The Truth About Menopausal Weight Gain: An Insider's View
Menopausal Weight Gain: Causes and Best Way To Lose It
Menopause is a natural stage of life for women, typically occurring in their late 40s or early 50s.
Whilst it’s a normal part of aging, it can also bring with it several unpleasant symptoms, including hot flashes, mood swings, and weight gain.
However, the most common complaint among women going through menopause is weight gain, especially around the midsection.
The struggle of menopausal weight gain is real and it can be challenging to overcome.
It usually occurs around the belly area which is particularly stubborn to shed.
This can be difficult to deal with, as it can impact a woman’s self-esteem and overall quality of life.
This weight gain can be frustrating and difficult to lose, especially as the metabolism tends to slow down during this time.
It can also increase the risk of obesity-related health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and certain types of cancer.
Nevertheless, understanding the causes of menopausal weight gain and addressing them can help you successfully lose weight.
So what is the cause of menopausal weight gain and how can it be prevented or reversed?
5 Factors That Cause Menopausal Weight Gain?
Several factors contribute to weight gain during menopause.
One of the main factors is the decline in estrogen levels that occurs during this time.
Estrogen plays a role in regulating metabolism, so a decrease in estrogen can lead to a slower metabolism and weight gain.
Despite your best efforts to eat well and exercise, the pounds continue to pile on.
This can be especially frustrating if you have always been able to maintain a healthy weight with relative ease.
Other factors that may contribute to weight gain during menopause include the following;
- Menopausal women over 40 usually have higher fasting insulin levels and insulin resistance, which drive menopausal weight gain. (Ref: Nat Library of Medicine)
- Lifestyle factors, for instance, a lack of exercise, and an increase in stress, combined with unhealthy eating habits are likely to contribute to weight gain.
- Decreased metabolism occurs as we age and naturally slows down, making it easier to gain weight.
- Hormonal changes cause fluctuations in estrogen and progesterone levels which often lead to food cravings and weight gain, particularly in the abdominal area
- In addition to the above, poor sleep quality, which is common during menopause, has been linked to weight gain.
Menopausal Weight Loss: How To Achieve It
Many women turn to fad diets and extreme exercise regimes in an attempt to shed that menopausal belly.
For instance, there’s the menopause diet 5 day plan to lose weight.
However, these approaches do not address the underlying causes of weight gain during menopause, such as hormonal changes and lifestyle factors.
As a result, they are not effective for long-term weight management.
While menopausal weight gain can be a challenge, it is not insurmountable.
With the right approach and mindset, it is possible to lose the menopausal belly and regain control of your health and well-being.
The key to successfully menopause weight loss…
is to adopt a healthy and sustainable approach to diet and exercise that is tailored to your individual needs and preferences
One such approach that has gained popularity in recent years is the ketogenic diet, also known as the “keto diet”.
This high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet is effective for weight loss and has several other potential health benefits.
Here, we will explore the struggles of menopausal weight gain for women over 40.
And how the keto diet can be used effectively for a happy weight loss journey during this phase of life.
Overcoming Menopausal Weight Gain: My Keto Success Story
One woman who has experienced firsthand the success of the keto diet during menopause is Sarah, a 52-year-old from Colorado.
Sarah has always been active and healthy but found herself struggling with weight gain and low energy during menopause.
Frustrated and feeling like she had tried everything, Sarah decided to give the keto diet a try.
“I was skeptical at first, but I figured I had nothing to lose,” Sarah recalls.
“I read up on the diet and started following it strictly.
It was tough at first, as I had to give up a lot of my favorite foods, but I stuck with it and the results were worth it.”
Within the first few weeks of following the keto diet, Sarah noticed a significant increase in energy and a decrease in cravings.
She also began to see the scale move in the right direction.
“I was amazed at how quickly I started seeing results,” she says. “I lost about 10 pounds in the first month and continued to lose weight at a steady pace from there.
I also felt so much better – my energy levels were up and I wasn’t constantly craving sugary snacks.”
Sarah credits the keto diet with helping her to lose a total of 20 pounds during menopause and regain control of her health.
She now feels better than ever and is grateful that she gave the keto diet a chance.
Very low-carbohydrate ketogenic diets (VLCKDs) are an emerging nutritional treatment for severe obesity, providing a significant, well-tolerated, and rapid loss of body weight
(Ref: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7551320/)
So, what exactly is the keto diet and how does it work?
The keto diet is based on the principle of ketosis, a metabolic state in which the body burns fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates.
When you drastically reduce your carbohydrate intake and increase your intake of fats, your body enters a state of ketosis, which can lead to weight loss and improved health markers.
While the keto diet can be effective for weight loss, it is not a quick fix or a “miracle” diet.
It requires commitment and discipline, as well as a willingness to make significant changes to your eating habits, just like Katy Thompson found out.
But she did manage to regain the figure she had in her 20s.
It is also important to work with a healthcare professional, or a registered dietitian, to ensure that you are following the diet safely and meeting your nutritional needs.
Losing That Menopause Belly: The Bottom Line
The menopause weight loss that Sarah enjoyed by following a low-carb, high-fat Keto diet is not uncommon or unusual at all.
Want more evidence?
These studies suggest that only eating foods from the Keto food list is likely to ward off postmenopausal weight gain.
3 Studies: How Keto Effects Menopausal Women
1) This study of almost 89,000 women, aged 49 – 81 years of age, was done in 2017 comparing 4 diets (below) to see how each affected menopausal weight.
- a low-fat diet
- a low carbohydrate diet
- a Mediterranean-style diet
- a diet consistent with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans
The results of the study showed that the women who followed a low-carb diet had a lower risk of postmenopausal weight gain than other diet types.
Also note, in this study of the low carbohydrate diet, carbs were limited to 163 grams (g) per day.
However, the keto diet is much more restrictive, limiting carbohydrates to below 50 g per day.
Therefore, we could conclude that a proper Keto diet would reveal even better menopause weight loss results.
2) Another study found;
“After following the VLCKD (Very Low Carb Ketogenic Diet), a significant weight loss was observed in all groups, with a significant reduction in fat mass and degree of steatosis”.
3) This study done on 55 (and 40 men) women found that ketosis appeared to have a greater beneficial impact on GLP-1 in females.
After the participants were put on a Keto diet for just 8 weeks, increased levels of the appetite-regulating hormone glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) were found in the female participants.
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