Why am I gaining weight during menopause?

Menopause can be a tricky time for many women, particularly when it comes to gaining weight. 😩 You often hear women saying, "i've put on so much weight and I haven't changed my diet".

You see, right there, not changing your diet it the problem or rather... the solution.

Estrogen and weight gain

As we go through menopause our estrogen levels drop (which our body isn’t used to and this causes many of of the menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats and sleeplessness.

It also causes an increase of fat on our bodies. How?

Our body wants estrogen as it's a hormone it's wanted and depended on for most of your life. When there are low levels of estrogen in the body, the body is clever enough to know how to increase estrogen and this is from fat stores.

And it's also clever enough to store excess fat for later as it knows it's going to need it. So estrogen is 1 key player when it comes to storing fat.

Insulin resistance

The hormone insulin helps control the amount of sugar (glucose) in the blood. Insulin is released when you eat a meal and the level of glucose in your bloodstream is high. Insulin works by stimulating the uptake of glucose into cells, lowering your blood sugar level. 

Your liver and muscles should take up glucose either for immediate energy or to be stored as glycogen until it's needed, however too much insulin and it gets stored as fat.

When entering menopause many women become insulin resistant, meaning that the body's cells don't respond normally to insulin any longer. Glucose can't enter the cells as easily, so it builds up in the blood. This can eventually lead to type 2 diabetes as well as fat stores around the stomach. 

What are the foods our body turns into sugar? Carbohydrates and sugar. 

What should I eat?

Swap refined carbohydrates for slow release carbs such as lentils, chickpeas, quinoa, sweet potato and pumpkin.

Eat a diet rich in proteins and good fats such as nuts, avocados, olive oil and seeds.

Here are some simple do's and don'ts when it comes to carbs:

Eat more	Eat less
Berries of any kind	High fructose fruits
Sweet potato	White potato
Pumpkin	Bread
Chickpeas, Lentils, beans	Rice, pasta, cous cous
Quinoa	wheat based products
Leafy green vegetables	cakes, cookies, baked goods
	Cereal

 

Bitter Melon helps combat insulin resistance

If you are insulin resistant, which many women experience whilst going through menopause bitter melon can help.

It has properties that act like insulin, which helps bring glucose into the cells for energy rather than storing it as fat. Amazing product! 🙌

 

Or shop our entire Menopause range here!