If you are concerned about maintaining a healthy weight during perimenopause and beyond, you will find hundreds, nay, thousands of people wanting to sell you programs and simple solutions. This is ironic, considering that our entire society is engineered to promote unhealthy foods and sedentary lifestyles. The latter two things are what cause weight gain; hormonal changes in perimenopause just make us even more sensitive to it.
Weight loss and weight management are two topics I have always avoided writing about because it feels icky to be somehow associated with a sea of unqualified people who profit from women’s insecurities. Still, I need to write about this because 1) healthy weight maintenance is a topic that my perimenopausal clients care about, 2) I have relevant knowledge, skills, and perspective, and 3) it is part of my own life – I don’t want people to think that’s I am somehow immune to the issue.
Thankfully, I have been able to manage my own weight with a solid foundation of healthy habits. For the past decade or so, my weight has moved up and down, staying within normal range, up to five pounds in either direction. and I feel that I have a pretty strong understanding of what leads to the fluctuations. Beyond how I fit into my clothes (I hate shopping), this awareness helps me maintain a body weight that’s conducive to good health in general.
In this article, I will share what I personally do to maintain a healthy weight through perimenopause. I don’t do anything stringent or extreme: no calorie counting, dramatic fasting, or supplements. What I do is boringly consistent, informed by evidence, and – most importantly – it works for me.
I’m sharing this not as prescription, but as case study. My habit stack was built over time, and it’s made easier by the fact that I have a healthy baseline, while also relatively secure with regards to finances and housing. Not everyone will be able to do everything I do; nevertheless many of these habits are accessible and affordable to most.
There are three main components to my approach to avoiding weight gain in perimenopause: food, movement, and mindfulness.
How I eat to avoid weight gain in perimenopause
I embrace a plant-based lifestyle predominantly focused on whole foods. I never dieted a day in my life and I’m not about to start. This is just the way I eat. Vegetables, legumes, whole grains, fruits, nuts, and seeds are the most nutrient-dense and fiber-rich foods available. Fiber promotes satiety, feeds the gut microbiome, and helps regulate blood sugar. All of these matter to prevent weight gain.
I do not entirely avoid sugar, oil, and salt, but I use less than half what is typically found in recipes. I eat mostly whole grains, but I am fine with using regular pasta. Generally, I make sure there’s more vegetables and beans compared to the amount of refined carbohydrates.
Dark leafy greens at least once per day. Kale, arugula, chard, spinach, bok choy, radish tops, they’re all good! I make sure to have them on my plate at least once, preferably twice per day. These are nutritional powerhouses: rich in calcium, folate, magnesium, and many phytonutrients. I also learned about thylakoids from NutritionFacts.org, motivating me to persist with the habit. There’s always a box of pre-washed “power greens” in my fridge and I add two big handfuls to many of my meals. I have figured out how to prepare them to enjoy them, and I actually miss them when I’m out.
Half my plate with vegetables. At lunch and dinner, veggies take up most oof the real estate on my dish. My meals are planned and built around the veggies I have in the fridge and what’s in season. Generally, I follow the Green Food Guide, which is a plant-based spin on Canada’s Food Guide.
Beans at every meal. Legumes are the most awesome food on the planet: rich in protein, fiber, and complex carbohydrates, they slow digestion, stabilize blood sugar, and keep me satiated for hours. I include them in some form at every meal: whole beans, lentils, tofu, tempeh (sometimes!), and soy milk are solid choices.
Fruit and nuts for snacks. When I do snack, I reach for whole fruit and a handful of nuts, or a sliced-up apple with hummus. I get fiber, healthy fats, and natural sweetness. I recently discovered that my absolute favorite “dessert” is a Medjool date stuffed with 5 dark chocolate chips. Seriously! It’s better than a candy bar.
Home-cooked over store-bought and take-out. This one is possibly the most important. Ready-made food it made to make money for the restaurant or company that sells it. They are laden with unnecessary fat, sugar, and sodium, because that’s what makes people want to eat lots of it. I’m not immune to their appeal, so I intentionally cut back on that.
Batch cooking on weekends. Preparing a big pot of grains and lentils, some roasted vegetables, a simmered dish, and a dressing helps ensure that there’s always going to be something healthy to build a meal from during the week. Thanks heaven for cooking club – without them I know my meal prep wouldn’t get done.
Restaurants for special occasions. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, but keeping eating out rare means to keep it pleasurable and meaningful. I order what sounds genuinely wonderful and eat with full presence.
Foods I’ve cut back on. I am vegan for ethical reasons, so I never consume animal products (meat, dairy, eggs), but I am not against the occasional vegan donut. This being said, I find that even a single decadent restaurant meal – say, a vegan cheeseburger with sweet potato fries and a piece of chocolate cake for dessert – now leaves me feeling heavy for hours if not days. I used to do it anyway, but for the last couple of years, if I eat out, I am a lot more likely to choose a more vegetable-forward option, and save part of my meal to take home.
Drinks I avoid. Fancy drinks (e.g., a soy milk chai latte) are really drinkable desserts. In my life, they went from a weekly treat to a once- or twice-a-month thing. I happen to no longer drink alcohol, and never liked pop. Also saving lots of money there! At home, I drink lots of water and various infusions.
Proactive leftover management. One little logistical trick has made a difference for me. Previously, I often went for seconds because dinner was so yummy… only to regret it, as I felt heavy from overeating. Now, right after I have served myself and my family, I immediately transfer leftovers to a container to cool. If anyone wants seconds, they’re right there on the counter still! But for me the food is already a future meal.
Closing the kitchen. I don’t follow a strict intermittent fasting approach, but I don’t eat breakfast until 8 in the morning, and I don’t eat after dinner.
Lots of movement helps avoid weight gain in perimenopause
Exercise isn’t optional: it’s essential. It’s not about burning off what I eat, but about preserving and growing my muscle mass, stressing my bones so they stay strong, keeping the endorphins flowing, and sleeping better. Conveniently, it does support healthy weight management.
Vigorous exercise, most days. I do OrangeTheory Fitness 2-3 times per week (classes combining cardio intervals with strength training). I also run 2-3 times per week, at least 20 minutes each time, usually longer. Like most people, I need a kick to get out the door, but those are two activities that I genuinely enjoy. Strength training is super important, but it doesn’t replace the need for cardio. Both matter.
Non-exercise activity through the day. I am for at least 10,000 steps from daily living: walking to errands, taking the stairs, carrying heavy groceries, cycling or taking transit instead of driving. This low-intensity movement through the day adds up to a significant calorie expenditure and better metabolic health. No gym membership required!
Play! I’m lucky that my kids will still go out with me to play in the snow or at the playground.
Rest and awareness are key to making intentional choices
In a sedentary world that’s built around over-consumption of high-calorie low-nutrient foods, making healthy choices requires a lot of intentionality. The mental layer makes a big difference for me to avoid gaining weight as I age.
Sleep. I aim for at least 7 hours, though to be honest I don’t always hit that target. But I do notice that I make better choices when I feel rested. Sleep deprivation disrupts hunger hormones, increases cortisol, and makes cravings harder to resist.
Meditation. It might sound weird to include here, but meditating helps me notice my thoughts before I act upon them. This is essential to make intentional choices. I meditate for at least 5 minutes most days, often longer. Every other week, I do a 20-minute eating meditation. With a small group, on Zoom, I sit down to eat with no screen and no conversation. My full attention is on the food, the flavors, and my body’s signals. Join us!
Daily weigh-ins. I have stepped on the scale every day since March 2022, and now I can predict my exact weight accurately based on what I remember from the previous day’s activity and food. Doing it daily keeps me connected to the facts without drama. This is not for people with a history of disordered eating.
Cognitive defusion to reduce mindless snacking. I used to reflexively get a snack mid-morning and not-so-long after lunch. I wasn’t actually hungry, just trying to escape hard tasks like writing! Now, I practice cognitive defusion, another trick I learned from NutritionFacts.org. It’s related to meditation: I just notice and name the thought (“how interesting that I’d want to get a snack now, I must be bored”) and then move on without acting on the craving.
Wearing my Garmin and reading the weekly reports. As a runner, I have a Garmin Forerunner watch that I bought because it records my routes, but I like that it also tracks my steps and heart rate, while providing an approximate rating of my sleep duration and quality. It’s set to notify me if I haven’t moved for an hour, nudging me to take movement breaks in-between work sessions. Checking the weekly reports and long-term data helps me see trends.
For me, avoiding weight gain in perimenopause is mostly about cultivating mindful food and movement habits, and cultivating awareness of my thoughts and feelings. What works for you?
Brigitte Gemme is a coach and plant-based nutrition educator from Vancouver (Canada). She also runs the Plantwise Book Club, a community for people who want to learn from the best and put their knowledge into healthy habit practice.