How Hormonal Changes in Perimenopause Affect Your Insulin & Cravings
Many women in perimenopause feel like their bodies have suddenly turned against them. You eat well, exercise, and try to make healthy choices, yet sugar cravings hit you mid-morning or mid-afternoon. You notice stubborn weight gain around your waistline, feel fatigued, and sometimes struggle to focus. You may have even tried diets or extreme restrictions, only to feel frustrated and defeated when results didn’t come. If this sounds familiar, let me reassure you: this is not a lack of willpower. Your body is undergoing significant hormonal shifts that directly impact insulin, metabolism, and appetite.
I help women understand these changes and take actionable steps to regain control over their eating, cravings, and overall energy. Let’s dive into what’s really happening and what you can do about it.
Hormonal Changes in Perimenopause and Their Impact on Insulin
Perimenopause is the transitional period before menopause, usually beginning in your 40s but sometimes earlier. During this stage, levels of estrogen and progesterone fluctuate dramatically. These hormones are not only involved in reproductive health but also in regulating metabolism, fat storage, and insulin sensitivity.
Estrogen and Insulin Sensitivity
Estrogen plays a crucial role in how your cells respond to insulin. Insulin is the hormone responsible for helping glucose from food enter your cells to be used for energy. When estrogen levels drop, cells become less responsive to insulin, a condition known as insulin resistance. Insulin resistance leads to higher blood sugar levels, increased fat storage especially around the abdomen and stronger sugar cravings.
For example, imagine you’ve eaten a healthy lunch with lean protein, vegetables, and whole grains. In a pre-perimenopausal body, your blood sugar would remain relatively stable. But in perimenopause, fluctuating estrogen means your blood sugar may spike and crash more quickly, triggering cravings for quick sources of energy like sweets or refined carbs.
Progesterone and Appetite
Progesterone fluctuations also impact appetite and energy. When progesterone is lower than normal, you may feel hungrier and more prone to emotional eating. You might notice cravings for specific foods especially sugary or carb-heavy items, that give you a temporary energy boost but ultimately worsen blood sugar stability.
Cortisol and Stress Response
Perimenopause often coincides with increased stress from life responsibilities, work, family, aging parents. Cortisol, the stress hormone, is naturally higher during these periods. Elevated cortisol worsens insulin resistance and signals your body to store fat, particularly in the belly. Stress also drives emotional eating, which can reinforce unhealthy patterns.
Recognizing Symptoms of Hormonal Shifts
Understanding the physical signs of these hormonal changes helps you identify when insulin and metabolism are being impacted:
Midday energy crashes: You feel lethargic after meals despite eating what seems like a balanced diet.
Intense sugar or carb cravings: Reaching for chocolate, pastries, or chips multiple times a day.
Stubborn abdominal fat: Fat accumulates around your midsection, even if your weight elsewhere remains stable.
Brain fog or mental fatigue: Difficulty concentrating, forgetfulness, or feeling mentally sluggish.
Mood swings or irritability: Emotional shifts linked to blood sugar fluctuations and hormonal imbalance.
These symptoms are signals that your body’s metabolism is being affected by hormonal shifts, not a reflection of weakness or lack of self-discipline.
Nutrition Strategies to Support Insulin and Reduce Cravings
Food is the most powerful tool you have to balance insulin and manage cravings. The goal is to stabilize blood sugar, support hormones, and nourish your body without restriction.
Build Balanced Meals
A balanced meal contains four key elements: protein + fiber + healthy fats + colorful vegetables. This combination slows digestion, stabilizes glucose absorption, and keeps you full longer.
Protein: Chicken, fish, eggs, tofu, Greek yogurt, or legumes. Protein stimulates satiety hormones and provides steady energy.
Fiber: Vegetables, fruit, legumes, nuts, and seeds help slow carbohydrate absorption and improve gut health.
Healthy Fats: Avocado, olive oil, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish help regulate hormones and keep you satisfied.
Vegetables: Cruciferous and leafy greens provide essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber that stabilize blood sugar and support liver detoxification.
Meal Timing and Frequency
Eating every 4–5 hours helps prevent blood sugar dips and reduces the risk of bingeing or sugar cravings. Skipping meals can worsen insulin resistance and trigger cravings.
Example Day of Eating:
Breakfast: Veggie omelet with spinach and tomatoes, half an avocado, and a slice of whole-grain toast.
Mid-Morning Snack: Greek yogurt with a handful of berries and chia seeds.
Lunch: Grilled salmon salad with mixed greens, quinoa, olive oil, and pumpkin seeds.
Afternoon Snack: Apple slices with almond butter.
Dinner: Lean chicken or tofu, roasted vegetables, and a small serving of sweet potato.
Hydration and Blood Sugar
Drinking enough water supports digestion, prevents misinterpreted thirst signals as hunger, and helps the liver process glucose efficiently. Herbal teas can also support digestion and reduce stress-induced cravings.
Mindful Eating
Paying attention to hunger and fullness cues, slowing down while eating, and removing distractions can prevent overeating and emotional eating. Keeping a food journal can reveal patterns of cravings linked to hormonal shifts.
Lifestyle Strategies Beyond Food
Nutrition is critical, but lifestyle habits play an equally important role in regulating insulin and supporting metabolism.
Strength Training and Movement
Muscle is a primary site for glucose disposal. Building lean muscle improves insulin sensitivity and boosts metabolic rate. Aim for 2–3 sessions per week of resistance training or bodyweight exercises, focusing on major muscle groups.
Non-exercise activity, like walking after meals, increases glucose uptake and helps prevent blood sugar spikes. Even light activity breaks during the day can make a significant difference.
Stress Management
High stress drives cortisol production, which worsens insulin resistance. Incorporating stress-reducing practices such as meditation, deep breathing, yoga, or nature walks can improve metabolic health and reduce cravings.
Sleep Quality
Poor sleep is strongly associated with insulin resistance, increased hunger, and cravings. Aim for 7–8 hours of quality sleep per night. Establish a calming bedtime routine, limit late-night screen time, and keep a consistent sleep schedule.
Mindset and Behavior Support
Balancing hormones and insulin isn’t just about food or exercise, it’s about changing patterns and mindset.
Intuitive portioning: Pay attention to hunger and fullness, and avoid overeating despite perceived restrictions.
Craving awareness: Identify triggers for sugar cravings (stress, fatigue, emotions) and replace reactive habits with mindful alternatives.
Consistency over perfection: Small daily habits compounded over time are more effective than temporary restrictive diets.
Key Takeaways
Hormonal changes during perimenopause are natural, but they have real effects on insulin sensitivity, metabolism, and cravings. Understanding these shifts helps you approach nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle habits with strategy instead of frustration.
By building balanced meals, exercising strategically, managing stress, and prioritizing sleep, you can stabilize blood sugar, reduce cravings, and regain control over your health. The changes are gradual but transformative, giving you more energy, focus, and confidence every day.
If you’re ready to take back control of your eating and feel good in your body again, I have two ways to help you get started:
Download my free 7-Day Sugar Reset Guide, it’s your step-by-step blueprint to balance your meals, stop cravings, and stabilize blood sugar naturally.
Check out my 7-Day Meal Plans available on my Linktree designed to make healthy eating simple, balanced, and sustainable for only $9.99 You deserve to feel nourished, energized, and confident… every single day.
If you’re new here, Hi I’m Sarah Seguin, a Holistic Nutritionist and Metabolic Balance® Coach who helps women in perimenopause break free from sugar addiction, stabilize their blood sugar, rebalance their hormones, and finally feel energized, clear, calm, and in control again. I work with women who feel stuck in the cycle of cravings, emotional eating, brain fog, fatigue, bloating, and stubborn weight that just will not move and I show you how to reset your metabolism in a way that is gentle, nourishing, and sustainable.
The program I run, The Sugar Reset Method powered by Metabolic Balance, is a personalized nutrition and metabolic healing system designed specifically for your unique biochemistry. This is not a diet, not restriction, and not a temporary fix, it’s a complete metabolic reset that teaches your body how to use food for fuel, stabilize hunger, reduce cravings naturally, support nervous system regulation, repair insulin sensitivity, and rebalance hormones from the inside out. Women who go through this program not only lose weight, gain energy, and improve mood, they learn how to trust themselves and their body again.
If you’re ready to start small, download my free 7-Day Sugar Reset Guide to begin balancing blood sugar and calming cravings right now. And if you’re feeling called to deeper support, you can explore my coaching options and book a discovery call.
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To Your Health,
Sarah