Menopause weight gain

tlharbinson

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to beat menopause weight gain? Is this a thing or am I just eating the wrong things? I workout 5 days a week with cardio 2-3 times and weights 2-3 times a week.

MargaretYakoda

When was your last physical?

Basically weight gain is a function of either water weight, lack of movement resulting in lower energy expenditure, or perhaps some other effect that is usually temporary.

If you’re experiencing significant symptoms of menopause you might be feeling bad enough to not be moving as much during your non-exercise times as you used to.
That kind of thing can add up over time.

Something to consider, in any case.

AnnPT77

I don't think menopause weight gain is mostly real. (NB, I lost weight at age 59. I'd been in menopause since age 43, brought on by chemotherapy.)

I think menopause weight gain is a great marketing pitch for people trying to sell us their special diets, exercise programs, or supplements.

Here's research suggesting that our metabolism is quite steady from our 20s to around 60 or so:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8370708/

Even after that, the decline is fairly slow.

What does change? My thoughts:

We tend to lose muscle mass unless we consistently do something to keep (or even increase) it. We tend to eat insufficient protein, or eat it concentrated all in one meal (not a good plan as we age because we do absorb protein less efficiently); that can increase chances of muscle loss.

Muscle only burns a tiny amount more calories than fat, pound per pound, at rest. But having less muscle tends to make it harder and less fun to move in daily life (or exercise), so we do less. That reduced movement not only burns fewer calories daily, but can increase risk of even more muscle loss.

You're doing the right thing to get exercise, especially strength exercise. Be sure the strength exercise is challenging. (Not punitive, just challenging. )

If your protein intake is sub-ideal, or not spread through the day, that would be another investment to make.

Finally, for many of us, our lifestyle during menopause is very different than it was when in our 20s. The change is gradual.

When younger, we possibly had a more physical job, relied more on forms of transportation that involved at least some walking (even to a bus stop) or biking. We maybe had more active hobbies, I dunno, playing frisbee, dancing, etc. Our social lives had more of those active things in them. Maybe we were chasing toddlers all day, or doing DIY home improvement projects that were pretty physical.

When reaching menopause age, it's more common to have more sedentary jobs, maybe even be retired. Often we have our own cars (and gas money) so we mostly drive door to door. Maybe hobbies and social life involve more things like reading, theaters, dining out. We might hire out some of the home chores (repairs, remodeling, landscaping, mowing) we used to do ourselves. We have helpful devices like roombas.

Clearly, I'm generalizing and simplifying, but you see what I'm getting at. The differences in daily life can mean our daily life routine burns hundreds fewer calories daily than we once did. (Researchers found that even a fidgety person may burn low hundreds of calories daily more than an otherwise similar non-fidgety one. I'm not saying you should fidget, just that the impact of something that small can be pretty big.)

It's possible to increase daily life movement intentionally, of course. It's a thing some MFP folks do. There's a thread here where they share ideas:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss/p1

Not all of those will suit everyone, but maybe some will.

Women can lose weight in menopause. Many here have done so. The basics are still the same, burning more calories than we eat. If we need fewer calories than we used to (for whatever reason), that may be a bit more difficult.

Honestly, even if menopause were the major cause - which I think it isn't - we can't change menopause. We can only work around it, and find a way to reach our goals anyway. (Some women can use HRT. If menopause were the cause, that might be a help. For myself, I can't do HRT, because of my cancer history.)

Just my thoughts.

Best wishes for success - I think you can achieve it!

kshama2001

tlharbinson wrote: »

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to beat menopause weight gain? Is this a thing or am I just eating the wrong things? I workout 5 days a week with cardio 2-3 times and weights 2-3 times a week.

I cosign Ann's post above about "menopause weight gain" being mostly a marketing thing. It's more a product of us being less active than we were in decades past. In addition to your workouts, try to get extra movement throughout the day, for example, at work use a bathroom further away, etc.

You may be eating the right things, but too much of them, or foods that you don't find especially satiating, so you need to eat more to feel full, and are eating more than you intend.

Some suggestions:

Are you using the default Protein goal and are you meeting it every day? Also try swapping something like Sodium out for Fiber, and make sure you hit your fiber goal every day. See if meeting or exceeding your protein and fiber goals every day help you create a calorie deficit.

AnnPT77

There are some hints in recent research that certain foods emulate the effects of GLP-1 drugs (Ozempic, Wegovy, etc.) through the natural biochemistry of the body and microbiome, but the effect is short-duration (as compared with the drugs). Other dietary choices may extend the effect somewhat (again, probably still short of the drugs).

I'm not fully convinced from what I've read that this is for-sure demonstrated Truth, but it holds interesting preliminary suggestions.

If people are struggling with hunger/appetite - if I were, now, vs. in long-term pretty-happy maintenance - experimenting with these food choices might be interesting. Can't hurt, anyway.

Popular-media article about the topic:

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/10/30/1208883691/diet-ozempic-wegovy-weight-loss-fiber-glp-1-diabetes-barley

HoneyBadger302

As someone dealing with peri (and a very wide variety of the associated symptoms) actual FAT gain is not directly related to menopause (although many other menopause symptoms can indirectly lead to fat gain), however, WEIGHT gain is very common - as in bloating in particular.
I personally had about 4-5 "mysterious" pounds packed on. I've been involved in the fitness/health community and tracked my own stuff enough to know there was no good reason for the gain, all around my middle. Started on a peri supplement, and within a month, changing nothing else, those mystery pounds disappeared (although they still come back fairly easy, they leave as easily as they come).
Peri can ALSO cause other issues that would attribute to gaining fat - such as muscle loss (which Ann talked about above); aches and pains that make moving more uncomfortable; the mood issues that make one less capable of keeping up with it all (or in my case, wanting to eat all the things) - seriously, it can all add up to keeping up with yourself far more difficult! Creatine has quite a few studies showing the benefits for women, and is pretty easy to find information on if it may be worth it for you and how to utilize it.
The more I learn about it all, the more I think a lot of women end up suffering more than needed, wondering what the heck is wrong with them!
So far for me, the supplement routine is working fantastically (other than my libido - that has taken a very long hike off a very short plank), so while HRT is not off the table for me, it's not something I'm chasing down just yet - mood, ADHD, mystery bloat, even my tinnitus - have improved with the supplements, so I'm sticking with that for now.
Either way, if you have a doctor you have a good relationship with, it may be worth a conversation - unfortunately, it is still often swept under the rug by the medical field, or they rely on tests that (especially in peri) are unreliable at best.

kshama2001

AnnPT77 wrote: »

There are some hints in recent research that certain foods emulate the effects of GLP-1 drugs (Ozempic, Wegovy, etc.) through the natural biochemistry of the body and microbiome, but the effect is short-duration (as compared with the drugs). Other dietary choices may extend the effect somewhat (again, probably still short of the drugs).

I'm not fully convinced from what I've read that this is for-sure demonstrated Truth, but it holds interesting preliminary suggestions.

If people are struggling with hunger/appetite - if I were, now, vs. in long-term pretty-happy maintenance - experimenting with these food choices might be interesting. Can't hurt, anyway.

Popular-media article about the topic:

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/10/30/1208883691/diet-ozempic-wegovy-weight-loss-fiber-glp-1-diabetes-barley

That was interesting. I'll sum it up for people who do not want to click - fermentable fiber may help keep you fuller

tomcustombuilder

Serotonin levels change which can alter moods, energy and cause depression. These factors can cause lack of energy and mood swings which has an effect on activity, both exercise and NEAT along with changed eating habits.

So it comes down to the same rules as anything else, no consistent weekly calorie deficit

claireychn074

tlharbinson wrote: »

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to beat menopause weight gain? Is this a thing or am I just eating the wrong things? I workout 5 days a week with cardio 2-3 times and weights 2-3 times a week.

There have been some studies which show fat may accumulate more around the middle after menopause, which can have health implications. But metabolism doesn’t slow down until late 60s and even then it can be reversed.

As a perimenopausal women, I think it’s down to the lack of sleep, impacted energy and also the stress which goes with being a middle aged woman (ie sandwich generation). I can end up making quick food choices which are higher in calorie, I have less energy to move as much as I don’t always sleep and I’m in a life stage where I can afford petrol so drive everywhere.

It means it can feel hard, but maintaining or losing through this time is defo possible. I found a sport I enjoy which really helps - I can’t recommend that highly enough.

muth3rluvx2

Try this (if you haven't) : Don't eat your exercise cals and stay at a deficit of your actual calculated needs.

Made that mistake.
If your body needs say 2000 cals, eat 1500. Ignore the "added" cals MFP gives based on what you supposedly burned. Adjust as you figure out your own body. If you're losing too much too fast (for example) - then increase your cal intake.

The mistake is the assumption that weight loss happens with exercise. GENERALLY (there's always exceptions), that is not the case - something I just recently learned. SIZE variation happens with exercise (muscle is denser and takes less space than fat). Weight management is through food. I always believed that exercise helps you lose weight. For the most part, it doesn't. That information has been a game changer.

JUST had this convo with my doc and since I have concerns about my weight gain since menopause - despite the massive increase in activity - he said 1000 cals a day and that will give me the deficit *I* need and I'll lose 1lb/week. I'll be honest and say I didn't think that would work....
Until I realized I was overeating bc MFP said I had an additional 200, 350, 450 (etc) cals from exercise. Not excessively, of course, but it's enough to keep gaining. Do not go by that.

Use a calorie calculator to estimate your range (mine was between 1300 & 1600 depending on what calculator I used), take roughly the midpoint (1400-1500 for me) reduce by 250 or 500 (1/2-1 lb per week) and THAT is your calorie TOTAL for each day. Doesn't matter what you burn in the gym or whatever you're doing.

Let's say your range is 2000-2500 (recommend using multiple calorie calculators to get this information) and you want to lose just 5 lbs. Reducing by 250 cals per day from your midpoint would be plenty. The midpoint here would be 2200-2300. Keep the cals between 1800-1900 and you should lose approximately 1/2-1 lb per week. Doesn't matter if MFP says you can eat 3000 because you used 500 cals at the gym. DON'T. Exercise just tells your body how to use the cals - store, use or waste.

I do NOT recommend nor endorse less than 1200 cals without talking to your doc and them saying it's safe for your body to do that.

Hope that helps.

cmriverside

I lost 80ish pounds post-menopause in 2007-08, and like Ann - with hypothyroid (medicated successfully, but still.)

It wasn't particularly difficult. I logged my food, studied my FOOD diary and made adjustments.

I'm still at 21-22 BMI.

Just start. Learn as you go, as we all have to do in life.

girlwithcurls2

I started paying attention to Dr. Mary Claire Haver. She's a board certified OB/GYN who is now on a mission to get more money into menopause research. She's making a lot of noise lately. She won't be hard to find on YouTube or IG. Yes, she now has a book out, sells supplements, etc, but she's not selling snake oil. She's got good information, based on research. Menopause weight gain is a thing, for a variety of reasons. She also explains visceral fat vs. subcutaneous fat. The loss of estrogen has a profound impact on all systems of our bodies, our brains included. Don't feel badly if you haven't figured out how to live in this changing body. Yes, some women are able to dial in exercise and eating and maintain healthy weights. For some of us, it is much more challenging because our bodies are all different. What once worked (pre-menopause) might need tweaking. Hang in there. There's a lot to learn.