Message me with comments or questions
Are you dealing with stubborn sugar cravings, belly fat that won’t budge, or unexplained muscle loss—even though you're doing "all the right things"? You’re not crazy—and you’re definitely not alone. These symptoms may be tied directly to hormonal shifts that start as early as your 30s and ramp up during perimenopause and menopause.
In this powerful episode of the Breakthrough Emotional Eating podcast, I share my personal journey with hormone replacement therapy (HRT), the latest science on protein needs for women in midlife, and simple shifts you can make today that will radically improve your energy, cravings, and body composition.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- ⚡ Why women lose up to 8% of their muscle mass every decade after 30—and how to stop the acceleration during menopause
- 🥩 Why the old protein guideline (0.8g/kg) is outdated—and what new research recommends instead (1.2–1.6g/kg daily)
- ⏰ How protein timing—especially first thing in the morning—can stabilize blood sugar and crush afternoon cravings
- 🧠 The surprising link between hormones, insulin resistance, and emotional eating
- 💪 What to eat (and when) to protect your metabolism, boost muscle retention, and feel strong for decades to come
Whether you're proactively preparing for hormonal shifts or deep in the midst of them, this episode will give you clear, actionable strategies to reclaim your health and feel empowered in your body.
🎧 Ready to take control of your cravings and build strength from the inside out?
Tune in now—and don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share this episode with a friend who needs to hear it.
Connect with me online:
1. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breakthroughemotionaleating/
2. You Tube channel, Kristin Jones Coaching: https://www.youtube.com/@KristinJonesCoaching44
3. You Tube channel, Breakthrough Emotional Eating Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@breakthroughpodcast-44
3 . Website: https://www.kristinjonescoaching.com
If you want to learn more about how to stop overeating at meals and lose weight easily, get my How To Stop Overeating At Meals Guide: https://go.kristinjonescoaching.com/stop-overeating
Needing more specific and direct support for your emotional eating and overeating? Check out my online course, Stop Dieting Start Feeling, and my personalized coaching program, Breakthrough To You.
If you found this episode helpful, don't forget to leave a review on the platform you used to listen and share it with your friends on your Instagram stories. Also, be sure to follow me o...
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Do you want to lose weight but struggle to stay
committed to a meal plan becauseyou constantly feel hungry?
Does food provide you comfortwhen you're bored, angry, lonely
or sad?
If so, you are in the rightplace.
My name is Kristen Jones andI'm a life coach specializing in
emotional eating and weightloss, and I'm also a lifelong
(00:24):
emotional eater.
I want to provide you withinformation, motivation and
support so you, too, can learnto manage your issues with food
and develop a healthyrelationship with yourself.
Welcome to the BreakthroughEmotional Eating Podcast.
(00:58):
My name is Kristen Jones andthank you so much for joining me
this week.
About seven months ago, Istarted hormone replacement
therapy with my doctor, dr PeterCristillo, who is at Swan
Medical here in Danville,california, and I knew that
(01:19):
there were going to be somechanges that I was going to
experience, and one of thechanges that I was hoping was
going to change was the tone ofmy muscles.
One of the things that I havenoticed significantly since
going through menopause is thatI have lost a ton of muscle in
(01:44):
my legs in my legs in particular, and not that my legs were ever
I'm not going to lie to y'allnot that my legs were ever, in
particularly all that muscular.
But over the last probably twoyears, I have noticed a
significant change in themusculature of my legs and I
just, you know, I didn't knowwhat to attribute it to.
(02:07):
I did not think it had anythingto do with my hormones, but it
does, and so when I started HRT,dr Castillo encouraged me and
asked me to really take a lookat what I was eating and how I
was eating.
And was I actually eatingenough protein?
And I am so guilty of noteating enough protein.
(02:30):
Um, I have.
I'm kind of a subscriber, kindof a believer in the, and I
don't.
I don't hold to it reallyreally closely, but I do, um,
(02:51):
but I do.
Um, I kind of follow the ideaof the uh the blood type diet,
which is, uh, based upon yourblood type.
And my blood type wouldindicate that I would be best if
I was vegetarian or vegan, andI have been vegetarian and vegan
on, on and off most of my life.
I've never eaten that much meatbefore, and so the idea of
eating meat was a little thatwas a little confounding.
I wasn't sure how I was goingto do with that and I really
(03:13):
wasn't even sure how I was goingto do it, but I decided that I
would give it a try, and so Istarted increasing my protein
intake.
Why am I telling you all this?
Well, I'm telling you all thisbecause today's episode is going
to be looking at the importanceand the necessity of protein
(03:38):
when it comes to food cravings,as well as just muscular
strength and maintaining musclemass as a perimenopausal,
menopausal or postmenopausalwoman.
It's incredibly, incrediblyvaluable and very, very
(03:59):
important when it comes to awoman's overall health as she
ages and as she goes through thechanges that happen in your
hormones as you get older inlife.
But one of the things that mostpeople don't know about and if
you want to go back and you wantto listen to my episode with Dr
(04:20):
Castillo, my personal doctor,my personal hormone doctor
changes start happening in our30s y'all.
We really, as women, we startto lose our muscle mass in our
30s, like early in our 30s, andif we can start building that up
earlier the better.
But today's episode is aboutwhat if you are in your 50sies,
(04:43):
forties or fifties and you feellike you are craving so many,
you know you're.
You have sugar cravings orcravings in general that are so
out of control, and you also arenoticing some changes in your
body.
What do you do?
How do you address that andwhat is it?
Well, I'm going to tell youthat probably, if you're seeing
changes in your body shape andthe makeup, the muscular makeup
(05:10):
of your body, it's probablygoing to have to do with
menopause and it's going to haveto do with your hormonal
changes.
You can start doing immediatelyto start making changes in that
(05:30):
area and how to preserve yourmuscle mass and how to really
work on being able to age in away that you really want to age
and that you are able to do itin a way that that supports not
only your activities and whatand how you want your life to be
, but also to make sure thatyou're eating good food and that
you're eating the foods thatyour body actually needs and
(05:51):
will actually use in a positiveway.
So that is the topic of today'spodcast.
It's going to be on protein andthe menopausal woman.
So, even if you're a man, Istill think you should listen to
this, because I think it'simportant that men know what, uh
what women are going through,so they can be more empathetic
and more understanding.
(06:11):
Um, but also these decreases inhormones also happen to men,
just not as widely talked aboutand not as significant, um, but
it does happen and it doesimpact them.
So it's important to know thatas well.
Why protein is so criticalduring menopause.
(06:31):
So we're going to start withwhat the big picture is.
The big picture is is, as womengo through hormonal shift in
their forties and fifties,estrogen and progesterone during
those times starts to declineand with that comes a drop in a
number of different levels,different aspects of your life.
(06:52):
Your metabolism lowers, yourmetabolism gets slower, you
become possibly become insulinresistant, meaning that your
body doesn't respond to insulinin the same way that it did when
you were younger.
There's usually an increase inthe fat stores that you keep and
they're usually around yourbelly and there is usually
(07:12):
significant muscle loss.
So, according to researchpublished in the Journal of
Clinical Endocrinology andMetabolism, women can lose up to
8% of their muscle mass perdecade after the age of 30.
So 8% each decade after 30.
And the rate only increasesonce you reach menopause.
(07:35):
So, really, why is this evenimportant?
Well, it's important becausemuscle equates longevity.
When it comes to an aging body,but more specifically a female
aging body, it's not just aboutlooking toned.
It's about your metabolism,your actual physical strength,
(07:58):
your insulin sensitivity, yourbone health and even your
cognitive performance, and itimpacts your heart and the fuel
for all of those muscles thosemuscles that are everywhere in
our bodies.
The fuel for those muscles isprotein.
So getting the correct amountof protein that your body needs
(08:18):
is absolutely vital, not justfor your own longevity, but also
for your aging process as well.
So the more muscle you canmaintain or, in fact, build, the
more calories you burn when youare at rest, and metabolism is
the key to weight maintenanceand weight loss in menopause.
(08:44):
So how much protein do wereally need?
Now I'm going to tell you, andI'm going to be completely
transparent and upfront.
Going to tell you, and I'mgoing to be completely
transparent and upfront I don'tas much as as much as I'm eating
way more protein than I everhave, I'm still not getting what
they recommend, and that isbecause I don't feel like my
(09:12):
body feels that it is at itsoptimal best when I'm eating so
much protein.
So that is a decision that Ihave made.
I'm going to tell you what therecommendations are and you can
decide whether or not that'ssomething for you.
For me.
I've tried it and it does notjive with me.
I feel too sluggish.
I don't feel like I.
I think my digestion is sloweddown significantly.
I end up being constipated, andthat is just no bueno.
(09:33):
I don't want that at all and Ijust don't like the way I,
significantly, I end up beingconstipated, and that is just no
bueno.
I don't want that at all and Ijust don't like the way I feel.
I don't like when I feel heavy.
I don't like when I feelweighed down, when I feel
sluggish, and that is usuallywhen I eat over about 80 grams
of protein a day.
That's just, it's too much.
It's just too much for my body.
(09:55):
So I am not and I'm notrecommending to anyone that you
follow what I do, because everyperson is different.
But I do want to encourage youto do what I've always told you
to do, and that is listen toyour body.
Your body is individual.
Your body is yours in unique,and you want to make sure that
you are getting enough proteinfor your body so it can function
in the best way possible, andthat doesn't always mean
(10:18):
following exactly what thelatest guru on Instagram tells
you to do.
So that means listening to yourbody and do what feels right
for you.
So there is a recommendationthat women need about 0.8 grams
of protein per kilogram of bodyweight, not pounds, kilograms of
body weight.
(10:38):
That has been kind of thestandard.
That has been the standard, butit's wildly outdated for women
who are in midlife at this point.
So new research, includingstudies from the American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition,suggests that women in menopause
need 1.2 to 1.6 grams ofprotein per kilogram of body
(11:05):
weight to maintain muscle and tosupport metabolic health.
That's about 90 to 120 gramsper day for many women, many
women.
But even more important than thetotal amount is how frequently
(11:27):
you eat it throughout the day.
So our bodies can only use acertain amount of protein in one
sitting.
Research has shown that 30grams of protein per meal is
about optimal for a person to beable to absorb the maximum
amount of protein, use it intheir body and then either clear
(11:50):
out the rest through waste orjust move it through your body
and actually use it and not haveit be stored as excess fat.
Too often times people eat toomuch protein in one sitting and
then they end up storing toomuch of it as fat because our
body.
It's not because our bodydoesn't need it, it's that our
body can't process it all at onetime.
(12:11):
Instead of loading up at dinner, aim to evenly space your
protein out throughout the day.
So that would meanapproximately 25 to 30 grams at
each one of your meals breakfast, lunch, dinner and, of course,
if you have snacks, you can putthem in the snacks as well, and
(12:33):
that will evenly distribute theprotein across your whole day.
So you don't over, uh, over,consume too much protein at one
time because our bodies justcan't produce, our bodies can't
synthesize it quick enough to beable to use it, and then we end
up storing it as fat.
So what are the best kinds ofprotein for women who are in
(12:58):
menopause?
Um, any type of protein forwomen who are in menopause?
Um, any type of protein thatyou want to to consume and
actually use and have it be toyour benefit.
It needs to be a completeprogram, a complete protein,
meaning that it has all nineessential amino acids, and these
include these are included inthe essential um the complete
(13:21):
proteins that have all nine ofthese amino acids.
So that would be lean chickenor turkey fish, especially fatty
fish like salmon, um, whichalso have heart healthy omega
threes.
Uh, eggs, and again that's eggswhole and egg whites, but the
(13:41):
whole egg.
Don't don't forego the, theyolk, because you think it's too
fat.
No, include that, that'simportant.
Uh, greek yogurt, cottagecheese, one of my favorites.
I love cottage cheese.
I'm telling I love cottagecheese.
I'm telling you, I love cottagecheese.
Now here's where we begin tohave the issue.
They recommend the ClinicalJournal on Nutrition recommends
(14:15):
tofu, tempeh or edamame forplant-based eaters, and then
protein powders for those thatare on a plant-based but that or
that like to to drink some oftheir protein.
I personally and this is just apersonal opinion, so it is not
something that I'm tellinganyone to do, but me personally,
because I have been both.
I have been vegan, I have beenvegetarian and I have eaten
(14:38):
everything, and I have gotten toa place in my life where I
would rather eat an animalproduct than to eat something
that is so full of chemicalsthat I don't even recognize what
it is, nor do I know threequarters of the things that are
(14:59):
in said product that I'm eating.
I am just not willing to putthat kind of stuff in my body
anymore.
I know where something comes Ifit's an animal protein.
I know where it's been, I knowwhat it, what.
You know how it's been walkingaround and I am okay with eating
an animal protein as opposed toa synthetically created protein
(15:21):
that then gets made into aprotein source.
That's just me personally.
That's that's my thing.
But any of those and honestly Idon't eat that much.
I wasn't eating that muchprotein.
So any protein was animprovement.
I am all for if you can, if youmake sure that you have your
cholesterol checked.
I am all for if you can.
Um, if you make sure that youhave your cholesterol checked, I
(15:42):
am all about having some ribeyesteaks and some New York cuts.
Um, uh, pork chops, any ofthose, any of those you know,
meatier pieces of meat I don't.
When I, when I'm eating moreprotein, I don't buy chicken.
I think chicken's boring.
I like a ribeye, I like a NewYork.
(16:04):
Oh, yesterday I bought lambchops.
Oh my God, so good.
So I like a variety of meatsand I'm not afraid to make them
on my own.
I've gotten much better aboutdoing it.
I wasn't very skilled at doingit and now I've gotten much
better about it and I know howto do it, which is really
exciting.
It makes a huge difference.
The whole idea of where do youget your protein.
(16:28):
For me, I think it's reallyimportant to.
I go to.
I go to Trader Joe's, I go tosmart and final I go and I pick
out my own meat.
I do my own cooking because Ithink it's really important that
one I know where my meat comesfrom, but also that I'm able to
know what's actually in my food,that I created it I, I cooked
(16:58):
it.
Eating protein connect withcravings and food consumption.
So there is there have been anumber of studies about the
connection between proteinconsumption and food cravings,
(17:20):
and so many women in menopauseexperience intense sugar
cravings, especially in theafternoon or the evening.
That's because hormonal changesaffect insulin sensitivity and
blood sugar regulation and whenyour blood sugar crashes, your
brain sends an urgent messagethat says give me sugar now.
(17:44):
It just wants you to eatsomething that has sugar in it.
So it will crave, it will sendthose cravings.
So you're not imagining things.
That's what I want to make sureyou understand.
You're not imagining things.
Protein can help break thatcycle of immediately craving
sugar when you need something.
(18:04):
It slows down digestion, itkeeps your blood sugar stable,
it increases satiety.
So when you eat something, youfeel satisfied and that means
you can feel full longer andhave fewer highs and lows
throughout the day.
A study published in Appetitein 2015 found that participants
(18:26):
who ate high protein meals hadsignificantly lower cravings for
sugary snacks than those whoate high carb meals.
You start your day with aprotein rich breakfast.
It's always a good idea Proteinrich breakfast like Greek
yogurt, eggs, a protein smoothieif you want to go the protein
(18:48):
powder route and you're settingyourself and your metabolism and
cravings up for success.
I encourage all of my clientsto have a protein forward
breakfast, to stay away fromcereal, stay away from just
straight up toast, but to makeit a combination and eat slowly
(19:11):
and really enjoy the process ofeating that food.
You're going to build yourmeals around protein.
You're going to have yourprotein first, then you're going
to add your veggies, thenyou'll add your complex carbs
and you'll add, add your water,add, add your healthy fats, all
the things so you can make surethat you have a well-rounded
(19:32):
meal.
But it's important to know that,whether you're 25 or whether
you're my age, in your late 50s,it's never too soon or too
early to start.
It's never too early, and it'snever too late to start eating
more protein and seeing thechanges that it creates in your
(19:52):
body.
So what does that look like?
It looks like going out andpicking proteins that you know
you're going to eat, you knowthat you're going to enjoy.
You find some recipes, youstart doing some cooking, you
start valuing what's going inyour body and you start knowing
everything that's going in yourbody.
(20:13):
It's in.
You only have one body and it'syours to take care of, it's
yours to nurture and it's yoursto make sure that you stay as
healthy and as strong and asupright as possible throughout
your whole life.
So you have to think of proteinlike an investment.
The more you deposit now, themore strength, energy and
(20:36):
metabolism you will have later.
You'll feel younger, strongerand more in control of your body
, even until your late thirtiesand early forties.
And even if you haven't you'rethere and you still haven't hit
menopause, it's still importantto get that protein in.
It's important to take care ofyour body, to keep your joints,
(21:00):
your ligaments and your musclesin the best possible condition.
And that means, again, itdoesn't matter what age you are,
it doesn't matter if you.
Again, it doesn't matter whatage you are, it doesn't matter
how active.
You are being active andstarting to do something.
It's never too early to startdoing exercise regularly as well
as increasing your protein.
(21:22):
So check out your own diet.
Give yourself maybe three orfour days where you track all of
your protein and you load itinto one of the online apps that
can tell you how many grams ofprotein you have in your, in
your meals and know, be informed.
(21:42):
Know how much protein you'regetting and is it enough?
If you're really sleepy, okay,maybe I need to eat more protein
so I can be more awake duringthe day.
That's a huge, significantthing.
You've got to find what can youdo instead of just saying, okay
, I guess this is what theproblem is.
I guess I'm going to beresolved to this.
No, we want to make sure thatwe make the best possible
(22:05):
decision to be able to moveforward in the way that you want
to.
All right, thank you so much forjoining me this week.
If this, if you found value inthis discussion about women and
menopause and protein, pleasecomment below the video.
Let me know what you think.
Let me know what you'd like tohear more about, because I
(22:27):
definitely want to make thispodcast what you all need and
what's going to be best for you.
Please go online and you canleave a review for the podcast,
and I would greatly, greatly,appreciate it.
Those podcast reviews are soincredibly helpful.
All right, take care of y'all.
Thank you for listening to thisweek's episode.
(22:51):
If you are interested inlearning more about how I can
help you understand and manageyour emotional eating, including
the use of hypnosis to uncoverthe root cause of your eating,
go to my website,kristinjonescoachingcom.
Do you want to lose weight but struggle to stay
committed to a meal plan becauseyou constantly feel hungry?
Does food provide you comfortwhen you're bored, angry, lonely
or sad?
If so, you are in the rightplace.
My name is Kristen Jones andI'm a life coach specializing in
emotional eating and weightloss, and I'm also a lifelong
(00:24):
emotional eater.
I want to provide you withinformation, motivation and
support so you, too, can learnto manage your issues with food
and develop a healthyrelationship with yourself.
Welcome to the BreakthroughEmotional Eating Podcast.
(00:58):
My name is Kristen Jones andthank you so much for joining me
this week.
About seven months ago, Istarted hormone replacement
therapy with my doctor, dr PeterCristillo, who is at Swan
Medical here in Danville,california, and I knew that
(01:19):
there were going to be somechanges that I was going to
experience, and one of thechanges that I was hoping was
going to change was the tone ofmy muscles.
One of the things that I havenoticed significantly since
going through menopause is thatI have lost a ton of muscle in
(01:44):
my legs in my legs in particular, and not that my legs were ever
I'm not going to lie to y'allnot that my legs were ever, in
particularly all that muscular.
But over the last probably twoyears, I have noticed a
significant change in themusculature of my legs and I
just, you know, I didn't knowwhat to attribute it to.
(02:07):
I did not think it had anythingto do with my hormones, but it
does, and so when I started HRT,dr Castillo encouraged me and
asked me to really take a lookat what I was eating and how I
was eating.
And was I actually eatingenough protein?
And I am so guilty of noteating enough protein.
(02:30):
Um, I have.
I'm kind of a subscriber, kindof a believer in the, and I
don't.
I don't hold to it reallyreally closely, but I do, um,
(02:51):
but I do.
Um, I kind of follow the ideaof the uh the blood type diet,
which is, uh, based upon yourblood type.
And my blood type wouldindicate that I would be best if
I was vegetarian or vegan, andI have been vegetarian and vegan
on, on and off most of my life.
I've never eaten that much meatbefore, and so the idea of
eating meat was a little thatwas a little confounding.
I wasn't sure how I was goingto do with that and I really
(03:13):
wasn't even sure how I was goingto do it, but I decided that I
would give it a try, and so Istarted increasing my protein
intake.
Why am I telling you all this?
Well, I'm telling you all thisbecause today's episode is going
to be looking at the importanceand the necessity of protein
(03:38):
when it comes to food cravings,as well as just muscular
strength and maintaining musclemass as a perimenopausal,
menopausal or postmenopausalwoman.
It's incredibly, incrediblyvaluable and very, very
(03:59):
important when it comes to awoman's overall health as she
ages and as she goes through thechanges that happen in your
hormones as you get older inlife.
But one of the things that mostpeople don't know about and if
you want to go back and you wantto listen to my episode with Dr
(04:20):
Castillo, my personal doctor,my personal hormone doctor
changes start happening in our30s y'all.
We really, as women, we startto lose our muscle mass in our
30s, like early in our 30s, andif we can start building that up
earlier the better.
But today's episode is aboutwhat if you are in your 50sies,
(04:43):
forties or fifties and you feellike you are craving so many,
you know you're.
You have sugar cravings orcravings in general that are so
out of control, and you also arenoticing some changes in your
body.
What do you do?
How do you address that andwhat is it?
Well, I'm going to tell youthat probably, if you're seeing
changes in your body shape andthe makeup, the muscular makeup
(05:10):
of your body, it's probablygoing to have to do with
menopause and it's going to haveto do with your hormonal
changes.
You can start doing immediatelyto start making changes in that
(05:30):
area and how to preserve yourmuscle mass and how to really
work on being able to age in away that you really want to age
and that you are able to do itin a way that that supports not
only your activities and whatand how you want your life to be
, but also to make sure thatyou're eating good food and that
you're eating the foods thatyour body actually needs and
(05:51):
will actually use in a positiveway.
So that is the topic of today'spodcast.
It's going to be on protein andthe menopausal woman.
So, even if you're a man, Istill think you should listen to
this, because I think it'simportant that men know what, uh
what women are going through,so they can be more empathetic
and more understanding.
(06:11):
Um, but also these decreases inhormones also happen to men,
just not as widely talked aboutand not as significant, um, but
it does happen and it doesimpact them.
So it's important to know thatas well.
Why protein is so criticalduring menopause.
(06:31):
So we're going to start withwhat the big picture is.
The big picture is is, as womengo through hormonal shift in
their forties and fifties,estrogen and progesterone during
those times starts to declineand with that comes a drop in a
number of different levels,different aspects of your life.
(06:52):
Your metabolism lowers, yourmetabolism gets slower, you
become possibly become insulinresistant, meaning that your
body doesn't respond to insulinin the same way that it did when
you were younger.
There's usually an increase inthe fat stores that you keep and
they're usually around yourbelly and there is usually
(07:12):
significant muscle loss.
So, according to researchpublished in the Journal of
Clinical Endocrinology andMetabolism, women can lose up to
8% of their muscle mass perdecade after the age of 30.
So 8% each decade after 30.
And the rate only increasesonce you reach menopause.
(07:35):
So, really, why is this evenimportant?
Well, it's important becausemuscle equates longevity.
When it comes to an aging body,but more specifically a female
aging body, it's not just aboutlooking toned.
It's about your metabolism,your actual physical strength,
(07:58):
your insulin sensitivity, yourbone health and even your
cognitive performance, and itimpacts your heart and the fuel
for all of those muscles thosemuscles that are everywhere in
our bodies.
The fuel for those muscles isprotein.
So getting the correct amountof protein that your body needs
(08:18):
is absolutely vital, not justfor your own longevity, but also
for your aging process as well.
So the more muscle you canmaintain or, in fact, build, the
more calories you burn when youare at rest, and metabolism is
the key to weight maintenanceand weight loss in menopause.
(08:44):
So how much protein do wereally need?
Now I'm going to tell you, andI'm going to be completely
transparent and upfront.
Going to tell you, and I'mgoing to be completely
transparent and upfront I don'tas much as as much as I'm eating
way more protein than I everhave, I'm still not getting what
they recommend, and that isbecause I don't feel like my
(09:12):
body feels that it is at itsoptimal best when I'm eating so
much protein.
So that is a decision that Ihave made.
I'm going to tell you what therecommendations are and you can
decide whether or not that'ssomething for you.
For me.
I've tried it and it does notjive with me.
I feel too sluggish.
I don't feel like I.
I think my digestion is sloweddown significantly.
I end up being constipated, andthat is just no bueno.
(09:33):
I don't want that at all and Ijust don't like the way I,
significantly, I end up beingconstipated, and that is just no
bueno.
I don't want that at all and Ijust don't like the way I feel.
I don't like when I feel heavy.
I don't like when I feelweighed down, when I feel
sluggish, and that is usuallywhen I eat over about 80 grams
of protein a day.
That's just, it's too much.
It's just too much for my body.
(09:55):
So I am not and I'm notrecommending to anyone that you
follow what I do, because everyperson is different.
But I do want to encourage youto do what I've always told you
to do, and that is listen toyour body.
Your body is individual.
Your body is yours in unique,and you want to make sure that
you are getting enough proteinfor your body so it can function
in the best way possible, andthat doesn't always mean
(10:18):
following exactly what thelatest guru on Instagram tells
you to do.
So that means listening to yourbody and do what feels right
for you.
So there is a recommendationthat women need about 0.8 grams
of protein per kilogram of bodyweight, not pounds, kilograms of
body weight.
(10:38):
That has been kind of thestandard.
That has been the standard, butit's wildly outdated for women
who are in midlife at this point.
So new research, includingstudies from the American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition,suggests that women in menopause
need 1.2 to 1.6 grams ofprotein per kilogram of body
(11:05):
weight to maintain muscle and tosupport metabolic health.
That's about 90 to 120 gramsper day for many women, many
women.
But even more important than thetotal amount is how frequently
(11:27):
you eat it throughout the day.
So our bodies can only use acertain amount of protein in one
sitting.
Research has shown that 30grams of protein per meal is
about optimal for a person to beable to absorb the maximum
amount of protein, use it intheir body and then either clear
(11:50):
out the rest through waste orjust move it through your body
and actually use it and not haveit be stored as excess fat.
Too often times people eat toomuch protein in one sitting and
then they end up storing toomuch of it as fat because our
body.
It's not because our bodydoesn't need it, it's that our
body can't process it all at onetime.
(12:11):
Instead of loading up at dinner, aim to evenly space your
protein out throughout the day.
So that would meanapproximately 25 to 30 grams at
each one of your meals breakfast, lunch, dinner and, of course,
if you have snacks, you can putthem in the snacks as well, and
(12:33):
that will evenly distribute theprotein across your whole day.
So you don't over, uh, over,consume too much protein at one
time because our bodies justcan't produce, our bodies can't
synthesize it quick enough to beable to use it, and then we end
up storing it as fat.
So what are the best kinds ofprotein for women who are in
(12:58):
menopause?
Um, any type of protein forwomen who are in menopause?
Um, any type of protein thatyou want to to consume and
actually use and have it be toyour benefit.
It needs to be a completeprogram, a complete protein,
meaning that it has all nineessential amino acids, and these
include these are included inthe essential um the complete
(13:21):
proteins that have all nine ofthese amino acids.
So that would be lean chickenor turkey fish, especially fatty
fish like salmon, um, whichalso have heart healthy omega
threes.
Uh, eggs, and again that's eggswhole and egg whites, but the
(13:41):
whole egg.
Don't don't forego the, theyolk, because you think it's too
fat.
No, include that, that'simportant.
Uh, greek yogurt, cottagecheese, one of my favorites.
I love cottage cheese.
I'm telling I love cottagecheese.
I'm telling you, I love cottagecheese.
Now here's where we begin tohave the issue.
They recommend the ClinicalJournal on Nutrition recommends
(14:15):
tofu, tempeh or edamame forplant-based eaters, and then
protein powders for those thatare on a plant-based but that or
that like to to drink some oftheir protein.
I personally and this is just apersonal opinion, so it is not
something that I'm tellinganyone to do, but me personally,
because I have been both.
I have been vegan, I have beenvegetarian and I have eaten
(14:38):
everything, and I have gotten toa place in my life where I
would rather eat an animalproduct than to eat something
that is so full of chemicalsthat I don't even recognize what
it is, nor do I know threequarters of the things that are
(14:59):
in said product that I'm eating.
I am just not willing to putthat kind of stuff in my body
anymore.
I know where something comes Ifit's an animal protein.
I know where it's been, I knowwhat it, what.
You know how it's been walkingaround and I am okay with eating
an animal protein as opposed toa synthetically created protein
(15:21):
that then gets made into aprotein source.
That's just me personally.
That's that's my thing.
But any of those and honestly Idon't eat that much.
I wasn't eating that muchprotein.
So any protein was animprovement.
I am all for if you can, if youmake sure that you have your
cholesterol checked.
I am all for if you can.
Um, if you make sure that youhave your cholesterol checked, I
(15:42):
am all about having some ribeyesteaks and some New York cuts.
Um, uh, pork chops, any ofthose, any of those you know,
meatier pieces of meat I don't.
When I, when I'm eating moreprotein, I don't buy chicken.
I think chicken's boring.
I like a ribeye, I like a NewYork.
(16:04):
Oh, yesterday I bought lambchops.
Oh my God, so good.
So I like a variety of meatsand I'm not afraid to make them
on my own.
I've gotten much better aboutdoing it.
I wasn't very skilled at doingit and now I've gotten much
better about it and I know howto do it, which is really
exciting.
It makes a huge difference.
The whole idea of where do youget your protein.
(16:28):
For me, I think it's reallyimportant to.
I go to.
I go to Trader Joe's, I go tosmart and final I go and I pick
out my own meat.
I do my own cooking because Ithink it's really important that
one I know where my meat comesfrom, but also that I'm able to
know what's actually in my food,that I created it I, I cooked
(16:58):
it.
Eating protein connect withcravings and food consumption.
So there is there have been anumber of studies about the
connection between proteinconsumption and food cravings,
(17:20):
and so many women in menopauseexperience intense sugar
cravings, especially in theafternoon or the evening.
That's because hormonal changesaffect insulin sensitivity and
blood sugar regulation and whenyour blood sugar crashes, your
brain sends an urgent messagethat says give me sugar now.
(17:44):
It just wants you to eatsomething that has sugar in it.
So it will crave, it will sendthose cravings.
So you're not imagining things.
That's what I want to make sureyou understand.
You're not imagining things.
Protein can help break thatcycle of immediately craving
sugar when you need something.
(18:04):
It slows down digestion, itkeeps your blood sugar stable,
it increases satiety.
So when you eat something, youfeel satisfied and that means
you can feel full longer andhave fewer highs and lows
throughout the day.
A study published in Appetitein 2015 found that participants
(18:26):
who ate high protein meals hadsignificantly lower cravings for
sugary snacks than those whoate high carb meals.
You start your day with aprotein rich breakfast.
It's always a good idea Proteinrich breakfast like Greek
yogurt, eggs, a protein smoothieif you want to go the protein
(18:48):
powder route and you're settingyourself and your metabolism and
cravings up for success.
I encourage all of my clientsto have a protein forward
breakfast, to stay away fromcereal, stay away from just
straight up toast, but to makeit a combination and eat slowly
(19:11):
and really enjoy the process ofeating that food.
You're going to build yourmeals around protein.
You're going to have yourprotein first, then you're going
to add your veggies, thenyou'll add your complex carbs
and you'll add, add your water,add, add your healthy fats, all
the things so you can make surethat you have a well-rounded
(19:32):
meal.
But it's important to know that,whether you're 25 or whether
you're my age, in your late 50s,it's never too soon or too
early to start.
It's never too early, and it'snever too late to start eating
more protein and seeing thechanges that it creates in your
(19:52):
body.
So what does that look like?
It looks like going out andpicking proteins that you know
you're going to eat, you knowthat you're going to enjoy.
You find some recipes, youstart doing some cooking, you
start valuing what's going inyour body and you start knowing
everything that's going in yourbody.
(20:13):
It's in.
You only have one body and it'syours to take care of, it's
yours to nurture and it's yoursto make sure that you stay as
healthy and as strong and asupright as possible throughout
your whole life.
So you have to think of proteinlike an investment.
The more you deposit now, themore strength, energy and
(20:36):
metabolism you will have later.
You'll feel younger, strongerand more in control of your body
, even until your late thirtiesand early forties.
And even if you haven't you'rethere and you still haven't hit
menopause, it's still importantto get that protein in.
It's important to take care ofyour body, to keep your joints,
(21:00):
your ligaments and your musclesin the best possible condition.
And that means, again, itdoesn't matter what age you are,
it doesn't matter if you.
Again, it doesn't matter whatage you are, it doesn't matter
how active.
You are being active andstarting to do something.
It's never too early to startdoing exercise regularly as well
as increasing your protein.
(21:22):
So check out your own diet.
Give yourself maybe three orfour days where you track all of
your protein and you load itinto one of the online apps that
can tell you how many grams ofprotein you have in your, in
your meals and know, be informed.
(21:42):
Know how much protein you'regetting and is it enough?
If you're really sleepy, okay,maybe I need to eat more protein
so I can be more awake duringthe day.
That's a huge, significantthing.
You've got to find what can youdo instead of just saying, okay
, I guess this is what theproblem is.
I guess I'm going to beresolved to this.
No, we want to make sure thatwe make the best possible
(22:05):
decision to be able to moveforward in the way that you want
to.
All right, thank you so much forjoining me this week.
If this, if you found value inthis discussion about women and
menopause and protein, pleasecomment below the video.
Let me know what you think.
Let me know what you'd like tohear more about, because I
(22:27):
definitely want to make thispodcast what you all need and
what's going to be best for you.
Please go online and you canleave a review for the podcast,
and I would greatly, greatly,appreciate it.
Those podcast reviews are soincredibly helpful.
All right, take care of y'all.
Thank you for listening to thisweek's episode.
(22:51):
If you are interested inlearning more about how I can
help you understand and manageyour emotional eating, including
the use of hypnosis to uncoverthe root cause of your eating,
go to my website,kristinjonescoachingcom.
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