Perimenopause Weight Gain
As a woman, it’s not uncommon to start experiencing sudden changes in your body, such as increased body weight, especially around the midsection, as you approach your mid-thirties and move towards the menopausal transition. One potential cause for this could be hormonal changes associated with perimenopause. This episode of our podcast explores the topic of perimenopause weight gain, how to recognize the signs of perimenopause and strategies to manage the effects of menopause symptoms.
Signs of Perimenopause:
-irregular periods with shortened cycles
-increased anxiety
-hungrier than normal
-nitpick at minor things, more annoyances and mood swings
-heart palpitations
-breakthrough bleeding or heavier menstrual cycle
-joint pains
-night sweats or hot flashes
-high blood pressure
-extra weight around the midsection
-vaginal dryness
-loss of muscle mass
Perimenopause is a phase that can begin as early as 35 and is characterized by a host of unexpected changes due to hormone levels changing, which can create many health changes including weight gain and a change in body composition. Recognizing these signs is essential for effectively managing the changes your body is going through. One common sign is a sudden increase in weight around the midsection (menopause belly). To manage this, it’s essential to balance your blood sugar through physical activity, aerobic exercise, and a healthy diet.
You may feel like you have always been pretty good at practicing a healthy lifestyle and maintaining a healthy weight; but as our estrogen levels change and we start to lose progesterone, we become more insulin resistant and struggle to keep our cortisol levels stable. You will also notice that you are hungrier than normal due to a disconnect with ghrelin (hunger hormone) and leptin (satiety hormone) which help to communicate fullness and satiety. Without these you may tend to overeat and still be hungry which will increase calorie intake and cause excess weight gain.
Perimenopause weight gain in the midsection:
Dealing with perimenopause isn’t just about managing the physical changes. It’s equally crucial to manage the mental aspects. The stress that accompanies this phase of life can be overwhelming due to the loss of progesterone, our calming hormone. It’s essential to learn to listen to your body’s signals and ensure you’re not overdoing it. To help control stress levels and weight during this time is to get enough sleep. Your body needs more time to recover than what it may have in the past, and poor sleep will just keep you in a vicious cycle of increased stress, weight gain, and an increased risk of health issues.
When your body is struggling with a lack of sleep and more stress than normal your favorite workout may no longer be working for you. Those HIIT style workouts can be great for weight loss, but when your body is already overly stressed, overdoing workouts or practicing intermittent fasting during this period can lead to further complications, so it’s crucial to identify the right balance and practice stress reduction.
Ideas for Stress Reduction:
This time of life can be very busy and it can make it hard to relax and practice self care. It is important to understand that self care doesn’t need to be a huge routine. It can be small things that you add into your hectic day to allow an extra calming breath. Here are some things you can work into your busy day.
-create a morning routine (try a few breaths while coffee brews, or a stretch while waiting for the shower to get hot)
-practice meditation or stillness (this can be a mindset of stillness, just sitting in the quiet or watching nature)
-walk every day
-strength train (either in the gym, or doing something in as little as 5 minutes in the home, gardening, moving furniture, and DIY home activities) The more muscles you have the more insulin sensitivity you will have-which is a good thing!
-hug your husband or children (creates oxytocin and drives down cortisol levels)
-eat less processed foods
Diet and Nutrition for Perimenopause weight gain:
The most important thing I can recommend to you is to first and foremost, listen to your body. We want to ensure that we are supporting our body with lots of fruits and vegetables. Something similar to the Mediterranean Diet is a great place to start since it will provide you with a lot of fiber, healthy fats, whole grains, and protein. During this time in life we need to decrease our carb intake a bit (especially the unhealthy carbs) to help keep our blood sugar more stable. If you are going to enjoy some carbs or sweets, then I need to make sure I practice some physical activity so that my muscles are pulling the glycogen into the muscle rather than keeping it in the blood stream for an extended period of time and then depositing as belly fat.
Intermittent fasting has its pros and cons. For some, it might be beneficial, but for others, especially those dealing with high-stress levels, it might add an additional stressor to the body. Therefore, it’s crucial to listen to your body and determine if this approach works for you. I will always recommend a 12-14 hour fast as this is a normal amount of time to fast and is great for disease control.
Exercise to help with Perimenopause weight gain:
During this time our cortisol levels are higher than normal, so it important we look at our overall stress levels before we add on intense stress through exercise. There are many things that can be creating this increased cortisol, outside of the common stressors. Grab the Cortisol Checklist to see what added stressors you are dealing with. If you are higher on the scale with stressors than I would encourage you to look at Pilates, Yoga, and Barre Style workouts along with strength training. As women age, they tend to lose muscle mass, which can lead to increased insulin resistance and, consequently, weight gain. Strength training can help maintain muscle mass and keep insulin levels in check.
In conclusion, managing perimenopause involves understanding the changes your body is going through, finding effective ways to manage physical and mental stress, and leveraging supportive communities and resources. With the right knowledge and support, navigating perimenopause can be less daunting and more manageable.
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