(and solutions – because I am good to you like that!)

Is Perimenopause weight gain and menopause weight gain inevitable?  HELL NO!  That is as long as you tweak your nutrition and lifestyle to match your age and stage.

Below are 5 reasons for your perimenopause weight gain and menopause weight gain and solutions so that you can look and feel great again!

1. Insulin Resistance

Balancing your blood sugar and being aware of your insulin response is vital to prevent perimenopause weight gain and menopause weight gain.  Once we hit midlife, we become much more insulin resistant and once we hit 50 because of our previous penchant for the family sized galaxy bars, wine and gooey chocolate brownies, we will ALL have some form of insulin resistance and be more prone to perimenopause weight gain and menopause weight gain. 

If not managed well you will be hungry all the time, you will be constantly in fat storage mode (i.e., you look sideways at the blueberry muffin and put on weight) and it can easily lead to metabolic syndrome, pre-diabetes and diabetes.

So, let’s get geeky and explain (very briefly) how it works:

After you eat, your blood sugar levels go up as the food is converted to glucose for energy.  This will happen every time you eat, but sugary and the beige brigade food will see your blood sugar levels go sky high whereas wholefoods will see a much more stable response.  

It is only safe for a small amount of sugar to be in your blood at any one time, so insulin is released to bring those levels down and also store the glucose in your cells.  Whatever is left over is stored as fat on your body.  Insulin is our FAT STORAGE HORMONE amongst other things.  

With a high sugar and high beige diet, and also when you are no longer a spring chicken like myself, your body stops listening to your insulin and more and more is released – this is insulin resistance.  The more insulin we release – the more fat we will store!

Lastly, when our blood sugar levels are high and then they drop, we become hungry – yes even when you totalled that huge bowl of pasta an hour before!  Food such as sugar and white carbs will actively stimulate hunger.  Then this means you have to use tonnes of willpower to avoid eating more food. 

The solutions:  

• Nourish yourself with satiating food so that you do not need to constantly graze and do not need to keep triggering your insulin (fat storage) response. 
• Leave at least 12 hours between dinner and breakfast so you are giving your body a break and a chance to burn fat.
• Include plenty of fibre, protein and healthy fats, which slow down the rise of blood sugar levels.  
• Be sugar savvy.  Now I am not about cutting out sugar (I love my wine, cheesecake, m&m’s and brownies), but cutting down is highly advisable in midlife. Not just for weight loss but for your health, mental health (that is a whole other story) and to lesson or rid yourself of perimenopause or menopause symptoms.  Eat junk food, including sugar, only 20% of the time and look out for hidden sugar in everyday foods. 
• Limit refined carbs such as rice, pasta and bread to ideally no more than once a day and move to wholegrain versions, which are a better choice

2. Our Midlife Metabolism

In midlife our metabolism slows down and continues to do so throughout our life which can lead to perimenopause weight gain and menopause weight gain.  The more muscle we have, the more metabolically active we are.  This decline in muscle, is often coupled with the fact that we are moving less as we age too. 

The solution:

• Building or maintaining muscle through exercise. Make it appealing, fun and doable. I do all my workouts free and from home whilst catching up on my guilty pleasures of The Real Housewives and Below Deck (oh the shame).  Keeping it high-brow and classy as always!
• Eating plenty of protein to build and maintain the muscle you have. Protein is also great for blood sugar management and satiation.  I include protein in every meal, I do not track, analyse or weigh my protein.  I keep it simple and just chuck it in. 
• Minimising appetite stimulating foods that encourage fat storage such as white carbs and sugar and keeping them to 20% of your weekly diet.
• Cutting your portions. You need less food as you age – FACT!  If you, do it right then you should not even notice the cut.  When you eat nourishing, nutrient dense foods (protein, fibre, healthy fats), you do not need to keep constantly eating as you are adequately nourished.  This allows you to cut calories (which is vital in midlife as we need less food) without the hunger.  These foods are also great for blood sugar management. 
• Managing your stress levels and sleep. Both lifestyle factors can enhance appetite and slow your metabolism if they are not managed effectively. 

3. Increased Hunger 

Unfortunately, whilst we need less food in midlife there has been a variety of studies that have found that as our oestrogen declines our hunger can go up slightly.  What was mother nature thinking!!!!  This can obviously lead to perimenopause weight gain and menopause weight gain. 

The solution: 

• As a Nutrition, Mindset and Weight Loss Coach I get my clients focusing on nutrient dense food (Fibre, protein, healthy fats) that will switch off hunger.  Low fat yogurts, beige foods and rice cakes will no longer cut the mustard (they never blinking did to be honest).  Now is the time to make sure you are nourished with wholefoods that turn off hunger and allow you to get on with your day without being consumed with thoughts of food.  See the pattern forming here?

4. Menopause and Perimenopause Symptoms 

Perimenopause and menopause weight gain is very common due to the issues outlined above but also because we are under duress!  Our body is basically going through a hormonal sh~tstorm!  Perimenopause and Menopause symptoms include; the meno belly (yes that is absolutely a thing!), insomnia, aching joints, fatigue, gut issues, low mood, low motivation, headaches, hot flushes, vaginal dryness, UTI’s, headaches, anxiety, and irritability – and this is just scratching the surface.

This can have a massive impact on our mood, mental health, motivation, energy, stress levels and sleep.  It is easy to see why feeling awful and managing these symptoms could lead to perimenopause weight gain and menopause weight gain. 

The solutions: 

• HRT will reduce if not completely alleviate these symptoms as we replace what is lost. However, it is a very personal choice and not for everyone. It is important to note that even for those ladies taking HRT, the amount of oestrogen and progesterone that you are supplementing with will be nowhere near the amount of oestrogen you had in your younger years. Therefore, nutritional and lifestyle tweaks are still vitally important.
• Lifestyle changes will have a huge impact on your perimenopause and menopause symptoms.  I completely got rid of mine and my clients see the same dramatic results by making smart tweaks and changes. Sugar, caffeine, alcohol and stress are likely to massively flare up symptoms and wholefoods, exercise and self-care will lesson them (if not completely obliterate them).

5. Your Stressed and not prioritising yourself

What does stress have to do with Perimenopause weight gain and Menopause weight gain I hear you ask?

The answer is A HELL OF A LOT! 

Midlife can be a real juggling act; I feel you on this one!  Juggling maybe kids or aging parents (or both!), whilst working and all the other social and familial commitments that we have.  It is crazy and often our health is what suffers!

Due to losing the dampening effect of oestrogen and progesterone on our cortisol in midlife we are actually naturally more susceptible to stress or other mental health challenges.

High cortisol can enhance hunger, and if it is really pronounced and we are under chronic stress our metabolism can actually slow down.  When we are stressed, we can also be more susceptible to the habit of emotionally using food as a crutch which can lead to yet more Perimenopause and Menopause Weight gain.

The solution: 

• Learn to say no and set boundaries. You are no use to others if you are burnout out yourself.  When we are juggling so many roles this is vital
• Prioritise sleep. Poor sleep raises cortisol which will add to your stress and the issues to related to it.

In addition, sleep plays another important role in managing perimenopause weight gain and menopause weight gain because of its effect on our hunger hormones and metabolism.  Poor sleep will cause your hunger hormone (Ghrelin) to go up and your satisfied signal (Leptin) to go down.  Your blood sugar will also dip and all these factors will increase cravings and hunger.

Significantly deprived sleep (less than 5 hours over 5 nights) will cause significant issues to your metabolism as your body will start acting as if it is pre-diabetic.  The magic number of hours for shut eye is 7-9 hours per night.  Make it a priority and see and feel the difference!

• Move your body out of fight or flight to rest and digest by slowing down you’re breathing. This can be done through meditation, hypnotherapy, yoga or just simply taking 5 minutes to breath, breathing in through your nose and breathing out slowly through your mouth.  Making the outbreath twice as long as the inbreath to activate the parasympathetic nervous system
• Move your body. This can be as simple as walking.  Our body needs an outlet for the adrenaline and cortisol we generate daily
• Understand the effect of food on your cortisol levels. Alcohol, sugar and caffeine will elevate your stress hormones so should be eaten/drunk in moderation.
• Feed your emotions but not with food. Make sure that you are meeting your emotional needs daily so that you do not need to use food as a faulty crutch which actually makes things worse.

What can you do daily to get your serotonin and dopamine flowing and relieve that built up stress?  Stress relievers could include; watching a comedy, moving, yoga, meeting friends, a bath, meditation, cuddling your pet/kids/partner/anyone you can get your hands on – making your life so full of activities that you love, that food (and stress!) can take a back seat

 

Perimenopause and menopause weight gain is inevitable in midlife unless we look after ourselves with better nutrition, movement and general self-care (sleep and managing stress).  Yes, you have to be a bit smarter, but these tweaks and changes are very straight forward and will not only leave you feeling slimmer but also with reduced hormonal symptoms, more energy, better health and better mental health too.  What’s not to love about that?

Midlife, Perimenopause and Menopause Support

Do you need support with weight management, perimenopause symptoms, menopause symptoms or anxiety in midlife?

If you are ready to feel great again – I can help!

Click contact me below or email karen@themidlifereset.co.uk to book a FREE 20 minute no obligation telephone consultation so I can find out more about your current challenge, discuss potential suitable programs and answer any questions you may have.

Contact · Hypnosis For Weight Loss, Menopause and Perimenopause symptoms (themidlifereset.co.uk)