Life isn’t fair to us ladies. For many years we must endure painful and inconvenient periods. Then, there is childbirth and all the bodily changes that comes with it. After all this, we then must face menopause! What the heck?
Menopause refers to the time when a women’s period stops permanently. By the end of the menopause transition her body stops ovulating and she can no longer get pregnant. This transition usually happens between the ages of 45-55 and can last for 4 years or more. After menopause your ovaries produce much lower levels of the hormones oestrogen and progesterone. These hormones are complex and effect a variety of processes in the body including metabolism. Many women find that they gain weight more easily after menopause or find their body size and shape changing. These shifting hormones also mean there is an increase risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease, as well as other conditions such as sarcopenia (muscle loss) and osteoporosis (decreased bone density).
3 important things to know about menopause and your weight
Slower metabolism
As we age our body naturally starts to conserve more energy and doesn’t build or repair bodily tissue as rapidly anymore. This means we might start breaking down the things that we don’t need as much, such as muscle. Because muscle is metabolically active, less of it would naturally slow our metabolism and reduce the amount of energy we require. Unaware of this, if we continue to eat the same amount of energy, our body doesn’t need the extra energy and will store it as fat.
Research suggests that weight gain experienced during and after menopause has more to do with this decrease in metabolism and energy expenditure and not a result of hormonal changes. It just so happens that they occur at the same stage in life!
Changes in fat metabolism
One of the functions of oestrogen is to determine how fat is broken down and distributed in the body. Research has shown that there is a link between a decrease in oestrogen levels and how fat is stored in the body. All these changes mean that post-menopausal women are at a higher risk of body fat being stored around the tummy and abdomen compared to pre-menopausal women. This shift in where fat is stored, combined with a decreased metabolism and energy expenditure, is why many women feel that menopause causes weight gain.
Changes in lifestyle
Menopause happens around the same time that many lifestyle changes also occur in a woman’s life, and these changes can also effect body weight. Children growing up, relationship changes, caring for elderly parents and other factors all lead to stress, changes to exercise and changes to meal routines and food choices that may all lead to changes in your body shape and size.
What can you do?
Whether you’ve been trying to lose weight your whole life or perimenopause/menopause has lead you to want to lose weight for the first time, going on a restrictive diet is NOT the best thing for your long term health at this stage in life. Research shows that weight loss in the post-menopause stage of life increases your risk of muscle loss and osteoporosis, not to mention damages your psychological wellbeing through the dieting cycle’s impact on your body image and relationship with food. It’s also very difficult to know what is considered as ‘normal’ changes to a woman’s body at this stage in life and shifts in your body weight and size might well just be what you’re body is genetically wired to do. Our culture pushes the assumption that weight gain = bad. However, this is not always the case. And thus fighting any weight gain will likely end in frustration and a loss in quality of life.
As mentioned earlier, the shift in your hormone profile, that comes with menopause, does pose an increased risk of chronic disease and is associated with increased cholesterol, insulin resistance, reduced mental health, bone and muscle losses. The good news is that healthy daily behaviours can directly reduce these risks, independent of weight loss.
Our approach to thriving through the menopause transition is to take a health-first approach and focus on building consistent, realistic and sustainable behaviours into your day that help you feel nourished and satisfied and thrive in the final chapter of your life.
Women spend 1/3 of their life post menopause, do you really want to spend it trying to lose weight, cycling on and off diets and feeling frustrated?
Here are some tips for focussing on health. Aim to nail these basics:
Make veggies a priority
Yes, i’s that simple. Aim for 50% of your meals (lunch and dinner) to come from non-starchy vegetables! This simple principle is possibly one of the best habits you can establish for your health. Not only are veggies nutrient dense for overall health and wellbeing, but they are also very low in energy compared to protein, carbohydrate and fat-rich foods. This means that they help fill you up on an appropriate amount of energy for you and your body and combined with other eating skills like listening to your body and balancing the other side of your meals will mean your body finds the healthy weight that’s right for you.
Make water your drink of choice
Sometimes we forget that drinks including coffee, soft drink, juice and wine, count towards our energy intake. They are also very easy to over consume as they don’t keep us full! Aim to make water your go-to drink and be mindful of other drinks you consume that might be high in energy. Aiming to drink 2-3L of water a day is a positive focus.
Get moving
If your metabolism is slowing, then doing more physical activity is a great way to slow done the muscle losses. Not only is regular physical activity great for minimising muscle losses, improving insulin resistance, assisting with decreasing cholesterol and build cardiovascular fitness, it’s also great for your mental health as well. Especially if you can combine movement with social connection! Anyone up for a walk with a friend? If you can, strength or resistance exercise has been shown to be particularly beneficial for healthy muscles and metabolism, so why not give it a try.
Is menopause fair? No. Can we do something about it? Yes.
If you’re keen to start building a life full of small achievable habits, then check out our mobile app.
