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Last updated on September 3rd, 2024 at 05:38 pm
Menopause is a period of significant mental and physical changes for women. With hormonal shifts, body changes, and life changes eating disorders can be common in menopause.
Eating disorders in menopause can be triggered by:
- Weight changes
- Body comments
- History of an eating disorder
- Major life changes
- Chronic dieting
Menopause is kind of like a woman’s second adolescence. Your body may feel unfamiliar. You may be grieving a thinner body.
This article explores why some women going through menopause may develop an eating disorder, how to improve their body image during menopause, and treatment options for an eating disorder.
Triggers for An Eating Disorder In Menopause
Women in menopause often go through life and physical changes simultaneously. This can trigger a lack of appetite or a desire to control their changing world by restricting their food intake.
Menopause can be one of the biggest triggers for developing an eating disorder in a woman’s life.
Life events that may trigger an eating disorder in menopause include:
- Divorce
- Children growing up and leaving the home
- Parents passing
- Financial struggles
- Medical conditions
- New medications
- Stress/anxiety
- Depression
- Loss of job
These events are often more common for people in mid-life. Major life changes combined with a changing body shape and hormonal changes can be the perfect storm for developing anorexia or other eating disorders during menopause.
Women going through menopause are often encouraged to go through elimination diets to prevent symptoms of menopause such as hot flashes or night sweats. These dietary restrictions are often taken to an extreme and could result in an eating disorder.
Can Menopause Make You Lose Your Appetite
Yes.
Changes in metabolism, hormones, and lifestyle can all have an impact on your appetite if you’re going through menopause. This can lead to anorexia in menopause.
Changes that can decrease appetite in menopause include:
- Changes in hunger/fullness hormones (ghrelin and leptin)
- Increased cortisol can cause you to feel stress more intensely
- Difficulty sleeping
- Lifestyle changes
All of these things can lead to a decreased appetite and potentially put menopausal and post-menopausal women at risk for an eating disorder.
Even if you do not feel hungry, you still need to eat enough through the day. Keeping up with regular meals and snacks will help your body resume normal hunger cues even with the major changes of menopause.
Keep in mind that if you have an eating disorder, you will not be able to intuitively eat. Your body’s hunger and fullness signals are not normal and you will need a customized meal plan to help you meet your nutrition needs.
How Can I Reset My Metabolism During Menopause
A multitude of factors influences your metabolism in menopause.
Optimize your metabolism during menopause by:
- Eating 3 meals and 3 snacks daily
- Eat a variety of foods
- Don’t cut out any types of foods
- Honor your emotional hunger
- Stay physically active in ways you enjoy
- Don’t diet
- Do weight-bearing exercises
Body Image and Menopause
Women in menopause are likely experiencing significant physical changes.
body changes during menopause that can trigger body image issues include:
- Weight gain
- Increased body fat
- Decreased lean body mass
- Weight loss rebound
- Growth of hair on the body
While these body changes are normal, adaptive, and healthy for a woman in menopause diet culture shames women for these changes.
In addition to the social pressures menopausal women get to maintain a certain body shape, the healthcare industry often puts enormous pressure on menopausal women to meet certain BMI standards in the name of health. These expectations can exacerbate poor body image and the potential for eating disorders in menopausal women.
Menopausal and post-menopausal women may also experience body dysmorphia as a result of pressure from peers and media, healthcare standards, and grieving a former body.
Treatment Options For Eating Disorders In Menopause
If you are going through menopause and you feel like you have an eating disorder, tell someone you trust.
Treatment for an eating disorder will include:
- Getting a qualified healthcare team that specializes in eating disorders
- Following an ED recovery meal plan
- Stop weighing unless a medical expert is doing a blind weight
- Getting meal support from family and/or friends
- Weight restoring
You are worthy of eating disorder recovery at any age. A long and lasting recovery will include early treatment and intervention.
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