Ways To Fight Weight Gain During Menopause

Weight gain during menopause is a common worry for many women, as it seems to come on from nowhere, whether she’s changed her diet and activity levels or not. Some of the factors that play into this weight gain are hormonal balances and the type of fat the body  stores once menopause begins. Weight gain during menopause is possible because of the changing nature of these factors.

The biofeedback system that regulates heat, metabolism and digestion is a delicately balanced system. Changes to that system, especially at menopause, tend to throw the system out of balance, and this wreaks all kinds of havoc in a woman’s body. Hot flashes, insomnia and yes, the dreaded weight gain during menopause are all because of this unbalanced system.

Your fat cells and hormones play significant roles in this balancing act, as well. Since the estrogen production of the ovaries is tapering off, the fat cells become a new source for this vital hormone.

The link between metabolism, insulin and body fat is a pretty important one, too. Keeping to a low-fat, high carb diet, over time, has the effect of increasing insulin resistance. Insulin, in case you were unaware, doesn’t actually “burn off” sugars in the blood, but rather converts it into glucagon, which is then stored in the liver for future use as an energy source. When a body becomes resistant to insulin, more of the glucose is stored as fat and even though you might be dieting, you might still experience weight gain during menopause because of this.

Stress doesn’t help. The hoarding of body fat becomes commonplace is an over-stressed body. Stress hormones, like cortisol, will instigate the “famine emergency system,” whereby the body starts holding on to every bit of reserve energy it has. Stress is bad enough on a menopausal woman. Adding a restricted diet to that, and the body goes into panic mode, hanging on to everything its got for dear life—literally.


All these factors work together to make weight gain during menopause a very real circumstance. If your body’s efforts to maintain some sense of balance, fat becomes a vital component for resources. Is it no wonder, then, that weight gain during menopause is easier to experience?

There’s no magic cure or pill that will solve this situation. While weight gain during menopause may be almost inevitable, there are things you can do to either prevent excessive gains or at least help the body assimilate the new hormonal levels.

First, it is important that you learn to de-stress. Get rid of what stresses you can, and for the unavoidable ones, learn how to find your balance through meditation and yoga.

Get more active! To avoid weight gain during menopause, find exercises and/or activities that you will want to continue doing. Dancing and gardening can easily fall under the exercise label, as long as they keep you moving and stretching.

And of course, there’s your diet. You need to consider healthier meals and might want to talk to a nutritionist about meal and menu planning for your later years. Weight gain during menopause is easier to fix than the serious diseases that the weight will bring on, if unchecked.

Related article:
Losing weight after menopause.