The Truth About Perimenopausal Weight Gain
In addition, food sensitivities, yeast, dysbiosis and immune system imbalances can also disrupt weight loss. Estrogen serves as a universal shield and protector and as it declines, many other imbalances that may have been present for decades will emerge. It’s common to see women who may have been sensitive to certain foods, but previously got away with it, become less tolerant to them a menopause.
Emotional Eating
It may seem obvious when we talked about healthy and balanced nutrition that that means monitoring your food intake in terms of total quantity, but also in terms of the quality of nutrients and the right mix of fats, proteins and complex carbohydrates. As hormones change at perimenopause and emotions can run wild, we often see patterns of emotional eating emerge.
Perhaps these emotional triggers have always been there to lesser degrees but suddenly they get dialed up a notch. Sometimes they really show up for the first time as we are navigating the complexity of changing hormones and emotions and we start seeking emotional comfort and stability. 
Food often has memories of happy times that provides comfort and feeds our pleasure receptors, so when we have a hard day, an emotional experience or feel out of balance, food is something that can ground us.
Many women tell me that they find themselves turning to food in different ways than they ever have before during perimenopause to fill a void or feel calm or find some joy in an otherwise empty moment. Emotional eating is a sign of imbalance and we need to look at the core emotions and address them along with any imbalance in our lives, and in our bodies.
If you find yourself eating emotionally, ask yourself whether you really need the chocolate cake or whether a good hug or someone taking the time to sit and listen to you would yield more in the short and long run.
Sleep
Most women get between 5-7 hours of sleep a night, but we actually need more like 7-9. Less than optimal sleep for a few nights in a row can lead to weight gain and diabetes or insulin resistance. Studies show that even one off sleep night can increase blood sugar levels and impair your sensitivity to insulin.
Sleep is required for detoxification and there are so many processes that take place in our bodies at night while we are at rest. 
When that cycle is disrupted, hormones are disrupted, mental processing is impaired, as is your ability to maintain a good mood and manage anxiety, anger and depression. Many experts believe that sleep is as important to overall well being as diet and exercise. And when it comes to weight loss or weight management, multiple studies reveal weight gain associated with inadequate or inconsistent sleep.
It may be challenging to get a good night’s sleep when your body is out of alignment, but one of the most effective sleep inducers is making sure you take in adequate magnesium. Calcium and magnesium need to exist in our bodies in a 1:1 ratio but many of us are so calcium heavy, we lack the magnesium our bodies require for a good night of uninterrupted sleep. That’s why we include a calcium/magnesium supplement in our menopause and adrenal support products because we’ve seen how helpful it can be to women who struggle with adequate sleep.
Self-Acceptance
Before we talk about successful strategies to maintain or lose weight during perimenopause, there is one last reason that I have found that women struggle to lose weight. For some women, weight is a protector; it’s a way to prevent themselves from being seen, a way to hide themselves from the world. It may be due to sexual abuse or trauma; research now indicates that as many as 1 in 3 women will suffer from some kind of sexual trauma in their lives.
In fact, a large study of people who had lost over 100 pounds then gained them back uncovered that all of the women who regained the weight had suffered from sexual abuse. Or it may be the result of some other challenge they faced in their lives that impacted their self-esteem or self-love. 
If weight has been an issue during your life at times other than perimenopause, the question to ask yourself may well be, “how much do you like and accept yourself?”
As women, we are so used to comparing ourselves to other women and it can sometimes make us self-critical. This can be in addition to women who use their weight as protection from truly feeling something or finally letting something go, I also see the other end of the spectrum. Some women come to me who have been very fit – and perhaps even a bit too thin – that when they reach a more normal weight during perimenopause, they may struggle to accept it. If loving yourself as you are is a challenge, you may want to look into a great book by Jessica Ortner called The Tapping Solution for Weight Loss and Body Confidence.
In addition, we have several excellent articles about this topic in our Emotions, Anxiety and Mood section of our Health Library.