Weight Loss After Menopause 5 Surprise Foods to Avoid

Women go through different stages in life. Some of them are more pleasant and some are less pleasant. Every woman remembers her first period – the time when you were maybe not totally prepared for drastic changes in your body. After a woman gets used to her periods, at one point later, she’ll need to wave farewell to them as every woman will reach a time when she permanently stops having menstrual periods. This is the menopause stage. This stage indicates that a woman can no longer have children. 

Perimenopause is the transition phase before menopause. During this transition period, the supply of mature eggs in a woman’s ovaries diminishes and the production of estrogen and progesterone decreases. The significant drop in estrogen levels causes most of the symptoms of menopause.

Unfortunately, most women suffer from different symptoms that affect their moods and their bodies. It’s common for women to gain weight during menopause. However, a proper diet and activities can increase the chances of maintaining a healthy weight. Read on and discover 5 surprise foods to avoid for weight loss after menopause. 

What Does It Mean to Be in Menopause? 

Menopause is when a woman has gone 12 months without a menstrual period and this means she’s entered the menopause “stage”. Usually, menopause happens in your 40s or 50s (5).

Interestingly, menopause can appear for reasons besides natural reasons. These include

• Premature menopause

Premature menopause may occur when a woman faces ovarian failure before the age of 40. This may be connected with smoking, chemotherapeutic drugs, radiation exposure, or surgery that damages the ovarian blood supply. 

• Surgical menopause

Surgical menopause happens after the removal of one or both ovaries (12).

Although menopause is a natural biological process, it often has quite unbearable symptoms: 

• Vaginal dryness
• Hot flashes
• Chills
• Night sweats
• Insomnia
• Mood swings
• Dry skin and thinning hair
• Loss of breast fullness

Weight gain and slowed metabolism are among the most unsatisfactory symptoms. The reason for this is simple: a woman continues to eat the same amount of calories as before menopause, but she is now more likely to gain weight. 

Why Did I Gain Weight After Menopause? 

Menopause weight gain is associated partly with hormonal changes. Estrogen level changes contribute to weight gain.

Estrogen is one of the major sex hormones in females. This hormone:

• Affects physical sex characteristics
• Regulates the menstrual cycle
• Maintains bone health
• Regulates cholesterol levels (3)

Estrogen levels lower after menopause. While they don’t directly contribute to weight gain, they may lead to increases in abdominal and total body fat. 

The second reason for weight gain after menopause lies in the natural aging process. As older people are usually less physically active, they double their chances of gaining extra calories. In addition, their metabolism naturally slows down as their muscle mass slowly declines. 

Poor sleep is another major reason for weight gain. That is why it is best to build a healthy sleeping schedule where you go to sleep and wake up at the same time. 

In addition to poor sleep, hormonal changes, and the natural aging processes, another reason for menopause belly fat is genetic and social factors. If your parents or close relatives are carrying extra weight, you may be more likely to gain weight as you age too.

What Foods Should You Avoid After Menopause?

Eating a healthy balanced diet during the perimenopausal and postmenopause periods is particularly important. There are certain types of foods that every woman during menopause should limit. Here’s a list of 5 foods you should limit or avoid during menopause: 

• Added sugar

This is the top recommendation of every doctor when it comes to weight loss after menopause. Added sugars can be hidden in many of the foods you eat. They contribute excess calories with no nutritional value. Sugar consumption contributes to weight gain, which may lead to an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers. This is why it’s important to minimize the consumption of added sugar on a daily basis.

• Ultra-processed foods

Who doesn’t enjoy deli, bacon, potato chips, or sausages? Everyone remembers crazy movie nights with their favorite chips and other snacks. These snacks are high in sodium, calories, and sugar, in addition to being low in nutritional value and don’t make you feel very full after eating them, which can contribute to weight gain.

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• Caffeine

A moderate amount of caffeine isn’t usually seen as harmful, but excessive caffeine intake, particularly later in the day, can interfere with sleep quality. Sleep deprivation increases cortisol (stress hormone) and ghrelin (hunger hormone) levels. It can cause obesity in adults and children (10). This hormone helps you know when to stop eating. A sleep-deprived person tends to eat larger portions and finds it much more complicated to stick to their eating regime. 

• Fatty products

No, we’re not talking here about healthy fats that come from fish or nuts. Here, we touch upon the unhealthy fats that can be found in fried food, cakes, or pastries.

• Alcohol

Overconsumption of alcohol leads to unpleasant consequences. Alcohol consumption during the menopause period may increase your internal body temperature. It doesn’t help when you’re already suffering from hot flashes and night sweats. Most importantly, alcoholic beverages are high in calories. Furthermore, a lot of people consume more food after a few glasses of drinks, which again affects their total energy intake.

If you avoid or at least reduce the intake of these products, you’ll probably feel better and healthier and your menopause may be less intimidating. 

Read more: Tackling Menopause Belly: Strategies for a Trim Waistline in 2025

What Is the Secret to Losing Weight After Menopause?

The secret to losing weight after menopause is to adopt a healthy lifestyle strategy. But what does this healthy lifestyle plan look like? It’s simpler than you may think. Here are some more tips for menopause weight loss:

• Stay more active

As people age, they lose muscle tone, which is often replaced by body fat. Through exercise, you can maintain more of that muscle. One study found that resistance training three times per week can reduce body fat and improve muscle strength in postmenopausal women (9). Don’t get frustrated if you can’t do resistance training – there are milder ways to stay active when you’re older: walk your dog around the park, do yoga, take the stairs instead of the elevator, etc. 

• Consume nutrient-rich food

Another secret to losing weight post-menopause is to consume fewer calories than you burn during the day. Your healthy balanced diet should include a variety of fruits and vegetables, fish, poultry, whole grains in bread and cereals, healthy fats such as olive oil or avocados, and legumes (3).

• Control portion sizes

There are a few key points that can help you with this process: avoid eating in front of your laptop or smartphone, order fewer appetizers when eating out, and maybe even measure your portions using the kitchen scale. Some people use their palms to measure the proper sizes or simply use the plate method: fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables, a quarter with whole grains or starchy vegetables, and a quarter with lean protein. 

• Sleep better

Yeah, healthy sleep again. But it’s important. High-quality sleep is essential for maintaining a healthy weight and overall health. According to research, sleep disturbances are linked to metabolic disruption (11). Low-quality sleep can affect energy outlay,  appetite hormones, and body fat composition. 

• Plan your days ahead

With the proper diet and activity planning, you can build a healthy regime with nutritious food, exercise, and better sleep. 

What Foods Help with Menopausal Belly Fat?

Losing a menopause belly during and after menopause may seem impossible as hormone changes and the aging process are working against you, but your belly fat is determined by the menopause stage and the number of calories you take in and burn during the day.  

If you exercise too little and eat too much, you can end up with an expanding waistline. When women get older, they notice an increase in belly fat even if they don’t gain weight. This is due to a decreasing level of estrogen, which influences where fat is distributed in the body (1). 

Women should pay closer attention to their diet as it is more difficult to sustain a healthy weight during the postmenopause period. According to one study (8), caloric deficit or reducing your calorie intake to 500-700 calories plays a key role in reducing overall weight. If you cut approximately 500 calories a day, you may lose ½ to 1 pound a week. However, this depends on each individual (4). If you eat more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. If you burn more calories than you eat, you will lose weight. In addition to a caloric deficit and physical exercises that contribute to weight loss, women should focus on a healthy, balanced diet. 

The following 5 types of food can help you sustain a healthier weight and perhaps even trim the fat around your waistline.

• Products that are rich in fiber

Whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables promote digestive health and weight control and help you feel satiated for a long time. Most adult women need at least 21 g of fiber per day (6).

• Fatty fish

Fish such as salmon, sardines, and tuna are rich in vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids. This may help fight night sweats, improve mood, and decrease inflammation, not to mention the fact that it’s heart-healthy. 

• Water

This should be present in any diet as water is essential for life. Being adequately hydrated can make you feel more focused and energetic. In addition, when you consume enough water, you may feel less hungry and reduce your caloric intake. 

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• Berries

These sweet delicious products are loaded with antioxidants and phytonutrients that may benefit you in a number of ways. They contain special macronutrients, including vitamin C and fighting nutrients. Berries promote a healthy gut and may reduce the risk of a heart attack.  They may also improve memory and learning (2).

• Protein

As with high-fiber food, protein products help you feel full for long periods of time without any need to snack. Eggs, lean meats, and tofu reduce hunger and can help curb cravings. Protein also helps maintain your muscles, which is essential for a healthy metabolism. 

Your menopause weight loss diet should include food that is rich in vitamins and minerals, in addition to lean protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats. Remember to also include physical activity. Whether it’s a Mediterranean or vegan diet, you won’t achieve the desired results if you stick to a sedentary lifestyle. 

Read more: The Menopause Diet 5 Day Plan To Lose Weight In No Time!

How Can I Speed up Weight Loss During Menopause?

So you’ve changed your eating habits and started controlling your food portions. You look at yourself in the mirror, but fat around your waist and other parts of your body seems to be eternal and impossible to diminish. 

The problem is that although you may have completely changed your diet, your body needs some movement. Therefore, if you want to speed up weight loss during menopause, then remember this: physical activities + healthy food = a healthy body. 

You may confirm that your caloric intake is lower, but it means little if you spend your entire day on the couch or in a chair. 

Exercises after menopause are incredibly important for women who are keen to burn calories. 

Active training has many other benefits in addition to weight loss as it may also:

• Reduce the risk of osteoporosis
• Lower the risk of heart attack, metabolic syndrome, and other cardiovascular diseases
• Improve insulin resistance
• Keep muscles and joints healthy
• Help the bowels work well
• Relieve depression and anxiety (7)

There are three types of exercises that can help you lose and maintain a healthy weight: 

• Strength training

This weight-resistance exercise program builds muscle mass and promotes metabolism. Examples of strength training include weight machines and dumbbells, resistance bands, yoga, and gardening.

• Low-impact aerobics benefits your heart and lungs

The best aerobic routine includes simple walking, swimming, cycling, or dancing. 

• Other daily activities

Even washing the car, cleaning your house, and playing active games are activities that keep you energized and allow you to lose weight (7).

People are advised to talk to their doctor before they start any workout activity. It can also be beneficial to find a person with the same goal and start your healthy diet and physical exercise routine together as this will help you stay even more motivated. 

Make sure to perform a warm-up before any exercise and gradually increase the intensity of your workout. If you feel any pain while exercising, stop immediately and contact your doctor. 

Most importantly, don’t hesitate to start. It may be tough, particularly for postmenopausal women, but once you start and get the desired results, you’ll regret not starting earlier. You won’t only end up with a healthier weight and your attitude to yourself and others will also change. 

Start. Keep going. Don’t stop. 

The Bottom Line

The menopause period leads to changes in a woman’s body and mood. Most women tend to gain weight, even without altering their eating habits. This is associated with a decrease in estrogen levels, the natural aging process, and living a more sedentary lifestyle. 

You can defeat weight gain in menopause by combining physical activities with healthier food. 5 surprise foods to limit or avoid for weight loss after menopause are alcohol, ultra-processed foods, added sugar, caffeine, and fatty products. 

A menopausal diet for weight loss should include fruits and vegetables, food that is rich in fiber and protein, fat from fish and nuts, and legumes. In addition, keeping yourself hydrated will enhance your energy levels.  

Women are advised to consult their doctor before they start any new intensive workouts or if they experience discomfort during physical activities.