Menopause Weight Loss in Dubai
Menopause weight loss is simple with Dr Felix's personal care. There is no being told it is just your age, no crash diet that costs you muscle, and medication is prescribed by your doctor when there is a medical reason for it.
Your first visit includes a full medical check-up and blood work. Your weight, sleep and hot flushes are looked at in one plan.
Muscle first
Around menopause, women tend to gain fat and lose muscle. Your plan protects muscle with protein and strength training, not only a lower number on the scale.
Hormones and weight in one plan
Hot flushes, poor sleep and weight often come together. Dr Felix looks at all three, including whether hormone therapy fits you.
One doctor, start to finish
This is a personal practice. Dr Felix Happich, German-trained and DHA-licensed, sees you himself.
Straight answers before you book
What does a menopause weight loss plan include?
A menopause weight loss plan with Dr Felix measures fat and muscle, not only weight. Your plan is built on your blood work, your body composition and your symptoms.
- Blood work: glucose, HbA1c, cholesterol, liver and thyroid.
- Body composition: fat and muscle, so the plan protects what you want to keep.
- Protein and strength targets: set for your weight and routine.
- Sleep and hot flushes: reviewed, because both affect appetite and energy.
- Medication: only with a medical reason.
- Follow-up: fixed review dates with repeat measurements.
Why is it harder to lose weight around menopause?
Around menopause, the body changes what it stores, not only how much. In the SWAN study of midlife women, the rate of fat gain doubled at the start of the menopause transition while muscle mass began to fall, until about two years after the last period (JCI Insight, 2019).
Total weight did not rise faster in the same study. That is why the scale can stay the same while your shape changes, and why a plan that only cuts calories can make it worse.
How do I lose menopause belly fat?
Menopause belly fat comes from a shift in where the body stores fat. Around the menopause transition, fat gain speeds up while muscle falls, so the waist can grow even when weight stays the same.
Belly fat goes down with overall weight loss. Strength training keeps the muscle that is often lost with it, and some studies show less fat around the middle with HRT, although HRT is not a weight loss treatment. Your waist and body composition are measured at every review.
Does HRT help with weight loss?
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is not a weight loss treatment, and it does not cause weight gain. A review of 28 trials with over 28,000 women found no effect of oestrogen or oestrogen-progestogen therapy on body weight. Some studies show less fat around the middle with HRT.
HRT is a good option for hot flushes and poor sleep. Observational studies suggest women on HRT may lose more weight with semaglutide, but a 2026 statement from the Spanish Menopause Society calls this unproven and advises against starting HRT for weight alone (Maturitas, 2026).
Can I use weight loss injections during menopause?
Weight loss injections follow the same rules during and after menopause. They are considered at a BMI of 30 or more, or 27 or more with a weight-related condition, alongside nutrition and activity support, after an individual assessment of prior efforts, clinical needs and the applicable product information. Semaglutide has the most data in menopausal women, although most of it is observational.
Protecting muscle matters more at this age. In a review of 35 studies, about 28 percent of the weight lost on GLP-1 medicines came from muscle-based tissue, so protein and strength training are part of every plan. Women who still have periods need contraception, because these medicines are not used in pregnancy.
What else helps with menopause weight gain?
Sleep and muscle make the biggest difference next to calories. Up to 46 percent of women have trouble sleeping in the late menopause transition, and in one study half of the women with sleep problems had sleep apnoea, restless legs or both.
- Strength training: two or more sessions a week, combined with cardio, to limit muscle loss.
- Protein: spread across meals, especially while losing weight.
- Hot flushes: treating them can improve sleep, but other causes of poor sleep need checking too.
- Diabetes risk: in a large US trial, fewer women on HRT developed diabetes, 3.5 compared with 4.2 percent.
Dr Felix Happich, MD decides with you whether medication fits and when. Nothing is prescribed on request alone.
Why see a doctor for menopause weight loss?
Dr Felix Happich is a German-trained physician licensed by the Dubai Health Authority. He sees every patient himself, goes through your blood work and symptoms with you and decides with you whether medication or hormone therapy fits.
How menopause and perimenopause are diagnosed: menopause and perimenopause. How the medicines work: GLP-1 weight loss treatment. All options for adults: Medical Weight Loss Clinic Dubai.
Your first consultation with Dr Felix
Goals and history
Your weight history, cycle or last period, hot flushes, sleep, mood and what you have already tried.
Medical review
Examination, waist, body composition, blood pressure and blood work covering glucose, HbA1c, cholesterol, liver and thyroid.
Suitability decision
Dr Felix explains what is driving your weight and whether medication or hormone therapy fits now, later or not at all.
Personal plan
A written plan with protein and strength targets, any medicine with its dose steps, and your follow-up dates.
More questions about menopause and weight loss
What does menopause weight loss treatment cost?
The cost of menopause weight loss treatment depends on the blood tests you need and whether medication becomes part of your plan. You get the full cost in the consultation before anything starts.
Can I combine HRT and weight loss injections?
Yes, both can be used together when each one fits on its own. HRT is chosen for symptoms such as hot flushes, and the weight loss medicine for weight.
I still have periods. Is this for me?
Yes. The changes in fat and muscle start in the menopause transition, before periods stop. You need reliable contraception while taking weight loss injections.
Why has my weight not changed but my waist has?
Around menopause, fat gain speeds up while muscle falls, so weight can stay stable while the waist grows. That is why body composition is measured, not only weight.
Your menopause weight loss plan, built around muscle and sleep
One consultation with Dr Felix in Dubai Healthcare City. You leave knowing what is driving your weight and what to do next.
Book your consultationSources
- Changes in body composition and weight during the menopause transition (SWAN), JCI Insight 2019, PubMed abstract. Fat and muscle changes at menopause
- Incretin-based therapies in peri- and postmenopausal women with obesity, Maturitas 2026, PubMed abstract. Spanish Menopause Society position statement
- Once-weekly semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity (STEP 1), New England Journal of Medicine 2021, PubMed abstract. Weight loss with semaglutide