Weight Gain & the Metabolic Shift

Series Post #4
Weight gain & the metabolic shift of peri-menopause. It's Not You, It's Peri-Menopause. 

​Welcome to the Metabolic Shift of Menopause
You eat the same way, exercise regularly, and are doing all the “right” things.  Despite that, the number on the scale keeps creeping up, and your clothes feel tighter - particularly around the midsection.

If this sounds familiar, you are not alone. 

This frustrating phenomenon isn’t about overeating or lack of willpower, it’s the result of complex hormonal shifts that impact your metabolism. 

As with everything,  personalization is key, as is knowing the root cause of individual health issues.  What works for one person may not work for the other depending on each person's physiology, history, habits, genetics, and so on.  The information in this post is meant to be informative but not meant as health advice.  For personalized recommendations, it is important to work with a holistic health practitioner.  

Keep reading to learn how peri-menopause and menopause influence weight and metabolic health, and how you can get control while addressing your body’s changing needs.   

Why Menopause Impacts Metabolism & Weight
During peri-menopause, your body undergoes significant hormonal fluctuations that affect how it stores and burns fat, regulates energy, and maintains muscle mass.

Here’s a breakdown of some of those changes:

1. Estrogen Decline & Fat Distribution

• Estrogen plays a key role in regulating body fat distribution. Before menopause, estrogen helps direct fat storage to the hips and thighs, creating the classic “pear-shaped” body.
• As estrogen levels decline, fat storage shifts to the abdomen, leading to a more “apple-shaped” body.
• This visceral fat is metabolically active and increases the risk of insulin resistance, inflammation, and cardiovascular disease.

2. Progesterone & Water Retention

• Lower levels of progesterone during menopause can contribute to bloating and water retention, making you feel heavier.
• While this isn’t true fat gain, it can add to the uncomfortable “puffy” or swollen feeling.

3. Slower Metabolism

• Hormonal changes during menopause naturally slow down your metabolic rate.
• This means your body burns fewer calories at rest, making it easier to gain weight even if your diet and activity levels haven’t changed.

4. Cortisol & Stress-Driven Weight Gain

• Menopause places additional strain on the adrenal glands, which produce cortisol in response to stress.
• Chronic stress and elevated cortisol levels can lead to increased abdominal fat storage, even if you’re not overeating.
• High cortisol also triggers cravings for sugary or high-carb foods, further compounding the problem.

5. Insulin Resistance

• Fluctuating estrogen and progesterone levels can make your cells less responsive to insulin, a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar.
• This condition, known as insulin resistance, encourages fat storage, particularly around the midsection.

6. Loss of Muscle Mass

• As you age, muscle mass naturally declines—a process called sarcopenia.
• Muscle is metabolically active, meaning it burns more calories at rest than fat.
• Losing muscle reduces your overall metabolic rate and makes it harder to maintain a healthy weight.

It sounds discouraging, I know.  But not to worry, there are strategies to combat these issues and we will dive into them below.  

Why Traditional Dieting Doesn’t Work During Menopause

• Many women respond to menopausal weight gain by cutting calories or increasing exercise, but these approaches often backfire.
• Drastically reducing calories can slow your metabolism even further, as your body goes into “survival mode” and conserves energy.
• Overexercising, especially with high-intensity workouts, can elevate cortisol levels, worsening fat storage around the belly.

Instead of restrictive diets or punishing workouts, a holistic approach that focuses on balancing hormones, supporting metabolism, and reducing stress where the focus should go.

Holistic Strategies to Manage Weight During Menopause

1. Balance Your Blood Sugar
Stabilizing blood sugar is one of the most effective ways to reduce insulin resistance and prevent weight gain.

• Focus on Low-Glycemic Foods: 
  • Choose complex carbohydrates like berries, sweet potatoes, and leafy greens over refined sugars and processed grains.
• Pair Meals with Protein, Fibre, & Healthy Fats:
  • These macronutrients slow down digestion, preventing blood sugar spikes and keeping you fuller longer.
• Try Intermittent Fasting:
  • Intermittent fasting lowers insulin, stabilizes blood sugar, reduces belly fat, and curbs cravings, making it a powerful tool for metabolic health in menopause.
  Get Enough Fibre:
  • Stabilizing blood sugar, slows glucose absorption, and supports a healthy gut microbiome.  All key factors in managing menopausal metabolic changes.
• Berberine:
  • Berberine is a bioactive compound that activates AMPK (the "metabolic master switch") and helps cells absorb glucose more efficiently, reducing excess insulin production.
• Chromium: 
  • Chromium is an essential trace mineral that enhances insulin function and helps regulate glucose metabolism.  It also helps reduce cravings. 
• Myo-inositol: 
  • Improves insulin sensitivity, which indirectly helps control cortisol levels. 

*Berberine, fibre, and chromium work synergistically to improve insulin sensitivity, stabilize glucose levels, and reduce cravings, making them a powerful combination for metabolic health.

2. Prioritize Protein for Muscle Health
Maintaining and rebuilding muscle is critical for metabolic health.

• Incorporate Protein with Every Meal:
  • Include sources like chicken, fish, eggs, meat, organic tofu, and tempeh.  Supplement with clean protein powders as needed. 
• Add Collagen:
  • Collagen supplements provide protein and support muscle, joint, and skin health, especially important during menopause.  

3. Support Hormonal Balance

• Phytoestrogens:
  • Foods like flaxseeds, soy (non-GMO), and chickpeas mimic estrogen in the body, to help ease the effects of estrogen decline.
• Adaptogens:
  • Herbs like ashwagandha and rhodiola help regulate cortisol levels, reducing stress-driven weight gain.
• Omega-3s:
  • Found in fatty fish, walnuts, and chia seeds, omega-3s combat inflammation and improve insulin sensitivity.
• Probiotics:
  • Improve gut health, which is closely linked to metabolic and hormonal health.

4. Focus on Quality Sleep
Poor sleep disrupts hunger-regulating hormones like ghrelin and leptin, increasing appetite and cravings.  We covered sleep recommendations in an early post in this series HERE. 

5. Reduce Stress & Cortisol
Chronic stress spikes inflammation and cortisol while driving weight gain - especially around the midsection.  A few supplements that may help include:

• Magnesium:
  • Helps regulate cortisol and support sleep.
• Vitamin C:
  • Vitamin C helps regulate cortisol output, preventing excessive spikes that contribute to weight gain, anxiety, and fatigue.  
• Berberine:
  • A natural supplement that supports blood sugar balance and weight management.
• L-Theanine
  • Helps lower cortisol by shifting the nervous system from a fight-or-flight state to a relaxed, parasympathetic state.
• B vitamins:
  • B5 (pantothenic acid) and B6 (pyridoxine), in particular are essential for adrenal health and stress hormone regulation
• Glycine: 
  • Glycine lowers cortisol at night, improving sleep quality.

• ​Phosphatidylserine: 
  • This phospholipid helps regulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which controls cortisol production.

*Many supplements work synergistically and can be taken together, some should not be used at the same time, and others are best taken at different times of the day.   Seek out guidance for a personalized protocol.  

6. Exercise in a Way That Supports Your Body
Instead of focusing on calorie-burning, exercise with the goal of gaining strength while supporting hormones and overall wellbeing. 

• Restorative practices like yoga and Pilates reduce stress and promote flexibility.
• Strength training builds muscle, supports metabolism, and improves bone density.
• Moderate cardio like walking, swimming, or cycling improve cardiovascular health without overloading the adrenals.
• Walking with a weighted Vest also improves bone density, strength and posture, boosts cardiovascular health, and increases calorie burn, which aids in weight management.

Long-Term Solutions for Menopausal Weight Management
After reading this post, you can see that weight gain during menopause is a common issue during this phase of life, but it is NOT inevitable.  To avoid it, however, does require a shift in how you approach your health.   

​Remember, what worked in your 20s and 30s won’t cut it now.  Menopause rewrites the rules, so you have to regroup, train smarter, eat wiser, and outsmart the hormone chaos. 

Stay tuned for my next post in the series, where we’ll explore how to manage hot flashes and night sweats.