits, including make you feel full so you eat less. While you don’t want to feel bloated.

    While you don’t want to feel bloated and perhaps already do in menopause, there are more benefits than downsides. Sometimes feelings of hunger can reflect a state of dehydration. Water flushes out your body and aids in digestion.

    Also, if you remove high-calorie drinks like soda, sports drinks, or sweetened coffee and drink water instead, you’re lowering your calorie intake.

    Aim for 8-12 glasses of water a day unless you have a health condition where your fluid intake must be restricted.

    Water is a simple step you can take to keep the weight off and reduce symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats. Take small steps. The cumulative effect will make a difference.

    Physical activity during menopause

    More women turned to physical activity than any other treatment for menopause symptoms in the pausitive health survey. Exercise offers a number of benefits including positively impacting your menopause journey. Women who are physically active before and during midlife and those who increase their activity level during menopause have a lower chance of gaining weight.

    The amount of time in physical activity necessary to lose weight can vary, especially depending on your eating habits.

    It’s recommended that you get a baseline 150 to 175 minutes of physical activity every week to maintain your weight, and to lose weight you may need to adjust your diet as well as increase activity. 

    The optimal combination of physical activity includes aerobic exercise, strength training/weight-bearing exercise, and movements that help promote good balance.

    Also, try high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts. According to a University of Scranton study, obese postmenopausal women who did 10 minutes of HIIT five times a week lost twice as much weight as those focusing on endurance-based aerobic exercises like walking or swimming. Plus, they lost six inches of body mass.

    In addition to the HIIT workouts, the women followed a 1200 to 1500 calorie diet. So, again, food plays a significant role in weight loss.

    For most people, physical activity alone will not get you there. You need to burn more calories and eat well.

    Try these exercise videos to help with menopause symptoms.

    Stress management

    n addition to helping you lose weight, physical activity can also help you manage stress.

    Of course, menopause symptoms like hot flashes, sleeplessness, and mood swings just add to your stress.

    Depending on the severity, they can make it difficult to get through the day.

    Stress will affect not only your mood but also your weight.

    Studies show there’s a connection between chronic stress and abdominal fat both in overweight and average weight women.

    When you’re stressed, your body responds by making more cortisol. It’s often called the stress hormone. Cortisol changes fat distribution, causing your body to store it centrally in your midsection, which increases your risk of cardiovascular disease.

    Increased cortisol can also increase your appetite or cravings for unhealthy food. Stress eating during menopause will make it harder to lose and maintain an optimal weight.

    So, consider exercise, yoga, tai chi, and meditation. In an analysis of 9 studies, eight showed yoga, Tai Chi, and meditation-based programs improved symptoms like hot flashes in menopausal women.

    Guided imagery is another stress relaxation technique that calms your mind and body.

    You don’t need a lot of time to manage your stress. With mindfulness, you can get started with just five minutes a day.

    Focus on your breath, and change the outlook of your day.

    Also, consider what’s causing your stress. Is it more than just menopause? Do you feel overwhelmed? If so, use these strategies to calm the chaos and gain control.

    As you work through your stress, whether menopause-related or not, you’ll notice your health, well-being, and happiness improve.

    Committing to stress management is an investment in you. It’ll help you manage your day-to-day tasks better and help you maintain a healthy weight.

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    Talk to your doctor

    Menopause can be a time of emotional volatility, ranging from irritability and mood swings to intense and debilitating anger and rage.

    Some women+ also note changes in cognition, e.g., brain “fog,” difficulty with focus and concentration, as well as feelings of loss.

    Because everything is connected, emotional distress impacts your body and brain. Low energy, lack of motivation, cravings, and stress eating make it more difficult to maintain or lose weight.

    Speak with your doctor, and do not hesitate to seek help from a mental health professional if your emotions and feelings become overwhelming or make it difficult to get through the day.

    Many doctors do not have adequate menopause training, so you may need to consider a new practitioner once you begin the transition.

    Some doctors specialize in menopause care and may be an option, or you can consider an integrative health practitioner who can evaluate your health holistically and work closely with specialists like a nutritionist to provide the support you need.

    The integrative doctor may seek complementary and alternative forms of menopause treatment.

    It’s never too early to think about your weight, especially since your metabolism can begin slowing in your 40s when you’re in perimenopause.

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    Find a Menopause Practitioner | The North American Menopause Society 

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