Weight gain in menopause - is it only reducing calories to a very low level that will work?

[HelenHywater]

Inexplicably, I've put on about 4kg. No change to my diet or exercise regime. I have tried various different ways of eating but nothing is working at all. I generally eat around 1600 cals a day. I don't lose weight on 1300 cals a day either. What has worked for you? Do I really need to go on a 1000 cals a day diet?

What has worked for you?

Inexplicably

i doubt it op

5 years in to the menopause and no weight gain. I just carried in my usual routine… exercise, eat well, and added in hrt patch.

I need to eat 1000 calories only to lose weight and even then it's very slow. It's depressing.

I lost half a stone for vanity last summer after 6 months on HRT.

I found the biggest culprit for weight gain was the progesterone.

Anyway I did a fortnight of 1200 and a fortnight of 1600 cals and got into all the clothes I wanted to for my holiday.

I do also exercise a lot. Sometimes at the weekend I'd do 9 miles walking before breakfast with the dogs. Plus swimming and weights. But I've been doing that for years, I was just a bit stricter for a few weeks.

Really though, it's the calorie restriction. It has never not worked.

I have had to come off HRT as it was making me pile on the weight - and I know it’s this as I’ve had to stop and start it several times for blood tests for other health issues and nearly a stone goes on and drops off each time. So I won’t be taking it anymore. Very personal choice though, I know others swear the opposite is true.

Walking a LOT and cutting out sugar is about the only other thing that works for me.

At the menopause stage I lost weight doing 5:2 plus exercise. Now I'm well post menopause (63) - very low TDEE as I'm small as well as older - I'm very slowly losing weight in what feels like a sustainable way after doing the Zoë thing, more or less cutting out 'white carbs' and no added sugar, biscuits etc - eating more pulses, protein and veg, and a fair bit of exercise. Also keeping my 'eating window' under 12 hours, usually more like 10.
When the Zoe subscription ends I'll probably start logging with thr nutracheck app instead. Calories in/calories out is an unavoidable part of weight control but not all calories are equal, the what and when are important too.

For me HRT made me weigh more, but it was mainly due to the progesterone and water retention. I was bloated.

I don't think HRT made me eat more. I do find it harder to exercise than I did though as it makes me so super tired having the progesterone (mirena coil now).

Whereas before I wouldn't sleep so I'd be happy getting up at the crack of dawn to workout, now I have to be far more disciplined as the sleep is so deep every night.

But once I cut down fast on the 1200 plus all the exercise, I lost the bloat very quickly. In fact I think I lost weight faster than pre HRT because so much was water.

Read "why we eat too much" by Andrew Jenkinson.

main takeaways - cut out ( or down as much as you can) processed food, sugar, artificial sweeteners, bread and pasta, margarine, vegetable oil.

Eat lots of green veg!

But read the book for the full benefit

Congratulations on your superior metabolism.

No weight gain for me or my sisters of friends.

As you get older though you don't need as many calories.

Up your exercise and overhaul what you eat because your weight gain will be caused by eating more than you are burning off and you need to balance it.

I'm through the menopause and never had HRT, but I'm the lightest I've been for about forty years with sensible eating (I don't calorie count, but it's around 1600 cals) and daily exercise (ten minutes morning and afternoon, with a couple of evening fitness classes).

I eat pretty well and exercise alot. I've had to stop running due to bad knees. I do loads of quite energetic yoga, usually walk at least 1500 steps and do weight training too.

I probably drink too many calories. But it's inexplicable in that I am eating and drinking and doing what I used to do, it's just I have put on weight now! (I don't want to give up alcohol but recognise there's alot of calories in a glass of wine).

I'm 173cm (5 foot 8) so pretty tall so this is a low calorie amount for me in theory.

I tried HRT and found the progesterone intolerable. I am intending to go back on at some stage for all of the benefits it brings, but am dreading the progesterone! (I also bloated massively, got really bad IBS and my boobs grew huge and hurt alot).

I will read that book thanks.

Lurpack, albeit the lighter version, is one of my main weaknesses. Maybe I need to go lower fat?

@HelenHywater yes progesterone is awful.
I've found the mirena far more tolerable. I don't cry on it like I did the utrogestan. Still have very low lows but find I'm more rational about it.

I think lurpak is fine if you are watching how much you use. I eat 6 square of dark choc every day when I'm dieting. Pretty much everything else I eat is veg, a bit of protein and shed loads of fat free Fage yoghurt.

My excess cals come from milk, dark choc, and nuts and sourdough. Those are the cals I reduce when I'm dieting except the chocolate.

Read the book I mentioned! It explains how some low fat products disrupt your hormones, and can lead to weight GAIN

We need more protein as we age, so add chicken breasts which are low in fat but will keep you fuller for longer as well as try to keep your muscle. What you don't want is to loose muscle tone as you age, rendering you unable to get up from a chair, for example.

Also I don't always agree lower fat versions are better. We need fats for brain function and calcium, which is key for ageing bones and to prevent weaknesses that are common in women such as osteoporosis. No one wants irreversible bone damage (your bones basically have the make up of Swiss cheese so very easy to break) just to loose a few pounds. Please make sure you have a balance of vitamin D and calcium in your diet for this reason.

I don't know if you are on HRT but this is another avenue to explore to keep hormones in balance and avoid massive fluctuations that can cause sleep issues/weight gain etc.

Are you tracking properly, weighing by the gram, counting drinks and milk and sugar in tea and all that. Most people massively underestimate their calorie intake. And/or track properly on VLC Mon-Thurs then go missing for the weekend.

Just to add lack of sleep and weight gain are often interlinked, so if you are struggling with sleep weight gain is likely. Magnesium can help re-regulate sleep patterns if this sounds like you.

The women I know who have maintained their weight in a healthy way have done it by changing their exercise (more weights, anything that aims to build muscle) and eating more protein and less sweet food. They look great but I don't have the will power so far!

Other women maintain their weight by just eating less - and it is better than just stacking on a stone like me! - but you can see their shape changing as they gradually lose muscle and probably bone density.

Sadly there is no easy solution.

There's a really vicious circle you can get into where you lose muscle as you age so your resting metabolic rate drops (muscle uses lots of energy) and you therefore put on weight. If you respond by cutting calories further you will of course lose weight but a significant part of that will be muscle. So your RMR will drop further, you become less active day to day because it's harder to move, and before you know it you're trapped into a very unhealthy cycle where your maintenance calorie needs keep dropping. Weight training combined with a plentiful plant and protein-rich diet is worth considering as an alternative to calorie restriction to keep you in better balance and preserve your ability to move as you age.

Peri-menopause can also cause us to change our fat storage patterns to put on more belly fat (partly because it generates an estrogen-like compound) as well as making us more prone to insomnia and poor blood sugar control (both of which which can lead to overeating).

In my experience, yes. Some women don't put on weight due to menopause, but I did. I put on 3 stone. I was still going to the gym 4 times a week and eating the same.

After 10 years of misery about this I have just used Wegovy to lose weight which has enabled me to eat a very low calorie diet.

Great post by @UnaOfStormhold
I've lost 18 pounds over 6 months by creating a minimal ( but sustainable calorie deficit of 1700 kcals), upping protein and fruits/ veg, and weight training 3-4 times a week.

I've lost a lot of fat but have built muscle ( body recompositioning).

Also people need to be clear - when people say lose weight, they really mean lose fat. They are two different things. Water and lean muscle mass / skeletal mass are components of weight just as much as fat.

I have to stick to 800 cals per day ( supervised by the hospital ) to loose weight now . I'm going through menopause but the hospital say it's more likely that all the years of yoyo dieting has ruined my BMR

I do both weights and yoga and also walk a lot, so I'm really not intending to lose muscle mass, although my knee issue meant that my thigh muscles did waste away.

One of the side effects of perimenopause for me has been an increase in my IBS symptoms, so am pretty intolerant of a lot of veg and most pulses as well as wheat, oats and dairy! But I can also see that I've probably developed a sweet tooth and probably over eat at weekends too. I've tried a high protein diet which didn't really do anything to my weight. I've tried keto which makes me feel ill. I also have insomnia which I know hasn't helped with anything.

So maybe lots of veg and a more strict adherence to a calorie limit (tbc) and see how that goes.

And I will read that book!

I'm menopausal and loose weight on about 1200 calories a day. Im 5'6 and about 10stone 7. I'm active and swim and walk among other things but nothing crazy. I think it's harder for me to loose weight now as I don't do the same amount of highly aerobic exercise that I used to do. I suspect I'm carrying less muscle than I used to. A strict 1200 means I loose 1 to 2 lbs a week. I'm not hungry on that at all. I watch my protein intake and still have the odd treat and day off where I eat more but don't go crazy. Slow and steady seems to work for me.
Once I'm down to my desired weight I hold it for a good time but eventually it seems to creep up again then I have to diet. It's a bit annoying but it seems to be the way it is. I've no one to blame but myself 😅 I don't think menopause has made much difference tbh.