‘I’m a Dietitian—Here’s Exactly What I Ate in a Day to Lose Weight During Menopause (Without Giving up Dessert)’
A dietitian reveals her real-life menopause weight loss meal plan—and why joy and chocolate matter!
Weight gain is a common menopause symptom. In fact, most of us gain about five pounds during menopause, with 20 percent of women gaining 10 pounds or more. It’s nothing personal; even if your lifestyle choices remain the same, fluctuating hormones and naturally decreasing muscle mass due to aging will likely add a few pounds to the scale, as can less regular physical activity. So it’s no wonder that so many of us are trying to figure out how to lose weight during menopause.
The good news: Weight gain is not inevitable—or irreversible. Staying active and eating a healthy diet can help prevent weight gain and shed any unwanted weight that may have crept on. To find out how to do just that, we reached out to Elizabeth Ward, registered dietician and co-author of The Menopause Diet Plan. Here, she reveals the secrets behind how she lost over 60 percent of the weight she gained during menopause, plus the daily diet that helped her reach her health goals.
Elizabeth Ward reveals how she lost menopause weight—and kept it off
As a dietician who hits the gym five days a week, Ward expected she’d be able to dodge the typical menopause weight gain. But she ended up gaining eight pounds, most of it around her belly.
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“I really wasn’t expecting to gain weight,” Ward says. “I guess I thought I was somehow immune because I’m a registered dietitian and I know how the body works. Turns out, I was wrong and I couldn’t outsmart my body.”
“I firmly believe you have to include the foods you love for weight management success.” —Elizabeth Ward
Over the course of several months, Ward was able to shed five of those eight pounds by reevaluating her diet and eating habits (while keeping up with regular moderate-intensity physical activity).
“I had to rethink the macronutrient composition of my eating pattern, my overall activity level during the day, when I ate most of my calories, my snacking habits and how much I mindlessly picked on food during the day,” Ward explains. “I started to eat bigger meals with more protein and fiber that were within my calorie limit.”
What Ward eats in a day to avoid menopause weight gain
Whether you want to maintain a healthy weight going into menopause or drop a few pounds, borrowing some of Ward’s proven strategies can make things markedly easier. Here’s what she typically eats in a day:
Breakfast: A filling, high-calorie combo
One of the big changes Ward made to her eating habits to lose weight during menopause was starting the day off with a heartier breakfast.
“My breakfast is about 650 calories, which may come as a shock to women who skimp on the morning meal,” says Ward. “To be honest, it took me a while to adjust to eating such a large meal, but it kept me full for hours and prevented mindless munching.”
A typical breakfast for Ward includes whole grain cereal—a mixture of oatmeal, Wheat Chex and Cheerios—with chia seeds, fruit and low-fat milk. She also enjoys a large cup of coffee with low-fat milk. “This breakfast has about 17 grams of fiber and 25 grams of protein, two nutrients that support weight loss,” Ward explains. (Discover more high-protein breakfast foods for weight loss.)
Lunch: Pairing protein and healthy fats
For lunch, Ward typically makes a sandwich with whole-wheat bread, two teaspoons of mayo and a protein, such as a can of tuna, four ounces of cooked chicken or deli turkey. She also has a piece of fruit to go with it. “I eat whole grains most of the time because research suggests that exchanging refined grains for whole grains helps with weight control,” Ward explains, which is why it’s a smart weight-loss strategy to adopt during menopause. (See the best bread for weight loss.)
In the afternoon, she might grab a healthy, balanced snack to satisfy cravings before dinner. “An ounce of pistachios is one of my go-to snacks because they have complete plant-based protein, heart-healthy fats and fiber,” says Ward, all of which make it easier to lose weight during menopause (plus reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease too).
Dinner: Prioritizing protein, grains and veggies
For dinner, Ward keeps it simple, pairing a protein with more whole grains and vegetables—all crucial for menopause weight loss. On an average day, she’ll have four ounces of salmon, shrimp or chicken, ½ cup of cooked quinoa or whole-wheat pasta and one to two cups of cooked veggies such as roasted broccoli or cauliflower.
“Soluble fiber, which is found in oatmeal and other whole grains, fruits, pistachios, vegetables, beans and chia seeds, is linked to a reduced risk of gaining belly fat with time, which is why my eating plan is full of these foods,” Ward reveals. (Check out more of the best foods to burn belly fat.)
Dessert: Dark chocolate for the win
Ward’s last piece of advice? Don’t eliminate joy from your diet—it’ll only make you more prone to overeating. “I firmly believe that you have to include the foods you love for weight management success,” Ward recommends. “There’s no reason to eliminate all the joy from your eating pattern for better health” and weight loss during menopause and beyond.
It’s for this reason that Ward typically grabs a piece of dark chocolate for dessert rather than reaching for the more highly processed food alternatives on the shelf. “I eat an ounce of dark chocolate every day—not some low-fat or fat-free chocolate substitute,” says Ward. “I tried low-fat frozen fudge bars and low-fat frozen yogurt, but they weren’t satisfying. So I ate more of them, which meant I was eating more calories! Satisfaction matters.”
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