6 Ways to Lose Weight Around Menopause
Your Body Might Be Changing but Your Waistline Doesn't Need To
You knew menopause would bring changes—hot flashes, mood swings, maybe even restless nights. But the creeping weight gain despite no changes in your habits? That’s frustrating.
Even worse, the tricks that used to keep your weight in check don’t seem to work anymore.
So, what’s really happening? More importantly, what can you do about it?
What Causes Menopausal Weight Gain?
Menopause officially begins when a woman has gone 12 months without a menstrual period. It typically happens between ages 45 and 55. However, perimenopause, the transition leading up to menopause, can start years earlier.
This period is notorious for its symptoms—hot flashes, night sweats, and mood swings. But there’s another common but less talked about symptom: weight gain.
Menopause often brings changes in body fat, especially around the belly, while also slowing down metabolism and fat burning.
This shift can make keeping a healthy weight more challenging. The numbers show it: Nearly half of menopausal women have obesity.
It Messes With Your Metabolism
You can thank hormones—specifically, dropping estrogen levels—for the changes happening in your body.
Estrogen helps regulate metabolism. As it declines, your body burns fewer calories. It also maintains muscle mass, so when levels drop, muscle loss speeds up. This leads to an even slower metabolism.
But that’s not all. It also influences where fat is stored, shifting it from the hips and thighs to the midsection. So, even if you’ve never struggled with belly fat before, you might suddenly find your waistline expanding.
Don’t forget the other symptoms like low energy levels and sleep disturbances. Because estrogen levels impact hormones that regulate appetite, you may feel hungrier and crave high-fat, sugary foods more often.
And when energy levels dip, or stress takes over, emotional eating becomes all too tempting.
Then there’s everything else midlife throws at you—stress from juggling aging parents, career shifts, or kids leaving home.
It’s easy to see why maintaining a healthy weight becomes a challenge.
Why Is Menopausal Belly Bad?
You might be annoyed pinching a muffin top that wasn’t there before, but menopausal belly fat isn’t just about looks—it’s a real health concern.
Visceral fat, the type that accumulates around your organs, increases the likelihood of serious conditions like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and stroke.
It also fuels inflammation and insulin resistance, further slowing metabolism and making weight gain even harder to control.
6 Ways to Lose Weight During Menopause
Menopause and aging may be inevitable, but weight gain doesn’t have to be. With the right approach, you can navigate this transition while keeping unwanted pounds at bay.
1. Move More
Staying active is key to preventing menopausal weight gain. A recent study found that regular moderate-intensity walking significantly reduced belly fat in postmenopausal women.
The Physical Activity Guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week, plus muscle-strengthening activities at least twice a week.
Doing a combination of heart-pumping and resistance training helps you lose weight while keeping your muscle mass, so what you lose is fat and not muscle.
2. Eat a Balanced Diet
Whatever you gain is linked heavily to your diet. So, weight loss is ultimately about reducing your calorie intake. Aim to cut 500 calories per day. This will lead to a steady, sustainable weight loss of one to two pounds weekly.
But it’s not just about eating less, but being mindful about what you eat.
Hormonal shifts can trigger sugar cravings, but giving in too often won’t help. Instead, load up on protein and fiber.
Fiber keeps you full longer, while protein helps maintain muscle and burn fat. It’s especially crucial during menopause, as women tend to lose more muscle, which can drive cravings.
One study found that menopausal women who increased protein kept more lean muscle and lost more fat than those who didn’t.
3. Be Proactive
Mindless eating adds up fast. Tracking meals, portions, and food choices—whether in a journal or an app—keeps extra bites in check.
Meal planning ensures healthy options are on hand, so you’re not grabbing junk out of convenience.
Measuring your waist or tracking sleep helps you stay accountable and adjust before things spiral. You might even catch hidden habits, like stress-fueled snack binges.
4. Practice Good Sleep Hygiene
Chronic sleep deprivation doesn’t just throw off hunger hormones—it also disrupts brain function. It dulls the areas that help regulate appetite and smart food choices while intensifying cravings and emotional eating.
So, if you find yourself reaching for chips instead of salad, lack of sleep might be playing a bigger role than you think.
In fact, a study found that those who lack sleep had more visceral fat, with the benefits of sleep leveling out at 8 hours.
So aim for at least 8 hours of quality sleep each night.
5. Limit Alcohol
Alcohol is sneaky. Not only does it add extra calories, but it also slows metabolism and makes it harder for your body to burn fat. Studies have linked alcohol intake to increased visceral fat, particularly in postmenopausal women
6. Manage Stress
When stressed, your body releases cortisol, a hormone that helps you cope with threats. But chronic stress keeps cortisol levels high, triggering fat storage—especially around the belly.
This, on top of its effect on hunger, cravings, metabolism, and sleep, makes fat accumulation a looming reality.
Own Your Menopause Journey
Menopause brings changes, and weight gain is often one of them. With fatigue, mood swings, and restless nights, it can feel like your body is working against you.
But…you’re not powerless.
If menopause is still ahead, now’s the perfect time to build habits that will support you through the transition.
And if you’re already in the thick of it, know that every small, consistent effort brings you closer to feeling strong, healthy, and in control.
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