Menopause

Great advice above!

I'm another who lost weight in menopause. I have a maybe-weird perspective on menopause, though. Also, it worries me that so many skeezy marketers are now using "my program/supplement/book can solve menopause weight loss!" as a hook to reel women in. They can make us think we're doomed, unless we pay big dollars for what they're selling. We're not doomed.

It's true that many women experience side effects from menopause that potentially complicate weight loss: Water retention weirdness may become more likely to mask fat loss on the scale, fatigue can bleed calorie burn out of our day because we drag through it, sleep issues may make fatigue worse, hot flashes can be more disruptive than others would imagine, etc. Everyone differs in the nature and severity of those side effects. Some of the side effects can be countered, medically, dietarily, behaviorally. Some we may just have to ride out.

Still, weight loss comes down to the same old thing, at its foundation, whether in menopause or not: Getting calorie intake a manageable amount below calorie expenditure for a long enough time period to lose the weight we want to lose. Maybe in menopause or peri, our calorie needs will be lower than before, but that's not universal either.

I'd strongly encourage you not to focus on menopause as such as the issue, though. Why? Because it's unchangeable. At some point, it's here, nonnegotiably. Some women find relief of some of its effects via HRT, which you may discuss with your doctor if you want to explore that. (I can't do HRT because of my history of estrogen-fed cancer.) If the symptoms or side effects are issues for an individual woman, then sure, work on improving those symptomatically.

I feel like the only reason to focus on any roadblock is to figure out ways to get over, around, through or otherwise past it. Focusing on completely unchangeable things is a waste of time and energy. Just my opinion.

In general, in menopause, maybe some of the actually-important things we've been able to skate by on in the past will be more of a problem now. I'm talking nutrition (everything, but maybe especially adequate protein), sleep, exercise (especially strength exercise), daily life activity. As we age, our lifestyles tend to change in ways that reduce activity, exercise and daily life stuff. Changing that can be surprisingly helpful, in calorie terms. If fatigue is limiting activity, maybe look at sleep quality/quantity first and improve that if possible. Another option is starting a very gradual exercise increase, because some people find that very manageable, moderate exercise - like even a daily walk, if not active already - improves fatigue.

Weight loss in menopause is a thing you can accomplish. You may just need to be a little more wily with tactics than used to be necessary. The candidate tactics are still the same: Calories, nutrition, exercise, daily life activity.

I'd say, focus on the things that are in your control, including mindset, which can be hugely important. Menopause is inevitable. But weight gain isn't.

Best wishes!