Hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, brain fog — for many women, the transition to menopause is no picnic.
Hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, brain fog — for many women, the transition to menopause is no picnic. Even if you make it through these years relatively unscathed, the hormonal changes that occur during this time affect your health in many ways, including increasing your risk of weight gain.
Most women gain an average of five pounds after menopause, while some may gain more.
Though all these changes can be frustrating, there’s good news. It’s absolutely possible to lose weight during menopause.
Continue reading as we take a deep dive on how to lose weight during menopause.
If it’s been 12 months since your last period, you’ve officially reached menopause.
Perimenopause — the years leading up to menopause — typically starts between ages 45 and 55. It lasts roughly seven years, although for some, it may last longer. During perimenopause, you might start having symptoms associated with menopause.
Most women gain around one pound per year during perimenopause. As noted, this comes out to an average of about five pounds total.
That said, everyone experiences perimenopause differently. An estimated 20 percent of women gain 10 pounds or more during perimenopause.
While unintended weight gain can be distressing to anyone, it can also increase the risk of other health problems in people who already have overweight or obesity. For instance, weight gain can increase stress on joints and boost the risk of:
Cardiovascular disease
High blood pressure (hypertension)
Other chronic conditions
If you’ve gained weight during menopause, know you’re not alone. And there are changes you can make in your daily life to help you reach a healthy weight and keep it off.
Let’s start by discussing the basics of how to lose weight during menopause.
You may be curious if there’s a secret to weight loss during menopause.
Though there are some nuances to be aware of, the basics of weight loss during menopause align with the healthy lifestyle habits recommended to folks in all stages of life.
The basics of how to lose weight during menopause include:
Eating a healthy diet, aiming for a calorie deficit
Increasing daily physical activity, focusing on aerobic exercise and resistance training
Taking steps to get enough sleep
Managing menopause symptoms that are disruptive to daily activities
We’ll discuss each of these topics in more detail later on. And if you’ve made some lifestyle changes and are still having trouble losing weight, there are additional options that can help.
For example, you may be able to get started on weight loss medication to use alongside healthy lifestyle changes. And some women may be eligible for bariatric surgery to aid with their weight loss.
Menopause impacts everyone differently, but one thing is certain: It’s a time for change. And change can often be difficult.
As you approach weight management during menopause, it’s helpful to understand the various changes that happen during this time and how they can impact your body weight.
Different factors contribute to weight gain during menopause, such as:
The natural process of aging
Hormonal changes, specifically lower estrogen levels
Lifestyle habits
These things can affect changes in your body composition during menopause that happen due to:
Loss of lean mass, including skeletal muscle and bone, accompanied by an increase in fat mass
Reduced metabolism and energy expenditure
Lower physical activity levels
Poorer sleep
Keep reading for details.
During menopause, women tend to lose fat-free (or lean) mass. A 2020 study following women through perimenopause into menopause observed a significant loss of lean muscle mass in multiple areas of the body over time.
To complicate things further, women are also prone to gaining fat mass as they lose lean mass during menopause. Some of this has to do with the effects of low estrogen, which leads to changes in fat distribution. This means more fat accumulates in the midsection and around internal organs.
Your metabolism slows during menopause. This means that you burn fewer calories than you used to, opening the door for weight gain if you don’t make adjustments to your diet and physical activity levels.
A 2014 study found that postmenopausal women had a lower resting metabolic rate and lower total energy expenditure compared to premenopausal women.
Another factor that plays into lean mass loss and body fat gain during menopause is reduced physical activity.
This could have to do with the effects of aging. With age, people can become less flexible and develop conditions like osteoarthritis and other chronic conditions that make movement harder or painful.
Other menopause symptoms can also reduce activity levels. For instance, if you have night sweats that wake you up frequently, you may feel tired the next day and not want to exercise. Mood changes associated with menopause could also affect your desire to exercise.
Women in perimenopause or menopause experience more sleep disturbances than premenopausal women. This can include things like trouble falling asleep and waking up earlier than you want to. For those who wake up in the night, it may be harder to fall back asleep.
Menopause symptoms can also contribute to problems getting a good night’s sleep. For example, night sweats can cause you to wake up in the middle of the night.
Beyond that, having other conditions that impact your sleep can compound the effects of menopause on sleep, like preexisting insomnia or obstructive sleep apnea.
Research shows that short sleep duration is associated with a higher BMI (body mass index) or weight gain. So ensuring you get enough restful sleep each night is an essential part of losing weight during menopause.
Now let’s go over the steps you can take to lose weight during menopause.
To lose weight during this life stage, you can:
Eat a nutritious, calorie-conscious diet
Increase physical activity
Get enough sleep
Get detailed guidance and specific tips below.
One way to counteract a slower metabolism and lower energy expenditure during menopause is to eat fewer calories than you typically do. Weight loss can happen when you create a calorie deficit, meaning you burn more calories each day than you take in.
There’s no firm number on how many calories to cut from your diet. Some research suggests reducing your daily intake by 500 to 750 calories. But the exact number can depend on many factors, such as your:
Body mass index (BMI)
Level of physical activity
Underlying health conditions
Meet with a healthcare provider before reducing your daily calories to figure out how many to aim for and make sure it’s safe for you. You can also go over healthy changes you can make to your diet, foods to avoid for menopause belly fat, and what’s appropriate for you individually.
According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, a healthy eating plan focuses on:
Vegetables and whole fruits
Whole grains and other complex carbohydrates
Low-fat or no-fat dairy
Lean protein sources like leaner cuts of meat, poultry, seafood, and plant-based proteins like nuts, legumes, and tofu
Healthy fats like avocado and olive oil
Counting calories certainly isn’t for everyone, and we’re not suggesting you do that. A diet for weight loss during menopause isn’t just about quantity — food quality is also important. Whenever possible, choose whole foods and try to limit highly processed ones.
Boosting your physical activity levels is vital for losing weight during menopause. A 2023 meta-analysis of studies on postmenopausal women found that exercise:
Increases lean mass
Boosts muscle mass and volume
Lowers fat mass, visceral fat, and body fat percentage
Reduces waist circumference
Aerobic exercise (like different types of cardio) gets your body moving and your blood pumping.
The general recommendation for adults under 65 is to get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week.
However, if you’re wondering how to get rid of menopause belly fat, some research suggests going beyond 150 minutes a week. This can elevate the weight loss benefits for postmenopausal women, including greater reductions in fat mass, BMI, and abdominal fat.
Examples of moderate physical activity include brisk walking, casual swimming, slower cycling, and doubles tennis. If recommended by your healthcare provider, you can also engage in vigorous physical activity, which includes things like:
Swimming laps in a pool
Higher-intensity cycling
Singles tennis
Since lean mass decreases during menopause, resistance training (aka strength training) is also crucial. This type of exercise strengthens and builds muscle.
Resistance training can help increase lean mass in postmenopausal women. Plus, some evidence it may help reduce menopause symptoms.
The recommendation for most adults is to do muscle-strengthening activities two or more days each week. However, as you go through perimenopause and menopause, your healthcare provider might recommend bumping up how much strength training you do to preserve lean mass and bone health.
You might have heard you’re supposed to get eight hours of sleep each night. While this is a good rule of thumb, the recommended amount of sleep changes slightly as you age.
These are the sleep recommendations for adults of different ages, according to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention):
Age 18 to 60: Seven or more hours a night
Age 61 to 64: Seven to nine hours a night
Age 65 and older: Seven to eight hours a night
Getting enough shut-eye can be very beneficial in supplementing other parts of your weight loss journey, such as healthy eating and exercise.
Studies on adults with overweight or obesity who use lifestyle changes for weight loss have found that better sleep health is associated with higher weight loss.
Menopause symptoms can be disruptive to daily life, including contributing to weight gain.
Working with your healthcare provider to manage your specific menopause symptoms can improve your quality of life and help you on your weight loss journey.
Treating hot flashes and night sweats can mean you sleep better at night, giving you more energy for physical activity during the day.
Or treating mood changes that may happen with menopause, including depression, can help to boost your moods and outlook on life. This can spur healthy changes in diet, exercise, and sleep.
Also, some research suggests hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can help women in early menopause by slowing increases in fat mass, especially around the abdomen.
All this information might feel overwhelming. You may be wondering where to start as far as diet, exercise, and sleep are concerned.
We’ll share additional tips and strategies for approaching each topic for weight loss during menopause and avoiding perimenopause weight gain.
There’s no specific menopause diet that promotes weight loss during this time. Having said that, if you’re aiming for healthy eating based on the guidelines mentioned above, the Mediterranean diet (or diets similar to it) may fit the bill.
Women also have different nutritional needs during perimenopause and menopause. A few nutrients to keep your eye on include protein, calcium, and vitamin D.
Getting enough protein can help you maintain or improve lean mass. Meanwhile, calcium and vitamin D are important for maintaining bone health, which can be affected by menopause.
What are the best menopause supplements for weight loss? If you’re concerned you aren’t getting enough calcium, vitamin D, or other nutrients from food, talk to your medical provider about dietary supplements.
When getting started with physical activity, it’s important to be patient. If you don’t exercise often, you may need to start slowly and work up to more intense or longer workouts.
Additionally, it can take time to find exercises that work for you personally — and that you enjoy. It might help to try out different types of exercise. For instance, you may find you really like walking or jogging but get bored swimming laps.
Also, keep in mind that some daily activities can be considered forms of exercise. Dancing, yard work, and home-repair tasks are considered forms of moderate-intensity activity, while carrying a heavy load or doing intense gardening can count as resistance training.
There are many steps you can take to promote better sleep. Here’s what to try:
Aim to go to bed and get up around the same time every day.
Make sure your bedroom is quiet, dark, and at a comfortable temperature at night.
Limit using electronic devices and screens like TVs, phones, and tablets before going to bed.
Try not to eat large meals close to bedtime.
Get regular exercise during the day so you feel tired at night.
You might also consider trying a low-dose melatonin supplement to help you sleep. Melatonin is a hormone that plays a role in sleep, and although your body makes it naturally, levels can dip as you age. Melatonin supplements may also help ease the physical symptoms of menopause.
As you take steps toward menopause weight loss, strive to also keep your overall health and safety in mind. Here’s what to consider as you embark on your weight loss journey.
First and foremost, talk to a healthcare professional before making significant changes to your lifestyle. They can give you personalized recommendations for safe, sustainable weight loss based on your individual needs.
Your provider can give you a better idea of how much of a calorie deficit to create. Going too low on calories can have a negative effect on your health and well-being, such as nutritional deficiencies and increased fatigue. It can also contribute to poor bone health — a particular concern for many women in menopause who have a higher risk of osteoporosis.
Some types of exercise may also do more harm than good, particularly for people with underlying conditions like arthritis or those at risk of falls. Lower-impact activities like cycling and swimming may be recommended in those cases.
Also, while hormone replacement therapy can relieve menopause symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats, it might not be suitable for all women. HRT has been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer, so it may not be recommended to those with a personal or family history of breast cancer.
If hormone therapy isn’t a good option for you, your healthcare provider may recommend non-hormonal treatments for menopause symptoms instead.
Now that we’ve outlined the main concepts of how to lose weight during menopause, you might be wondering what to do next. How should you get started? Let’s discuss this now.
If you’re wanting to lose weight during menopause, see your healthcare provider to discuss how to move forward. They can make weight loss recommendations tailored to you personally.
These can include how to implement changes in diet, physical activity, and sleep to promote weight loss. Your provider might also suggest treatments for menopause symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats that may help with weight loss.
Depending on your individual situation, other weight loss methods might be recommended as well. These could include weight loss medications or bariatric surgery.
Know that weight loss during menopause is totally possible! Many options are available to help you get started on your weight loss journey.
Make an appointment with your healthcare provider or do our free online weight loss assessment to get the ball rolling.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information contained herein is not a substitute for and should never be relied upon for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment. Learn more about our editorial standards here.
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