Again it is a hormonal imbalance that causes weight gain, specifically a thickening of the waist, or as I like to call it a ‘square waist’.

In perimenopause the hormonal environment is usually one of abnormal insulin function, together with low oestrogens and low thyroid function, which results in slower metabolism. We cannot lose weight if insulin is not functioning correctly or our thyroid is dysfunctional. When thyroid is not functioning correctly it is impossible to lose weight, even with the addition of exercise and/or diet.

Hormonal shifts during menopause not only cause weight gain, they greatly influence the redistribution of fat in the body – in other words, where the fat goes; buttocks, breast, thighs, waist. When there are low levels of circulating oestrogens, the body retains more fat cells, which cause weight gain. When there are low levels of progesterone it causes the body to retain more water, causing bloating rather than weight gain. Bloating can make us feel uncomfortable and make clothes feel tighter than normal, and of course, we will feel heavier. When there is a shift in androgens, at the onset of menopause, and they become dominant, we accumulate fat and get ‘the middle-age spread’, as it is commonly known.