If you haven’t changed how you eat, and you’re still staying active, but the scale is creeping up, you’re far from alone.
Weight gain during menopause is more common than you might think, and it’s often driven by changes happening beneath the surface. In fact, most women gain one pound per year during the transition to menopause, and 43% of postmenopausal women fall into the obese category.
That’s why our team of primary care providers at Novell Primary Care and Weight Loss can help you manage your hormones and your weight as you transition into menopause.
This May, in honor of Women’s Health Month, we’re sharing five things all women need to know about menopause and weight gain.
As you move through perimenopause and menopause, your hormone levels shift, especially estrogen. This shift can slow your metabolism and change how your body stores fat. It often leads to increased weight, especially around your midsection.
At the same time, age-related muscle loss reduces how efficiently your body burns calories. These combined changes make it easier to gain weight and harder to lose it using the same strategies that worked in the past.
Weight gain during menopause isn’t simply about eating more or moving less. Hormonal changes can affect how your body regulates blood sugar, how well you sleep, and how you respond to stress.
When sleep is disrupted or stress levels rise, your body is more likely to retain weight and increase cravings, especially for foods that provide quick energy. This is why the experience can feel frustrating because it’s not just about willpower.
While you can’t stop hormonal changes, you can adjust your approach to work with your body's natural rhythms.
Focus on:
These habits help support your metabolism, stabilize energy levels, and improve how your body responds to hormonal changes.
Our team can help you find the right mix of exercises, whether that’s aerobic exercise at home, classes in Tallahassee, like Kinetix and Orangetheory Fitness, or even personal training with Margaret Maxwell.
Sleep disturbances (hello, hot flashes and night sweats!) and increased stress are common during menopause, and both can influence weight gain. Poor sleep can disrupt hunger hormones, and chronic stress can affect how your body stores fat.
Luckily, there are a lot of ways you can reduce stress. You might consider prioritizing rest, building consistent bedtime routines, and managing stress with your favorite strategy (like reading a book, finding a new hobby, or exercising). All of these strategies can lower your stress which can then have an impact on your weight loss results.
If you’re doing everything “right” and still struggling, it may be time for a more personalized approach.
At Novell Primary Care and Weight Loss, our team can run labs and evaluate the underlying factors contributing to weight gain and create a plan that fits your body and your goals. This may include medical weight loss strategies, nutrition guidance (meal plans), and hormone support when appropriate.
This approach means we tackle weight gain from multiple angles. We help you find the fitness plan that helps you build lean muscle mass (to boost your metabolism). We help you find meal plans that help you reach your protein and fiber goals, and we help balance your hormones to tame those pesky menopause symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats.
Menopause is a natural transition, but that doesn’t mean you have to navigate it without support.
Our team is here to help you feel stronger, more energized, and more in control of your health.
To get started with weight loss support during menopause, give us a call at 850-765-2549. Or, schedule your consultation in our Tallahassee, Florida, office.
