How to lose weight during menopause – and keep it off

If weight feels harder to manage during perimenopause or menopause, you’re not imagining it. Hormonal changes can affect where your body stores fat, while ageing, muscle loss, sleep, stress, activity, medication, and eating habits can all play a part.

The good news is that menopause weight loss is possible. You don’t need to cut out whole food groups, follow a punishing diet, or rely on supplements promising a quick fix.

Why can weight change during menopause?

As oestrogen levels fall, body fat may be stored differently, with more settling around the waist rather than the hips and thighs. We also tend to lose muscle as we age, which can reduce how much energy the body uses.

Menopause symptoms can have an indirect effect too. Poor sleep, low mood, joint pain, hot flushes, and fatigue may make it harder to stay active or eat as you normally would.

Hormones are part of the picture, but they’re not the whole story – and weight gain isn’t inevitable or a sign that you’ve failed.

Should I eat fewer calories during perimenopause?

Not simply because you’re in perimenopause. However, if your activity or muscle mass has decreased, your body may need less energy than it once did.

Losing weight requires you to use more energy than you consume over time, but drastic calorie restriction isn’t the answer. It can leave you tired, make it harder to get the nutrients you need, and contribute to muscle loss.

Start by looking at the habits that may have crept in unnoticed, such as larger portions, frequent snacking, sugary drinks, alcohol, or eating while distracted. A short food and activity diary can help you spot where realistic changes could be made.

What should I eat for menopause weight loss?

There isn’t a special menopause weight-loss diet. A balanced way of eating that you can maintain is much more useful than a strict plan that lasts for a fortnight.

Try to:

• Include protein with your meals, such as eggs, fish, lean meat, yoghurt, tofu, beans, or lentils.
• Choose fibre-rich carbohydrates, including oats, wholegrain bread, brown rice, potatoes with their skins, and pulses.
• Fill around half your plate with vegetables, salad, or fruit.
• Include moderate amounts of unsaturated fats from foods such as olive oil, nuts, seeds, and oily fish.
• Keep an eye on alcohol, sugary drinks, and highly processed snacks, which can add energy without keeping you full for long.

You don’t need to avoid gluten unless you have coeliac disease, an allergy, or medical advice to do so. Carbohydrates aren’t simply “sugar”, either – wholegrain and higher-fibre carbohydrates provide energy and important nutrients.

Breakfast isn’t compulsory, and eating at a particular time won’t unlock menopause weight loss. Choose a meal pattern that suits you, helps you manage hunger, and is realistic for your life.

How does exercise help with menopause weight loss?

Regular movement supports weight management, heart health, bone health, sleep, and mood. Aim to combine aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, swimming, cycling, or dancing, with strength exercises at least twice a week.

Strength training is particularly helpful because it supports muscle mass. You don’t need to join a gym – resistance bands, hand weights, bodyweight exercises, and carrying shopping all count.

If you’re starting from very little activity, begin with something manageable. A ten-minute walk you repeat is more useful than an ambitious routine you dread.

Exercising, in conjunction with a healthy diet, can really help shift those menopausal pounds. To understand why and for easy ways to get started head here

Do menopause weight loss supplements work?

There’s no good evidence that supplements marketed for menopause can produce meaningful, lasting weight loss.

Products such as maca, evening primrose oil, probiotics, “fat burners”, and branded menopause blends shouldn’t be presented as weight-loss treatments. Protein powders can be a convenient food product, but they don’t cause fat loss.

Current British Menopause Society guidance recommends a daily 10 microgram vitamin D supplement during perimenopause and menopause. Other supplements should be based on an identified clinical need. Speak to your doctor or pharmacist before taking one, particularly if you use HRT or other medication.

How can I keep the weight off?

Choose two or three changes you can live with and give them time to become normal. That might mean planning lunches, adding two short strength sessions each week, reducing weekday alcohol, or going for a walk after dinner.

The scales aren’t your only measure of progress. Waist measurements, strength, energy, sleep, blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar can all tell you something useful about your health.

If your weight changes suddenly or without an obvious reason, or you’re also experiencing symptoms such as extreme tiredness, swelling, breathlessness, or feeling unusually cold, speak to your GP. Medication and conditions such as an underactive thyroid can sometimes contribute.

There’s no magic menopause formula – but small, repeatable changes can make a genuine difference.

Read The Natural Menopause Method by Karen Newby, published by Pavilion or visit karennewby.com for more information.