3 Easy Habits To Help You Achieve Perimenopause Weight Loss
You might be feeling frustrated and defeated when it comes to your perimenopause health right now.
Having to deal with weight gain, brain fog, and irritability day in and day out is not easy!
Perimenopause weight gain is frustrating and persistent and gets in the way of living your life with confidence, ease, and joy.
But I promise you that it doesn’t have to be this way!
While there’s no magic cure, there are things you can do to help your weight gain during perimenopause and start seeing progress.
In this post, I’ll share 3 easy habits you can implement today to help you achieve weight loss during perimenopause!
This is exactly what I help my clients achieve inside my program Nourish & Flourish. In just 5 months you’ll be able to lose the weight you have gained during perimenopause and regain your energy.
Learn more about Nourish & Flourish here!
Habit 1: Increase Your Protein Intake
Increasing your protein intake is a foundational habit for perimenopause weight loss!
Increasing your protein intake is so important during perimenopause because every tissue in the body is made and repaired by protein.
Many women going through perimenopause are told that they should eat less and work out more. This mentality is not effective for weight loss during perimenopause, and can be detrimental to women’s health in the long run.
As we navigate perimenopause and menopause our estrogen levels decrease. This decrease results in a loss of muscle mass and an increase in visceral fat. Increasing your protein intake with high-quality protein helps rebuild what was lost.
Protein plays a vital role in every system in our body...from the immune system and its function in creating antibodies, to the endocrine system in building hormones, to our circulatory system in forming hemoglobin.
Enzymes are made from amino acids (which are derived from protein), and enzymes are involved in every function of the body. Neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin are synthesized from amino acids.
Not only will increasing your protein intake help you lose weight, but it can also:
Keep Cravings Under Control
Balance Blood Sugar
Build Skeletal Muscle and Protect Bone Loss
Here are some practical tips to help you make increased protein intake a habit in your daily routine:
Start Your Day With 30-40 Grams of Protein - This will help you stabilize your blood sugar for the day and help keep your cravings under control. The majority of people start out with a higher carb/low protein breakfast. This starts your body on a blood sugar roller coaster and leads to blood sugar dysregulation throughout the day. A lower protein meal also makes it hard to hit your protein goals for the day. One egg isn’t going to cut it! One egg has only 6 grams of protein!
Determine Your Daily Protein Goals - I recommend 1.5 - 2 g/kg per day. For example, a 150 pound woman (68.04 kg) should eat between 102-136 grams of protein. This is way more protein than most women are eating.
Eat Animal Protein - Animal protein contains all the essential amino acids the body needs to function properly. Protein from plant sources typically does not contain all the essential amino acids, and thus is an incomplete source. Additionally, it is hard to meet your protein goal with plant sources alone. One cup of cooked quinoa is only 8 grams of protein and one cup of garbanzo beans is 14 grams. The amount of plant sources you would need to get to get adequate protein would probably lead to digestive issues. Meanwhile, one chicken breast is about 40 grams of protein. The best sources of protein come from grass-fed and finished beef, bison, lamb and other grazing animals. Wild game like elk, venison, moose, yak, and alpaca are great sources. Wild-caught fish and seafood are a good protein source and have healthy omega-3s. Finally, pasture-raised poultry and eggs are another favorite. Prioritizing high-quality is important because it is more nutrient dense.
Focusing on increasing your protein intake will help you get one step closer to your perimenopause weight loss goals!
Habit 2: Incorporate Resistance Training
Incorporating resistance training is the next habit to implement for perimenopause weight loss.
Incorporating resistance training is so important in your perimenopause weight loss journey because as women age and estrogen levels decline, there is a loss of skeletal muscle.
The loss of muscle mass makes it harder to maintain a healthy weight. First, smaller muscles burn less calories. Second, the loss of skeletal muscle can make it more difficult to balance blood sugar which can lead to weight gain.
Resistance training is crucial for perimenopause weight loss and also helps with:
Building Skeletal Muscle and Increasing Bone Density
Improved Insulin Sensitivity
Improved Mental Health
If you want to make resistance training a part of your daily routine, here are some tips to follow:
Prioritize 3-4 Days a Week of Resistance Training - Follow a plan that allows 3-4 days per week of lifting to muscle failure. Allow yourself rest days to give your muscles time to repair.
Consider An At Home Workout - Having a gym membership is great. However, I find that a lot of the time it’s hard to know what to do once you get there. Women tend to lean more toward the cardio machines, which doesn’t help with building skeletal muscle. I’m a huge fan of Evlo Fitness. This is a workout plan developed by physical therapists with the goal of building skeletal muscle and strength.
Spend Less Time On Cardio - There are only so many days in the week. Women in their 40s and beyond need to have resistance training as their main priority for exercise. If cardio or classes are getting in the way of building strength, then refocus your time on developing a resistance training workout program.
By spending time on resistance training, this will help you reach your ultimate goal of perimenopause weight loss and say goodbye to irritability, brain fog, and fatigue!
Habit 3: Prioritize Sleep and Stress Management
Sleep and stress management is another important habit you’ll want to focus on if you’re ready to achieve perimenopause weight loss.
Sleep and stress management is so important in your perimenopause weight loss journey, because without it many women find themselves with increased cortisol levels, inflammation, and blood sugar issues. All of these factors contribute to perimenopause weight gain.
Increased stress elevates levels of cortisol. Increased levels of cortisol can increase blood sugar, lead to muscle wasting and osteoporosis, cause immune suppression, increase fatigue, make it more difficult to handle stress, make it more difficult to sleep, cause GI issues, and more.
Not only will sleep and stress management help you achieve perimenopause weight loss, but it can also:
Balance Your Blood Sugar
Improve Immune Function
Protect Your Brain Health
Scheduling your days to include time to nourish your mind, body, and soul is an important consideration for yourself.
Here are some recommendations you’ll want to try out to help make sleep and stress management a daily habit:
Reset Your Circadian Rhythm - Our bodies follow a natural rhythm, called the circadian rhythm. Poor sleep habits, blue light from our devices, and not spending enough time outdoors has a negative effect on this natural rhythm. One hour of daily sunlight exposure, without sunglasses can help reset this rhythm. The best time of day to do this is in the morning and evening light.
Laptop Curfew - Give yourself a device curfew to eliminate blue light exposure at least two hours before bedtime. Blue light from devices is very disruptive to your sleep.
Develop a Meditation Practice - Meditation is considered the gold standard for stress reduction and increasing one’s capacity for stress handling. There are many free apps like Calm or Headspace that can guide you through meditation. My favorite resource for meditation is Ziva Meditation. Ziva is great for those who could never imagine meditating and is great for Type A personalities.
Schedule In Fun - With all of the family and work responsibilities we have as women in their 40s, it is hard to remember that we need fun in our lives. This can be as easy as dancing to music while making dinner, enjoying time out with friends, or picking up a new hobby. Children are so much better at laughing and playing. We forget or lose this skill as an adult but it can be a game changer for stress levels!
Focusing on sleep and stress management is another important habit to help you achieve perimenopause weight loss for good!
Conquering perimenopause weight gain requires routine, consistency, and patience!
By practicing these 3 habits, increasing protein intake, incorporating resistance training, and prioritizing sleep and stress management, you can significantly improve your perimenopause weight gain.
Keep in mind that everyone’s body is different, so it may take some time to find the habits and routines that work best for you!
If you need more support on your perimenopause journey, join me inside Nourish & Flourish, my 5 month one-on-one program designed to help you take the guesswork out of navigating perimenopause so you can thrive during midlife!
Say goodbye to your frustrating perimenopause symptoms and hello to vibrant energy!