If you’ve noticed your body shifting – clothes fitting differently, energy dropping, and food cravings intensifying, it’s not your imagination. Your body will start to experience hormonal changes up to 10 years before menopause hits.
Menopause symptoms, including weight gain, begin to occur as early as the 30s and 40s for some women. It is in this perimenopause (pre-menopause) period, often called the “zone of chaos”, that the hormones cause the most problematic symptoms due to fluctuating estrogen and progesterone levels. Symptoms range from hot flashes, heart palpitations, and insomnia, to brain fog, achy joints, and low libido.
As a health educator and coach who has spent 20+ years helping women through pregnancy and menopause weight gain, I know how disorienting the body’s physical changes can feel during these transitional times, especially when no one’s talking about it.
These body changes are not about willpower. They are the result of powerful hormonal shifts that affect your metabolism, muscle mass, body composition, hunger, satiety levels, sleep, and mood. And the most surprising part is most medical professionals, and women, are unaware how to remedy these menopause-related issues.
What specifically is going on in your body in perimenopause and menopause?
- Estrogen levels drop affecting your metabolic rate, slowing it down by 30%.
- Muscle mass decreases, making your body less efficient at burning calories.
- Cortisol levels skyrocket, making belly fat cling to your middle like glue.
- Serotonin levels drop, negatively affecting mood and food cravings.
- Sleep disruptions throw your appetite and food cravings out of balance.
And here’s the part no one tells you: The old rules stop working in menopause. Meaning, what you were taught to lose weight in your earlier years – crash dieting, intense cardio, and pushing harder – will backfire in menopause, causing you store more body fat.
Whether you’ve just started noticing shifts or you are deep in the thick of it, it’s important to follow a plan, specific to this stage of life. The good news is there is hope. Weight loss in menopause is possible, but you need an approach that works with in conjunction with all the changing hormones: estrogen, progesterone, cortisol, ghrelin, leptin (a natural appetite suppressant).
Menopause changes the weight loss rules. It is important to understand how to work with your body, not against it, in this new stage of life. It is not about pushing harder. It is about working smarter. Working smarter with exercise, eating, hunger, and appetite, so you can have a healthy and easy menopause experience.
I’ve written a couple books, one on anxiety and another on menopause, and if you want more information, check them out or find me online to follow me for more expert advice.
Michelle Biton is a leader and innovator in the health and wellness field. She has been inspiring women world-wide over the past 30 years through her books, newsletters and websites. She is a Health and Wellness Coach and a mental health advocate. Michelle has her Master’s Degree in Holistic Nutrition and a Certificate in Applied Science Health and Fitness Studies. She is also the author of the popular Pregnancy Without Pounds series, which focuses on the fitness and well-being of pregnant women, as well as The Instant Anxiety Solution and The Menopause Weight Loss Solution. Michelle is passionate about writing self-help books that empower people to change, implement healthy choices and live their best life possible. Michelle. Learn more at michellebiton.com.
