5 Things Stopping Weight Loss in Menopause
It used to be so simple to maintain a healthy weight
We all thought we knew how to do it. Energy in v’s energy out. Eat fewer calories and take part in regular exercise.
This might have worked for a time, but it isn’t sustainable long term.
Diet culture has taught us how to manipulate food rather than nourish our bodies to find optimal health and our set-point weight.
The result of this manipulation is;
- Disordered eating
- Thinking we have to ‘earn’ our food
- Reduced basal metabolic rate (metabolic syndrome)
- A ‘quick-fix’ mentality rather than long-term optimal health
- Loss of connection between our body and mind
Then the menopause transition starts around our late thirties, we begin to experience the hormonal changes of menopause such as menopausal weight gain especially abdominal fat and other physical symptoms although we don’t realise this is due to the hormonal fluctuations of a perimenopausal woman.
You might decide to look at your lifestyle habits and make some dietary changes, reducing fatty foods and portion sizes
The fat that women need to lose for better health is visceral fat
Once we reach menopause and start to experience hormone disruption and the natural reduction of muscle mass and bone density along with emotional stressors such as work, family, and ageing parents it is no wonder our health and fitness can get away from us.
In this week’s post, I am going to delve deeper into just 5 issues women come up against when trying to lose weight.
Focus on these, rather than the number on the scales to start seeing results.
1. INFLAMMATION
There are two kinds of inflammation.
- Acute – This is short-term an example of this is an injury or infection. The area becomes hot and swollen as the body starts the repair process.
- Chronic – This is long-term inflammation and can increase health risks of; Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and some cancers along with mental illness such as depression.
You may begin experiencing inflammation with joint or muscle pain, tendonitis or fatigue.
Research suggests a link between inflammation and insulin resistance.
Insulin resistance is one of the reasons for menopause weight gain. The pancreas is responsible for releasing insulin to move glucose from the blood into cells so that it can be used. Too much blood sugar leaves the cells full and insulin wondering what to do with all this excess glucose.
The body has one goal and that is to survive. To protect itself from the excess blood sugar, it sends the glucose to fat cells.
High carbohydrate diets such as low-fat diets or meals and snacks which are not well balanced reduce insulin sensitivity and increase fat storage because the body is too busy burning excess sugar instead of fat.
Take control of inflammation by reducing processed foods which are full of added sugars, chemicals and seed oils.
Seed oils are high in omega 6 which has been shown to increase inflammation in the body. The trouble is these seed oils are cheap and are in everything from bread to milk – check the ingredients of oat milk if you drink it!
Move your body more whether that is through daily activities or more structured exercise. If you struggle to do this because of joint pain or injury start slowly and focus on cleaning up your diet.
Top tips to reduce inflammation;
- A healthy diet – What is a healthy diet? A low-fat diet is not healthy. A balanced diet incorporating enough protein, some healthy fat and carbohydrates in the form of fibre from fresh fruit and vegetables and whole grains is the best way to meet your weight loss goals.
- Physical Activity – a sedentary lifestyle does not increase muscle mass. Improved muscle mass reduces insulin resistance.
- Strength training – improve your fat mass to lean body mass ratio. It is important to incorporate strength training into your exercise routine, this doesn’t have to be lifting weights, start with your own body weight and progress from there.
- Aerobic exercise – To reduce the risk of heart disease women need to do some aerobic exercise but too much can be stressful for the body. Don’t relate cardio workouts to the number of calories you are burning. Think of 30-60 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise to improve cardiovascular health.
- Fatty Acids – omega 3 fatty acids found in fatty fish, flaxseeds, and cod liver oil help to reduce inflammation.
- Healthy fats – from Olives, olive oil, coconut oil, avocados and nuts and seeds support the body to make hormones and neurotransmitters as well as provide satiety.
2. SLEEP
Or more accurately, lack of quality sleep.
Sleep is my Goddess, and rightly so because quality sleep is essential when trying to create hormone harmony and find the elusive homeostasis.
Homeostasis, as currently defined, is a self-regulating process by which biological systems maintain stability while adjusting to changing external conditions.
What is stopping you from getting enough sleep?
Are you able to get to sleep but are woken in the night by hot flashes/hot flushes and night sweats?
Perhaps you struggle to get to sleep. Excess cortisol levels can lead to a racing mind increasing the amount of time it takes to get to sleep.
Stress is a major factor when trying to create a healthy lifestyle and lose extra weight in body fat.
Estrogen levels are affected by hormones cortisol and adrenaline produced through stress.
The body just wants to survive.
When you experience stress your body goes into fight or flight mode shutting down digestion and reproductive function which could affect your menstrual cycle.
If you experince stress on a regular basis, (aka chronic stress), this might be your ‘normal’ but it will affect your hormone harmony and impact excess weight.
Lack of sleep is responsible for the imbalance of the hunger and satiety hormones, Ghrelin and Leptin.
Have you ever had a bad night’s sleep or a late night and the next day found you have an insatiable craving for carbs?
Studies have also shown that lack of sleep can negatively affect your RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate) which is responsible for the energy you burn just to keep you alive.
Lack of sleep may also prevent fat oxidation and muscle synthesis.
Improve your sleep hygiene by creating an evening routine to reduce poor sleep. Start with small changes such as reducing screen time 2-3 hours before bed. Aim to get at least 7.5 hours sleep. Work back from the time you need to wake to work out your bedtime. Encourage other family members to make these lifestyle changes.
To learn more about improving your sleep naturally, read THIS POST.
3. GUT HEALTH
You aren’t just what you eat, you are what you can absorb!
A common complaint during menopause is gastrointestinal and digestive issues such as bloating and constipation.
Your body will struggle to absorb the nutrients you are consuming no matter how healthy they are if your gut isn’t healthy.
The gut is your second brain and has a massive effect on your overall health and well-being.
Maintaining a happy and healthy gut flora is essential for hormone harmony and reducing many health problems including finding our optimal weight.
Menopausal transition changes the gut flora. It is a good idea to keep the good gut bacteria diverse. You can do this by eating probiotic foods such as Kimchi, Kefir and Kombucha or using a good supplement.
Once you have colonised your gut it’s time to feed it.
Our body can’t digest fibre but that’s okay, this fibre is the food of our bacteria. Feed your gut bacteria a wide variety of fibre.
Learn more about fibre and download your cheat sheet HERE.
4. IGNORING HUNGER
Years of restrictive dieting has created a disconnect between body and mind for many women.
When you feel hungry you might find yourself saying;
- I’m not hungry I’m just thirsty
- I can’t be hungry I’ve only just eaten
- I don’t have enough calorie allowance left to eat anything else
Ignoring hunger can lead to cravings and eating beyond comfortable fullness when you do eventually eat.
Eating beyond comfortable fullness can lead to feelings of guilt and disgust. You might be tempted to punish yourself by skipping your next meal.
A starving body just wants to survive and it will reduce your internal thermostat in order to conserve energy, lowering your metabolism and ability to effectively burn fat.
Honouring your hunger will balance your hunger and satiety hormones, this will reduce your stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline which, as I explained above, are produced ahead of sex hormones which are already in turmoil due to menopause.
The biggest effect that honouring your hunger has on hormones is controlling insulin, especially when you are nourishing your body with well-balanced meals and will therefore reduce inflammation.
Keeping your blood sugar levels stable enables your body to control the release of insulin. Too much insulin leads to fat storage.
5. TOXINS
When trying to lose weight most women focus on weighing themselves, reducing calories and burning calories.
Would you agree?
Let’s just think about weight for a moment. What is your weight made up of?
- Bones
- Muscles
- Organs
- Blood
- Water
- Cells
- Enzymes
- Blood vessels and veins
- And fat
In my programs, I don’t encourage a focus on losing ‘weight’, instead together my clients and I focus on the root cause of excess body weight and the reduction of excess fat, not weight.
With everything I have learned from research, client work and my own menopause journey I have developed the SHIFT System.
Every menopause journey is unique but what I have found is deciphering your unique symptoms, increasing Hormone Harmony and looking at the root cause of Inflammation we can significantly reduce debilitating menopause symptoms and dramatically increase quality of life.
In our modern society we a surrounded by toxins every day. Some we have no control over, others we do.
Your skin is your largest organ.
What goes on your skin is absorbed into your bloodstream.
Everything that goes into your bloodstream has to be filtered by the liver. When the liver is overloaded, fat storage goes up as the liver can become blocked and sluggish.
You can reduce the toxic load of your liver by paying attention to what goes on your skin.
Choose skincare products with natural ingredients. Look for sustainable and organic brands. I am an ambassador for Tropic Skincare and always use and recommend these products to my clients.
Try using natural oils such as Jojoba or Sweet Almond oil to remove makeup and moisturise your skin. Vitamin E oil is amazing for dry skin and can help women experiencing vaginal dryness by using this oil topically.
Many of the cleaning products and air fresheners used in the home increase the toxic load in the body. Start switching to more eco-friendly products or better yet, start making your own.
What about alcohol?
Alcohol is a poison.
Rather than focusing on the scales and calorie intake and expenditure focus on LIVER HEALTH.
One of the functions of the liver is to metabolise fat.
It is also responsible for protecting us from toxins. If our liver is processing too many toxins it won’t have the time to break down the fat and will send it for storage.
We are exposed to numerous toxins from environmental toxins that we can’t do a great deal about to the toxins we choose to put in and on our bodies on a daily basis.
Toxins are found in our food and drinks, especially processed foods and sugar-free drinks. They are also found in our cleaning products and skincare lotions and potions.
Choose organic where you can.
As a consumer you have more power than you think, start voting with your purse.
I am not suggesting you ‘go organic’ overnight, it can be expensive but start voting;
- Switch to organic milk to reduce the consumption of antibiotics and mass vaccination of cattle.
- Choose organic versions of fresh fruit and veg that you eat the skins of such as apples and cucumbers.
- Try growing your own fresh produce and herbs.
- Look for more eco-friendly cleaning products or use natural products such as vinegar, lemons and bicarb.
Be mindful when purchasing products for your skin.
6. GOALS
Here is a little bonus for you.
As I mentioned above, start changing your focus. Focus on improving the health of your body and its systems.
Weight is a symptom, a side effect of a malnourished body, a body out of balance.
Focus on habits that you can track that will have a positive effect on your overall health such as;
- Drinking more water
- Eating 30 different types of fruit and veg per week
- Consuming well-balanced meals
- Getting at least 7 hours of sleep
- Move for 30 minutes a day
- Include weights/resistance training 2-3 times a week
Ditch the scales, it is not an accurate measure of health.
Stop counting calories and don’t be afraid of nutrient-dense foods such as avocados.
Listen to your body, nourish it rather than punish it.
The result will be increased;
- Energy
- Vitality
- Motivation
You will regain your zest for life. Enjoy your journey to finding your optimal weight.
Next Steps
If you would like to chat with me about your unique menopause transition, book a Wild Well-Being call and come away inspired and motivated to begin your journey to optimal health.
Join the next round of my 5-day Menopause Nutrition Challenge. Discover the 5 nutrients you need to reduce debilitating menopause symptoms and create an empowered menopause journey without HRT.
