June 16, 2025 • 28 mins
Grab your free Menopause Fat Loss Over 40 Guide to get the complete evidence-based strategy for navigating fat loss during this transition
--
Struggling with unexplained weight gain during perimenopause or menopause? You're not alone, and it's not just "hormones and aging."
The menopause transition triggers a perfect storm of metabolic changes that go well beyond simple hormone fluctuations. Research shows us that during a specific 3.5-year window, women experience accelerated fat gain and muscle loss that can dramatically alter body composition, even when the scale barely moves (though in many cases it does and you seem to always gain weight).
Learn the real science behind why your body composition changes during this transition (including the surprising protein leverage effect that's sabotaging your efforts) and discover evidence-based strategies that actually work to improve your body composition and support fat loss.
Main Takeaways:
- The menopausal transition uniquely accelerates fat gain and muscle loss in a specific 3.5-year window (it's not just normal aging)
- Body composition can shift dramatically even when the scale doesn't move (you lose muscle while gaining fat, especially belly fat)
- The "protein leverage effect" drives overconsumption when muscle protein breakdown increases your appetite for protein
- FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone) affects metabolism independently of estrogen, starting before estrogen significantly declines
- Strategic lifestyle, nutrition, and training adjustments can prevent or reverse these changes
Episode Resources:
- Try MacroFactor for free with code WITSANDWEIGHTS - Track your food and let the app calculate your metabolism
- Lifting Weights vs. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) for Fat Loss Over 40 | Ep 278
Timestamps:
0:01 - Why the scale keeps creeping up and jeans keep getting tighter
2:50 - Body weight vs. body composition
6:45 - Beyond estrogen (the role of FSH in metabolism)
9:27 - The protein leverage effect (affects overeating)
12:17 - Menopause myths (age and inevitable weight gain)
16:45 - 5 evidence-based solutions
18:22 - This 1 behavior gives you more confidence and control
21:32 - The role of chronic stress in exacerbating metabolic changes
24:42 - Reframing the menopause transition as an opportunity
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Philip Pape (00:01):
Let me know if this sounds familiar.
The scale keeps creeping up.
Your genes keep getting tighter.
That stubborn belly fat seemsto have taken up permanent
residence around your midsection.
If you're in perimenopause orpostmenopause, you've probably
been told it's just yourhormones, that weight gain is
inevitable and you should justaccept it.
But what if I told you that'snot the whole story?
Today, we're exposing the realmechanisms behind perimenopause
(00:23):
and menopause weight gain.
Yes, hormones play a role, butthere are surprising factors at
work you may not know about.
You'll discover why bodycomposition changes even when
the scale doesn't move theprotein leverage effect that's
sabotaging your efforts, andtips and strategies based on
evidence that actually work toimprove your body composition
(00:44):
and fat loss.
Welcome to Wits and Weights, theshow that helps you build a
strong, healthy physique usingevidence, engineering and
efficiency.
I'm your host certifiednutrition coach, philip Pape,
(01:07):
and today we're tackling one ofthe most frustrating and
misunderstood topics in women'shealth why you keep gaining
weight during perimenopause andmenopause and I get more
questions about this topic thanalmost any other, and for good
reason, because if you're awoman in your 40s or 50s, you've
likely experienced thisyourself, despite maintaining
the same diet and trainingroutine that might have even
(01:29):
worked for years, for decades.
Suddenly your body seems to beworking against you, and
conventional wisdom, theindustry, the fitness
influencers out there tell youit's hormones, it's aging.
There's a lot of fear mongeringaround this that you need to
eat less and move more, or someother advice that you may have
tried that still doesn't seem tobe working.
(01:50):
And when we look at theresearch, there's a more complex
and interesting picture.
That's also an empowering one,and that's really the point of
this episode.
There are specific mechanismsat play during this transition
that create a perfect storm forweight gain and body composition
changes, and what's importantis that if you understand those,
then you have the power to workwith those changes instead of
(02:13):
wondering what's going on andbeing frustrated for years to
come or just throwing your handsup Now, before we get into the
science.
If you want a practical,evidence-based guide for women
navigating fat loss during thistime perimenopause and menopause
I do have a guide calledMenopause Fat Loss Over 40, and
it breaks down how to adjustyour nutrition and training,
specifically the nuts and bolts.
(02:33):
It's totally free.
You can download it using thelink in the show notes or go to
witsandweightscom slash free.
Again, that's the Menopause FatLoss Over 40 guide, and it's
really fairly comprehensive incovering all these details so
that you can customize it foryourself and come up with an
action plan.
So let's start with what'shappening and changing in your
(02:53):
body during perimenopause andmenopause, because it's not what
most people think.
There are a lot of assumptionsout there, myself included.
I made them for years.
Obviously, I'm a man, I'm not awoman.
I'm not going to go throughthese personally, but I've
studied this extensively andworked with lots and lots of
clients.
Probably two-thirds of myclients are women in this age
range and I absolutely lovehelping them to figure this
(03:15):
stuff out, because it can bechallenging.
I will admit that it can bechallenging.
You have to really know what'sgoing on.
So I want to start with talkingabout the basics body weight
versus body composition.
When we look at studies,whether they're cross-sectional,
longitudinal, high-qualitystudies we see a pretty
consistent phenomenon of weightgain steady weight gain of about
(03:37):
a half a kilogram or a littleover a pound a year.
That is correlated with agemore than it has to do with
menopause itself.
But there's definitelyconflicting evidence out there
and that's where it getsconfusing.
At the start of the menopausetransition, we see the rates of
fat gain double and lean massdecline.
Now, those are just averages,but these gains and losses
(03:58):
continue throughout this wholehormonal transition, which is
what's exacerbating thechallenge for women in this
period.
And we have to acknowledge that.
You know, even though at somepoint these trajectories tend to
level out and match anyone youknow men, women, any any age at
after that point, the transitionitself is what's calling,
causing this acceleration.
(04:18):
That's making thingschallenging.
So what's happening is yourtotal weight, your body weight
might not change dramatically.
You might, in fact beintentionally preventing it from
changing with dieting, cuttingcalories, with trying to do more
cardio, things like that.
But your body compositionmetrics, they have reduction in
(04:46):
fat-free mass, increase in fatmass, and these opposing changes
that result in weight changingvery little still cause lots of
other things to go awry.
Let's just say and that's whythe scale can be so misleading
during this time because youthink maybe nothing's happening
because the weight is stable and, by the way, I know for many of
you the weight is going up.
So that's why the scale can beso misleading during this time,
because you think maybenothing's happening because the
weight is stable.
And, by the way, I know formany of you the weight is going
(05:07):
up, so that's just compoundingit when there's additional body
fat accumulation.
But for many of you you mightmaintain the same weight, but
underneath you're losing muscle,you're gaining fat, and it's
not just any fat.
Post-menopausal women gainabout 36% more trunk fat right
Ab, 36% more trunk fat rightAbdominal in the trunk area, 49%
greater intra-abdominal fat and22% greater subcutaneous
(05:35):
abdominal fat than premenopausalwomen.
So when we talk about menopausebelly and things like that,
there is reality to thoseexperiences.
For good reason, there'ssomething called the Study of
Women's Health Across the Nation, or SWAN study.
It followed over 3,000 womenthrough the menopause transition
and it revealed that thetransition itself, not mere
aging, the transition itselfuniquely accelerates fat gain
and lean loss in about a threeand a half year window.
(05:57):
So that's that transition I wastalking about.
It is not just the gradualaging, or else you would see it
be fairly linear or fairlyconsistent.
I should say it's a specificbiological transition that
dramatically accelerates thesechanges during a short window of
time.
So women who come to mefrustrated it's funny I've
actually had some clients thatworked with me who reached out
(06:19):
maybe a year or two prior andwere starting to have some
challenges.
And they said you know what?
I'm not sure I'm ready forcoaching or it's too expensive.
I'm going to try to go it aloneand do what I've been doing.
And then things get worse andworse and harder and harder and
they're like what is going on?
And it's probably because thesechanges are kicking in and it's
during that time when you'vereally got to lock down and
figure out what you need to dofor yourself personally, and
(06:42):
that's what I'm trying toempower you to do here with this
episode.
So you've probably heard thatthe reason for this is the
declining estrogen, and that ispartially true.
Excuse me, but I think the realstory again is more nuanced.
It involves multiple playerswith hormones.
Estradiol, which, yes, is theprimary form of estrogen,
declines.
But there's another hormonethat people don't talk about and
(07:04):
that is FSH, folliclestimulating hormone, and the
early menopausal transitionshows a sharp rise in serum FSH
levels, even when serum estrogenlevels remain within normal
limits.
And that's important because FSH, it's not just for reproduction
, it also directly affects yourmetabolism Through something
(07:25):
called high affinity receptors,some of which are variants of
the ovarian FSH receptor, calledFSHR.
Fsh regulates bone mass adiposetissue, the function of your
fat mass, energy metabolism andcholesterol production, and
that's in both sexes, men andwomen.
And so the SWAN study foundthat FSH was correlated with
(07:46):
bone resorption.
That's effectively the waybones release byproducts that
maintain what's called calciumhomeostasis.
Basically, it has to do withyour bone health.
Let's just put it just tosimplify it.
And other studies in additionto the SWAN study found that the
hormone regulates body fat andenergy homeostasis.
So it's very important.
(08:06):
And so as it rises, whichhappens before the estrogen
drops significantly in menopause, it's already starting to
change how your body stores andburns fat, and this explains why
some women start noticingchanges in early perimenopause,
when their periods are stillregular.
So for all the gaslighting outin the world of, oh, you're too
young, no, you're not, there'sobviously still things happening
(08:28):
as a precursor to the final.
You know that three and a halfyear menopause transition.
Where it gets more interestingis that genetics you know even
race and ethnicity, body massindex all of these affect the
trajectory of estrogen or theestradiol and FSH changes over
the transition.
So your genetic background,your current body composition,
influence how dramatically thesechange, which explains why some
(08:51):
women experience way moresevere symptoms than others.
I've had clients who you knowgot into their fifties and said
you know, I've had absolutelyzero issues whatsoever,
everything's been just the sameas it always was.
And others that are like whatthe heck is going on?
This seems hopeless, everythingis just going haywire.
What do I do?
Right?
And these are all realexperiences and they're
biologically supported andthey're largely due to genetic
(09:11):
differences and lifestyle andbehavior and your history and
all of that.
So here's where the researchgets fascinating, if it isn't
fascinating already, and that iswhat can be the game changer
for you and how you approachyour nutrition during this time.
There are researchers from theUniversity of Sydney discovered
something called the proteinleverage effect that happens
(09:32):
during menopause.
When we look at analysis ofnutritional changes during the
transition, we see that there'senhanced protein breakdown as a
trigger for weight gain via amechanism called the protein
leverage effect.
All right, so enhanced.
Now you might have heard, kindof at a surface level, that
(09:53):
women seem to need more proteinas they age or they have more
rapid loss of muscle and thingslike that.
Yeah, unfortunately, itcompounds the weight gain and
the way it works is that whenthe progressive loss in your
protein occur, it causes anincreased appetite for protein.
(10:15):
And if there's not acorresponding increase in your
dietary protein, then theconsequence is you have extra
intake of energy fromnon-protein sources.
You have extra intake of energyfrom non-protein sources, and
so as you lose muscle massduring menopause, which gets
accelerated by the decliningestrogen and the rising FSH,
your body develops a strongerappetite for protein.
But if you're eating the sameway you always have and you're
(10:38):
not getting enough protein,you're also not getting nearly
enough of the concentration youneed now, and so your body keeps
driving you to eat more fooduntil you hit your protein
target, and then those extracalories come from carbs and
fats and chances are you'reeating more calories in general
because you don't have enoughprotein and satiety and blah,
blah, blah, right.
So it's like this vicious cycle.
So, without increasing theproportion of protein in your
(11:00):
diet, the body's drive to reachits protein target is going to
make you hungrier and continueto eat unnecessary calories
until you do so, and this isunique to menopause.
So very important to understandone of the reasons why we like
to up our protein for everybody,but especially women, during
this time, and the researcherscalculated that weight gain and
(11:21):
fat mass adiposity, we call it,as well as the loss of your lean
tissue, including the loss ofmuscle, might be mitigated or
even prevented just by adding ina little more protein.
I think they estimate around 16or 17% of the daily value,
something like that, or up to20% something, but anyway, we
are trying to get way moreprotein in that.
Anyway, we're trying to getaround 0.7 to 1 grams per pound
(11:45):
of body weight.
So if you're listening to thissaying, yeah, I know all this,
philip, I've already increasedmy protein.
I'm still having issues.
This is just one of many thingsgoing on, and the solution here
isn't that you should eat less,right, it's eating smarter.
It's eating more food volume,it's eating more protein and
that's a common theme foreverybody.
It's a very effective way toeat, in a flexible way that
(12:05):
doesn't cut complete macros,like you're not just cutting
carbs, you're not just cuttingsugar or cutting anything, right
, you're eating more protein andmore nutritious things and more
filling things.
So let's get into some of themyths about menopause weight
gain that I think are causingconfusion, and then this leads
to some of the other tips that Ihave today.
The first myth is that it's notaging or it's not menopause,
(12:30):
it's just aging.
So you'll hear some fitnessinfluencers, especially like 25
year old men, saying you know,it's not your hormones, it's not
menopause, it's just becauseyou're getting older.
And that's incorrect, becausewhile aging drives some changes
for everybody, menopause addsunique shifts that we already
referred to the accelerated fatgain and muscle loss, and it's
(12:50):
for a decent amount of time.
So that's myth number one.
Myth number two that weight gainmeans only fat gain, and this
is dangerous because it's notjust that you're gaining fat,
you are also losing lean mass,and so you're gaining even more
fat than you think.
Does that make sense?
So you're actually fat, you arealso losing lean mass, and so
you're gaining even more fatthan you think.
Does that make sense?
So you're actually losing somelean mass, gaining fat, and even
(13:12):
if your weight on the scaledoesn't change, you've gained
body fat and body fat percentage, and so that's why a lot of
women get frustrated.
They're seeing their bodieschange, becoming more fluffy,
frumpy.
You know the muffin top, allthe trigger phrases that we use,
even when the scale doesn'tmove, and then, of course, it
gets even worse when the scaledoes move.
Myth number three is thatpost-menopause means you can't
(13:35):
stop gaining Like you're justgoing to.
It's inevitable, like no matterwhat, unless you eat, you know
700 calories.
It's inevitable.
But actually, after thetransition that the three and a
half year average transition,the composition stabilizes and
that gives you a new milestonewhere you can intervene If
you're already there, forexample, the good news is that
(13:56):
the most dramatic changes onlyhappen during a certain window,
and after that window you have alittle bit better environment
going on.
You have a little bit betterenvironment going on, which is
why I encourage you starting assoon as you can, cause the
sooner you can get in place theproper lifestyle for you, uh,
the easier it'll be and youmight even get additional gains
than you that you didn't expect.
When things get, quote unquoteeasier which, again, every
(14:17):
woman's different, some, forsome women, women, that's a
obvious improvement and forothers it may be more subtle.
And then I'll I'll have one moremyth for you here, the one that
really bothers me of all thisthat you need to just eat less
and move more.
Right, and I can't stand it,because I see Facebook posts,
youtube videos, whatever, andpeople try to get into nuances
about this stuff and people.
Somebody will reply and say youjust need to eat less and move
(14:39):
more, like that's it.
No, no, this ignores themetabolic and hormonal changes
happening in your body and ifyou just eat less, you're
probably going to exacerbatethem because of the stress you
know.
The mechanism of developingobesity in menopausal women is
clearly a distinct phenomenon, amechanism driven by the things
we've talked about related tohormones, leading to muscle loss
(15:02):
and fat gain and fat gain incertain areas that we don't
necessarily want them rightmuscle loss and fat gain and fat
gain in certain areas that wedon't necessarily want them
Right.
The reality is, your body'smetabolic landscape is basically
shifting into a completelydifferent identity and the
approaches that you had in your20s and 30s are not going to
work now.
They may not work now.
It depends on your history.
So now we understand what'shappening, let's talk about what
(15:22):
works, and I want to be clear.
This isn't about a detox or aquick fix or something you're
going to fix in the next monthor two.
This is working with the newrealities, having the right
expectations and patience, andif you do, you can be absolutely
successful.
This is the common theme when Italk to my clients or we look
in our physique university Iactually just asked the question
(15:42):
at last week's check-in.
What's the one thing you wouldtell somebody who's just
starting this journey?
And the recurring theme is tobe patient and follow the
process.
And I know we don't like tohear it, but as long as you have
the right process which we'regoing to talk about here you
will be successful.
So first I want to talk abouthormone replacement therapy and
kind of get that out of the way.
We know that estradiol-basedhormone replacement therapy does
(16:06):
slow fat gain, it does preservemuscle and bone health, it does
reduce cardiovascular risk andthe benefits are greatest when
started early in the transition.
So I'm not against HRT at allif that is something you need.
I'm not a medical doctor.
This is not medical advice.
The decision about HRT isbetween you and your healthcare
provider.
It may not be estradiol, maybeother forms of hormone
(16:27):
replacement.
So that's really not my area ofexpertise in terms of
prescribing or recommending oranything like that.
And I work with clients whohave a team of professionals
including usually a hormonespecialist, who decides what
makes sense for them.
Maybe it's thyroid, maybe it'sprogesterone, something else,
but research shows that when itis appropriate, hrt is
incredibly beneficial for bodycomposition during this
(16:48):
transition.
So I wanted to mention thatfirst, I did a previous episode
that compared HRT versusstrength training and basically
the conclusion was they're bothgreat and they're both
contextual Strength training.
Everyone should be doing HRT.
Not everyone should or needs todo it necessarily.
Maybe, maybe not.
Again, that's where it's verypersonalized.
So that's HRT.
(17:09):
Secondly, is nutrition Based onthe protein leverage research
and what we know about theimportance of protein period.
It's just a far gone conclusionthat we have to increase
protein and I recommend at least0.7 grams per day, getting up
to one gram per pound per day.
So per pound per day.
So whatever you're eating now,it's basically trying to get to
that new level.
(17:29):
The best way to do that is totrack your food and know what
the heck is going on, know whatis going into your mouth.
That is often the biggestmissing thing here.
That creates a massive level ofconfidence for women who are
frustrated because they simplydon't know how much they're
eating.
They think they're eating, youknow, 1500 calories a day or
(17:49):
1200 calories a day, but they'reactually averaging 2000, 25,
maybe 3000 calories a day andjust don't know it right.
Don't know it and I'm notasking you to cut things out
right, I'm not asking you to cutthings out.
I'm asking you to add in highquality animal and plant protein
into your diet and as well ashigh fiber foods.
That alone is going to make amassive difference.
But you've also got to track tounderstand where the calories
come into play.
The calorie density comes intoplay, the food volume, all of
(18:12):
those things.
If you're not sure about allthis I do have other episodes on
it.
You can just reach out.
I'm happy to send you a link onthat.
So that's the nutrition.
Protein fiber is the focus.
And then, third, we haveresistance training.
That is absolutelynon-negotiable.
Strength training is going topreserve your lean mass.
It's going to countersarcopenia, the loss of muscle
mass.
It's going to boost yourmetabolism in many, many ways.
(18:35):
It's going to boost yourhormones.
It's going to help in justevery way imaginable, even
mental health.
Muscle loss that happens duringtheir transition is pretty much
all prevented with properstrength training.
So if I were to put a bow onthis whole episode, it would be
simply adding in and doingconsistent.
Strength training is going tomitigate significantly many of
(18:55):
these issues because you'reholding onto your muscle and
you're building new muscle, andthat is going to reverse your
body composition into a positivedirection.
As far as your diet, overall,we want to have a flexible diet
that's focused on satiety andeating without guilt and
supporting your nutrients beingnutrient-dense, high-volume
(19:16):
foods, a diverse diet full ofyes, all the macros, protein,
fats and carbs really good carbs.
Having plenty of energy, eatingenough food for your goals, not
constantly dieting.
Again, that's an entiredifferent topic we can dive into
, but that is really, reallyimportant when you're in
menopause to potentially take apause and forget about losing
weight on the scale for a bitand instead focus on building a
(19:39):
resilient, strong body thatsupports building and holding
onto muscle, which will thenmake fat loss so much easier.
And the last thing I really wantto mention here, which I was I
was wondering if I should or notbecause it's its own unique
topic that affects everyone, butit exacerbates the situation
(19:59):
during this time of life, andthat is, uh, being in a high
alert, chronically stressedstate all the time.
And this is a challenge nomatter whether you're in the
menopause transition or not,whether you're a man or a woman.
It's the life obligations, it'sthe stress from raising or
supporting a family.
It's the stress from work,financial stress, all of the
(20:21):
things that are going on aroundus and the way we live, with
screens and our schedules andbeing on the go right All of
that perceived stress physicalstress, psychological stress is
going to make things harder, andsome of this stress is caused
simply because you're trying todiet a lot, and some of this
stress is caused because you areworried about the whole
(20:43):
situation.
And I find that once you havesome modicum of control over
this, with regular strengthtraining, with tracking what
goes in your mouth, however youwant to do it, my preferred way
to do that is macro factor,because that app will calculate
your metabolism for you and giveyou accurate targets, and that
gives you confidence to thenmaintain your weight and then
(21:07):
lose some fat, if that's whatyou're going after.
All of these things createconfidence.
That then counteracts some ofthat stress.
But being in this high alertstate all the time itself is
something that affects yourmetabolism, um, and it just
exacerbates everything going on.
So I did want to mention that,um, because the you know, the
(21:28):
nutrition strategy, the training, the HRT, will definitely cover
a big piece of the pie, but forsome some of you out there,
some of you women, the stressitself is so high that it can
counteract almost anything, andsome of that stress comes from
the fact that you're just noteating enough, and so they play
hand in hand.
(21:48):
Right, all of this playstogether.
So this is why I like spendingabout two months initially
dialing in those habits forlifting, for eating enough food,
for eating enough protein andcarbs yes, both and kind of
seeing where you are with thenumbers and with maintaining
that high energy state, and thenyou can decide okay, from this
(22:10):
point I'm in a really goodstress situation training and
nutrition situation, hormonesituation to go after the fat
loss, and even then you may needa more aggressive or less
aggressive fat loss approach,depending on where your
metabolism stands.
So that's, those are mytakeaways for like the big
picture of what to do.
What's the solution frameworkhere for women in perimenopause?
(22:32):
Once you understand why this ishappening and that it's
primarily due to the loss ofmuscle mass, primarily and I
would look at this transition asif we can reframe it for you as
just the perfect time, just theperfect opportunity to develop
more metabolic resilience andmetabolic flexibility, because
(22:54):
when your body is forced toadapt to new hormonal conditions
.
It can become more efficientand more resilient when you have
the right strategy and you canend up with improved metabolic
health, much more improved thanyou might have had even in your
20s and 30s and we sometimesneglect this aspect.
But the health, the longevity,the metabolism because you have
(23:17):
a better body composition,because you have more energy,
because you're stronger thanwhat you had in decades past and
you're working with this newreality of your body, this
transition could be just acompletely new identity for
yourself as a strong, functional, athletic person in life.
And remember, your body is notbroken during menopause.
It's far from it.
(23:38):
It's adapting to a new realityand you just have to give it the
right inputs right the adequateprotein, the resistance
training, proper recovery, notconstantly dieting, setting
yourself up for fat loss in amore efficient, effective way.
And that's a really, reallypositive thing when you can do
that.
It's what I love helping womendo, because it can be very
challenging.
(23:58):
The first, I'll say, few monthsof this process are a lot of
discoveries happening, educationalong with patience, and that's
the real challenge for a lot ofyou is that without that
patience, all the learning andinformation in the world is not
going to matter because you'renot going to be able to apply it
.
And so knowing that this can bethe beginning, just the very
(24:20):
beginning, of the strongest,healthiest phase of your life,
when you have the informationbut then you implement it with
the patience, is going to payoff big time.
It's just going to be amazing.
So I want you to remember thatthe weight gain, the body
composition changes during periand post menopause are not
inevitable.
They are not right.
They are not from just gettingolder, they're not just because
(24:42):
of hormones.
They're a sign that your body,or they're not a sign that your
body's failing or you're doomedto struggle with your weight for
the rest of your life.
When we look at the researchresearch peel it back and when I
look at real experience withmany, many different clients
across the spectrum of menopauseand different situations, we
see that the interplay betweenthe declining estrogen, the
(25:03):
rising FSH, the muscle proteinbreakdown, the protein leverage,
all of that is understandable,it is objective.
And then it shows us what worksStrategically increasing the
protein, strategically adding inprogressive overload-based
strength training and, in manycases, yes, hormone replacement
therapy.
It's all of those things.
(25:23):
Now you may not want to havemedications or therapy or
whatever, and that's fine.
I've worked with clients whosaid you know, I want to go all
natural with this, and then weagain have to have the realistic
expectations for what thatmeans.
You can still have incredibleprogress, absolutely Okay,
absolutely.
The women who thrive during thistransition are those who
understand what's happening intheir bodies, their personal own
(25:46):
bodies.
That's what I mean, not justthe science, that's great, but
they actually collect the data,they measure things, they track
things Not in an obsessive way,not in a way that's highly
convenient or takes a lot oftime In a very efficient way,
measuring the right things,making it a habit, and not
trying to fight physiology bydoing it too quickly or being
(26:06):
impatient or throwing up yourhands saying no, no, no, this
doesn't work, I'm done.
Or I tried this for a week andI got frustrated.
My scale weight popped up.
It doesn't work.
Those attitudes are not goingto serve you well, but an
attitude of patience andownership and positivity, of hey
, I know this can work.
I'm going to take thephilosophy and the steps that
Philip just talked about andfigure out what the low-hanging
(26:29):
fruit is for me and for many ofyou.
It might be that you're notstrength training or doing it in
a way that progresses, or maybeyou're not strength training or
doing it in a way thatprogresses, or maybe you're not
tracking your food.
You're not even sure how muchyou eat.
Maybe you're not eating enough,maybe you're not eating enough
protein or carbs.
All of that and it's justupdating your strategy
objectively to match your phaseof life, and then you're going
to be amazed at what's possible.
You really are All right.
(26:49):
So if you're ready to take someaction with an evidence-based
approach that we talked aboutfor women navigating fat loss
during peri and post-menopause,the guide that I put together
lays out the key steps that wetalked about today so you can
personalize it for yourself.
It's called Menopause, fat LossOver 40.
It includes everything wediscussed how to plan your
(27:09):
calories and macros, how totrain, all of it.
Go to witsandweightscom, slashfree or click the link in the
show notes.
Until next time, keep usingyour wits lifting those weights
and remember this transitionisn't the end of your fitness
journey.
It's the beginning of a new,empowered chapter of life where
you understand your body betterthan ever before.
I'll talk to you next time hereon the Wits and Weights Podcast
(27:31):
.
Let me know if this sounds familiar.
The scale keeps creeping up.
Your genes keep getting tighter.
That stubborn belly fat seemsto have taken up permanent
residence around your midsection.
If you're in perimenopause orpostmenopause, you've probably
been told it's just yourhormones, that weight gain is
inevitable and you should justaccept it.
But what if I told you that'snot the whole story?
Today, we're exposing the realmechanisms behind perimenopause
(00:23):
and menopause weight gain.
Yes, hormones play a role, butthere are surprising factors at
work you may not know about.
You'll discover why bodycomposition changes even when
the scale doesn't move theprotein leverage effect that's
sabotaging your efforts, andtips and strategies based on
evidence that actually work toimprove your body composition
(00:44):
and fat loss.
Welcome to Wits and Weights, theshow that helps you build a
strong, healthy physique usingevidence, engineering and
efficiency.
I'm your host certifiednutrition coach, philip Pape,
(01:07):
and today we're tackling one ofthe most frustrating and
misunderstood topics in women'shealth why you keep gaining
weight during perimenopause andmenopause and I get more
questions about this topic thanalmost any other, and for good
reason, because if you're awoman in your 40s or 50s, you've
likely experienced thisyourself, despite maintaining
the same diet and trainingroutine that might have even
(01:29):
worked for years, for decades.
Suddenly your body seems to beworking against you, and
conventional wisdom, theindustry, the fitness
influencers out there tell youit's hormones, it's aging.
There's a lot of fear mongeringaround this that you need to
eat less and move more, or someother advice that you may have
tried that still doesn't seem tobe working.
(01:50):
And when we look at theresearch, there's a more complex
and interesting picture.
That's also an empowering one,and that's really the point of
this episode.
There are specific mechanismsat play during this transition
that create a perfect storm forweight gain and body composition
changes, and what's importantis that if you understand those,
then you have the power to workwith those changes instead of
(02:13):
wondering what's going on andbeing frustrated for years to
come or just throwing your handsup Now, before we get into the
science.
If you want a practical,evidence-based guide for women
navigating fat loss during thistime perimenopause and menopause
I do have a guide calledMenopause Fat Loss Over 40, and
it breaks down how to adjustyour nutrition and training,
specifically the nuts and bolts.
(02:33):
It's totally free.
You can download it using thelink in the show notes or go to
witsandweightscom slash free.
Again, that's the Menopause FatLoss Over 40 guide, and it's
really fairly comprehensive incovering all these details so
that you can customize it foryourself and come up with an
action plan.
So let's start with what'shappening and changing in your
(02:53):
body during perimenopause andmenopause, because it's not what
most people think.
There are a lot of assumptionsout there, myself included.
I made them for years.
Obviously, I'm a man, I'm not awoman.
I'm not going to go throughthese personally, but I've
studied this extensively andworked with lots and lots of
clients.
Probably two-thirds of myclients are women in this age
range and I absolutely lovehelping them to figure this
(03:15):
stuff out, because it can bechallenging.
I will admit that it can bechallenging.
You have to really know what'sgoing on.
So I want to start with talkingabout the basics body weight
versus body composition.
When we look at studies,whether they're cross-sectional,
longitudinal, high-qualitystudies we see a pretty
consistent phenomenon of weightgain steady weight gain of about
(03:37):
a half a kilogram or a littleover a pound a year.
That is correlated with agemore than it has to do with
menopause itself.
But there's definitelyconflicting evidence out there
and that's where it getsconfusing.
At the start of the menopausetransition, we see the rates of
fat gain double and lean massdecline.
Now, those are just averages,but these gains and losses
(03:58):
continue throughout this wholehormonal transition, which is
what's exacerbating thechallenge for women in this
period.
And we have to acknowledge that.
You know, even though at somepoint these trajectories tend to
level out and match anyone youknow men, women, any any age at
after that point, the transitionitself is what's calling,
causing this acceleration.
(04:18):
That's making thingschallenging.
So what's happening is yourtotal weight, your body weight
might not change dramatically.
You might, in fact beintentionally preventing it from
changing with dieting, cuttingcalories, with trying to do more
cardio, things like that.
But your body compositionmetrics, they have reduction in
(04:46):
fat-free mass, increase in fatmass, and these opposing changes
that result in weight changingvery little still cause lots of
other things to go awry.
Let's just say and that's whythe scale can be so misleading
during this time because youthink maybe nothing's happening
because the weight is stable and, by the way, I know for many of
you the weight is going up.
So that's why the scale can beso misleading during this time,
because you think maybenothing's happening because the
weight is stable.
And, by the way, I know formany of you the weight is going
(05:07):
up, so that's just compoundingit when there's additional body
fat accumulation.
But for many of you you mightmaintain the same weight, but
underneath you're losing muscle,you're gaining fat, and it's
not just any fat.
Post-menopausal women gainabout 36% more trunk fat right
Ab, 36% more trunk fat rightAbdominal in the trunk area, 49%
greater intra-abdominal fat and22% greater subcutaneous
(05:35):
abdominal fat than premenopausalwomen.
So when we talk about menopausebelly and things like that,
there is reality to thoseexperiences.
For good reason, there'ssomething called the Study of
Women's Health Across the Nation, or SWAN study.
It followed over 3,000 womenthrough the menopause transition
and it revealed that thetransition itself, not mere
aging, the transition itselfuniquely accelerates fat gain
and lean loss in about a threeand a half year window.
(05:57):
So that's that transition I wastalking about.
It is not just the gradualaging, or else you would see it
be fairly linear or fairlyconsistent.
I should say it's a specificbiological transition that
dramatically accelerates thesechanges during a short window of
time.
So women who come to mefrustrated it's funny I've
actually had some clients thatworked with me who reached out
(06:19):
maybe a year or two prior andwere starting to have some
challenges.
And they said you know what?
I'm not sure I'm ready forcoaching or it's too expensive.
I'm going to try to go it aloneand do what I've been doing.
And then things get worse andworse and harder and harder and
they're like what is going on?
And it's probably because thesechanges are kicking in and it's
during that time when you'vereally got to lock down and
figure out what you need to dofor yourself personally, and
(06:42):
that's what I'm trying toempower you to do here with this
episode.
So you've probably heard thatthe reason for this is the
declining estrogen, and that ispartially true.
Excuse me, but I think the realstory again is more nuanced.
It involves multiple playerswith hormones.
Estradiol, which, yes, is theprimary form of estrogen,
declines.
But there's another hormonethat people don't talk about and
(07:04):
that is FSH, folliclestimulating hormone, and the
early menopausal transitionshows a sharp rise in serum FSH
levels, even when serum estrogenlevels remain within normal
limits.
And that's important because FSH, it's not just for reproduction
, it also directly affects yourmetabolism Through something
(07:25):
called high affinity receptors,some of which are variants of
the ovarian FSH receptor, calledFSHR.
Fsh regulates bone mass adiposetissue, the function of your
fat mass, energy metabolism andcholesterol production, and
that's in both sexes, men andwomen.
And so the SWAN study foundthat FSH was correlated with
(07:46):
bone resorption.
That's effectively the waybones release byproducts that
maintain what's called calciumhomeostasis.
Basically, it has to do withyour bone health.
Let's just put it just tosimplify it.
And other studies in additionto the SWAN study found that the
hormone regulates body fat andenergy homeostasis.
So it's very important.
(08:06):
And so as it rises, whichhappens before the estrogen
drops significantly in menopause, it's already starting to
change how your body stores andburns fat, and this explains why
some women start noticingchanges in early perimenopause,
when their periods are stillregular.
So for all the gaslighting outin the world of, oh, you're too
young, no, you're not, there'sobviously still things happening
(08:28):
as a precursor to the final.
You know that three and a halfyear menopause transition.
Where it gets more interestingis that genetics you know even
race and ethnicity, body massindex all of these affect the
trajectory of estrogen or theestradiol and FSH changes over
the transition.
So your genetic background,your current body composition,
influence how dramatically thesechange, which explains why some
(08:51):
women experience way moresevere symptoms than others.
I've had clients who you knowgot into their fifties and said
you know, I've had absolutelyzero issues whatsoever,
everything's been just the sameas it always was.
And others that are like whatthe heck is going on?
This seems hopeless, everythingis just going haywire.
What do I do?
Right?
And these are all realexperiences and they're
biologically supported andthey're largely due to genetic
(09:11):
differences and lifestyle andbehavior and your history and
all of that.
So here's where the researchgets fascinating, if it isn't
fascinating already, and that iswhat can be the game changer
for you and how you approachyour nutrition during this time.
There are researchers from theUniversity of Sydney discovered
something called the proteinleverage effect that happens
(09:32):
during menopause.
When we look at analysis ofnutritional changes during the
transition, we see that there'senhanced protein breakdown as a
trigger for weight gain via amechanism called the protein
leverage effect.
All right, so enhanced.
Now you might have heard, kindof at a surface level, that
(09:53):
women seem to need more proteinas they age or they have more
rapid loss of muscle and thingslike that.
Yeah, unfortunately, itcompounds the weight gain and
the way it works is that whenthe progressive loss in your
protein occur, it causes anincreased appetite for protein.
(10:15):
And if there's not acorresponding increase in your
dietary protein, then theconsequence is you have extra
intake of energy fromnon-protein sources.
You have extra intake of energyfrom non-protein sources, and
so as you lose muscle massduring menopause, which gets
accelerated by the decliningestrogen and the rising FSH,
your body develops a strongerappetite for protein.
But if you're eating the sameway you always have and you're
(10:38):
not getting enough protein,you're also not getting nearly
enough of the concentration youneed now, and so your body keeps
driving you to eat more fooduntil you hit your protein
target, and then those extracalories come from carbs and
fats and chances are you'reeating more calories in general
because you don't have enoughprotein and satiety and blah,
blah, blah, right.
So it's like this vicious cycle.
So, without increasing theproportion of protein in your
(11:00):
diet, the body's drive to reachits protein target is going to
make you hungrier and continueto eat unnecessary calories
until you do so, and this isunique to menopause.
So very important to understandone of the reasons why we like
to up our protein for everybody,but especially women, during
this time, and the researcherscalculated that weight gain and
(11:21):
fat mass adiposity, we call it,as well as the loss of your lean
tissue, including the loss ofmuscle, might be mitigated or
even prevented just by adding ina little more protein.
I think they estimate around 16or 17% of the daily value,
something like that, or up to20% something, but anyway, we
are trying to get way moreprotein in that.
Anyway, we're trying to getaround 0.7 to 1 grams per pound
(11:45):
of body weight.
So if you're listening to thissaying, yeah, I know all this,
philip, I've already increasedmy protein.
I'm still having issues.
This is just one of many thingsgoing on, and the solution here
isn't that you should eat less,right, it's eating smarter.
It's eating more food volume,it's eating more protein and
that's a common theme foreverybody.
It's a very effective way toeat, in a flexible way that
(12:05):
doesn't cut complete macros,like you're not just cutting
carbs, you're not just cuttingsugar or cutting anything, right
, you're eating more protein andmore nutritious things and more
filling things.
So let's get into some of themyths about menopause weight
gain that I think are causingconfusion, and then this leads
to some of the other tips that Ihave today.
The first myth is that it's notaging or it's not menopause,
(12:30):
it's just aging.
So you'll hear some fitnessinfluencers, especially like 25
year old men, saying you know,it's not your hormones, it's not
menopause, it's just becauseyou're getting older.
And that's incorrect, becausewhile aging drives some changes
for everybody, menopause addsunique shifts that we already
referred to the accelerated fatgain and muscle loss, and it's
(12:50):
for a decent amount of time.
So that's myth number one.
Myth number two that weight gainmeans only fat gain, and this
is dangerous because it's notjust that you're gaining fat,
you are also losing lean mass,and so you're gaining even more
fat than you think.
Does that make sense?
So you're actually fat, you arealso losing lean mass, and so
you're gaining even more fatthan you think.
Does that make sense?
So you're actually losing somelean mass, gaining fat, and even
(13:12):
if your weight on the scaledoesn't change, you've gained
body fat and body fat percentage, and so that's why a lot of
women get frustrated.
They're seeing their bodieschange, becoming more fluffy,
frumpy.
You know the muffin top, allthe trigger phrases that we use,
even when the scale doesn'tmove, and then, of course, it
gets even worse when the scaledoes move.
Myth number three is thatpost-menopause means you can't
(13:35):
stop gaining Like you're justgoing to.
It's inevitable, like no matterwhat, unless you eat, you know
700 calories.
It's inevitable.
But actually, after thetransition that the three and a
half year average transition,the composition stabilizes and
that gives you a new milestonewhere you can intervene If
you're already there, forexample, the good news is that
(13:56):
the most dramatic changes onlyhappen during a certain window,
and after that window you have alittle bit better environment
going on.
You have a little bit betterenvironment going on, which is
why I encourage you starting assoon as you can, cause the
sooner you can get in place theproper lifestyle for you, uh,
the easier it'll be and youmight even get additional gains
than you that you didn't expect.
When things get, quote unquoteeasier which, again, every
(14:17):
woman's different, some, forsome women, women, that's a
obvious improvement and forothers it may be more subtle.
And then I'll I'll have one moremyth for you here, the one that
really bothers me of all thisthat you need to just eat less
and move more.
Right, and I can't stand it,because I see Facebook posts,
youtube videos, whatever, andpeople try to get into nuances
about this stuff and people.
Somebody will reply and say youjust need to eat less and move
(14:39):
more, like that's it.
No, no, this ignores themetabolic and hormonal changes
happening in your body and ifyou just eat less, you're
probably going to exacerbatethem because of the stress you
know.
The mechanism of developingobesity in menopausal women is
clearly a distinct phenomenon, amechanism driven by the things
we've talked about related tohormones, leading to muscle loss
(15:02):
and fat gain and fat gain incertain areas that we don't
necessarily want them rightmuscle loss and fat gain and fat
gain in certain areas that wedon't necessarily want them
Right.
The reality is, your body'smetabolic landscape is basically
shifting into a completelydifferent identity and the
approaches that you had in your20s and 30s are not going to
work now.
They may not work now.
It depends on your history.
So now we understand what'shappening, let's talk about what
(15:22):
works, and I want to be clear.
This isn't about a detox or aquick fix or something you're
going to fix in the next monthor two.
This is working with the newrealities, having the right
expectations and patience, andif you do, you can be absolutely
successful.
This is the common theme when Italk to my clients or we look
in our physique university Iactually just asked the question
(15:42):
at last week's check-in.
What's the one thing you wouldtell somebody who's just
starting this journey?
And the recurring theme is tobe patient and follow the
process.
And I know we don't like tohear it, but as long as you have
the right process which we'regoing to talk about here you
will be successful.
So first I want to talk abouthormone replacement therapy and
kind of get that out of the way.
We know that estradiol-basedhormone replacement therapy does
(16:06):
slow fat gain, it does preservemuscle and bone health, it does
reduce cardiovascular risk andthe benefits are greatest when
started early in the transition.
So I'm not against HRT at allif that is something you need.
I'm not a medical doctor.
This is not medical advice.
The decision about HRT isbetween you and your healthcare
provider.
It may not be estradiol, maybeother forms of hormone
(16:27):
replacement.
So that's really not my area ofexpertise in terms of
prescribing or recommending oranything like that.
And I work with clients whohave a team of professionals
including usually a hormonespecialist, who decides what
makes sense for them.
Maybe it's thyroid, maybe it'sprogesterone, something else,
but research shows that when itis appropriate, hrt is
incredibly beneficial for bodycomposition during this
(16:48):
transition.
So I wanted to mention thatfirst, I did a previous episode
that compared HRT versusstrength training and basically
the conclusion was they're bothgreat and they're both
contextual Strength training.
Everyone should be doing HRT.
Not everyone should or needs todo it necessarily.
Maybe, maybe not.
Again, that's where it's verypersonalized.
So that's HRT.
(17:09):
Secondly, is nutrition Based onthe protein leverage research
and what we know about theimportance of protein period.
It's just a far gone conclusionthat we have to increase
protein and I recommend at least0.7 grams per day, getting up
to one gram per pound per day.
So per pound per day.
So whatever you're eating now,it's basically trying to get to
that new level.
(17:29):
The best way to do that is totrack your food and know what
the heck is going on, know whatis going into your mouth.
That is often the biggestmissing thing here.
That creates a massive level ofconfidence for women who are
frustrated because they simplydon't know how much they're
eating.
They think they're eating, youknow, 1500 calories a day or
(17:49):
1200 calories a day, but they'reactually averaging 2000, 25,
maybe 3000 calories a day andjust don't know it right.
Don't know it and I'm notasking you to cut things out
right, I'm not asking you to cutthings out.
I'm asking you to add in highquality animal and plant protein
into your diet and as well ashigh fiber foods.
That alone is going to make amassive difference.
But you've also got to track tounderstand where the calories
come into play.
The calorie density comes intoplay, the food volume, all of
(18:12):
those things.
If you're not sure about allthis I do have other episodes on
it.
You can just reach out.
I'm happy to send you a link onthat.
So that's the nutrition.
Protein fiber is the focus.
And then, third, we haveresistance training.
That is absolutelynon-negotiable.
Strength training is going topreserve your lean mass.
It's going to countersarcopenia, the loss of muscle
mass.
It's going to boost yourmetabolism in many, many ways.
(18:35):
It's going to boost yourhormones.
It's going to help in justevery way imaginable, even
mental health.
Muscle loss that happens duringtheir transition is pretty much
all prevented with properstrength training.
So if I were to put a bow onthis whole episode, it would be
simply adding in and doingconsistent.
Strength training is going tomitigate significantly many of
(18:55):
these issues because you'reholding onto your muscle and
you're building new muscle, andthat is going to reverse your
body composition into a positivedirection.
As far as your diet, overall,we want to have a flexible diet
that's focused on satiety andeating without guilt and
supporting your nutrients beingnutrient-dense, high-volume
(19:16):
foods, a diverse diet full ofyes, all the macros, protein,
fats and carbs really good carbs.
Having plenty of energy, eatingenough food for your goals, not
constantly dieting.
Again, that's an entiredifferent topic we can dive into
, but that is really, reallyimportant when you're in
menopause to potentially take apause and forget about losing
weight on the scale for a bitand instead focus on building a
(19:39):
resilient, strong body thatsupports building and holding
onto muscle, which will thenmake fat loss so much easier.
And the last thing I really wantto mention here, which I was I
was wondering if I should or notbecause it's its own unique
topic that affects everyone, butit exacerbates the situation
(19:59):
during this time of life, andthat is, uh, being in a high
alert, chronically stressedstate all the time.
And this is a challenge nomatter whether you're in the
menopause transition or not,whether you're a man or a woman.
It's the life obligations, it'sthe stress from raising or
supporting a family.
It's the stress from work,financial stress, all of the
(20:21):
things that are going on aroundus and the way we live, with
screens and our schedules andbeing on the go right All of
that perceived stress physicalstress, psychological stress is
going to make things harder, andsome of this stress is caused
simply because you're trying todiet a lot, and some of this
stress is caused because you areworried about the whole
(20:43):
situation.
And I find that once you havesome modicum of control over
this, with regular strengthtraining, with tracking what
goes in your mouth, however youwant to do it, my preferred way
to do that is macro factor,because that app will calculate
your metabolism for you and giveyou accurate targets, and that
gives you confidence to thenmaintain your weight and then
(21:07):
lose some fat, if that's whatyou're going after.
All of these things createconfidence.
That then counteracts some ofthat stress.
But being in this high alertstate all the time itself is
something that affects yourmetabolism, um, and it just
exacerbates everything going on.
So I did want to mention that,um, because the you know, the
(21:28):
nutrition strategy, the training, the HRT, will definitely cover
a big piece of the pie, but forsome some of you out there,
some of you women, the stressitself is so high that it can
counteract almost anything, andsome of that stress comes from
the fact that you're just noteating enough, and so they play
hand in hand.
(21:48):
Right, all of this playstogether.
So this is why I like spendingabout two months initially
dialing in those habits forlifting, for eating enough food,
for eating enough protein andcarbs yes, both and kind of
seeing where you are with thenumbers and with maintaining
that high energy state, and thenyou can decide okay, from this
(22:10):
point I'm in a really goodstress situation training and
nutrition situation, hormonesituation to go after the fat
loss, and even then you may needa more aggressive or less
aggressive fat loss approach,depending on where your
metabolism stands.
So that's, those are mytakeaways for like the big
picture of what to do.
What's the solution frameworkhere for women in perimenopause?
(22:32):
Once you understand why this ishappening and that it's
primarily due to the loss ofmuscle mass, primarily and I
would look at this transition asif we can reframe it for you as
just the perfect time, just theperfect opportunity to develop
more metabolic resilience andmetabolic flexibility, because
(22:54):
when your body is forced toadapt to new hormonal conditions
.
It can become more efficientand more resilient when you have
the right strategy and you canend up with improved metabolic
health, much more improved thanyou might have had even in your
20s and 30s and we sometimesneglect this aspect.
But the health, the longevity,the metabolism because you have
(23:17):
a better body composition,because you have more energy,
because you're stronger thanwhat you had in decades past and
you're working with this newreality of your body, this
transition could be just acompletely new identity for
yourself as a strong, functional, athletic person in life.
And remember, your body is notbroken during menopause.
It's far from it.
(23:38):
It's adapting to a new realityand you just have to give it the
right inputs right the adequateprotein, the resistance
training, proper recovery, notconstantly dieting, setting
yourself up for fat loss in amore efficient, effective way.
And that's a really, reallypositive thing when you can do
that.
It's what I love helping womendo, because it can be very
challenging.
(23:58):
The first, I'll say, few monthsof this process are a lot of
discoveries happening, educationalong with patience, and that's
the real challenge for a lot ofyou is that without that
patience, all the learning andinformation in the world is not
going to matter because you'renot going to be able to apply it
.
And so knowing that this can bethe beginning, just the very
(24:20):
beginning, of the strongest,healthiest phase of your life,
when you have the informationbut then you implement it with
the patience, is going to payoff big time.
It's just going to be amazing.
So I want you to remember thatthe weight gain, the body
composition changes during periand post menopause are not
inevitable.
They are not right.
They are not from just gettingolder, they're not just because
(24:42):
of hormones.
They're a sign that your body,or they're not a sign that your
body's failing or you're doomedto struggle with your weight for
the rest of your life.
When we look at the researchresearch peel it back and when I
look at real experience withmany, many different clients
across the spectrum of menopauseand different situations, we
see that the interplay betweenthe declining estrogen, the
(25:03):
rising FSH, the muscle proteinbreakdown, the protein leverage,
all of that is understandable,it is objective.
And then it shows us what worksStrategically increasing the
protein, strategically adding inprogressive overload-based
strength training and, in manycases, yes, hormone replacement
therapy.
It's all of those things.
(25:23):
Now you may not want to havemedications or therapy or
whatever, and that's fine.
I've worked with clients whosaid you know, I want to go all
natural with this, and then weagain have to have the realistic
expectations for what thatmeans.
You can still have incredibleprogress, absolutely Okay,
absolutely.
The women who thrive during thistransition are those who
understand what's happening intheir bodies, their personal own
(25:46):
bodies.
That's what I mean, not justthe science, that's great, but
they actually collect the data,they measure things, they track
things Not in an obsessive way,not in a way that's highly
convenient or takes a lot oftime In a very efficient way,
measuring the right things,making it a habit, and not
trying to fight physiology bydoing it too quickly or being
(26:06):
impatient or throwing up yourhands saying no, no, no, this
doesn't work, I'm done.
Or I tried this for a week andI got frustrated.
My scale weight popped up.
It doesn't work.
Those attitudes are not goingto serve you well, but an
attitude of patience andownership and positivity, of hey
, I know this can work.
I'm going to take thephilosophy and the steps that
Philip just talked about andfigure out what the low-hanging
(26:29):
fruit is for me and for many ofyou.
It might be that you're notstrength training or doing it in
a way that progresses, or maybeyou're not strength training or
doing it in a way thatprogresses, or maybe you're not
tracking your food.
You're not even sure how muchyou eat.
Maybe you're not eating enough,maybe you're not eating enough
protein or carbs.
All of that and it's justupdating your strategy
objectively to match your phaseof life, and then you're going
to be amazed at what's possible.
You really are All right.
(26:49):
So if you're ready to take someaction with an evidence-based
approach that we talked aboutfor women navigating fat loss
during peri and post-menopause,the guide that I put together
lays out the key steps that wetalked about today so you can
personalize it for yourself.
It's called Menopause, fat LossOver 40.
It includes everything wediscussed how to plan your
(27:09):
calories and macros, how totrain, all of it.
Go to witsandweightscom, slashfree or click the link in the
show notes.
Until next time, keep usingyour wits lifting those weights
and remember this transitionisn't the end of your fitness
journey.
It's the beginning of a new,empowered chapter of life where
you understand your body betterthan ever before.
I'll talk to you next time hereon the Wits and Weights Podcast
(27:31):
.
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