Many women report that they find it difficult to manage their weight during menopause, and menopause weight gain is very common. During menopause, muscle mass reduces and body fat redistributes. Body fat moves centrally, so women may notice their body fat moving from their hips to their abdomen.
Changes in body composition, especially reduced muscle mass, reduces the amount of energy or calories that our bodies need. Over time, if the amount of food eaten is not reduced, this can lead to weight gain.
In this article, our dietitian Hollie Corrigan shares her top tips for weight management during menopause.
1. Be mindful of portion sizes
Reducing portion sizes helps to reduce calories in the diet, which in turn helps to support weight loss during menopause. To manage portion sizes, try and follow The Plate Model, which recommends ½ of the plate to be filled with vegetables, ¼ of the plate protein foods (e.g. meat, eggs, fish) and ¼ of the plate carbohydrate foods (e.g. pasta, rice, potatoes). See the image below for reference:
The Plate Model
2. Exercise regularly
Regular exercise is an important tool for weight management during menopause. Choose an exercise that you enjoy as you are more likely to keep it up in your routine.
Try and aim to so some aerobic exercise which raises your heart rate for 30 mins x 5 days per week. Examples of aerobic exercise include brisk walking, running, swimming or dancing.
In addition to this, try aim to do muscle strengthening exercises twice per week. Strengthening the muscles can help to reduce some of the muscle mass loss which happens during menopause. Increasing muscle size and strength can help your body to use calories more efficiently which can help in managing your weight. Examples of muscle strengthening exercises include:
Weight lifting
Body weight exercises e.g. squats and push ups
Pilates
More vigorous forms of yoga such as Ashtanga and Vinyasa
3. Eat more protein
Eating more protein can help with managing weight in different ways. Protein foods are very filling which can help regulate appetite and lead to less snacking in between meals.
Protein is also the building blocks of our muscles and can help to preserve muscle mass in menopause, alongside regular muscle strengthening exercises.
Aim to have a palm size portion (equal to ¼ of your plate) which each meal i.e. breakfast, lunch and dinner. Examples of high protein foods in the diet include:
Lean red meats
Chicken
Turkey
Fish
Eggs
Low fat milk, cheese and yoghurt
Tofu
Beans and lentils
4. Reduce fatty foods
Fats are an essential part of the diet but are very high in calories. Therefore, reducing them can help with weight loss during menopause. Fatty foods in the diet include:
Fried foods
Pies, pastries and cakes
Fatty meats such as bacon and sausages
Butter
Oils
Cheese
5. Cook at home where possible
We all enjoy a takeaway or restaurant meal from time to time, but these meals tend to be higher in fats, salt and calories than the meals we cook at home ourselves. Therefore, having these meals on a frequent basis can make it difficult to manage weight during menopause.
Cooking at home means we have more control over cooking methods and portion sizes. When cooking at home, try and choose cooking methods which don’t use oil, such as baking, boiling or steaming.
October is Menopause Awareness Month, with World Menopause Day on Wednesday 18th October - find out more here!
Written by: Hollie Corrigan, CORU Registered Dietitian with Spectrum Nutrition