Insulin resistance in menopause
Or, Why Your Belly Has Become a Reluctant Lifelong Companion
So, you’re in peri- or post-menopause and suddenly your jeans don’t fit, your energy’s gone on strike and you’re one late-night choccie away from yelling at your cat.
Welcome to the hormonal Hunger Games.
Now, if you’re wondering what fresh hell is this, and why belly fat has decided to set up camp and build a bloody Airbnb around your midsection, you’re not alone.
One of the big behind-the-scenes players?
Insulin resistance.
Yep, it’s a thing. One you need to really understand. So let’s take a closer look…
What Is Insulin Resistance, Really?
Right. Imagine insulin is like a charming maître d’ at a fancy restaurant—the kind who opens the velvet rope and invites glucose (aka sugar) into your cells, saying, “Right this way, love, your table's ready.”
In a fully functioning body, this system hums along like a well-rehearsed musical.
But with insulin resistance, the maître d’ starts getting ghosted. Most cells stop answering the door. Some are mildly interested—“Who’s there? Glucose? Meh…”—and others bolt it shut like you’re selling timeshares.
So now, glucose gets stuck outside the cell, pacing around like an uninvited cousin at a wedding.
Your pancreas, bless it, panics and shouts, “More insulin!” like a bad manager trying to fix a failing restaurant by hiring more waiters. But it doesn’t work—the cells still say “no thanks.”
So now you’ve got:
High blood sugar
High insulin
And a one-way ticket to fat storage town—especially around your waist.
Because if the cells won’t take the sugar, guess what does?
Your liver. Who’s like, “Fine, I’ll clean up this mess again” and turns that unused sugar into fat. Which, of course, your body generously stores—right where your jeans used to fit.
Why Menopause Makes Things Worse (Because Why Wouldn’t It?)
Turns out, oestrogen isn’t just for random crying during insurance ads. It also helps keep your cells sensitive to insulin—like a partner who actually listens when you say you’re overwhelmed.
But during menopause? Oestrogen drops. Cells stop listening. And your body starts acting like a disorganised pub quiz team—confused, uncoordinated and terrible at following instructions.
Add in sleep problems (thanks, 3am hot flush) and your cortisol levels go up—because nothing says “danger” to your body like sleep deprivation. Cortisol, in its primitive wisdom, thinks you’re running from a sabre-toothed tiger and floods your system with glucose for a quick getaway.
But you’re not running.
You’re lying in bed thinking about cheese.
So now you’ve got even more blood sugar—and no one to take it in.
It’s a perfect hormonal storm and the result is the thing every woman loves:
Visceral belly fat.
Could You Have Insulin Resistance?
Here are a few clues. (Spoiler: it’s not just belly fluff.)
Weight gain that clings like an ex. Especially around the middle.
Carb and sugar cravings like your brain’s been hijacked by a seven-year-old.
Or surviving all day long on nothing but fresh air and still not feeling hungry.
Post-meal fatigue—like you’ve been hit by a food truck.
You’re “doing everything right” but the scales aren’t budging.
Your blood tests are starting to look like an angry spreadsheet: high triglycerides, slightly elevated glucose, confused GP.
Sound familiar?
So What the Hell Do You Do About It?
Because yes—this is fixable. It just needs a different strategy than whatever nonsense worked in your 30s. (RIP, random juice cleanse.)
1. Move Your Marvellous Body
You don’t need to become a triathlete. But you do need to move.
Movement clears insulin from your bloodstream like a mop in a nightclub bathroom. Especially resistance training—because muscles are insulin-sensitive superstars. Think squats, deadlifts and carrying all the shopping in one trip because you refuse to come back for a second round.
Tired? Move anyway.
Otherwise, you fall into the dreaded Fatigue Spiral™—the less you move, the crappier you feel and the crappier you feel, the less you move.
Break the cycle. Start small. Dance in your kitchen. Lunge toward your wine. I don’t care—just move.
2. Don’t Fear Carbs—Choose the Right Ones
Carbs aren’t evil. They’re fuel.
But you wouldn’t fill your Ferrari with Red Bull, right?
Choose slow-release, high-fibre carbs. AKA low GI. Think oats, legumes, brown rice, sweet potato. These trickle glucose into your blood instead of dumping it like a glitter bomb.
They stabilise blood sugar.
They prevent cravings.
They keep you from going full Gollum on a packet of Tim Tams at 3pm.
3. Protein: Not Just for Bros Named Chad
Most women nail protein at dinner—but totally ghost it at breakfast and lunch.
And protein is essential. It:
Builds muscle
Slows digestion (less sugar spike)
Keeps you full (so you’re not raiding the fridge like a raccoon by 11am)
So check your plate. If it’s mostly beige and floppy, it needs backup.
4. Love Your Vegies (Even the Weird Ones)
Vegies aren’t just garnish. They’re fibre-rich, inflammation-fighting, cell-protecting, glorious little powerhouses.
They help manage blood sugar.
They keep your gut happy.
And they fill your plate so you feel full without needing to deep-throat a family pie.
Half your plate needs to be veg. Bonus points for colour variety. If your salad looks like a rainbow threw up on it, you’re doing great.
5. Timing Matters (But Don’t Panic)
There’s good evidence that spacing your meals (or avoiding constant grazing) gives insulin levels time to reset. That doesn’t mean skipping meals like it’s 2003. But consider giving your body a break between eating. It can help.
Want help figuring it out? Ask a dietitian. I know a good one! Don’t guess your way through this like assembling IKEA furniture without the instructions.
6. Hydrate or Deteriorate
Drink your water. No, not as part of coffee. Actual water.
Aim for 2 litres a day.
It helps with hot flushes, fatigue, mood, focus and digestion.
Dehydration is sneaky. You think you’re tired. Or hungry. But really, you’re just a wilted fern in need of a drink.
7. Manage Your Stress Before It Manages You
Cortisol, the stress hormone, is like a clingy housemate who never washes the dishes and keeps leaving sugar in your bloodstream.
Meditation, deep breathing, dancing like a lunatic, saying “no” more often—whatever works for you.
Lower the stress, lower the insulin, lower the belly fat.
8. Prioritise Sleep Like It’s Your Side Hustle
Poor sleep messes everything up. Hormones. Cravings. Mood. Your tolerance for people who say “just eat less.”
Aim for 7–9 hours. Create a wind-down routine. Treat sleep like your phone charger—without it, you’re useless by lunchtime.
The Bottom Line?
Yes, insulin resistance can show up during menopause like an uninvited relative at Christmas.
But it’s not inevitable. And it’s not your fault.
Good news is, you can do something about it. With real food. Real movement. Real rest. Real joy.
Not powders, not pills, not 42-point meal plans that make you want to fake your own death and move to a cave.
It’s not about doing things perfectly—it’s about consistency.
Your body hasn’t betrayed you.
It’s just asking for a new playbook.
So write one.
And if you need help, I’m right here—cheering for you.
It would be my honour to help you feel amazing once again.
References:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6520689/
https://www.maturitas.org/article/S0378-5122(12)00004-7/abstract
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6341301/#:~:text=Estrogen%20deficiency%20or%20impaired%20estrogen,models%20(31%E2%80%9333).
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2749064/