My theory is that in menopause the hormones are erractic and since insulin is a hormone the other hormones (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone) are all intertwined and affected by each other. Sugar is a big trigger for insulin...if insulin is triggered too much the other hormones, which are decreasing anyway, are affected and cause a bigger reaction than if you weren't in menopause..
So, I found this out the hard way after not being able to lose my weight for 2 years..Any food with hormones will affect you..
red meat, chicken, turkey, dairy. I found I had to go organic, and then I had to cut my dairy way down and I'm eating fish, tofu and tempeh with some cheese.

Depending on the person, red meat , grass fed, no horomones or antibiotics will not affect you. Red meat bothered me. No matter how compliant I was, I would gain weight eating red meat. I attribute that to the Blood Type Diet. I am an A blood type and we're supposed to be vegetarians, according to Dr. D'Adamo. I've been following his work since 2003

I've also given up sugar in the rm in weight loss phase. You may find you have to give up sugar to lose, then put it back in maintenance in small amounts.