What’s there to say about perimenopause and weight gain … except it sucks? Even previously thin women are not immune to hormonal changes that cause the scale to go up a bit. Little comfort to those who have spent a lifetime dieting and are still overweight. But it is comforting to know that you are not alone. This, along with mood swings and hot flashes, is almost the most common complaint noted by perimenopausal women. A gain of ten pounds is average.

You may feel better knowing that your fat cells store estrogen, which can help alleviate some of the other symptoms you are experiencing. Not? Me neither.

So why do we gain weight in perimenopause?

Well, nobody is sure. But you can bet that hormonal changes, in addition to slowing down metabolism and decreasing muscle tissue, play a role. Not only that, but the weight seems to appear around our waist, rather than our hips or thighs, or our entire shape just shifts, so nothing fits, compounding the discomfort.

By the way, the jury is still out on whether HRT (hormone replacement therapy) or the pill gain weight. Many women will swear you gain 10 pounds.

Is there anything I can do about it?

Yes. Well, the first obvious answer, I’m sure you already know. Diet and exercise.

BUT, I don’t mean “diet”, as something you despise and can’t wait to stop, but diet, as a healthy eating plan that you can live with day by day for the rest of your life. Listen, cutting calories, if you started out thin, will do nothing to stop the inevitable and can harm your health. You need a certain amount of fat in your body for good heart and bone health.

Note: If you are out of control with eating, bingeing, or purging, there are free support groups that can help. I have a resource page with a list of the best of these groups.

Having struggled with weight, not just through perimenopause, but my entire life, I think I’ve lost close to 1,000 pounds over the years. However, against all odds, I was able to lose 55 pounds in 1997 when perimenopause was just beginning, and have maintained it ever since.

I have to admit something to you. I did not exercise when I lost weight. It was all he could do to avoid binge eating. I also didn’t want my weight loss to depend on maintaining an exercise lifestyle that I probably wouldn’t. Now I walk because I want to be healthy. But the fact is, I always ate more than my exercise. Exercising with my weight down never worked for me.

Here are some tips that helped me lose weight in 1997 (and that I continue to do):

Eliminate alcohol. It is nothing but refined carbohydrates and sugar. He could also have a whole pizza and a dozen donuts. Also, alcohol makes me want to eat even more.

Ditch artificial sweeteners. Aside from ongoing anecdotal evidence that things are bad for you in many ways, fake sugar increases cravings. More importantly, it can cause bloating, which feels like instant weight gain. But be prepared for a sharp drop when you stop using artificial sweeteners. Expect cravings, mood swings, headaches, and more. It is a real drug.

Eliminate the sugar and flour. Nobody wants to hear this. But I was a real food addict and those foods were like heroin to me. I have not eaten refined sugar or any kind of flour since 1997 and I prefer my size 6 body to the out of control size 18 I had. Also, they are calorie intensive and provide little nutrition.

Salt is not your friend. It will retain water and possibly increase your blood pressure. But you need to start reading labels, because even supposedly healthy processed foods often contain a lot of salt.

You don’t have to be perfect. There is a Japanese saying “Nine times down, ten times up”. If you don’t keep trying, you will never achieve your goal. You don’t have to do things perfectly to keep moving forward. That used to make me stagger backwards. If I made a mistake it wasn’t perfect, I would use it as an excuse to punish myself with my eating plan and ruin everything by eating. Few things go according to plan. Especially during perimenopause when your body controls YOU!

Losing weight is never easy. But it is very simple.

And remember, if you stick to an eating plan, and not a diet that goes on and off, this could be the last time you have to lose weight.