What every woman should know about her relationship with food and her body during perimenopause
Whether you're currently experiencing perimenopause or it's still a few years away, it's critical to understand the factors that can influence your relationship with food and your body, especially if you've struggled with these issues in the past.
Perimenopause is a time when women often find themselves in a whirlwind of changes, affecting both eating behaviours and body image. But why does this happen during this transformative phase of life?
Stress and Coping
Perimenopause can bring about anxiety, low mood, sleep problems, and brain fog. Life may start to feel overwhelming, and it's not uncommon for women to turn to food as a coping mechanism. Juggling responsibilities like caring for aging parents, adjusting to ‘empty nest’ syndrome, or going through a breakup can make things even more challenging.
Changes in the Mirror
During perimenopause, your body shape can undergo significant changes. The decline in hormones oestrogen and progesterone often leads to weight gain around the middle. Metabolism slows down, and conditions like Hashimoto's disease can add to the mix.
Recent studies have highlighted that perimenopause is associated with increased body dissatisfaction. One study found that 55.8% of women reported being dissatisfied with their bodies during this stage, leading to calls for healthcare providers to screen for eating disorders more proactively.
Sleep Woes
Perimenopausal symptoms, including night sweats and anxiety, can disrupt sleep patterns. Lack of sleep affects appetite regulation, decreasing leptin (the hormone that signals fullness) and increasing ghrelin (the hormone that stimulates hunger). This hormonal imbalance can lead to cravings for high-calorie foods.
Stress Hormone: Cortisol
Cortisol, the body's primary stress hormone, can become elevated during perimenopause. Chronic stress and elevated cortisol levels can lead to fatigue, anxiety, and cravings for sugary treats. Additionally, chronic stress can interfere with insulin function, making it harder for the body to process glucose, potentially leading to weight gain.
Insulin and Appetite
Insulin resistance is more prevalent during perimenopause, which means the body struggles to move glucose into cells for energy. As a result, despite having plenty of glucose in the bloodstream, cells aren't getting the fuel they need. This can leave you feeling hungry and craving sugar, even though there's already enough circulating in your system.
Brain Chemistry and Cravings
Fluctuating oestrogen levels during perimenopause can lead to lower levels of mood-regulating brain chemicals like dopamine and serotonin. This imbalance can result in powerful sugar cravings and An increased appetite, sometimes leading to emotional eating and bingeing.
Understanding these changes is the first step in navigating this life phase effectively. If you're experiencing challenges with food and body image during perimenopause, check out my best selling book
Understanding these changes is the first step in navigating this life phase effectively. If you're experiencing challenges with food and body image during perimenopause, this is just one of the many topics I explore in my best-selling book: 📕 The Binge Freedom Method: Your Four Pillar Plan to Beat Emotional Eating for Good, where I share strategies, tools and insights to help you understand your patterns and take back control of your eating habits.
You can also get started today by downloading my Breaking the Cycle Toolkit for FREE, which includes a key step designed to help you reconnect with your appetite cues and begin taking small, practical steps toward freedom from binge eating.