Seem to be putting on a few extra pounds lately? You’re not alone. During menopause, the majority of women find they either gain weight or have trouble staying at their usual weight, even when their eating and exercise habits are the same. Find out why it happens and what you can do about it.

How menopause weight gain is unique Throughout most of life, women tend to gain weight around the hips and thighs. Once a woman enters perimenopause, though, fat tends to collect around the stomach area instead. Women who start menopause early have particular trouble with rapid weight gain. The good news is this struggle with weight will most likely end once you hit your mid-60s.

The first thing to understand is that it’s not all your fault. It’s not a sign you’ve been sleep-walking to the refrigerator every night. Even if you’re more careful about what you eat and start working out, you could still end up putting on a little belly fat. And losing weight during menopause can seem next to impossible.

The reason? Yes, you guessed: those good old hormones. Fluctuating levels of female hormones affect your appetite and the way your body stores fat. The main reason is that your body has started actively working to pack on fat. With your ovaries producing less estrogen, your body starts looking for other places to produce the hormone. Since fat cells can also produce estrogen, your body puts extra effort into turning calories into fat so there will be more room to produce estrogen.

Lifestyle The most effective thing you can do to keep the weight off is to make sure your lifestyle isn’t promoting weight gain. Have you put your exercise routine on the back burner? If so, schedule in a little time for exercise if you need to. As we age, muscle tends to be replaced with fat, so exercise is even more important during the menopause years. It will also ward off osteoporosis. Keep a close eye on your eating habits, too. With an increased appetite, it’s easy to nibble a little here and a little there without noticing how much you’ve eaten. A food diary can help you keep track.

A diet plan to control menopause weight gain Following a healthy diet plan for weight gain during menopause can help you stay trim and feeling good. Your first step should be to minimize the amount of fatty foods you eat. Ideally, no more than 20% of your daily calories should come from fat and these should be from like olive oil, nuts, and avocados.

A recent study done through the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Kaiser Permanente Medical Program also found that taking a calcium/vitamin D supplement can help menopausal women keep the weight off.

Weight gain during menopause is a problem just about every woman faces. Frustrating as it is, rest assured that it’s just a temporary annoyance caused by hormone fluctuation. To make sure the problem doesn’t get out of hand, though, follow a healthy diet and exercise at least half an hour a day.