Weight Gain and Menopause

“Many women can relate to unwanted, often significant, weight gain during menopause. 

This excess weight just won’t shift and they find their go-to weight loss strategies no longer work.”
— Colleen Rowe, Naturopath
A woman's feet standing on bathroom scales with a pink tape measure in front of the scales.

Weight gain at menopause can be a complex matter with many factors contributing to these changes including:

  • muscle mass decreases with age and this reduces your ability to burn calories.  This can lead to weight gain particularly if you are inactive and not eating a healthy diet.

  • a more sedentary lifestyle

  • changing hormone levels

  • stress, poor sleep patterns

  • an unhealthy diet

    However, insulin resistance has been shown to be a major contributor to weight gain at menopause. Keeping these insulin levels under control will help lose weight and keep it off.

Insulin resistance and weight gain at menopause

An open book with a magnifying glass in front of it highlighting the words 'insulin regulates glucose in the blood'

How it works:

  • Glucose is a simple sugar and is the basic fuel for the body. Most of the glucose in your body comes from the diet. When food is digested, sugar enters your bloodstream.

  • Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas and is released into your blood when you eat. Insulin allows the sugar to enter your cells and lowers the amount of sugar in your blood. When your blood sugar level starts to drop, the pancreas slows down the secretion of insulin into the blood.

  • Glucose is stored in the liver and muscles in a form called glycogen. It can also be stored in fat cells.

  • Glucose is generally stored in fat cells when the muscles already have enough glucose and can’t store anymore, when your insulin levels are elevated or when you are insulin resistant.

  • Insulin resistance is a condition in which your body does not respond as it should to insulin and the cells don’t allow as much sugar in.  Instead of fuelling your cells, sugar builds up in the bloodstream and the body can store the sugar as fat, causing weight gain.

  • Weight is harder to lose when you have insulin resistance as the body becomes good at storing fat.

  • Genetics and lifestyle factors are linked to insulin resistance. However, two main contributors to insulin resistance are lack of physical activity and excess belly fat.

As well as weight gain, insulin resistance can lead to many chronic health conditions including, prediabetes, Type 2 diabetes, obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, thyroid problems and Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

Improve your hormonal health and reverse insulin resistance

If you have weight gain during menopause and find it hard to shift, naturopathy can help you by supporting you with an individual approach.

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There are specific areas that we focus on including:

  • Dietary changes- there is not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to weight loss and a diet program is recommended for you to suit your individual needs. The focus is on supporting healthy blood sugar levels and improving insulin sensitivity to help with weight loss and overall vitality. Restricting refined carbohydrates, changing the timing of meals and eating a healthy whole foods diet is a great start.

  • Calm the nervous system -  Busy lives, hectic schedules and modern living can cause us to be in a constant state of stress.  When this happens, adrenalin, cortisol and insulin are all elevated.  This eventually affects our metabolic health and can lead to imbalances in the body, including hormonal imbalance and weight gain.

    Naturopathy uses adaptogen herbs that improve our response to physical, mental and emotional stressors and we recommend specific lifestyle techniques for you to incorporate into your daily routine to help nourish and calm the nervous system.

  • Improving sleep quality -A poor nights’ sleep can affect glucose tolerance and cause inflammation in the body that disrupts glucose metabolism. A good night’s sleep can help improve glucose metabolism and contribute to improved metabolic health.

    Naturopathy calls on herbal medicine, nutritional supplements and lifestyle changes to help improve sleep.

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If you have been struggling with weight loss, Naturopathy can help you achieve lasting results by restoring balance within your body. Book your appointment today with Colleen.