Why Menopause Causes Weight Gain and What You Can Do About It
Menopause and weight gain often go hand in hand, making this life stage a significant challenge for many women. As you transition through perimenopause—the phase before menopause marked by declining reproductive hormones—you may notice frustrating symptoms like brain fog, mood swings, sleep disturbances, hot flashes, and, yes, weight gain.
Embracing Menopause: Redefining Health Beyond Weight
It’s true—menopause brings inevitable changes to your body. Weight gain, shifts in fat distribution, and a slower metabolism are all natural parts of this phase as hormone levels decline.
Studies, like the SWAN research, confirm what many women already notice: gaining around 0.5 kg of weight per year and losing muscle mass is common during perimenopause and menopause.
But here’s the encouraging truth—you are not powerless against these changes.
Instead of chasing unrealistic expectations, what if we shifted the focus to redefining health?
Menopause can be an opportunity to prioritise what truly matters: stronger bones, better heart health, stable energy levels, and mental well-being. While you may notice some body changes, preparing for menopause with targeted strategies—like balanced nutrition, resistance training, and stress management—can prevent drastic weight shifts and reduce health risks.
This stage of life isn’t about fighting your body; it’s about supporting it. By embracing a holistic view of health and focusing on factors beyond just the scale, you can feel strong, capable, and confident, even amidst the changes. Menopause is not the end of your vitality—it’s a chance to redefine it.
Why Does Weight Gain Happen During Perimenopause?
The decline in estrogen levels is a key factor in the weight gain many women experience during perimenopause. As estrogen decreases relative to testosterone, fat storage patterns shift, often leading to that all-too-familiar midlife belly fat.
Why Mourn the Loss of Estrogen?
Estrogen isn’t just about reproduction—it’s a vital hormone that protects many aspects of your health. Its decline affects several key systems in your body, leading to:
Irregular periods, which may vary in flow, being heavier or lighter than normal
Hot flashes and sweating at night
Shifts in mood
Dryness in the vaginal area
Difficulty concentrating or ‘brain fog’
Trouble sleeping
Bladder control issues
Aching joints
Altered sexual function, including reduced libido
5 Nutrition Tips to Manage Menopause and Weight Gain
1. Eat enough protein
As women age, muscle loss becomes a significant concern. On average, we lose 3% to 8% of muscle mass every decade after our 30s, and this rate speeds up during menopause. Muscle is active tissue—it burns calories even at rest—while fat stores energy, contributing less to metabolism. When muscle mass decreases, the body burns fewer calories, which can lead to an increase in fat storage.
From my clinical experience, many menopausal women worry about body changes and respond by eating too little, particularly cutting back on protein. This not only accelerates muscle loss but also slows the metabolism further, creating a cycle that contributes to fat gain. Eating enough high-quality protein daily is essential to preserve muscle, support your metabolism, and reduce the likelihood of excess fat accumulation.
Using tools like an InBody Composition Scan offers valuable insights into your lean muscle mass, helping to ensure it remains stable or even improves over time. In my experience, shifting the mindset to view yourself as ‘under-muscled’ rather than simply ‘carrying excess weight’ can be transformative. This approach empowers my patients to reframe their goals and focus on the most impactful areas, fostering a more positive and proactive journey toward better health in menopause.
2. Manage your blood sugar levels
As women age, blood sugar regulation becomes more challenging. Research from ZOE scientists reveals that women experience larger post-meal blood sugar spikes and higher baseline blood sugar values as they get older.
Why does this matter? Blood sugar spikes trigger the release of insulin, a hormone that, in high amounts, is inflammatory and signals the body to store fat—especially around the abdominal area. Over time, elevated blood sugar levels can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and chronic inflammation, all of which can significantly impact overall health.
In my practice, I use Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) to uncover how your body uniquely responds to food, helping identify the best carbohydrates for you and creating balanced meals to stabilise blood sugar. This shifts the focus from restriction to discovering foods that truly support your health during menopause.
Every woman’s menopause journey is unique, and hormonal changes can greatly influence how your body processes food. Tailored insights from CGM allow us to address your specific needs—managing blood sugar, reducing inflammation, and slowing down the progression of weight gain—so you can navigate this phase with greater confidence and insight.
3. Focus on nutrient quality
The Power of Antioxidants in Menopause
A diet rich in antioxidants, fibre and anti-inflammatory fats becomes increasingly important as we age. Yet, many women put off developing healthy eating habits until later in life—when ideally, we should be preparing much earlier to support the transition into menopause. In my practice, I often see women in their 60s whose dietary patterns are so deeply ingrained that making meaningful changes becomes a greater challenge.
Estrogen naturally provides antioxidant protection in the body, but after menopause, this defence weakens as estrogen levels drop. With reduced antioxidant capacity, the body is more vulnerable to cell damage, which accelerates ageing, increases heart disease risk, raises cancer risk, and fuels inflammation. Bottom-line: you need more antioxidants than ever before.
When you understand the higher need for daily antioxidants at this stage of life, food transforms from a source of restriction to a source of joy. In my experience, focusing on quality and what you should eat brings excitement back to meals during menopause, encouraging fun, creative ways to include nourishing, antioxidant-rich foods.
Boost your diet with these powerful antioxidant-packed options: Almonds, pecans, walnuts, blackberries, blueberries, sour cherries, cranberries, raspberries, strawberries, pomegranates, artichokes, spinach, dark chocolate (unsweetened), cloves
In my practice, I aim to identify susceptible women early through Genetic Testing. This provides valuable insights into your predisposition for antioxidant defence and helps me fine-tune which micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) are needed to ‘switch on’ your body’s internal antioxidant system. Prevention is better than cure, and preparation is the key to prevent drastic weight gain during hormonal shifts. Genetic testing empowers us to create a personalised plan tailored to your unique needs, setting you up for long-term wellness.
The Power of Omega 3 Fats in Menopause
As estrogen declines during menopause, the body becomes more prone to inflammation—yep, you guessed it, another delightful perk of this stage of life! Chronic inflammation affects everything from gut health, to heart health, to brain function and weight management. While plant-based fats like flaxseeds, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, avocado, and their oils are great additions to your diet, they mainly provide omega-6 fats. To truly keep inflammation in check, balancing your omega-3:6 ratio is key!
An ideal blood ratio is around 4:1 (omega-3:omega-6), yet the typical Western diet often skews as high as 15:1 or more, driving inflammation and increasing health risks. Since the body produces little omega-3 naturally, it’s crucial to include oily fish in your diet. Aim for at least two portions weekly to support heart health, reduce inflammation, and improve insulin sensitivity. Omega-3s have been shown to promote better mental health, help reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress when paired with a fibre-rich diet.
Get in these sources of fish at least 2 times weekly: salmon, mackerel, sardines, herring, and cod liver
In my practice, I offer Omega 3:6 Ratio Blood Spot Testing to determine your current omega-3:6 balance. If your ratio is suboptimal, we can tailor your omega-3 intake (EPA and DHA) to restore harmony, protect your heart, support mental well-being, and tackle menopause-related symptoms holistically.
The Power of Vitamin D in Menopause
Vitamin D and calcium are likely some of the few nutrients your doctor has mentioned, so you may already know it’s essential for bone health. But did you know it plays a much bigger role in your overall well-being?
Research shows that a lack of vitamin D can contribute to various health issues – high blood pressure, painful joints and muscles, some cancers, lowered immunity, and even some autoimmune conditions. It’s also linked to inflammation and conditions like psoriasis and multiple sclerosis—and low levels have even been associated with a shorter lifespan.
For postmenopausal women, vitamin D is especially important. A study of women aged 50–79 found that higher vitamin D levels were connected to a healthier body weight and less fat around the waist. Clearly, this ‘sunshine vitamin’ is crucial for more than just your bones!
5 Essential Tests for Personalised Nutrition to Manage Weight Gain During Menopause
InBody Composition Scan: Monitor lean muscle massand fat distribution.
Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM): Identify how your body responds to different foods.
Omega 3:6 Ratio Blood Spot Testing: Balance dietary fats for reduced inflammation.
Vitamin and Mineral Profiling with Blood Testing: Identify deficiencies to optimise nutrient intake.
Genetic Testing: Discover predispositions to guide personalised nutrition plans in peri-menopause and menopause.
