The Nourish-Not-Punish Guide to Menopause Weight Loss

Why Menopause Weight Gain Feels Different

When it comes to weight loss during menopause we have to remember that there are hormonal roadblocks at play. Weight around the middle is sometimes called the worry waist, due to a link with high levels of the stress hormone cortisol.  In addition, the hunger hormone, ghrelin, is known to increase at menopause.

The Blood Sugar Connection

Balancing blood sugar can also be a factor. Insulin is released every time we eat carbohydrates (and the more refined sugar we consume, the more insulin is produced). Prolonged high insulin levels can lead to insulin resistance. This is when we experience higher blood glucose levels and more and more insulin is produced to try to force the glucose into the cells. Insulin is a storage hormone, so this blocks fat burning.

Excess blood glucose is converted in the liver into body fat, which is stored in our fat cells. One symptom of out-of-balance blood glucose is feeling under-fuelled or exhausted, even after eating something. Oestrogen is also part of this process because it helps the cells be more sensitive to insulin, so when it goes out of balance, you can see how sudden weight gain might manifest.

Carb-Conscious, Not Carb-Free

This is why being more carb conscious is important for helping with weight loss at menopause. No need to strip carbs out completely as this is unsustainable, but focussing more on complex carbs and less on the ultra-refined carbs found in processed sweet foods.

My Weight-Loss Reboot

So how do we kick-start sustainable weight loss? The way I approach things is – what can we add in, not what can we take out. It is not a battle; we need to be working with our exhausted body and being kind to it. The last thing it needs is to be restricted – it needs to be nourished and this is often about eating more, but more protein, fibre, beneficial fat and nutrient-rich food, and being carb-conscious too. No weighing food or calorie counting, which can take all the joy out of what we eat and is really time consuming. I’m talking about high protein, complex carbs, beneficial fat and high-fibre recipes to help quash cravings, so that we don’t fall into the diet trap of dieting food restriction-cravings-giving into cravings-guilt-dieting. They will also help you increase your energy and vitality – I like to see weight loss as a nice side effect to more energy!

The Power of a Protein-Rich Breakfast

So many of us trying to lose weight are just not eating enough at the right time of day. The more protein we can eat at breakfast, the more fuel we give our body and brain at the time of day when it needs it the most. If you don’t feel hungry on waking (many of us don’t), then try eating your evening meal earlier so you feel hungrier first thing. Eating breakfast will help us to snack less and crave less caffeine to get us through the day. Make your breakfast protein-rich – protein increases satiety and balances our blood sugar: for example, eggs any which way

A Gentle Overnight Reset

Fasting overnight for 12 to 14 hours is really important for the digestive system, to help normalize blood sugar and give everything a rest. It is also great for weight loss and insulin sensitivity, and it helps us become more mindful of snacking in the evening too. If you aim to stop eating at 7 p.m. and enjoy just water and herbal teas, then you can breakfast any time after 7 a.m. for a 12-hour fast, or up to 9 a.m. for a 14-hour fast, if that works for you. There’s no need to do some of the very long fasts that are out there, as I don’t think they’re very helpful for us during menopause.

Ditch Deprivation

Your body DESERVES nourishment, not restriction. Which is why my approach to dieting is … don’t! And especially at menopause, when our weight-loss toolkit of our 30s or early 40s just doesn’t work.

We also have a lot of guilt around food that is often deep-rooted in maybe mothers who were always dieting (thankfully mine was not), as well as the diet culture we have today, which is still about calorie counting and a sense of going without. I don’t want anyone to feel like that. Menopause is hard enough, let alone when we think we are depriving ourselves of joyful food.

I eat dark chocolate every evening. But I wouldn’t be able to stop eating anything in a purple wrapper that has been cleverly designed to contain two things that you will never see in nature – high fat and high sugar. Our reward system (our brain is about 20,000+ years old) is just unable to resist the excitement of eating it. The food industry is very clever. They want to keep us eating. But my point is about enjoying a little of what you fancy.

By enjoying my way of eating (and not dieting), you won’t be craving sugar or ultra-processed foods.

Karen ’s Hero Ingredients

• Good protein sources: meat, fish, eggs, cottage cheese, hummus), 5 per cent or 0 per cent fat Greek yogurt, organic soya yogurt, kefir, nuts like almond or cashew, nut butter, peas, seeds and pulses
• High-protein snacks: nuts and seeds, or an apple and a hunk of cheese
• Plant-based meals for high fibre and minerals: vegetables, pulses, beans, lentils
• Complex carbs over highly refined carbs: pulses, quinoa, brown rice, squash, sweet potatoes, edamame or lentil pasta, oats. Try courgetti with the Thai Coconut Chicken Soup recipe below
• Vitamin C: citrus fruits, green leafy veg, parsley and berries
• Cinnamon is known to help support blood sugar balance
• Omega-3: salmon, trout, mackerel and linseed/flaxseed oil for salad dressings, nuts and seeds and a reduction of processed fats found in cakes, crisps, biscuits, and so on)
• Teas: peppermint or other herbal teas versus a 3 p.m. cuppa that goes so well with a few biscuits. This will help break the habit cue.

Try Karen’s Nourishing Thai Coconut Chicken Soup

Low in carbohydrates and high in protein to support a drip-feed of energy to minimize snacking, this delicious, healthy soup can be eaten on its own or with the addition of courgetti or some cooked prawns. The chicken is also a great source of B vitamins for energy, and coconut milk provides caprylic acid, known for its anti-microbial effect in the gut. This recipe is also warming for a cold, wintry day, although in Thailand it would be eaten on a hot day too!

SERVES 4

PREP TIME 15 minutes

COOK TIME 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
1½ tbsp coconut oil
25g/1oz peeled fresh ginger, cut lengthways into ½cm//in-thick slices
2 lemon grass stalks, lightly bruised and cut into 5cm/2in-long pieces
10 makrut lime leaves, rolled up and thinly sliced 20g/¾oz fresh coriander, stems chopped into 2cm/in pieces, leaves roughly chopped 2 banana shallots, roughly chopped
800ml/28H oz chicken stock
1 x 400ml/14H oz can coconut milk
400g/14oz skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 2-3cm/¾-1¼in pieces
100g/ 3½oz white button mushrooms, sliced ½cm/¼in thick (or halved)
100g/3½oz beansprouts,
French beans cut into thirds, or mangetout (depending on the season)
2 tosp lime juice
2 tbsp fish sauce (nam pla)
1 red chilli, thinly sliced (optional)
1 lime, quartered into wedges, to serve

METHOD:

1. Add the coconut oil to a large saucepan and place over a medium heat. Once melted, add the ginger, lemon grass, lime leaves, coriander stems and shallots and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring from time to time.
Pour over the stock, bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes.

2. Next, strain the stock through a colander into a heatproof bowl (crucially, so as to not throw away the liquid!), pressing the aromatics to extract as much flavour as possible. Return the liquid to the saucepan (the aromatics can now be discarded) and add the coconut milk, chicken pieces and mushrooms. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook for 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Add the beansprouts, French beans or mangetout, cook for a final 3-4 minutes and then stir through the lime juice and fish sauce.

3. Serve as is, or on top of cooked noodles, courgetti or rice, with the red chilli (if using) and coriander leaves sprinkled on top, plus a wedge of lime alongside for everyone to squeeze over their own bowl.

Image: Laura Edwards

Recipes from The Natural Menopause Method Cookbook by Karen Newby (Pavillion). 

For more information head to karennewby.com

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