Understanding menopause weight gain

If you’re gaining weight, or putting on belly fat, during perimenopause or after menopause, you’re probably wondering what’s causing it and what you can do about it – especially if you feel that you’re eating the same, and just as active as always.

Menopause weight gain, and changes in where your body stores fat, can be the result of a combination of several factors, including fluctuating hormone levels, increased appetite, reduced muscle mass and poor sleep.

But that doesn’t mean that weight gain during menopause is inevitable – in this article we’ll explain the things you can do to help prevent or reverse it, including foods to focus on, the most effective kinds of exercise and how to improve your sleep.

We’ll also look at how much weight women tend to gain during the menopause transition, why this can be a health risk, and how long menopause weight gain might last for.

For help improving your sleep and mood during menopause, try Better Night, an expert-formulated combination of adaptogens, herbal extracts, vitamins and minerals. To learn more, visit The Better Menopause.

What causes weight gain during menopause?

Menopause is the point 12 months after your last period, when your levels of reproductive hormones like oestrogen settle at their lowest point. Perimenopause is the name for the years leading up to menopause, when your hormones are in a state of flux.

Although you can continue to put on weight after menopause, weight gain – and especially changes to your body shape – tend to be more noticeable during perimenopause.

There are several overlapping factors that contribute to weight gain during both perimenopause and after menopause.

Hormone changes

During perimenopause, a relative increase in the ratio of testosterone to oestrogen changes the way your body distributes fat. Less fat is stored on your hips and thighs and more is deposited around your belly and torso.

At the same time, your body begins to produce higher levels of the ‘hunger hormone’ ghrelin, which increases appetite, and lower levels of resistin, which is an appetite suppressant. Both these changes can make you feel hungrier and lead to you eating more.

Resistin levels also stay low after menopause, so increased appetite can still be an issue then.

Reduced muscle mass

As you get older, your body becomes less efficient at turning the protein you eat into muscle, and you gradually start to lose muscle mass. Some experts think menopause may accelerate this process.

Healthy muscle consumes calories, even when you’re resting. Having less muscle can therefore slow your basal metabolic rate – the amount of energy your body uses for its basic functions – making it harder to burn fat.

This can contribute to changes in your body composition, with a higher ratio of fat to muscle.

Because muscle is denser and heavier than fat, you may not see much of an increase in your weight, but could still feel your body is changing shape and feeling less toned.

Poor sleep

Poor sleep is a common menopause symptom in its own right – but it can also contribute to weight gain, both directly and indirectly.

Getting less sleep is another factor that can lower your metabolic rate, so you burn fewer calories. Independently of this, it can reduce the amount of fat your body uses for energy.

Poor sleep can also increase your appetite, especially for foods that are high in sugar or refined carbohydrates. These types of foods are in turn more likely to lead to the sorts of blood sugar crashes that increase cravings for sweet, carby foods, potentially creating a vicious cycle.

What’s more, blood sugar responses like this become more pronounced as you go through menopause.

How much weight and belly fat do women gain during menopause?

A large-scale American research project called the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN) found that women aged 42–52 gained an average of 2.1 kg over the course of three years – the equivalent of 0.7 kg or 1.5 pounds (lb) per year.

But if you’re going through perimenopause, it may feel as if your weight gain is happening much faster than this, particularly as it often involves a noticeable increase in belly fat.

While the SWAN study didn’t find a direct link between menopausal status and weight gain itself, research has confirmed that increased visceral fat is linked to hormonal changes during perimenopause.

Over this period, the fat around your belly and upper body can increase from an average of 5-8% of your total body weight to 10-15%.

How long does menopause weight gain last?

Although you can still put on weight once you’ve reached menopause, much of the weight gain linked to hormonal changes actually happens during perimenopause.

While every woman’s menopause journey is different, for most women perimenopause last for around 4 to 8 years, with symptoms often becoming less severe in the later stages. If your weight gain and increasing belly fat are related to perimenopause, they may start to taper off at this time.

However, age-related muscle loss is something that can continue throughout your life and, in fact, tends to speed up after the age of 60. This not only makes it harder to keep body fat at bay but, if left unchecked, could lead to muscle weakness, making day-to-day activities more difficult.

Later in this article, we’ll look at things you can do to help maintain muscle and prevent unhealthy weight gain.

Health risks of menopause weight gain

Weight gain, and increased belly fat and waist circumference, in menopausal women have been linked to a greater risk of health conditions including:

• heart disease
• type 2 diabetes
• high blood pressure
• unhealthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels
• worse menopause symptoms

How to prevent menopause weight gain

If you’re looking to tackle menopause weight gain, there are several lifestyle changes that can help. We’ll look at which foods to focus on and which to limit, how to get enough protein, the best form of exercise for maintaining healthy muscle mass and reducing fat, plus ways to improve your sleep.

But remember, weight shouldn’t be your only measure of improvement. As your muscle mass increases, your overall weight may not change as much as you might expect. Instead, think about whether your clothes fit better and look for reductions in measurements like your waist circumference or waist-to-hip ratio.

Follow the Mediterranean diet

The Mediterranean diet is a healthy eating pattern with a focus on whole plant foods and healthy sources of protein. It’s most effective as a lifestyle choice rather than a quick-fix weight loss diet.

Studies suggest that following the Mediterranean diet during menopause can reduce your risk of becoming overweight or obese, and of developing metabolic conditions like heart disease and type 2 diabetes. It may also help with other menopause symptoms.

The Mediterranean diet typically includes:

• a wide variety of vegetables and fruits
• plenty of legumes, like beans, chickpeas and lentils
• whole grains rather than refined carbohydrates
• lots of nuts and seeds
• extra virgin olive oil
• whole dairy products
• eggs
• some fish and seafood
• some chicken and poultry
• only small amounts of red meat

Eating a wide variety of different plants helps to support the diversity of friendly bacteria in your gut microbiome. This includes your estrobolome, which recycles oestrogen to be used around your body. Higher levels of oestrogen are linked to better weight control.

Many plants, especially legumes like beans and pulses, also contain nutrients called phytoestrogens. They perform some of the same functions as oestrogen and can reduce body fat and increase muscle mass.

The Mediterranean diet also limits ultra-processed foods (UPFs), like sweets, packaged cakes, biscuits, pies and pastries and many breakfast cereals and ready meals. Eating fewer UPFs been linked to a reduced risk of weight gain and obesity.

For more help improving your diet for weight loss during menopause – including some meal-planning inspiration – read our dedicated article.

Get enough protein

As you go through menopause, and as you get older, you’ll start to need more protein just to stop you losing muscle.

Guidelines for menopausal women generally suggest eating 1–1.2 grams (g) per kg of body weight per day, the equivalent of 56–84 g for a woman weighing 70 kg (around 11 stone or 150 pounds).

However, an observational study involving menopausal women found that those with less body fat, smaller waist circumferences and more muscle ate an average of 1.6 g of protein per kg of body weight.

Healthy sources of protein include many of those covered by the Mediterranean diet:

• legumes
• tofu
• nuts and seeds
• fish
• chicken
• eggs
• whole dairy products

Do regular resistance exercise

Resistance training is exercise that strengthens and builds your muscles, such as lifting weights, using resistance bands or doing bodyweight exercises like press-ups and squats.

The British Menopause Society (BMS) says resistance training is essential for women who want to lose weight and change their body shape during perimenopause or after menopause.

By increasing your healthy muscle mass, resistance training boosts your metabolic rate, which burns more fat even when you’re not active.

You don’t need to do intensive gym workouts to see results from resistance training – being regular and consistent is more important. Aim for three moderate-intensity sessions per week, where you do exercises like squats, ankle taps, box press-ups and bicep curls.

Although resistance training is the most effective form of exercise for reducing menopause weight gain, it’s still a good idea to incorporate some regular aerobic exercise – like brisk walking, jogging, swimming or cycling – into your routine.

Studies have shown that following health guidelines of at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise split across the week can lead to small but significant reductions in weight, waist circumference and body fat for postmenopausal women.

Improve your sleep hygiene

Poor sleep during menopause can reduce your metabolic rate, make your body less efficient at burning fat and lead to unhealthy food cravings.

Getting better sleep could help to manage menopause weight gain so it’s a good idea to try to improve your ‘sleep hygiene’. These daily and nightly routines could make a difference:

• Go to bed and get up at regular times each day
• Avoid caffeinated drinks after lunch
• Don’t eat large meals or drink alcohol close to bedtime
• Stop using screens and keep your lighting low in the hours before bed
• Keep your bedroom well-ventilated and dark
• If you get night sweats, wear light, loose clothing and keep water and a fan by your bed

For extra help improving your sleep during menopause, try Better Night, an expert-formulated combination of powerful adaptogens, herbal extracts, vitamins and minerals.

Summary

Weight gain and changes to your body composition are common symptoms of both perimenopause and menopause.

During perimenopause, an imbalance between oestrogen and testosterone can lead to increased fat around your belly.

Meanwhile, changes to the levels of other hormones can increase your appetite. This can continue to affect you after menopause.

Loss of muscle mass as you get older may be accelerated by menopause and can reduce your metabolic rate, making it harder to burn fat.

Poor sleep can make all of these issues worse.

Switching to an eating pattern like the Mediterranean diet may reduce or reverse weight gain. Focus on a wide variety of whole plant foods, including legumes, and eat fewer refined carbohydrates and ultra-processed foods.

During menopause, and as you get older, you need more protein in your diet to help prevent muscle loss. Some experts suggest eating at least 1–1.2 grams (g) per kg of body weight per day.

Regular resistance training can also help you to maintain and increase muscle mass and burn fat.

Improving your bedtime routine, including going to bed and getting up at regular times, could help you to sleep better, which may in turn allow your body to burn fat more efficiently.

For extra support with your sleep, try the blend of adaptogens, herbal extracts, vitamins and minerals in Better Night menopause supplements. To learn more, visit The Better Menopause.