Many women in perimenopause and menopause feel frustrated that weight gain shows up “out of nowhere,” the scale stops responding, or the strategies that once worked no longer do. Fat often settles around the midsection, energy drops, cravings feel stronger, and weight loss can feel unfairly hard. These changes are driven in large part by shifts in metabolism and insulin sensitivity as hormones change. As estrogen levels fluctuate and decline, insulin sensitivity can decrease, metabolism may slow, and fat is more likely to be stored around the abdomen — even when diet and activity haven’t changed.
At Cascadia Medical Weight Loss & Nutrition, we focus on the metabolic side of this transition through personalized nutrition, lifestyle support, and, when appropriate, weight loss medications that were clinically studied in women over 40. While we do not prescribe hormone replacement therapy (HRT), we encourage synergistic care with expert menopause clinicians — because addressing metabolic health is a critical part of the perimenopause and menopause picture.
