Perimenopausal Weight Gain Can Happen To You

What? Perimenopausal weight gain? Did you know such a thing was possible? It is, and unless you are armed with enough knowledge to combat it (or are a man), you’re are likely to suffer from it when that time just before menopause happens.

Perimenopause is that time of life when a woman’s body starts making the changes that eventually lead to menopause, and the cessation of menses. It’s that time when the hot flashes may start, the night sweats, the heart palpitations for no reasons… all that wonderful fun stuff that nature thinks you need to experience as your child-birthing years come to an end. Perimenopausal weight gain is also one of those “gifts.”

The sad part is, even if you already watch your diet and engage in regular exercise, you may see a perimenopausal weight gain anyway, suddenly, without you having ever changed your routine. It’s not like you sat down and gorged yourself on bad foods, or stopped exercising! It’s that perimenopausal weight gain happens because the processes inside your body are starting to change the way they do things.

The ovaries have begun to stop producing eggs and making hormones. The result is, fewer periods. Sounds nice, but your body is used to having an ample supply of those hormones, especially estrogen.

When the body begins to miss the estrogen, it goes into a sort of survival mode. It starts hanging on to everything it already has, so as not to lose what reserves are available. This includes the fat already in your body. But it also means that any new fat created is going to be stored and held in reserve for the apparent “famine” of energy reserves the body thinks it is experiencing.

We were talking about hormones, so, what does the fat in your body have to do with it and why is your body hanging on to it so doggedly? You’re in for a surprise: fat can produce estrogen! In fact, when the ovaries stop working, the fat cells will start to help out by releasing their estrogen production. The body knows this and that’s why it wants, as much as possible, to keep your fat intact.

Of course, perimenopausal weight gain may not be readily noticeable. The scale may not have shown any weight difference, but the waist line of your pants may. That's because that new fat that is being stored, is being stored in a new place. Instead of being stored in the usual places, just under the skin layer, fat is now stored in amongst your body organs. This is called visceral fat because it is under the abdominal muscle wall. That may be why your pants got a lot tighter without you seemingly having any extra weight.

Progesterone is another hormone that is diminishing at the time of perimenopausal weight gain. This sometimes leads to water retention and bloating. It does not actually lead to the weight gain, but it sure makes wearing tight clothing fairly miserable.
Now, here’s a bit of a bright spot: those fat cells that are producing estrogen are also producing another hormone, called DHEA. DHEA is an anti-aging  hormone and has been studied and found to be helpful in fighting a number of serious diseases, not the least of which is Alzheimer’s, heart disease, cancer and such.
The upshot is that during the time of perimenopausal weight gain, you have to step up your healthcare routines. A proper diet filled with highly nutritious food, a regular form of aerobic activity and superior stress reduction efforts will go a long ways towards making perimenopausal weight gain non-existent.

Related article:
Food for menopause - What to Eat in Menopause