Weight management or shedding fat from perimenopause and beyond needn't be about calorie counting and for long term results shouldn't focus on calorie counting at all...This may be difficult for some women to accept, particularly for those who have visited popular slimming clubs in the UK. Whilst calorie deficit sheds weight, particularly for the morbidly obese and obese, it doesn't shift perceptions of body health longer term, with many regaining weight when counting gets too much to handle. In our youth this simplistic energy balanced equation of energy in = energy out can be effective for a time but again its not educating us about the way in which foods (macro nutrients particularly) behave in our body once we have eaten them.

Not all calories are equal

The fact is that the same number of calories from sugar do not cause the same physiological, biochemical & metabolic reactions that calories from protein and fat do. At the heart of fat storage during times of hormonal shifts, balancing blood sugar is key.

Moreover, a multitude of health conditions and disease is triggered by repetitive blood sugar spikes over the duration of months to years. (1)

The reduction of oestrogen in females from 35 years onward contributes to insulin resistance - this means that we do not metabolise sugar and starch the way we once did. Studies show that females tend to metabolise fat best and sugar least post menopause in recent literature too. (2)

Unless we make significant change to our sugar and starch intake, fat storage may become more centrally deposited - 'meno belly' being the most common term for this in menopausal women :( Apart from not looking appealing, central fat is the most unhealthy distribution of fat we can store. This fat surrounds our vital organs increasing our chances of disease.

Whilst menopause does not cause diabetes, many women become diabetic during the menopause transition (3.4.5) and metabolic syndrome has a positive correlation with menopausal status - this means that metabolic syndrome is more likely to be seen in women who have reached menopause. (4,5,6.7)

Metabolic syndrome refers to a group of conditions that present concurrently, elevating the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. These conditions encompass elevated blood pressure, high blood glucose levels, excess adiposity around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels. The presence of metabolic syndrome significantly increases the likelihood of developing diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, or a combination of these conditions.

Maybe this is good news?!

Menopause often triggers a more health conscious approach to life, with many women rethinking old habits which no longer serve their health, with a focus on prevention of chronic disease as we age. Our hormones insist we no longer practice unhealthy eating, unless we are prepared to live with the consequences this brings about. Mother Natures guide to better health perhaps? Lets face it though, an increase in body fat, wherever it lands, isn't welcomed by many of us. Add in mind and mood shifts and a dip in cognitive function as well as low energy & poor sleep and our relationship with food can easily become a love/hate one. Initiating this perpetual cycle of deprivation and 'treating' ourselves with junk foods as a reward, this can literally weigh some of us down.

My simplistic methods to counter cravings, reduce fat storage and other symptoms of menopause will help you change the narrative of the menopause transition, allowing you to reclaim your health whilst feeling and looking better than before.

References

1 Stéphanie M.C. Abo, Anita T. Layton, Modeling sex-specific whole-body metabolic responses to feeding and fasting, Computers in Biology and Medicine, Volume 181,

2024, kjojo.nkb'109024,

ISSN 0010-4825, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compbiomed.2024.109024.

(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010482524011090)

2 Mauvais-Jarvis F. Sex differences in metabolic homeostasis, diabetes, and obesity. Biol Sex Differ. 2015 Sep 3;6:14. doi: 10.1186/s13293-015-0033-y. PMID: 26339468; PMCID: PMC4559072.

3 Diabetes UK Menopause and diabetes | Diabetes UK

4 Stefanska A., Bergmann K., Sypniewska G. Metabolic Syndrome and Menopause: Pathophysiology, Clinical and Diagnostic Significance. Adv. Clin. Chem. 2015;72:175. doi: 10.1016/bs.acc.2015.07.001.

5 Christakis M.K., Hasan H., De Souza L.R., Shirreff L. The effect of menopause on metabolic syndrome: Cross-sectional results from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. Menopause. 2020;27:999–1009. doi: 10.1097/GME.0000000000001575.

6 Jeong HG, Park H. Metabolic Disorders in Menopause. Metabolites. 2022 Oct 8;12(10):954. doi: 10.3390/metabo12100954. PMID: 36295856; PMCID: PMC9606939.

7 Mumusoglu S., Yildiz B.O. Metabolic Syndrome During Menopause. Curr. Vasc. Pharmacol. 2019;17:595–603. doi: 10.2174/1570161116666180904094149.