By Dolly Denson, MSN, FNP-BC · Functional Hormone & Gut Health Practitioner

The short answer: During the menopause transition, fat tends to shift toward your middle while muscle mass declines, even when your weight and habits stay about the same. Hormones are part of it, but so are sleep, stress, muscle, and how your body handles blood sugar. That's why eating less and doing more cardio often isn't the answer.

"I'm eating the same way I always have. Why is my body changing?"

This is the number one reason women reach out to me. Their clothes fit differently. Weight seems to settle around their middle. And the things that worked for years just… stopped working.

If that's you, you're not imagining it, and you're not failing.

Your body composition is changing, not just your weight

One of the most helpful studies on this comes from SWAN, a large study that followed women through the menopause transition. Researchers found that at the start of the transition, the rate of fat gain doubl...