Weight Gain During Menopause? Here's What You Can Do

Curious about what's happening in your body during menopause? Read more here.

• Changes in Hormone Levels. During menopause, oestrogen production decreases. Oestrogen plays a role in regulating body weight. When oestrogen levels drop, it can lead to weight gain, especially around the abdominal area.
  Good to know: because the body produces less oestrogen in the ovaries, it looks for other sources. One of these sources is our adipose tissue, which produces small amounts of oestrogen. However, this does not mean you automatically gain weight because your body is seeking oestrogen.

• Changes in Metabolism. As you age, your metabolism slows down. In other words, your body burns fewer calories than before. A slower metabolism can contribute to weight gain without changes to your diet.

• Changes in Body Composition. When hormone activity changes, so does the storage and burning of fat in different body areas. During menopause, you might notice a decrease in muscle mass and an increase in fat mass. Muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissue, so a loss of muscle mass can further slow down metabolism.

• Changes in Lifestyle. During menopause, you might not feel as well, which can lead to changes in lifestyle: you might exercise less and eat differently.

Can Weight Gain During Menopause Be Prevented?

Weight gain during menopause cannot always be completely prevented, as it is a natural part of the ageing process and is influenced by the factors mentioned earlier. Of course, this is no reason to let everything go, but it does mean you should be kinder to yourself: you can't always do something about it.

What Can You Do About Unwanted Weight Gain?

Weight gain doesn't have to be negative. But if you're overweight or feel uncomfortable due to the extra pounds, we understand that you might want to take action. You can do this by:

• Eat Less Than You Burn. Sounds simple, but how do you do that? It's important to determine your resting metabolic rate, that is, how many calories you burn if you don't move all day. It's best to assess this with a health professional. Besides your resting rate, it's good to consider what you burn additionally in a day. Do you have an active job, or do you sit at a desk from nine to five? Do you walk daily, or do you exercise several times a week? This extra burning adds to your resting burn rate. Finally, you can track what you consume, for instance, by keeping a food diary.

• Continue Eating Enough Protein. Proteins are crucial for maintaining muscle mass, which is important for your resting metabolism. Your resting metabolism is also where you burn the most calories. It's important to keep this as high as possible. A good guideline for the amount of protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight.

• Limit Stress. Stress, particularly the stress hormone cortisol, can be quite obstructive. This is also true for weight management, as cortisol blocks fat burning.

• Add Foods with Phytoestrogens to Your Diet. Phytoestrogens can partially mimic the functions of oestrogen and prevent excess active oestrogen. A lack of phytoestrogens disrupts fat and glucose metabolism and can lead to overweight and fat accumulation. To consume more phytoestrogens, we can look to our ancestors: the original natural diet of humans, which mainly consisted of vegetables, fruits, roots, tubers, leaves, seeds, and berries, was full of phytoestrogens.