Great question!! During menopause estrogen levels are declining, which appears to influence where fat is distributed in the body. Couple this with being an apple shape rather than a pear, can dramatically influence weight around the waist.

Maintaining a  healthy weight is essential to manage mid-section weight gain and also the health risks involved with visceral fat (fat around the organs) such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and breast cancer. Heart disease is one of the major causes of death for Australian women. Excess belly fat has also been shown to increase menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes and night sweats.

So what can you do about it? There is a lot you can do about it and the first line of defense is looking at any lifestyle factors that may contribute to weight gain. Factors such as a diet, exercise, sleep and stress can have a significant impact on weight gain.

Follow a healthy diet that focuses on eating more whole foods including fruit, vegetables, low GI carbohydrates, lean meats and dairy and less refined, highly processed foods. the aim is to get your body burning fat by being in a calorie deficit. Basically all that means is your body is burning more energy in calories that what it is consuming (eating) in calories. To lose .5kg per week of body fat  your body needs to be in a 500 calorie deficit every day or 3500 over the week. For example cutting back on a daily cappucino and a biscuit plus doing and daily brisk walk can help create that 500 calorie difference.

Sleep is another important factor when it comes to managing your weight mostly because when you are tired and lacking in energy it can be difficult to manage food cravings. Studies show that we are more likely to reach for sugary high energy, low nutrient foods for a pick me up. Lack of sleep can also make exercising harder as you may not have the energy to get your daily movement in. Aim for 7-9 hours sleep, any less than 6 hours per night is not ideal and often sleep will be the first thing I focus on with my clients.

Managing your stress levels may help with avoiding or reducing midsection weight gain. There appears to be a correlation between central obesity and high cortisol levels, this could be attributed to the greater amount of glucocorticoid receptors in the abdominal region. However, it still remains a ‘what came first, the chicken or the egg scenario’. The obesity pandemic coincides with an increase in factors that enhance cortisol production, such as chronic stress, consumption of food with a high glycemic index, and a reduced amount of sleep [1]. This suggests a vicious circle, where increased glucocorticoid (cortisol) action, obesity, and stress interact and amplify each other. [1]  For many people high levels of cortisol can signal hunger and therefore consumption of high sugar and high fat comfort foods.

Maintaining a regular exercise routine including weight training and cardiovascular exercise are important when it comes to managing midsection weight gain in menopause, however when women are exhausted due to lack of sleep it can often go by the wayside. This is why working on your nutrition, sleep and stress levels is vital. My recommendation is at the bare minimum aiming for a 30 minute brisk walk and at least 2 weight sessions per week.

If you’d like to book a 60 minute session with me to address your hormones you can do so here.  BOOK ONLINE HERE. The cost is $150.

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5958156/

Want to know more about getting managing your hormonal symptoms wuth simple dietary and lifestyle tweaks? Here is 2 ways I can help:

1. Join my private Facebook group Hormones in Harmony. Click here to request to join.