When the Body Changes: Understanding Belly and Breast Weight Gain During Menopause
- Andree Noye
- Jun 22
- 5 min read
By Andrée Noye, MA, Clinical Herbalist and Kaitlyn Comeau, Registered Dietician. Reading Time 5-7 minutes.
Among the top three questions I’m asked as a clinical herbalist, this one comes up again and again. So I’ve decided to share it here, along with my full answer. If you’re in your 40s or 50s, or if you’re someone who loves and supports women through this life stage, this may help you understand what’s happening—and what you can do about it.
The Question: "Why do women gain weight around the belly and chest during menopause, even when nothing changes in their lifestyle or eating habits?"
My Answer:
Excellent question, and incredibly common during perimenopause and menopause. This shift is deeply natural, even if it can feel frustrating or out of your control. Let’s talk about it clearly, thoroughly, and without shame. Because this is a subject that deserves both science and softness.
1. Hormonal Shifts: Estrogen and Progesterone
At menopause, your hormone levels change drastically:
Estrogen levels drop significantly.
Progesterone decreases as well, often starting in perimenopause.
Estrogen plays a big role in:
Where fat is stored (hips, thighs, and buttocks in younger years).
Regulating metabolic rate (how quickly we burn calories).
With lower estrogen:
The body shifts fat storage to the abdomen and chest, where there are more active metabolic fat cells.
It’s a survival response. Fat cells in the belly can produce small amounts of estrogen via an enzyme called aromatase. This is the body’s way of trying to maintain hormonal balance.
This isn’t betrayal. It’s ancient biology.
2. Lower Energy Expenditure
Basal metabolic rate (your energy burned at rest) drops by about 10% post-menopause. So even if you eat the same amount, it becomes relatively more than your body needs. If you’re not increasing gentle physical activity, your body tends to store what it doesn’t burn.
3. Changes in Insulin Sensitivity
Lower estrogen affects blood sugar regulation, increasing:
Small insulin resistance
Abdominal fat storage
Cravings, especially for sugar or comfort foods
4. Emotional and Neurochemical Shifts
Estrogen protects serotonin—the mood-regulating neurotransmitter. Less estrogen means:
Lower serotonin
Subtle emotional lows
Food cravings to compensate
Add to this the emotional stress of major life changes, sleep disruption, and rising cortisol levels, and you have a perfect storm for abdominal weight gain.
But this is not a life sentence. Your body is changing, yes. But it can still thrive with care, nourishment, and attention.
So what can you do?
This is the second-most frequent question I get: How can I avoid or manage this weight gain?
Here’s my full answer, based on what I offer to my clients through customized herbal plans:
1. Nutrition to Support Hormones and Blood Sugar
Your goal is to stabilize insulin and support natural hormone clearance.
Prioritize:
Protein at every meal (eggs, legumes, tofu, fish, seeds)
Lots of fiber (green veg, roots in moderation, chia, psyllium)
Whole grains (quinoa, oats, buckwheat) instead of refined flours
Ground flaxseed (rich in lignans for hormone balance)
Limit:
Refined sugar (pastries, sodas, excess fruit)
White flour products (bread, pasta)
Processed dairy (can trigger inflammation)
Beyond what we eat, it’s also helpful to look at the components of our meals and how they influence blood sugar, hormones, and satiety. It’s not just about removing sugar or processed foods, it's about creating a plate that is hormonally supportive and metabolically steady.
Many women unknowingly undereat during the day, especially protein and healthy fats, and overeat at night when cravings spike and willpower is low. Supporting steady energy, better sleep, and stable blood sugar can come from anchoring your day with balanced meals that contain protein, healthy fats, and colourful vegetables.
If you've noticed bloating, irregular digestion, or fatigue after meals, a functional lens might also look at digestive support or underlying food sensitivities - not to over-restrict, but to optimize how your body is using the nourishment you're giving it.
When you start looking at meals not just as food, but as a composition of hormone-supporting building blocks, you can shift out of diet culture thinking and into nourishment that truly works with your changing body.
Tip: Stick to three solid meals and avoid constant snacking. It gives your pancreas a break and reduces insulin spikes.
2. Medicinal Herbs: Your Plant Allies
For the liver and hormonal metabolism:
Silybum marianum (Milk thistle): Supports detox pathways and hormone clearance
Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary): Digestive and mildly lipolytic (fat metabolism)
For blood sugar regulation:
Cinnamomum verum (Ceylon cinnamon): Helps balance glucose
Zingiber officinale (Ginger): Warms digestion, supports circulation
For emotional and nervous system support:
Melissa officinalis (Lemon balm): Calming, supports liver-emotion link
Passiflora incarnata (Passionflower): Relieves anxiety, helps emotional regulation
3. Lifestyle Shifts: Gentle but Consistent
Walk daily: 30 minutes of moderate movement improves lymphatic and metabolic function
Move intentionally: Gentle yoga, Pilates, or Qi Gong to balance flexibility, strength, and stress
Hydrate: At least 1.5 litres of water daily supports elimination
Prioritize sleep: Create soft bedtime rituals to enhance natural melatonin
4. Emotional Integration: Honouring the Transition
Perimenopause and menopause are not just hormonal shifts. They are deeply personal thresholds. Body image, self-identity, energy, and mood all evolve. From a nutrition and lifestyle perspective, it’s not about “getting your old body back”- it’s about working with your current body, not against it.
While I no longer offer Bach flower remedies, I acknowledge the importance of tending the emotional landscape. For many clients, this stage of life brings grief, renewal, and the need for gentle tools that validate emotional change.
This is where daily rituals, herbal teas, journaling practices, and bodywork come in. The emotional self deserves as much care as the physical.
Remember:
Your body is not betraying you. It’s inviting you into a new alliance. Every change holds the potential for renewed vitality.
A Personal Note
When I went looking for a photo to accompany this blog, I thought, "Let me find a woman around fifty, maybe someone just entering this phase."
Then I found this photo. The woman in it is 50. And yes, she’s very menopausal. But she’s also radiant. (It's me)!
There’s power in this life stage, even when it arrives with softness, curves, and recalibration.
You are not alone. And you are not broken.
With the right care, knowledge, and plant companions, this chapter can be one of the most honest and freeing you’ve ever lived.
