Belly Fat and Menopause
- Peggy B. - Experienced HRT Patient Reviewer
- 1 minute ago
- 5 min read
For me, the worst part of reaching menopause was the weight gain. I weighed more at age 52 than I did when I was nine-months pregnant.
I was itchy, bitchy, tired and I felt FAT! It wasn't a great time in my life. Today, however is a whole different story. I'm at goal weight at age 58. I no longer experience Night Sweats for Hot Flashes. I feel so much better today than I did before I started Hormone Replacement Therapy.
Low Estrogen after Menopause
Menopause marks the time in our lives as women, that our estrogen and progesterone levels begin to take a dive. This dip in these critical hormone levels cause Night Sweats, Hot Flashes, moodiness, unexplained rage and weight gain for many women.
Our bodies like to store estrogen in our body fat and when those levels and begin to dip below what we had in our 20's or 30's, our bodies hang onto fat so it doesn't run out of estrogen. For lots of us that means that added spare tire around our middle that seems impossible to get rid of.
Also note, that the only way to counter the dip in hormone levels is to replace what's missing. Take a vitamin or a supplement isn't gong to cut it. You need to see an HRT specialist and get on HRT at your earliest convenience, if you are aren't already.
So, is that spare tire impossible to get rid of?
Weight Gain after Menopause
As our bodies continue to be desperate for more estrogen and since our ovaries are done making estradiol, it's common for women to gain weight during this time in our lives. The more fat your body stores, the more estrogen it has to pull from.
You can be doing all the right things and the scale can continue to go up. It's beyond frustrating. It's not your fault, it's due to the dip in hormone levels.
Belly Fat after Menopause, losing it
Weight gain during menopause, especially increased belly fat (visceral fat), significantly raises health risks for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers, while also worsening menopause symptoms like hot flashes and joint pain due to hormonal shifts (lower estrogen, higher cortisol) and age-related muscle loss, impacting metabolism, body composition, and mood.
It's imperative that we address this as quickly as we are able. But if we are already doing all the "right things" and the scale isn't budging, what should we do?
Well, this may not be the answer you were searching for, but for me HRT was a good first step to fighting my menopause weight. I lost 24 pounds, but then I hit that dreaded plateau and I couldn't seem to make any further progress, but I still had 12-15 pounds that I wanted to lose. So when, at an HRT check-in telehealth meeting, I asked my HRT clinician if she had any further thoughts and she suggested Semaglutide, I was quite surprised, but intrigued.
And I thought to myself, "Wait, do I even qualify for this?" As it turned out, I did and I have some options for you as well.
Many insurance plans no longer cover the name-brand versions of Semaglutide (Wegovy or Ozempic) so you may be left with one choice, compounded Semaglutide. It has the same active ingredients as the name-brand versions, but it comes with a much lower cost which makes it an affordable option for menopause weight loss.
Belly Fat Menopause Diet
There isn't a specific diet that we can following after menopause that guarantees that we lose weight, but there are medical weight loss drugs that we can add to our HRT regimen that can make a difference.
The first company you might want to consider if your BMI (Body Mass Index) is 27+ or higher is Effecty. You can use code PEGGY50 for $50 off your first order. You can use any BMI calculator on the internet to determine what your BMI is. If you are 27+ (overweight/obese), then you'll have no issue getting a prescription for a GLP-1, but if you are below, keep reading.
If you know that you are below a BMI of 27, then you'll want to check out Willow. They offer cosmetic weight loss for you ladies who only have like 12-20 pounds to lose, specifically if you've plugged your numbers into a BMI calculator and you are trending below a 27 and you are otherwise pretty health.
I'd start HRT first, if you are not already on it, then if things don't go as quickly or as you hoped or planned, add Semaglutide to the mix and see if that makes a difference.
Semaglutide and Menopause
Combining GLP-1s (like Ozempic/Wegovy) with Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) offers powerful, synergistic benefits, especially for menopausal weight management, by boosting fat loss, preserving muscle, improving heart health, and potentially reducing GLP-1 side effects, though it requires careful medical monitoring to adjust hormone levels as needed. GLP-1s curb appetite, while HRT (like estrogen/testosterone) optimizes metabolism and body composition, leading to greater weight loss and better cardiometabolic outcomes than either therapy alone.
Enhanced Weight Loss: GLP-1s reduce intake, while HRT helps maintain muscle, leading to more significant total body fat loss, notes Scriptworks Compounding Pharmacy and Affinity Whole Health.
Body Recomposition: HRT helps preserve lean muscle mass during weight loss, crucial for long-term metabolic health, say Affinity Whole Health and Slym Wellness.
Metabolic & Heart Health: Both therapies improve blood sugar, cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure, say Scriptworks Compounding Pharmacy and Slym Wellness.
Reduced GLP-1 Side Effects: Estrogen in HRT may improve GLP-1 receptor sensitivity, potentially lessening nausea and GI issues, suggests this YouTube video.
Improved Quality of Life: Addresses hormonal symptoms (hot flashes, fatigue) and metabolic issues, leading to better energy and well-being, say Noom and Alloy.
Belly Fat and Menopause
Menopause belly fat doesn't have to be impossible to get under control, you just might need to engage in a few different practices or prescriptions to get things moving in the right direction.
First step is to start HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) if you are not already on it. Then add in a GLP-1 like Semaglutide or Tirzepatide. Companies like Effecty offer both HRT and GLP-1's so they can be a one-stop shop if you want to start both at the same time.
The second step, if you are already on HRT and not seeing the weight loss results that you are looking for, then I'd check out Effecty if your BMI is over 27 or if it's below 27 BMI then check out Willow. They offer weight loss medications even for cosmetic weight loss, so no stringent BMI requirements.
You know how they say it doesn't take brain surgery? In this case, it might take both HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) and a GLP-1 like Semaglutide to get yor the results you need.
