Avoiding Weight Gain During Menopause: 5 Things to Know Now

September 4, 2025

In this blog

What is GLP-1 and how does it work?

Week-by-Week breakdown

Tips and lessons from real users

The EARLY Perspective

Conclusion

About the Author

References

Ready to lose weight for good?

Is Menopause Weight Gain Inevitable?

Is it that after you cross the age of 35-40, you feel lethargic? You are dragging through the day, you are craving carbs, or wondering why, even after your workouts, your weight isn’t under your control?

If this sounds familiar to you and you are in your late 30s or early 40s, trust us, it’s not your fault! What you are most likely facing is the early impact of perimenopause. Perimenopause is the hormonal transition that leads to menopause. This can mess up your weight and cause your weight to shoot up!

Here is a secret one of our Senior Endocrinologists told us, once you gain weight because of menopause, controlling calories won’t help you. Hormones like estrogen, progesterone, cortisol, and even insulin are the real reason behind this weight gain. This isn’t just you; it’s a very common issue that women face. This is because their metabolism changes, stress response shifts, and fat in their body starts redistributing (especially around the belly).

But we have good news for you. You can actually avoid weight gain during menopause. Here are 5 secrets you must know in order to do that!

1. It’s Hormones, Not Just Calories

We are sure that in your 20s or early 30s, it was easy for you to control your weight gain relatively by simply controlling your diet and doing extra workouts. However, as our age increases, our body’s rules change.
That’s because hormones like estrogen and progesterone keep fluctuating during perimenopause. They play a huge role in how our body stores fat and uses energy.

Estrogen helps you to regulate insulin (the hormone that controls blood sugar). As estrogen declines, insulin sensitivity can decrease, which makes it easier to gain weight.

Cortisol, your stress hormone, tends to rise with age. That causes cravings and pushes your body to store more fat around the midsection.
And if you already have thyroid issues, which are common in women 35+, then perimenopause can intensify that slowdown. This makes weight management even tougher.

So please don’t get fed up if you are trying hard to work out and control your diet, but weight gain has no chill. It’s not just about eating less, it’s about understanding what your hormones are doing and learning how to work with your body, not against it.

2. Stress and Sleep are VIPs

We must understand 2 things: chronic stress and poor sleep. Most people don’t know that they might be struggling with belly fat issues because of poor sleep or chronic stress.

Here’s why:
When you are constantly stressed or sleeping poorly, your body produces more cortisol. → High cortisol increases belly fat → disrupts blood sugar → and lowers estrogen and progesterone balance.

Add in poor sleep, and your hunger hormones (ghrelin and leptin) go out of hand → making you hungrier, moodier → less likely to make nourishing choices.

A friend of mine was doing everything right. Good eating, workouts, etc. But the weight wouldn’t be controlled. It wasn’t until she fixed her sleep that the scale finally started moving down and she lost weight!

What helps?

Set a consistent bedtime and wake-up time, even on weekends. Everyone has their own body clock, but it must be consistent.

You can actually try to avoid screen time 60 minutes before bed. This is because blue light suppresses melatonin (an important hormone for us).
Try deep breathing, journaling, or even a warm magnesium-rich drink at night to relax better.
The truth? If you want to reset your hormones, you need to reset your nervous system first. So please don’t take stress, and please have a proper, consistent sleep.

3. Strength Training Is Your Best Friend

Many people rely on long walks or cardio sessions to “burn off” weight. You’re not alone; most do. But during perimenopause and menopause, muscle is most important.

Here’s what’s happening:
As estrogen drops, muscle mass naturally declines. Muscle is the engine that keeps your metabolism fixed.

Less muscle is actually equivalent to fewer calories burned when you are resting, more fat gaining, and a slower metabolism rate.

A great way to fix this is to do Strength training. It’s one of the most powerful tools you can use to maintain (or build back) lean muscle, boost metabolism, and support hormonal balance. Even just 20-minute resistance workouts, 2–3 times a week, can change a lot of things as per our experts.

You don’t need a gym:
• You can try resistance bands, bodyweight workouts, or dumbbells at home
• Pilates, barre, and yoga with strength elements are great too for you
• You can also focus on compound movements. E.g.: squats, lunges, pushups, rows

Strength training also helps you with bone density, which becomes even more important post-40. So please do try that. Some ask that then is Cardio useless? No, Cardio still matters but don’t let it be the only thing you do.

4. Have Important “Healthy” Add-ons!

Sometimes it’s not the “junk food” that kills your goals. It can also be the healthy stuff that’s missing balance. For eg: you start the day with a smoothie, granola, or low-fat yogurt. By 11 a.m., you’re crashing, craving sugar, and wondering why you’re still gaining weight.

That’s blood sugar imbalance, and it’s very common during perimenopause. Especially if insulin sensitivity is already low due to hormonal shifts.
Even “clean” foods like oats, bananas, or whole grain toast can cause big spikes in blood sugar if they’re not paired with enough protein, fiber, and healthy fats.

These spikes trigger more insulin, which signals your body to store fat, particularly in the midsection.

Simple tweaks make a huge difference:

Add protein (eggs, Greek yogurt, protein powder) to every meal
Include fiber (chia seeds, leafy greens, flaxseeds)
Don’t fear healthy fats, avocados, nuts, olive oil, ghee

“Blood sugar balance is the secret sauce to avoiding hormonal weight gain.”

Once your blood sugar is stable, you’ll have fewer cravings, more energy, and better weight control and you also won’t have to to deprive yourself.

5. Try Some Healers!

Supplements and herbs can absolutely support you during menopause. But they’re supportive, not the main solution.

That said, the right ones can help:

Ashwagandha: calms the nervous system, balances cortisol
Maca root: may support energy, mood, and hormone balance
Magnesium: aids sleep, mood, blood sugar regulation
Omega-3s: fight inflammation and help with hormone production
Vitamin D and B-complex: support metabolism, mood, and energy

But always remember that supplements won’t fix poor sleep, constant stress, or skipped meals. They’re secondary, not primary.

Also, if you have thyroid issues, PCOS, or insulin resistance, it’s best to get lab work done and speak with a holistic or functional practitioner. They can guide you toward what your body needs, not just what’s trending on Instagram.

Start slow. Choose one or two supportive tools, see how you feel, and track changes gently over time.

You Don’t Have to Do It Alone

Let’s be real! Menopause is a huge transition. It can feel confusing, frustrating, even defeating at times. But it doesn’t have to be.

You don’t have to count every calorie or run yourself into the ground to maintain a healthy weight. You just need to understand what’s happening and make changes after knowing the real issue.

About the Author

Dr. Geeta Chopra

Dr. Geeta Chopra is a former professor at Delhi University and advocate for the young and the most marginalized children. She spent almost four decades teaching, researching, and a policy advisor to GOI. She is also a lifelong sports person and fitness enthusiast who has deep dived into the world of fitness and the science behind it. She has authored six books, 25+ research papers and regularly writes thought pieces on topics that interest her.