Exercise scientist says 'eating more' is key to losing weight in perimenopause - here's why

If you've ever wanted to lose weight, you've probably heard the phrase 'calories in versus calories out'. While it's true to a degree, losing weight in menopause isn't about eating less, but rather eating differently.

Speaking to fitness coach Loretta Hogg, Dr Stacy Sims says: “One of the first things that women often do, because we grew up in an era of calories in, calories out, less calories means fat loss. That is not true because if you are not eating enough, your body holds on to fat.”

This is called the 'starvation response', and it's the body's way of protecting itself when food is restricted. Metabolism slows down, hunger hormones increase, and fat stores are preserved for survival.

"Staying adequately fuelled" and strength training regularly is what's actually needed to lose weight while managing our hormone levels in menopause. “When we’re looking at how we’re going to budge some of the meno-pot, we really want to focus on getting strong and building that muscle because if we are working on muscle and our whole focus is muscle and bone, then we end up eating accordingly.”

Fibre and protein are the food groups to focus on, she says. They are filling, aid muscle growth (and so help maintain a healthy metabolism), help reduce food cravings, and provide us with the key nutrients our body needs when oestrogen levels fall.

We know there’s a huge market for protein powders, bars and other supplements, but actually, most of us can get what we need from eating high-protein foods.

The amount of protein you need in menopause depends on your weight. "The recommended protein intake for women over 45 is approximately 1 to 1.5g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, which is higher than the general recommendation for younger adults," Dr Nadira Awal, a Doctify-rated GP who specialises in women's health and menopause, previously told woman&home. You can work out your personal recommendation using menopause specialist Dr Mary Claire Haver's perimenopause protein calculator.

Dr Sims says many women are “afraid of abundance” when it comes to eating, but emphasises that “without abundance we can’t lose fat”. “Let’s change the focus on not what we want to lose, but what we want to gain. We want to gain bone, we want to gain muscle. We want to fuel for that, so then the body fat comes off,” she tells Loretta.

Dr Sims says the best way for us to gain this muscle and bone growth is through strength training. “We need to focus on heavy lifting,” she explains in another video on her Instagram account. “The caveat here is that most perimenopausal women haven’t had a long history in strength training, and it’s a learned skill.” She says consistency is key, and starting off small, even just focusing on movement without weights, before you start adding some load. “But the goal is to get into heavy resistance training, where we have low reps with a heavy weight,” she says.

Dr Sims says it’s “absolutely safe” for women to lift heavy during perimenopause and menopause - and it’s something we should all be doing. She is keen to emphasise that it’s never too late to start, and that “what matters is your form and your function”.

If you’re new to lifting weights, try a simple dumbbell workout at home and work your way up from there. If you have the means, consult a personal trainer for guidance on developing a workout plan.

Sleep is another lifestyle aspect that Dr Sims says says may affect how you lose weight. She says poor sleep “creates metabolic disturbance and dysfunction and increases fat gain”. Improving our sleep quality can lead to body composition improvements in as little as two to three weeks. High levels of cortisol, caused by poor sleep and ongoing stress, also makes fat loss harder as our bodies hold onto energy rather than using it.

Some key ways to improve sleep include going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, limiting blue light exposure at bedtime, and cutting down on your alcohol and caffeine intake.