Eating right to balance your metabolism can help stop menopause weight gain

For decades, women have been told weight gain is just a normal part of menopause—something we have to accept as our metabolism slows down and our hormones shift.

Let's just bust that myth right now, weight gain in menopause is not inevitable. What’s really happening isn’t a metabolism malfunction, t’s a hormonal imbalance. And when you address the imbalance, your body stops fighting against you and starts working with you again.

As women transition into perimenopause and menopause, the hormonal landscape shifts dramatically. Estrogen, progesterone and testosterone levels decline, while stress hormones like cortisol often remain elevated due to poor sleep, stress and restrictive dieting. When hormones are out of balance, the body struggles to regulate weight, energy, mood, sleep and even digestion.

Symptoms of this imbalance can include increased belly fat, even if diet and exercise haven’t changed, cravings for sugar and processed carbs, sluggish metabolism and low energy, mood swings, anxiety and depression, as well as poor sleep, night sweats, hot flashes, bloating, gas, and digestive discomfort, brain fog and forgetfulness, joint pain and inflammation. Those are just a few of the most common symptoms.

Does any of that sound familiar? Those signs are a distress-call that your body is full of inflammation and out of balance. When it comes to weight, the last thing your body needs is for you to deprive it of nutrients, aka dieting and eating less. Let's face it, nothing thrives in a deficit.

The weight loss industry loves to target menopausal women with quick fixes—pills, patches, drops and hormone replacement therapies that promise to melt belly fat. But here’s the truth. If those worked, you wouldn’t still be searching for answers.

Even for women who do find relief using HRT, without addressing the inflammation and gut issues, it's still making your body struggle to come into balance. Low-calorie diets slow your metabolism and signal to your body it’s in survival mode and that makes it burn muscle and hold on to fat. Endless cardio raises cortisol, which leads to more belly fat storage.
Weight loss medications suppress appetite and trick your body into thinking it doesn’t need nourishment, leading to muscle loss, insulin resistance and even more metabolic damage.

None of those quick fixes restore balance and until your hormones, gut and metabolism are supported properly, your body will keep fighting against you.

So, if weight gain in menopause isn’t inevitable and diets aren’t the answer, what is?

The key is restoring balance in the body, not fighting against it. That means focusing on nourishment, not restriction and addressing the root cause. Using food to create hormonal imbalance and stabilize blood sugar, along with clean foods to optimize gut health and reduce inflammation is what will get you the results you want today and be able to keep them long term.

One of the biggest mistakes I see women make is not eating enough or going too long between meals. When you don’t fuel your body consistently, blood sugar crashes, cortisol spikes, your body burns muscle and fat storage kicks into high gear.

Eat every 3-4 hours to keep blood sugar stable. Focus on protein at every meal to preserve muscle and balance hormones. Don’t fear healthy fats—your brain and hormones need them. Protein is non-negotiable in menopause. Without enough, muscle mass declines, metabolism slows and cravings skyrocket.

Aim for 20 grams to 30 grams of protein per meal. Include sources like grass-fed beef, chicken, eggs, fish and plant-based proteins, like hemp, chia, spirulina. Start your day with a protein-rich breakfast to set the tone for balanced blood sugar all day.

Chronic inflammation makes it nearly impossible to lose weight, especially belly fat. The good news is you can bring inflammation down naturally by changing what you eat and how you support your body. Cut out or at least minimize inflammatory foods like gluten, soy, dairy, alcohol, sugar, processed seed oils and artificial sweeteners. Increase omega-3 fats from salmon, flaxseeds, and walnuts. Eat more leafy greens, cruciferous veggies, and berries for antioxidants. Manage stress with deep breathing, quality sleep and practice self care.

Your gut health directly impacts estrogen, metabolism, inflammation and fat storage. When your gut is out of balance, so are your hormones. Consider adding fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi and kefir. Eat unprocessed fibre-rich foods to feed good gut bacteria. Ditch that Fibre 1 bar. It's not your friend. Avoid processed foods, they disrupt the gut microbiome. Stay hydrated to support digestion and detoxification.

Weight gain in menopause isn’t about a broken metabolism or aging, it’s about the length of time you've been doing things that don't serve your body and cause disruption in hormones and balance. The more you fight against your body with restrictions, over-exercising or quick fixes, the more it resists. When you nourish it the right way, everything starts to shift.

You’ll stop craving sugar, your belly will start to shrink, the brain fog will lift, energy will return, you'll sleep better and you’ll wake up feeling like you again.

The information provided in this article does not, and is not intended to, constitute medical advice. All information and content are for general information purposes only.

To learn more about using food to create hormonal balance, watch Tania's free video.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.