Menopause Truth Bombs – Over 40, Female and Belly Fat

It just doesn’t seem fair, but for us gals over 40 – in, approaching or beyond menopause – even without changing our diet or exercise, fat around the mid section becomes more and more of a ‘thing’.

There’s a physiological reason for this and it has everything to do with hormones.

AND…

Hormones have everything to do with what we take in, process and what/how/if we release “things” – physically, emotionally, spiritually environmentally, EVERYTHING…not just food.

As we enter the peri/menopause stage of life two major hormone shifts happen which have downstream implications. These involve estrogen and progesterone (plus a slew of other hormones, but these are the primary movers for the most part).

But FIRST, I realize after working with my over-40 aged female clients and talking with my over-40 aged friends that there are some basic misconceptions with our understanding of what peri-menopause and menopause actually are — And there’s a mindset shift regarding menopause that I believe will help women approach this time of life with more grace, acceptance and excitement – instead of dread, avoidance and sadness.

Technically, MENOPAUSE is officially achieved exactly one year from your last period.  If you haven’t had a period for a year, or two – or even five – and then you all of a sudden have a period, the menopause clock starts over.

PERI-MENOPAUSE is the transitional phase 5 to 15 years before menopause when the body starts to turn down reproductive capacity.  This is not the end!  This is instead the beginning of the phase of life where we come back to ourselves. We close out the baby making chapter (if we had kids) and as those kids become young adults, we allow them to do their thing – spread their wings – so that we can refocus on what our hearts yearn for. We may have some work to do to heal our relationships – starting with ourselves – and the patterns we’ve established, the settling we’ve done, the stories we’ve kept retelling and reliving –  in order to allow us to be who we truly are.

Some of us may resist this transition — and that, my lovely ladies, is where the dreaded symptoms of peri-menopause and menopause become even more pronounced.

Peri/menopause symptoms are all listed here in this image from 34MenopauseSymptoms.com (catchy name, lol).

Looking at this list would fill anyone with dread, right?

WOW, it must really suck getting old if we buy into the belief that menopause is a dysfunction full of disease and peril – and not a potentially wonderful, empowering and natural phase of life.  But here in the “modern” Westernized, “anti-aging” culture we inhabit, menopause is something to be avoided, to deny and to hide.

Well, I call B.S.

Don’t buy into this dogma.

Instead, embrace your beautiful peri -/menopausal Queendom and allow yourself to set new boundaries, invest your time and money into what YOU love and enjoy and be who you really are!

OK now that I’ve set that straight 🙂 , back to the belly fat and menopause science and strategies.

Not that you can’t rock that crown with a bigger belly, but if you don’t want to carry that weight (it’s actually more dangerous to carry belly fat), these strategies may help you feel even more comfortable (and healthy) in your own skin.

I created this graphic to summarize what’s happening at a high level in menopause and how that translates to belly fat. Essentially, as we enter peri-menopause and menopause, the two main reproductive hormones that fluctuate with our menstrual cycle start to decrease.

As estrogen declines, our tendency to become resistant to the effects of insulin, increases. Insulin is essential to balance blood sugar, but when we are insulin resistant, the signaling basically becomes desensitized and – like the boy who cried wolf, we ignore the insulin signaling as the pancreas produces more and more insulin.

Insulin in excess not only tends to get stored as fat in most people but it also can block lipolysis (the science-y term for fat burning).

On top of this, estrogen and progesterone decreases can also impact digestion and the health of the digestive tract.  When this happens, our microbiome may become imbalanced causing abdominal bloating, discomfort, malabsorption and even cravings.

The decline of progesterone (and estrogen)  in this phase of life also impacts cortisol – our main stress hormone produced in the adrenal glands.  We may actually become less resilient when it comes to stress (which may explain why menopause is associated with irritable, fly off the handle, crazy women). This promotes cortisol belly (stress will do this in any stage of life as well as in men btw).  Fat then preferentially gets stored in the belly and less so on the hips, as our sex hormones continue to decline.

OK –  now we have a better understanding of what might be going on when the body transitions to menopause, so what can we do about it??? Three things can help:

1. Reduce your carbohydrate consumption if you’re eating a high or even a moderate carb diet.  You’d be doing yourself a big favor by avoiding/eliminating refined grains like cakes,cookies, breads, crackers, pretzels, chips, etc..Most women have to reduce carbs by about 10-20% in this stage of life to be able to maintain insulin sensitivity and stave off belly fat. It’s not fair, but it’s reality.  Enjoy whole foods in the form of mostly non-starchy veggies, moderate amounts of fruit, healthy fats and the highest quality protein you can buy.  Keep starches (grains, beans, starchy veggies) even more moderate along with alcohol.  Find your carbohydrate tolerance by tracking and listening to your body. (I can help you with this too.)
2. Do you even lift, Brah? LOL – Whether it’s a barbell, kettlebell, dumbbell or your own body weight, building muscle increases testosterone, improves insulin sensitivity and rebalances cortisol. Start lifting heavy things – including yourself with push ups, squats, assisted pull ups or rows with bands, rings, bars or weights, overhead presses and lunges are easy places to start strength training with minimal space and equipment needed.
3. Prioritize sleep and manage stress – I lumped these together because they go hand and hand, but they are huge topics that really deserve their own posts.  If we sleep poorly, hormones become imbalanced – especially hunger hormones and cortisol. When we’re overtired, we can’t handle stress as well.  Stress is inevitable – it’s part of life, but we have to learn how to put stress in it’s place and not let it run our lives. IT’S OUR PERCEPTION AND REACTION TO STRESS that matters – it’s not about avoiding stress (well, ya don’t go looking for it!). It’s how we allow it in, process it and let it go.  This is so huge…I’ll definitely be writing more on the topic in the coming weeks.

So I hope this helped reframe menopause and peri-menopause for you. It’s an empowering time. I’ve heard it compared to a rebirth. It’s not the end, but rather the beginning of something wonderful to experience and take in fully in this precious second half of life. Yes, we have to be more diligent with things, but the awareness, mindfulness and rewards are really worth it when you find your flow – with food, movement and all that this wonderful life offers. <3

xo,

Ev