There’s one question I get asked probably more than any other: what are the best supplements for menopause weight gain? And the answer is: the ones that could help to control blood sugar. That’s because insulin resistance is at the heart of most of your weight gain struggles.
After all, as you age insulin resistance increases, and when you add changing hormones to the mix, it only gets worse.
So, let’s discuss why you probably should be tending to your blood sugar during menopause, and take a look at some crucial vitamins for supporting insulin resistance and insulin resistance supplements.
Here’s what we’re talking about in this article:
How does menopause affect blood sugar?
Why elevated blood sugar makes you gain weight, especially during menopause
How to tell if you have blood sugar problems
How to stop menopause weight gain and insulin resistance
The 7 best supplements for menopause weight gain
Diet and lifestyle changes to tackle insulin resistance and weight gain
What Is Insulin Resistance?
First, let’s talk about what insulin resistance is.
When you’re not in ketosis, your body uses glucose to fuel your cells. Insulin helps glucose get from your bloodstream into your cells. When you become insulin resistant, instead of allowing glucose to enter your cells, insulin tells glucose to turn around and go back into the bloodstream, where the additional glucose raises your blood sugar levels. This makes your pancreas push out more insulin. (1)
If this pattern continues, your pancreas can’t keep up with the demand for insulin production and this is what leads to Type 2 diabetes. (2)
How Blood Sugar Contributes To Weight Gain In Menopause
When insulin resistance takes hold of your blood sugar management, it typically leads to weight gain.
That’s because insulin is a hormone that promotes fat storage. Insulin’s job is to promote the uptake and conversion of glucose and fatty acids into stored fat while preventing the breakdown of existing fat stores. So it makes you store more fat and it wants to keep the fat you do have hanging around.
What’s more, excess body fat, especially around the middle, encourages even more insulin resistance and inflammation. So it makes for a vicious cycle of weight gain that’s very hard to escape.
However, most people experience a period of insulin resistance that lasts years before they develop full-blown diabetes. So that means you have the power to reverse insulin resistance before it permanently causes damage to your metabolism and your body — great news, right?
Blood Sugar And Menopause
Menopause exacerbates this insulin resistance and weight gain equation, unfortunately.
That’s because menopause and high blood sugar levels go hand in hand.
Yes, insulin resistance in menopause is extremely common. There are two main reasons for that:
Declining Sex
Hormones
1. Declining Sex Hormones
As your hormone levels begin to decline, you lose crucial parts of your metabolism. Both estrogen and progesterone play roles in how your body metabolizes nutrients and maintains muscle mass — key components of weight management. (3)
Sleep disruptions caused by low progesterone also end up contributing to insulin resistance during menopause and then weight gain…this is because when you’re not sleeping well, it contributes to blood sugar issues and makes you feel hungrier.
Increased Cortisol
2. Increased Cortisol
We often see an increase in cortisol levels during menopause as well, and that contributes to weight gain in menopause and insulin resistance. (4) This is because your sex hormones often serve as a foil for your stress hormones, so without the sex hormones circulating in abundance, cortisol can start to run the show.
Ideally, we want the adrenals to prioritize hormone production over cortisol production during this time, so proper adrenal support and stress management are so important.
So yes, menopause affects blood sugar and in turn, often causes weight gain in a big way.
Signs Of Insulin Resistance In Menopause
Now we know that insulin resistance, menopause, and weight gain are bedfellows. But how can you tell if you have high blood sugar?
Here’s the really scary part: you can have insulin resistance and be generally symptom-free. So you can have this complex metabolic issue working behind the scenes to prevent you from losing weight and not even really know it.
But there are common signs of insulin resistance in menopause:
Fatigue
Brain fog
Skin tags
Hot flashes
Low energy
Vaginal dryness
High triglycerides
Memory problems
High blood pressure
Feeling thirstier than usual
Feeling hungrier than usual
Feeling tired *after* you eat
Cravings for carbs and sugar
Feeling hungrier after you eat
Weight gain, especially around the middle
Darker skin patches around the armpits, neck, or groin
Mood challenges (like anxiety, moodiness, irritability, or depression)
Difficulty losing weight (even if you’re counting calories and exercising)
Maybe you’ve noticed that the list of signs of insulin resistance is nearly the same as the list of menopause symptoms. That’s not a coincidence.
Unfortunately, blood sugar issues are at the heart of so many of our menopause issues.
How To Stop Insulin Resistance In Menopause
Since we know blood sugar issues and insulin resistance are causing so many problems in menopause, it should be easy to just stop the blood sugar issues, right?
Ask any woman who’s gained weight during menopause and she’ll definitely tell you that it’s not easy to stop insulin resistance and the weight gain that accompanies it.
Why? Because insulin resistance leads to weight gain. The weight gain leads to more insulin resistance. And all of that leaves you feeling tired, foggy-brained, and with fat cells that are storing inflammatory compounds — it’s just a horrible situation to try to work your way out of.
The 7 Best Supplements For Insulin Resistance And Weight Gain
That’s why a lot of women turn to support from supplements to reverse insulin resistance.
While insulin resistance is a complex metabolic condition that requires a multi-pronged approach to reverse, insulin resistance supplements can be a huge help to support your body in getting out of the negative cycle that is causing you to gain weight and feel exhausted all the time.
Here are my favorites:
1. Bioidentical Progesterone
Dropping progesterone means an increase in factors allowing insulin resistance to rear its ugly head. So giving your body an extra bit of progesterone is ideal during this time. This helps fight estrogen dominance, helps you sleep better, supports insulin sensitivity, balances cortisol, and can even help when you’re retaining water.
2. Adaptogens
Adaptogens help support your adrenals — which means they’ll pump out more hormones instead of cortisol. This is crucial when you’re trying to lose weight and improve your health. My all-time favorite adaptogen is maca, which also has special properties that support menopausal women.
3. Julva®
Here’s something that no one talks about — insulin resistance causes your skin to dry out and exacerbates vaginal dryness. Luckily, my patented vulva and vaginal restorative cream, Julva, can help in this department.
For special savings on a bundle of my top 3 supplements for menopause weight gain and insulin sensitivity support > check this out. It includes top-shelf, doctor-formulated bioidentical progesterone, maca, and my vaginal miracle cream, Julva!
4. Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Omega 3s are crucial for supporting healthy levels of inflammation, a key driver of insulin resistance. Omegas support your brain, your heart, and your hormones in a way that no other nutrient can. Unless you’re downing cod liver oil every day or eating small cold-water fatty fish regularly, you’re likely not getting enough. Here’s the Omega 3 formula I use.
5. Vitamin D
Vitamin D deficiency is so much more common than you realize. Plus, as you age, your ability to absorb vitamin D in your gut declines, along with your ability to produce vitamin D in your skin and kidneys. And unless you want your vitamin D supply to come with a side of wrinkles and sun spots, I say supplement, Girlfriend. Just be sure that when you supplement, you get one with added K2 so it doesn’t compromise your heart health. Click here for the vitamin D3+K2 supplement I trust.
6. Magnesium
Magnesium is a crucial mineral for over 300+ processes in your body. And it’s essential for a healthy brain and quality sleep. Adequate, quality sleep is a must for weight loss, so it’s something I never skimp on. My favorite type of magnesium is l-threonate, which is the only form of magnesium that crosses the blood-brain barrier. This is what I formulated my Better Brain and Sleep formula with, and it’s *chef’s kiss*
7. B Vitamins
Your adrenals need plenty of B vitamins to function at their best, and in general, Bs can help you with energy and fight fatigue that’s so common when you gain weight and experience insulin resistance. I combine mine with zinc for an extra dose of hormonal support.
Diet For Insulin Resistance And Weight Gain In Menopause
While supplements for menopause weight gain are important, you can’t escape changing your diet if you want to lose weight in menopause. After all, when your diet includes low-quality carbohydrates, that can make insulin resistance worse, and lead to weight gain. (5)
So what is the best diet for insulin resistance?
Hands down, it’s my Keto-Green diet. It’s the perfect insulin resistance diet because it combines healthy fats with adequate protein and tons of veggies. This way of eating is also low in simple carbohydrates like sweets, so it helps your body kick insulin resistance to the curb.
Healthy fats, protein, and fiber from vegetables all help stop your blood sugar from spiking, which is key to getting insulin resistance under control once and for all. The best foods for insulin resistance are those that don’t raise your blood sugar.
To get started on this insulin resistance low carbohydrate diet, download a free collection of my favorite Keto-Green recipes here.
Exercise For Insulin Resistance
We can’t talk about reversing insulin resistance without mentioning the importance of exercise.
Exercise is one of the most important things you can do for your blood sugar. Ideally, you need to be getting at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio 5 times per week. Plus working in several sessions of resistance training each week as well.
Exercise burns calories, which helps with weight loss, and muscle is perhaps the most effective blood sugar management tool around. So if you’re not getting in the exercise you know you need, it’s time to start making a plan and working toward your fitness goals (with the help of your doctor’s advice, of course!)
Best Supplements For Menopause Weight Gain: Recap
Weight gain in menopause as a result of insulin resistance is a complex and frustrating experience for most of us. With the help of key supplements for your hormones, adrenals, and vaginal health, you can start to win the war. Add in an exercise regimen that includes resistance training and cardio — plus a low-carbohydrate insulin resistance diet, and you’ll find the weight melting off in no time. You got this!
