It started with a popped pants button. I was presenting at a conference and right before I hit the stage, it went — shooting at a high rate of speed and landing in front of my shoe. My favorite black pants that fit like a glove in my 30s and early 40s would no longer conform to a changing midsection. The button-popping incident (along with hot flashes and sleep disturbances) was a sign of something I had detected and denied for some time — I was in perimenopause.
Perimenopause is a period where the body begins the transition to menopause. According to the Cleveland Clinic, the process can take years and is associated with a loss of estrogen and may include accompanying symptoms such as hot flashes, increased belly fat, mood swings, vaginal dryness and disrupted sleep. Menstrual cycles are often irregular; once you go 12 months without one, you are officially in menopause.
Belly fat in menopausal women
Menopausal weight gain, which impacts between 60-70% of menopausal women, has been associated with a decline in muscle mass due to hormonal changes. The shifting hormones also cause a redistribution of abdominal fat. One study found that perimenopausal women doubled their fat mass in the years preceding menopause. And holding fat in this area comes with health risks: Studies show that increasing belly fat may impair insulin sensitivity and increase the risk of certain cancers and cardiac risk factors such as hypertension, obesity and dyslipidemia.
A 5-step dietary approach to reducing belly fat and improving health
These are some of the diet changes I put in place (and have advised my patients to consider) that have worked for me in combating menopause-related belly fat. However, it has taken time and hard work and an attention to multiple components of lifestyle beyond diet (like sleep, for example).
Of course I had an aesthetic goal of reducing belly fat. But the increased attention to my health as it pertains to holding fat in the midsection was also motivating…
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