Why You're Gaining Weight During Menopause.
"I'm eating the same way I always have, but suddenly I'm gaining weight. What's wrong with me?"
I hear this almost daily. My response is always the same: Nothing is wrong with you. Your body has changed, and your approach needs to change with it.
If you've noticed the scales creeping up, clothes fitting differently around your middle, or strategies that used to work simply aren't anymore—you're not imagining it. Weight gain during menopause is one of the most common and frustrating symptoms.
Research shows women gain an average of 5-7 pounds during the menopausal transition, often accumulating around the abdomen. But this isn't a character flaw or failure of willpower. It's biochemistry. And once you understand what's happening, you can work with your changing body.
What's Really Happening: The Metabolic Shift
1. Muscle Mass Naturally Declines
This begins in your thirties but accelerates during menopause. You lose approximately 3-8% of your muscle mass per decade after the age of 30.
Why this matters: Muscle burns calories even at rest; fat doesn't. As you lose muscle, your metabolic rate slows. If you maintained your weight eating 2,000 calories daily in your thirties, you might need only 1,700-1,800 now.
2. Declining Oestrogen Affects Insulin Sensitivity
As oestrogen declines, insulin sensitivity often decreases. Your cells don't respond to insulin as efficiently, your pancreas produces more insulin to compensate, and higher insulin levels promote fat storage—particularly around the abdomen.
This is why many women notice they can't tolerate carbohydrates the way they used to.
3. Fat Distribution Changes
Even without significant weight gain, fat shifts from the hips and thighs to your abdomen. Visceral fat (abdominal fat surrounding organs) is more metabolically active and inflammatory, creating a vicious cycle of insulin resistance and fat storage.
4. Sleep Disruption Affects Hunger Hormones
Poor sleep increases ghrelin (hunger hormone) and decreases leptin (satiety hormone). You're hungrier and less satisfied. Poor sleep also increases cortisol, promoting abdominal fat storage.
Research shows people sleeping less than 6-7 hours consume an average of 300 more calories the next day.
5. Stress and Cortisol
Chronic stress keeps cortisol elevated. High cortisol increases appetite, promotes visceral fat storage, interferes with sleep, and increases insulin resistance.
Why "Eat Less, Exercise More" Doesn't Work
Severe calorie restriction slows metabolism further, increases muscle loss, raises cortisol, and is unsustainable. Excessive cardio without adequate fuel can increase muscle loss and cortisol.
The approach must be different during menopause.
What Actually Works
Strategy 1: Prioritise Protein
Non-negotiable. Adequate protein is the single most important dietary strategy.
Why: Preserves muscle mass, has a higher thermic effect (burns more calories digesting), increases satiety, and supports metabolism.
How much: 1.2-1.6 grams per kilogram body weight daily. For a 70kg woman, that's 84-112 grams daily, or 25-30 grams per meal.
Strategy 2: Strength Training Is Essential
If you could do only one type of exercise, strength training would be it. It builds muscle, improves insulin sensitivity, increases bone density, and continues burning calories after your workout.
How much: 2-3 sessions weekly, working all major muscle groups.
Cardio still matters for heart health and mood, but don't rely on it exclusively for weight management.
Strategy 3: Manage Blood Sugar
Eat protein with every meal and snack. Choose complex carbohydrates (oats, quinoa, brown rice, sweet potatoes) over refined ones (white bread, pastries, sugary cereals). Include healthy fats (olive oil, avocados, nuts) to slow digestion. Fill half your plate with vegetables. Don't skip meals.
Strategy 4: Prioritise Sleep
You can't out-eat or out-exercise poor sleep.
Target: 7-9 hours of quality sleep nightly.
Strategies: Stabilise blood sugar overnight with a small protein snack before bed, optimise sleep environment (cool, dark, quiet), maintain a consistent schedule, manage night sweats, wind down without screens, limit caffeine after midday.
Strategy 5: Reduce Inflammation
Chronic inflammation interferes with hormone signalling and worsens insulin resistance.
Emphasise: Colourful vegetables and fruits, fatty fish, olive oil, nuts and seeds, herbs and spices, green tea.
Minimise: Processed foods, trans fats, excessive omega-6 oils, added sugars, excessive alcohol, and refined grains.
An 80/20 approach works well: whole foods 80% of the time, treats 20% without guilt.
Strategy 6: Manage Stress
Chronic stress significantly contributes to weight gain. Daily breathing practice (5 minutes), nature time (20 minutes outdoors daily), movement you enjoy, social connection, boundaries, and professional support when needed all help manage cortisol.
Strategy 7: Be Realistic About Portions
Even healthy food provides calories. With a slower metabolism, portion awareness matters.
Practical guide:
Protein: Palm-sized (100-140g)
Vegetables: Fill half your plate
Complex carbs: Fist-sized (1/2-1 cup cooked)
Healthy fats: Thumb-sized (1-2 tablespoons)
Mindful eating: Eat slowly, put fork down between bites, eat without screens, stop when satisfied (80% full).
Strategy 8: Track Beyond the Scales
The scales don't tell the complete story, especially with strength training.
Better measures: How clothes fit, energy levels, sleep quality, strength improvements, symptom reduction, body composition, photos, and measurements.
The Timeline
Weeks 1-2: More stable energy, reduced cravings
Weeks 3-4: Clothes fitting differently
Weeks 6-8: Noticeable changes in body composition
Months 3-6: Sustainable, lasting changes
Realistic rate: 0.5-1 pound per week average is healthy and sustainable.
When to Seek Additional Support
If you've implemented these strategies consistently for 3+ months with no changes, get comprehensive blood work: thyroid function, fasting glucose, HbA1c, insulin levels, vitamin D, iron, and hormones.
Work with professionals: registered dietitian, personal trainer, endocrinologist if needed.
A Different Perspective
What if, instead of pursuing weight loss at any cost, you pursued feeling well?
Focus on having energy, sleeping peacefully, feeling strong, managing symptoms, protecting long-term health, and enjoying food without guilt. Trust that when you do these things, your weight will settle where it's meant to be.
Health at any size is real. You can be metabolically healthy, strong, and thriving at different weights.
Final Thoughts
Weight gain during menopause is frustrating, but you're not powerless. Understanding the muscle loss, insulin resistance, and hormonal shifts allows you to work with your body.
The strategies that work aren't quick fixes, they're sustainable approaches: adequate protein, strength training, blood sugar management, quality sleep, stress reduction, anti-inflammatory eating, and realistic portions.
Give yourself time. Be patient. Nourish your body well, move it regularly, rest it adequately, manage stress, and trust that when you care for it this way, it will respond.
You deserve to feel strong, energised, and comfortable in your body.
Kate Linne
Holistic Nutritionist & Professional Chef
Linne Nutrition
Ready for comprehensive guidance?