Body Acceptance
Written by: Victoria Biddick, NZ Associate Registered Nutritionist
Perimenopause symptoms are our call to action, offering a chance to embrace change and live an amazing midlife and beyond. For many women, changes to physical appearance can be one of the most challenging aspects of menopause to manage. As our bodies change, we need to find a way to accept our new normal, to appreciate the body we have right now, not sometime in the future or the past. While it might be tempting to resort to extreme measures and quick fixes, these are not sustainable and can often backfire leading to further weight gain. The best approach is to make small, achievable changes that can be maintained even during busy or stressful times. We want to achieve good nutrition for a lifetime, not a little time.
Gaining Weight But Haven’t Changed a Thing?
Experiencing weight gain during perimenopause can be quite distressing, especially when diet and exercise habits remain unchanged. On average, women between the ages of 45 and 55 gain about half a kilo per year (1). This weight gain is primarily influenced by the natural ageing process and lifestyle factors. Additionally, hormonal changes during perimenopause lead to shifts in body composition, resulting in increased fat, decreased muscle mass, and a tendency for fat to accumulate around the abdomen rather than the hips, thighs, and bottom (1).
Along with weight gain, menopause brings changes to skin elasticity and moisture, leading to wrinkles, dry skin and a loss of firmness (2). Oestrogen, which promotes hair growth, density and fullness, decreases during menopause, causing hair to thin, lose volume and shed more (2). These appearance related changes can lead to dissatisfaction with our bodies and a heightened awareness of ageing.
Changing Body – Impact On Self-Esteem and Body Image
Body image is described as a person’s perceptions, thoughts and feelings about his/her body (3). In the western world thin bodies and a youthful complexion are deemed beautiful. As we age, we may experience body dissatisfaction due to comparisons with media-promoted body ideals and social comparisons with friends and family. The most common consequence of this is dieting to change our body size (3).
Body acceptance is a crucial part of navigating menopause. It's about embracing our bodies, acknowledging their strength and capabilities, and celebrating our achievements rather than fixating on appearance. As we enter this new chapter, it's essential to shift our mindset from punishing our bodies with diet and exercise to change our shape or size, to nurturing them by doing things that make us feel and function better (4). It's important to recognise that this takes time and to treat ourselves with kindness. If you wouldn't say something negative about a friend's body, why say it to yourself, with negative self-talk.
Some practical ways to embrace your body shape and size are to:
- Focus on health, not weight - prioritise healthy habits like eating well, regular physical activity, and adequate sleep over the number on the scale (5).
- Surround yourself with positivity - engage with people and media that promote body positivity and diversity.
- Challenge negative thoughts - when negative thoughts about your body arise, counter them with positive affirmations and facts.
- Celebrate your body's abilities - appreciate what your body can do, whether it's walking, dancing, or simply breathing (5).
Changing The Lens on Eating - Eating to Nourish Not to Change Our Bodies
Taking care of our bodies means tuning into how they feel and what feels right for us. Nourishing ourselves involves paying attention to what foods make us feel good and listening to our body's hunger and fullness cues.
This is where a non-diet approach to eating is beneficial (5). Unlike traditional diets focused on weight loss through restrictive eating, a non-diet approach is flexible and treats all foods as neutral—neither good nor bad (5). We eat according to our hunger and fullness cues to nourish our bodies, while also allowing ourselves some treats. This approach isn't about quick results but about long-term, sustainable dietary changes that make us feel good and support our health and wellbeing.
The focus shifts from external goals like body and weight changes to healthy behaviours that are achievable and make us feel great. For example, eating more fruit and vegetables to provide our body with vitamins and fibre and improving our mood, rather than aiming to lose a specific amount of weight each week, or taking a walk in the park because it feels good, not just to burn calories.
How Can I Apply a Non-Diet Approach to My Daily Eating?
Some ways you can start to apply a non-diet approach in your day are:
1. Accepting and Embracing Body Cues
Reconnecting with our appetite through hunger and fullness awareness and trusting ourselves to act on body cues, but also to explore if we are eating for reasons other than hunger (5).
Putting it into practice:
- Check in with yourself before you eat. Hunger cues are your bodies signal to you to refuel, but how often do we eat for reasons other than hunger. Ask yourself, am I eating for hunger? Or another reason such as boredom, stress or sadness.
- Mindful eating. Focus on your meals by avoiding eating in the car, at your desk or while looking at your phone. Make time to appreciate your meal by sitting down to eat, this allows you to be more in tune with your body.
- Acknowledge your fullness. You don’t have to finish your plate of food! Take notice of your hunger levels and try to stop eating before you get too full.
2. Accepting and Embracing All Foods
Try and think about food neutrally, i.e. there is no good and bad food. When we try and avoid certain foods, we often want them even more and end up overindulging when we get a chance to eat them!
Putting it into practice:
- Avoid labelling foods. Challenge the food police! Try not to categorise foods as "good" or "bad." All foods can fit into a balanced diet in moderation.
- Give yourself permission to eat the foods you love and enjoy. When certain foods are no longer prohibited, they become less appealing, and you may find you eat a more reasonable amount.
- Focus on nutrients, not calories. Think about the nutritional value of foods rather than just their calorie content. This can help you make more balanced choices without feeling restricted.
- Enjoy your food. Allow yourself to enjoy the foods you love. Pleasure is an important part of eating and can help you feel more satisfied.
But I Still Want to Lose Weight?
It's perfectly okay to want to lose weight! However, research shows that restrictive diets, calorie cutting, and excessive exercise often don't lead to lasting weight loss and can even result in weight gain (3). Instead, a non-diet approach focuses on long-term, sustainable dietary changes that enhance your health and wellbeing, and for many individuals, weight loss too.
Perimenopause presents a unique opportunity to turn challenges into positives and adopt a new approach to your body and diet.
Are you ready to embrace this challenge?
References
- Australasian Menopause Society (2020). Maintaining weight and health. Australasian MenopauseSociety. https://www.menopause.org.au/images/factsheets/Mantaining_Weight_and_Health_0219_V2.pdf
- Australasian Menopause Society (2 020). What is menopause? Australasian Menopause Society. https://www.menopause.org.au/images/infosheets/AMS_What_is_menopause.pdf
- Ogden, J. (2019). Health Psychology (6th ed.) McGraw-Hill Education.
- Bezzant, N. (2023). How to accept your body just as it is. Woman Magazine https://womanmagazine.co.nz/how-to-accept-your-body-just-as-it-is/
- Willer, F. (2013). The Non-Diet Approach Guidebook for Dietitians. Lulu.com
