How to deal with perimenopause weight gain

Perimenopause weight gain may seem inevitable (and terribly disheartening), but all is not lost – because there are ways to improve our middle-age spread.

Firstly, what happens during perimenopause that causes weight gain?

So we know that with perimenopause comes hormonal changes. And with the decline in our oestrogen levels comes weight gain around our tummy area. A bit like during puberty when oestrogen tells the body to store fat around the hips and thighs (in anticipation of pregnancy), during perimenopause, dropping oestrogen levels cause this fat to be stored in the abdomen instead. We don’t know exactly why this happens, but it does.

In addition, our declining oestrogen levels lead to a loss of muscle mass. And weight gain occurs because when you lose muscle mass, your body slows the rate at which you use calories (effecting your metabolism). So ultimately, if you continue to eat like you always have and don’t increase your physical activity during midlife, you’re likely to gain weight.

Also, funnily enough, we do lots of physical activity when we’re young, but during midlife, when it becomes increasingly important to maintain decent levels of activity, we tend to become more sedentary.

So, to summarize:

• Oestrogen levels drop
• Muscle mass declines
• Fat increases
• There’s probably a decline in physical activity

So what can we do to get rid of middle-age spread?

Increase your physical activity

Start exercising more. Try adding new and varied activities to your exercise routine. Aerobic exercise and strength training are both important and highly beneficial during perimenopause. Because more muscle mass means you’re more likely to burn calories and maintain a healthy weight. And muscle grows with weight training (and protein intake). Tip: Find a friend or a group to exercise with so that you are accountable and have some fun. I’m looking at doing water aerobics classes at a local pool in the coming weeks.

Eat smart

This means that you might have to eat fewer calories, and increasingly include things like legumes, nuts, soy, fish and dairy products in your diet. Protein is also important for healthy muscle mass. Furthermore, try not to comfort eat to alleviate the changes that are happening in your life (insomnia, signs of ageing, illness, loneliness and your changing role as a parent to older children who don’t need you as much anymore).

Cut down on your sugar intake and also any refined carbohydrates. Those don’t do you much good, in fact, quite the contrary.

Limit alcohol

Alcohol contains lots of sugar which can add to your waistline. Or you could consider choosing low-carb (gin, vodka, whiskey) or low-sugar (spirits, red wine, prosecco) alcohol options instead.

Get good quality sleep

A lack of good quality sleep (which becomes more prevalent during perimenopause) affects your weight because sleep deprivation causes changes to the hormones that regulate appetite and hunger.

Reduce your stress levels

Stress can lead to weight gain! Yes, increased stress may lead to elevated cortisol levels. And when cortisol is produced in excess, it can cause weight gain, especially in the tummy area.

Accept certain changes

Sometimes genetics play a role in how your body holds onto weight, it’s just one of those things. It would be best to accept certain inevitable changes. However, we should always do the best we can for our health.

Related post: How to tell if you’re in perimenopause

In a nutshell

So in conclusion, we need to adjust our lifestyle to make sure that we’re eating a healthy diet, exercising enough and getting a good night’s sleep. Not rocket science, really. And after writing this blog post, I realise that while I’ve recently been unhappy with my middle-age spread, I haven’t actually been doing enough to sort it out. (I think my middle name is procrastination!) Anyway, I know what I have to do so now I need to do it. Want to join me?

Do you have some extra weight around your middle that you want to shift? Comment below what you’re going to implement going forward and we can hold each other accountable.

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