Why Perimenopause Makes Sugar Cravings WORSE and What to Do About It
THE CRAVING SPIKE NO ONE PREPARES WOMEN FOR
If you’re in your late 30s, 40s, or early 50s and suddenly feel like you’ve lost control over sugar cravings, you’re not imagining it and you’re definitely not lacking discipline. Perimenopause brings powerful hormonal changes that directly impact blood sugar, hunger hormones, stress levels, and your brain’s reward pathways.
Most women think:
“Why do I suddenly want sugar ALL THE TIME?”
“Why am I fine all day and then crash and binge at night?”
“Why do cravings hit so hard after 3pm?”
“Why does it feel like my willpower disappeared?”
Here’s the truth:
Your cravings aren’t about willpower. They are a metabolic response to hormonal shifts during perimenopause.
Let’s break down exactly what’s changing and exactly how to fix it.
The Hormonal Storm Behind Perimenopause Cravings
Perimenopause is not a slow, gentle hormonal slide. It’s chaotic, unpredictable, and often intense.
And that chaos hits your cravings HARD.
1. Estrogen drops → blood sugar dysregulation
Estrogen plays a huge role in glucose metabolism. When estrogen begins to swing up and down (and eventually trend downward), your body becomes more insulin-resistant.
Less estrogen =
➡ harder for your cells to use glucose
➡ more blood sugar spikes
➡ more crashes
➡ more cravings
Especially cravings for quick energy: sugar, carbs, chocolate, bakery items, chips, cereal, bread, wine.
2. Progesterone dips → mood instability + emotional cravings
Low progesterone means:
poor sleep
irritability
anxiety
heightened emotional responses
Your brain naturally seeks dopamine to cope and sugar is the fastest dopamine hit available.
3. Cortisol imbalances → afternoon + nighttime cravings
Perimenopause increases stress sensitivity.
So when cortisol dips too low in the afternoon (common after 40), blood sugar drops with it.
This triggers:
fatigue
brain fog
irritability
“must have sugar now” signals
Nighttime cravings?
That’s a cortisol rhythm imbalance paired with rising insulin resistance.
4. Insulin resistance increases with age
Women in perimenopause are more prone to insulin resistance even with a healthy lifestyle.
This is why you may gain weight around your stomach or feel like your metabolism “stopped working.”
Insulin resistance = stronger, more frequent cravings.
The BIGGEST Misconception: “Just cut sugar”
Most women try:
❌ cutting sugar
❌ cutting carbs
❌ intermittent fasting
❌ eating less
❌ doing more workouts
This ALWAYS makes cravings worse, not better.
Why?
Because these strategies:
Increase cortisol
Drop blood sugar too low
Over-restrict
Create rebound cravings
Make metabolism more stressed
The goal isn’t to “cut sugar.”
The goal is to balance your metabolism so your cravings stop naturally.
The 4 Mistakes Women Over 40 Make When Trying to Reduce Cravings
Mistake 1: Under-eating during the day
This leads to nighttime bingeing.
Perimenopause bodies need stable, consistent fueling.
Mistake 2: Too much coffee, not enough protein
Coffee on an empty stomach spikes cortisol and destabilizes blood sugar for hours.
Mistake 3: Skipping meals (even unintentionally)
Women in perimenopause must eat rhythmically to support hormone regulation.
Mistake 4: Trying to “have more discipline”
Discipline has nothing to do with metabolism.
The SOLUTION: How to Actually Stop Cravings in Perimenopause
This is the core of my method and what I teach inside the Sugar Reset Method.
STEP 1 — Stabilize Blood Sugar at Every Meal
Your meals must contain:
✔ Protein
✔ Healthy fat
✔ Fiber
✔ Slow carbs (yes — carbs are necessary)
This stops spikes and crashes.
STEP 2 — Reset Cortisol Rhythm
This includes:
consistent eating windows
lowering stimulants
strategic meals
breath resets
blood-sugar balancing snacks
STEP 3 — Support Estrogen + Progesterone Shifts
This is done through:
liver support
digestion support
metabolic foods
mineral replenishment
STEP 4 — Remove metabolic stressors (NOT food restrictions)
We remove the right stressors, not food.
Inflammation can trigger cravings more than sugar itself.
STEP 5 — Re-establish metabolic balance over 15 weeks
This is the foundation of the Sugar Reset Method:
➡ slow, steady, predictable metabolic reconstruction
➡ hormone stabilization
➡ cravings turned off at the root
What Women Report After Balancing Their Metabolism
After implementing the metabolic resets:
✨ 70–90% drop in cravings
✨ Easier weight loss around the stomach
✨ More consistent energy
✨ Better moods
✨ Steadier sleep
✨ Less bloating
✨ No more nighttime eating
✨ No more “food noise”
This isn’t magic.
It’s physiology.
You’re Not Broken. Your Hormones Are Signaling Something.
Perimenopause cravings have NOTHING to do with discipline or willpower.
They are simply a message from your metabolism.
Once you address the hormone–blood sugar link, cravings disappear.
You don’t have to fight your body.
You have to support it.
YOUR NEXT STEP
If you are ready to take back control of your eating and feel good in your body again, I have a few ways to help you get started.
👉 Download my free 7 Day Sugar Reset Guide. It is 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. They are designed to make healthy eating simple, balanced, and sustainable for only 9.99.
👉 And visit my Shop Page on my Linktree where you will find my favourite health and wellness products that support your energy, blood sugar, metabolism, and hormone balance.
If you are new here, Hi I am 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 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 is 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 are 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 are feeling called to deeper support, you can explore my coaching options and book a discovery call.
✨ Get all the links here. Click here.
And make sure to follow me on social media so you do not miss daily guidance, recipes, education, and encouragement on your healing journey. You are not meant to do this alone, I am right here with you.
To Your Health,
Sarah