Dear Kayla,
Have you had any feedback from women in perimenopause/menopause that would help those of us who are going through this transition? I would appreciate any eating tips, or general advice, on how to support weight loss while dealing with this added challenge.
Thank you,
In Transition
Dear In Transition,
Thank you for the question. First, to answer your question, yes, I have heard from women who have successfully lost weight during all three phases of this transition. They did it despite the challenges that it brings.
A quick primer on The Transition, for the uninitiated:
- Perimenopause: This usually starts in your early 40s but can happen in your 30s. Women in this stage have the beginning of menopausal symptoms (see list further down.) There is no test for perimenopause. I’m 39 and I believe I’m in the beginning stages of this phase.
- Menopause: Occurs 4-8 years after the onset of perimenopause. Usually occurs in mid-40s to mid-50s.
- Post-menopause: Officially starts 12 months after your last period. Menopausal symptoms usually hang around for 2-7 years.
Let’s talk about hormones.
- Estrogen: Your estrogen decreases during transition. Estrogen dampens your appetite. Your estrogen is naturally rising and falling during your monthly cycle when you’re not in transition. Have you ever noticed how your appetite increases with your period? Expect the same thing to happen during menopause. Except your appetite might stay elevated instead of fluctuating.
- Progesterone: Your body stops producing progesterone completely after your last period. Progesterone increases appetite, so you’d think this is a good thing. There’s a catch: progesterone can fall faster than estrogen. This can lead to estrogen dominance, which then can lead to increased stress and appetite changes.
- Testosterone: Your levels will decline during this time. This can decrease your sex drive and increase your risk of depression.
Here are other negative symptoms you may experience during this time:
- Irregular cycles
- Heavier and longer cycles
- Bloating
- Fatigue
- Bone loss
- Vaginal dryness
- Heart palpitations
- Breast tenderness
- Hot flashes
- Night sweats
- Headaches
- Insomnia
- Incontinence
- Decreased libido
- Moodiness
- Irritability
- Memory problems
- Joint pain
- Weight gain
Don’t let this list overwhelm you. Not every woman experiences every symptom. Some lucky souls don’t experience any negative symptoms. The point of that list is to show you that a lot is going on during this time, so a generous helping of self-compassion is the first thing I recommend.
These are all challenges to be overcome. Not one of those symptoms makes weight gain inevitable, or weight loss impossible. This is all about mindset. When you are feeling tired, overwhelmed, moody, and you haven’t slept well, it’s much more difficult to stay with your plan.
Because you will deal with so many emotions, having a plan that you have clearly laid out for yourself, that you will stick to, will help. If your current plan is too difficult, sit down and change it. Experiment and find the line between self-compassion and self-indulgence. You might find you should prioritize your sleep over getting a certain number of steps in, for example. Or you might find skipping out on your steps leads to feeling down in the dumps and snacking throughout the day. It’s an individual thing.
You might find your symptoms are much more manageable when you have a longer fasting window, or when you’ve worked out. Or you might find that a shorter fasting window with more relaxation is better during this time. Eat foods that agree with you, avoid those that don’t. Don’t overcomplicate your eating. That will pile on more stress, which is not something you need.
I have found my symptoms are more manageable when I have a structured plan, get my steps in, and prioritize my mental health. But you have to find what works for you.
My opinion is that emotional eating is the biggest contributor to weight gain during this time. Food is comforting, and all those negative symptoms are uncomfortable. Plus, there are other emotionally-challenging life changes that are going on, like:
- Kids are leaving the nest
- Looming retirement
- Age-related health issues
- Confronting your own mortality
The rules still apply: if you want to lose weight during this transition, you must regularly eat less food than your body is burning consistently. If you want to maintain your weight loss, you need to eat just enough. And if you overeat consistently, you will gain weight. If you’d like to see one fabulous example of a menopausal success story, check out the interview I did with Kathleen Morris.
Sincerely,
Kayla Cox