Menopause brings with it many side effects that can be tricky to navigate. One that many women experience is weight gain. Typically, women in menopause gain about one pound a year, however, 20% of women gain 10 pounds during menopause.
If this is something you are experiencing first-hand, it’s natural to feel discouraged and that nothing seems to work to prevent it. It’s something OB/GYNs hear from patients all the time. But there’s a better solution than going on an overly restrictive diet or logging hours at the gym. Keep reading to find out what an OB/GYN wants every woman struggling with weight gain during menopause to know.
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Why Do So Many People Struggle With Weight Gain During Menopause?
Before getting into the most effective ways to prevent weight gain during menopause, it’s helpful to know why it happens in the first place. Gynecologist Dr. Karla F. Loken, DO, FACOOG, says that many women in menopause assume weight gain is due to changes in hormone levels and there’s nothing they can do about it. But she says the reality isn’t so straightforward. “An inability to lose weight during menopause isn’t only because of changes in our hormones. It’s a combination of that and things like sleep patterns, changes in our lean muscle mass and activity levels,” she says.
In other words, there are a lot of factors occurring simultaneously, creating the perfect weight gain-causing storm. For example, it’s not uncommon for women in menopause to have trouble sleeping due to hot flashes and changes in mood. Scientific research shows that sleep deprivation is a significant factor for weight gain.
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Additionally, a decrease in estrogen is associated with a decrease in muscle mass. On top of that, many people also tend to be less active as they get older, which can also contribute to weight gain during menopause.
What an OB/GYN Wants Everyone In Menopause Struggling With Weight Gain To Know
Since there isn’t one cause of weight gain during menopause, Dr. Loken emphasizes that preventing or treating it should be approached from multiple angles. She says that a big mistake many women make is focusing on one quick-fix solution to menopausal weight gain, such as going on an overly restrictive diet. “It takes a dedicated and multidisciplinary approach to make weight loss work during menopause,” she says.
Preventing weight gain during menopause doesn’t come down to one change. “It’s not just about how much you’re exercising, what you’re eating, how much rest you’re getting or what your level of strength looks like. It’s all of those things put together that will have the biggest impact on your ability to lose weight healthily during menopause,” Dr. Loken says.
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Another mistake women make when trying to lose weight during menopause is focusing on lots of intense cardio. While cardio-based exercises can certainly be part of a healthy exercise or weight loss routine. Dr. Loken says it’s important to focus on building lean muscle mass through strength training. “At a certain age, cardio-dominant exercise only makes serious changes in heart health and doesn’t do much for weight loss,” she says. To Dr. Loken’s point, scientific research shows that strength training burns fat, even while the body is resting, which helps prevent menopausal weight gain.
Unfortunately, Dr. Loken says that losing weight doesn’t get any easier after menopause. She says it gets even harder. This is why it’s important to create sustainable healthy habits now so that they are in place as you age.
“What’s most important to keep in mind when thinking about how to lose weight during menopause is that approaching it from a siloed viewpoint will not help you. Creating a lifestyle—including eating habits, activity levels and sleep—that is sustainable for you is key in staying strong and healthy as we get older,” Dr. Loken says. “As women, taking the right steps during menopause is extremely impactful on guaranteeing ourselves a more stable life as we age.”
While maintaining a healthy weight does become more difficult as we age, it’s certainly not impossible. The key is to create sustainable healthy habits. And that’s good advice no matter how old you are!
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