Is Menopause Really the Reason You’re Gaining Weight?

For many women, menopause feels like a sudden betrayal of the body. They notice weight gain, particularly around the abdomen, even though nothing about their diet or exercise seems to have changed. Calories remain stable, activity is consistent, yet the mirror reflects something different. It is tempting to assume that menopause itself “breaks” metabolism. But the reality, as the science shows, is both more complex and more empowering.

Menopause brings real physiological changes, but it doesn’t mean your metabolism is broken. With the right strategies, strength, vitality, and confidence are still within reach.

Metabolism Is Not a Single Number

When we talk about metabolism, most people imagine a single dial that speeds up or slows down. In truth, energy expenditure is distributed across several systems. Basal metabolic rate, the energy required to keep the body alive at rest, accounts for the majority, often 50 to 70 percent of daily expenditure. The thermic effect of food, the small but measurable energy cost of digesting and processing nutrients, contributes another modest portion. The remainder comes from physical activity, which can be divided into purposeful exercise and something less obvious but no less important: non-exercise activity thermogenesis, or NEAT.

The Invisible Decline of Daily Movement

NEAT is the spontaneous movement that fills our days, walking across the room, fidgeting in a chair, even standing instead of sitting. It is rarely tracked and almost never noticed, but it can account for hundreds of calories of expenditure each day. And this is where menopause becomes particularly challenging. Hormonal shifts often bring sleep disruption, increased stress, and a pervasive sense of fatigue. None of these directly alter basal metabolic rate in a meaningful way, but together they erode the unconscious movements that once kept energy expenditure higher. A woman may be eating exactly as before and completing her regular workouts, yet still expend 300 to 500 fewer calories per day simply because she moves less without realising it. Also, although oestrogen decline is a likely contributor to shifts in fat distribution, with a tendency toward more abdominal storage, this is distinct from a fundamental slowing of metabolism; the larger picture still comes down to how energy expenditure and lifestyle factors interact with these hormonal changes.

Why Calories Still Matter

This decline is not unique to menopause. Studies of weight loss show that for every 10 percent reduction in body weight, basal metabolic rate may fall by around 15 percent, while NEAT can decline by an additional 400 to 500 calories daily. What looks like a well-structured calorie deficit on paper becomes maintenance in practice. This dynamic can be deeply frustrating and can easily be misinterpreted as proof that calorie deficits “don’t work.” But energy balance is NOT broken, it is adapting. The body has fewer reasons to move and subtly down-regulates activity in ways that are nearly invisible without close measurement.

Resistance Training: The Most Potent Lever

Understanding this matters, because it reframes the challenge of menopause. The accumulation of belly fat is not evidence of a ruined metabolism but of shifting physiology and lifestyle factors that can be addressed. Sleep quality, stress management, and deliberate physical activity become the major levers. Resistance training, in particular, offers an antidote to both the loss of lean mass and the decline in overall energy expenditure.

The evidence is encouraging: women of all ages retain the capacity to build muscle and strength relative to their starting point. In studies where men and women undergo the same resistance training programs, women gain muscle mass and strength at similar percentages of their baseline, sometimes slightly exceeding men in relative improvements. Even women in their sixties and seventies who have never lifted weights can experience meaningful increases in lean tissue and strength. The absolute ceiling may differ from someone who began at twenty, but the benefits remain profound. Muscle is not only a tool for shaping the body; it is a cornerstone of metabolic health, mobility, and independence.

Thriving Through Menopause and Beyond

It is true that not everyone enjoys lifting weights. For some, cycling, swimming, or hiking will be more sustainable. These remain valuable. But for those navigating menopause, strength training carries unique benefits that endurance exercise alone cannot provide. It preserves bone density, builds resilience, and offers long-term protection against the functional decline that so often accelerates in the postmenopausal years.

The lesson is not that menopause dooms women to inevitable fat gain, but that it changes the landscape in subtle ways. To thrive, one must adapt. Sleep must be protected with the same seriousness given to nutrition. Stress cannot be ignored; it must be managed intentionally. Daily movement must be cultivated, even if consciously, to replace what the body no longer provides automatically. And resistance (weight) training should be prioritised, because it remains one of the most powerful interventions for longevity and quality of life.

The Takeaway

For women entering this stage, the most important message is that biology is not destiny. The changes are real, but they are not beyond influence. With deliberate strategies, it is possible not only to maintain weight but to improve strength, energy, and confidence in these years and beyond.

At PURE Health Advising, this philosophy guides how I work with clients. The focus is not on chasing trends or quick fixes but on applying science with precision, while respecting the realities of daily life. Menopause may shift the rules of the game, but with the right approach, women can continue to play, and win, on their own terms.