Why we put on weight during menopause

[Gabrielleohare]

Informative post from Dr Louise Newson on Instagram this morning. I can't copy and paste the text so I've attached the screenshot instead.

It explains what's causing weight gain, how it can affect appetite and also underlines the importance of a health diet, whilst recognising that it's often hard to eat well consistently.

I'm still perimenopausal but noticed a huge change in cravings over the past few years which made it extremely hard to eat the things I knew I should be doing.

It's really helpful to know there is a reason we feel like this and it's not just us being weak willed or unmotivated.

which I mean to say - steadily losing (about 1/2 lb per week)

Yes I think you might be. To be honest I have found “backgrounds in nutrition” = eat less and move more and it’s your own fault you are fat. Maybe actually read the book and comment.

@lljkk interesting stuff. I have read Why we Eat... And I guess the message that I took from it was :

• eat nutritious food preferably home cooked
• increase Omega 3 (fish, olive oil etc ...)
• avoid ultra processed food

Nothing controversial really and probably how people in the past ate. It's an interesting book but certainly doesn't have all the answers. Some of the insight from previous experiments and happenings are interesting.

I thought it was quite interesting. Looks like there is still some controversy about omega 3 Vs omega 6. It's certainly put me off trying to diet again and I've moved from sunflower oil to rapeseed.

To me "ultra processed" is easy to recognize by looking at the ingredients list. If it is a long list that contains ingredients that are more familiar in a chemistry lab you can safely assume it is ultra processed.

That rules out vegan/veggie alternatives to meat then, plus any number of vitamin and mineral supplements.

Basically, if you can't define it, you can't measure it, and if you can't measure it you can't manage it.

Yes, I would consider those as ultra-processed foods. But common sense must come into play in weighing whether the advantages of consuming such food against the disadvantages based on every individual's own personal choices and/or medical needs. The term "ultra processed" cannot be dismissed off hand as meaningless. That is my opinion.

Yes a lot of veggie and vegan alternatives (not all) are highly or ultra processed - fake meats, burgers and sausages particularly, tofu etc not so heavily processed. I think the introduction of all of these means that going veggie or vegan is easier but isn't necessarily as beneficial as it used to be when highly processed alternatives meant that going vegan meant eating a lot of pulses etc. As with most dietary things it's about moderating intake of things that can be bad for you rather than cutting out entirely.

And yes technically vitamin and mineral supplements are ultra processed but the quantity you consume is so small they'd never be a significant portion of your diet - even then the advice is pretty consistently that it's better if you can get what you need from your normal diet.

The extent of the processing and how much it affects the composition of the food makes a huge difference. Chopping and cooking carrots leaves most of the structure intact and would count as minimally processed, which is generally considered totally fine. (Cooking does change nutritional value but in some cases this makes nutrients more available so isn't necessarily a bad thing). Juicing carrots affects the composition much more and crucially would take out most of the fibre, and I think that would be considered processed which is OK, but not quite as good as the first two categories. Ultra-processed would be turning them into carrot powder and mixing with various additives to make those carrot puffs they market to children.

That said I agree the definitions are a bit unsatisfactorily wooly - ultra-processed food is a relatively recent phenomenon and research into its impact is also at an early stage. But I think the evidence so far is pretty clear that there is some sort of link between high levels of processing and health. I've seen a number of factors cited as plausible causes for this, and it's probably a combination of all of them. They include removing or breaking down fibre, the addition of ingredients whose health effects are unknown or suspected to be unhealthy (preservatives, emulsifiers, stabilisers, bulking agents, corn syrup etc), and food companies deliberately manipulating texture and salt/fat/sugar levels to make consumers want to eat (and thus buy) more. Not conclusive, but suggestive enough that I choose to limit how much ultra-processed food I eat while awaiting more and better research.

That's exactly what happened to me. I had insomnia, so I ate more. I had cravings for quickly processed foods, which are calorific and tend to result in a spike and then slump of energy, hence you need to eat again more quickly. The fatigue I felt from insomnia and the general fatigue around menopause meant I didn't feel like exercising or doing as much. Plus I couldn't be bothered to cook, so ate more ready meals.

It's taken a while but I'm starting to sleep better, I take prebiotics which I think help with this. I am exercising more, which I built up slowly so I didn't put pressure on my body. I also think my blood sugar has evened out so I get fewer cravings. It's taken years but my body is looking much healthier - less bloating and more muscle - and I'm feeling better in myself.

I don't know whether HRT on its own affects weight but it must be difficult to separate out contributing factors, since we tend to go on HRT fairly quickly after menopause symptoms take hold.

Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken do a podcast on ultra processed food and if memory serves me explains it quite thoroughly. You will remember one of the twins has a little trouble with his weight which he thinks is likely connected to his diet when he lived in the US. He thinks he became addicted to food but specifically ultra processed food.

Post menopause
Same weight as 20 or 30 years ago - healthy category

My suggestions
Avoid sugar and ultra processed food and get exercise
This helps you sleep and reduce stress
That helps reduce cravings for more food

Ultra processed - seems to be anything more processed than say cheese

If you can't make it in your own kitchen with common ingredients it's probably ultra processed , if you don't recognise the ingredients, Standard shop bread for example, it's probably ultra processed

Rather worryingly for me crisps and whiskey ( and gin but I don't like that ) count as ultra processed in sone lists