I recently listened to a Huberman Lab podcast that discussed weight loss concepts that you don’t typically hear about. Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., a neuroscientist and Professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine, reviews a number of unique, evidence-based hacks for weight loss. Because we are all inundated with information about the “best” ways to lose weight - keto, intermittent fasting, pills, exercise regimes, etc.

In part one of this series about menopausal weight gain, we discussed the reasons why women tend to put on weight during perimenopause and menopause. Now let’s discuss what to do about it. Many of the variables that impact weight gain during this phase of life can be modified by focusing on what you eat, how you move your body and determining if medications and/or hormone therapy might be right for you.

As we discussed in our first blog of this series, losing weight and keeping it off can be challenging. Ideally, we like to start by focusing our patients on lifestyle changes - specifically diet and exercise. While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to nutrition, in our experience, a plant or whole foods-heavy diet with at least some consciousness around carbohydrates and varying degrees of intermittent fasting can be the most effective for weight loss.

According to a 2018 CDC report, 56% of women and 42% of men in the U.S. tried to lose weight within the previous 12 months. And research suggests that approximately 80% of people who shed a significant portion of their body fat will not maintain that degree of weight loss for 12 months - and most dieters regain, on average, more than half of what they lose within two years.