You don’t have to starve yourself and do a bunch of cardio to lose weight during menopause.
And you sure AF don’t need a bunch of menopausal supplements (yes, that’s a thing).
I know what you’re thinking … Is this DUDE really about to tell me about menopause when he can’t, and never will, experience it for himself?!
Why yes, yes I am. And thank you for the vote of confidence 😉
It’s a valid point though. I can’t experience it. Just like I can’t give birth.
Doesn’t mean I can’t flex my super power which is …
Calling out bullshit.
Poor advice and misinformation comes in all shapes and sizes.
Just like useful advice does so let’s put our differences aside and jump in, shall we?
The company line for the diet industry when it comes to menopausal women is that you need to lower calories and increase cardio.
The reasoning is … during menopause, there are hormonal changes that make it difficult to lose fat and your metabolism slows down so you need to work harder to improve body composition.
It’s a classic example of taking a fraction of truth and blending it with a whole bunch of nonsense to make something sound believable.
Yes, there are 1000% hormonal changes that CAN make it more difficult to lose fat.
However, your metabolism does not inherently slow down during this time AND your metabolism only slows down the tiniest bit with age.
Research shows that when older adults maintain their muscle and continue to eat enough protein (as the requirements increase with age), their metabolic rate stays almost exactly the same.
Working harder, not smarter, often makes menopause issues worse.
The major problem I have with the standard advice for menopausal women is that “working harder” is often what makes the issues worse.
By reducing calories even more, you’re adding stress to a changing internal environment.
By increasing cardio, you’re adding even more stress and doing the opposite of what you need to be doing during this phase of life …
Prioritizing muscle!
The irony in all of this?? Women who reduce calories and increase cardio end up slowing down their metabolic rate so the very thing they were warned about actually comes true, but it’s not for the reasons they believe.
“Dammit, menopause is making it so difficult to lose weight! It’s causing my metabolism to tank!”
Ummm, no. Following terrible advice and adding more stress to your body by lowering calories and increasing cardio is causing your metabolism to tank.
This is often the time where frustration settles in and it becomes appealing to look for a shortcut.
“Alexa, find me supplements for menopausal women.”
Alexa: Here are 37 supplements that are recommended for menopausal women.
Don’t go down that rabbit hole. You’ll get lost in a whole bunch of pseudo-science and bullshit claims.
Here’s what actually happens during menopause.
The first noticeable hormonal change is with estrogen.
Typically, estrogen levels will decrease but it’s not all that predictable and we can see major fluctuations in estrogen levels.
Sometimes premenopausal women will experience higher than normal estrogen levels.
Ultimately, over time, estrogen levels will decrease.
It’s often high levels that lead to bloating and low levels that lead to hot flashes, fatigue, and insomnia.
Progesterone is the other major hormone that is impacted during this phase of life.
You may experience mood swings and irregular cycles during perimenopause which can also be attributed to low progesterone and unpredictable swings in estrogen.
Naturally, with changes in sex hormones, you may notice changes in your sex drive.
So … given the internal environment that’s happening in perimenopause … do we really think it’s sage advice to throw more stress into that equation?
Of course not.
Yet, that’s exactly what you’re often being told to do.
Menopause is the time to prioritize muscle.
Instead, why don’t we focus on one of the most hormonally friendly allies that we have …
Muscle.
This is the time to prioritize muscle by lifting heavy, eating enough protein, eating a nutrient dense diet, and maximizing recovery and stress management.
Your group fitness classes aren’t doing you any favors at this point.
Maybe you need a mantra or two …
Like … my muscles are my ally. Protein is my best friend.
When in doubt, walk it out.
I’m partially joking but it’s way too common to start ignoring those things and adding “more” to your plate.
More cardio, more high intensity workouts, more stress.
Then you wonder why menopause is fucking up your metabolism.
When in reality it’s just the poor advice and game plan you have during that time.
Here’s why our 1:1 coaching clients get such great results …
I’m not coming at this from a hypothetical perspective either.
Most of our clients are women in their 40s, 50s, and 60s.
Every single day in our coaches chat we share client results and the best part is this …
Almost every single one of our clients came to us with the feeling that nothing works and they’re somehow broken.
And then boom … we start making progress with them.
It’s fun to see the lightbulb turn on when they realize why everything else they did up to that point was never going to work.
And no, we don’t prescribe a bunch of menopausal supplements lol.
That’s not to say that supplements don’t have a time and place … it just means they aren’t all that important.
It’s the equivalent of paint color on your house.
Let’s get the foundation built, the decor all set up, and the house organized the way you want it.
Then we can worry about paint color.
It’s time to work smarter, not harder.
Anyway, at the most basic level, it should seem obvious.
During a period of hormonal changes and/or fluctuations … let’s not do anything to disrupt homeostatic balance.
That doesn’t just apply to menopause.
We should always be assessing how to best mitigate stress during those times.
Fortunately for our clients, that’s kind of our thing.
Neurotyping removes stress because you’re not fighting against your nature, you’re working with it. And you’re eating foods to support your brain chemistry.
Metabolic priming removes stress because, well, that’s a major benefit of properly fueling and supporting your metabolism.
And integrating everything into your lifestyle removes stress because you actually enjoy the process and get to prioritize the things you value.
Hopefully it’s abundantly clear why our clients get such incredible results in our 1 on 1 coaching program.
It’s not complicated. But it is science :).
Much love,
Coach Mike
PS – If you’ve been on the fence about investing in yourself and joining a program that is proven to create body composition results while giving you the freedom to enjoy your life …
You’ve got 2 more days to take advantage of a free month of coaching. Anyone who joins this week gets an extra month on us.
All you have to do is book a call to make sure it’s a good fit on both sides.
