You know that feeling when you put on a pair of jeans that used to fit just fine, and something just feels a bit different? Not a big change, but enough to make you pause for a second and wonder? You’re still moving your body, you’re eating reasonably well, you’re trying, and yet things feel a little softer around the middle, a little more unpredictable than they used to be. Some mornings you feel fine, and by evening your waistband is telling a completely different story.

What’s Actually Happening?

Perimenopause and menopause are natural transitions, but they do bring some real shifts in how the body works. Hormones like estrogen start to fluctuate and gradually decline, and that affects more than just one area. You might notice changes in metabolism, fluid balance, digestion, and where the body tends to store fat, often more around the abdomen than the hips or thighs. Appetite and cravings can shift too. And it’s not just that metabolism is “slowing down”, the body actually becomes less efficient at burning fat for energy and a little more inclined to store it.

Your body is adapting. That’s really what’s happening here.

Is It Fat or Is It Water?

This is something a lot of women wonder about, and honestly, it can be hard to tell, because sometimes what you’re noticing isn’t body fat at all. For me, it felt more like water retention. Waking up feeling okay, and by the evening feeling noticeably more puffy or bloated. That heavy, uncomfortable feeling where your clothes just don’t sit the same by the end of the day.

Hormonal shifts can have a real effect on how the body manages fluid. When estrogen fluctuates during perimenopause, it can influence how the body handles sodium, and where sodium goes, water tends to follow. So you lose a bit of that built-in support for releasing extra fluid, which can make it easier to feel puffy. Add stress into the mix, which also signals the body to hold onto more water, and it starts to make sense why things can feel so unpredictable.

So that tight, uncomfortable feeling by the end of the day can be a mix of fluid retention, slower digestion, and natural shifts in how the body stores fat. Which is why one day your clothes fit fine, and the next day they don’t feel quite the same.

What’s Going On With Digestion?

Hormonal shifts can sometimes slow digestion down, including bile flow, which helps the body break down fats. When that process isn’t moving as smoothly, you might notice more of that heavy, puffy feeling after eating. Simple things can help support this: eating in a more relaxed state, chewing a bit more slowly, and giving your meals some space rather than eating on the run. It gives your body a chance to keep up rather than feeling like it’s always playing catch-up.

What Can Actually Help

Your body is going through a real shift, and some things that worked before may just not feel as effective anymore. Here are a few things that can help:

• Balance your meals — even “healthy” meals that are mostly carbs can lead to energy dips and increased hunger later. Including protein, healthy fats, and fibre helps keep energy more stable throughout the day.
• Keep strength movement in — muscle plays a real role in supporting metabolism and overall stability. As muscle naturally changes during this stage, keeping it engaged can help your body feel more steady and resilient.
• Take stress seriously — higher stress levels can show up in how the body holds weight, often around the midsection. Sometimes the more supportive approach is actually gentler, walking, slowing your pace, or even just taking a few minutes to breathe.
• Support your digestion — slower, more relaxed eating can make a bigger difference than you’d expect. Give your body a chance to actually process what you’re giving it.
• Stay hydrated — it sounds simple, but it genuinely supports fluid balance, digestion, and energy.
• Rest counts — honouring rest just as much as activity is part of supporting your body through this, not a sign of giving up.

Something really does shift during this stage of life. What used to work easily in your twenties or thirties may suddenly not feel as effective anymore, and that can feel frustrating when you know you’re still putting in the effort.

Some days your body may feel heavier, puffier, slower, or more tired than others. And honestly, it often helps to get curious about those changes instead of immediately assuming you’re doing something wrong. What feels supportive right now? What does your body seem to need today? More rest? More protein? Less stress? Gentler movement? Sometimes asking those questions instead of constantly pushing harder is what starts changing the relationship you have with your body during this stage.

It usually takes some patience, flexibility, and a bit of adjusting along the way, but working with your body instead of constantly fighting against it tends to feel a whole lot better in the long run.

Simply Salt & Soul

The Salt (The Science): During perimenopause, shifting estrogen and progesterone levels can affect fluid retention, digestion, metabolism, and fat distribution, particularly around the abdomen. Blood sugar balance, muscle maintenance, stress management, and digestive support can all contribute to how the body feels and functions during this stage.

The Soul (The Wellness): In many traditions, this stage of life is seen as a transition into a more inward, intuitive phase, a time to conserve energy rather than constantly spend it. Sometimes the most supportive thing you can do is stop pushing against what’s happening and start working with it instead.