For decades, we’ve been told that weight loss is simple: eat less and move more. It’s been drilled into us that cutting calories, doing hours of cardio, and avoiding carbs is the only way to stay lean. And for a while, maybe that worked. But once menopause hits, everything changes.
If you’ve been doing all the ‘right’ things, exercising more, eating less, skipping meals, and still gaining weight, feeling sluggish, and struggling with hot flushes, mood swings, or brain fog, you’re not alone.
The truth is what worked in your 20s and 30s won’t work in your 40s and 50s. In fact, those old-school methods could be making things worse.
Why Eating Less and Training More Doesn’t Work in Menopause
My client Georgia was stuck in this cycle. She was exhausted, frustrated, and felt like a stranger in her own body. She was eating less, skipping meals, and no longer able to train because of inflammatory pain. The weight wouldn’t budge. Worse, she felt weaker, more irritable, and constantly drained.
This is what happens when you overtrain and under-eat in menopause:
- Your metabolism slows down—Your body thinks it’s in starvation mode and holds onto fat.
- You break down muscle instead of building it—leading to sagging skin, weakness, and joint pain.
- Hormone imbalances becomes worse—causing hot flushes, bloating, mood swings, and poor sleep.
- Your stress hormones spike—putting you in a cycle of fat storage, sugar cravings, and inflammation.
- You feel exhausted, overwhelmed, and stuck—because nothing seems to be working.
This often leads to you feeling like ‘why bother’, you’re sick and tired of feeling wrecked for no results and think there must be something wrong with you. There isn’t, you’re just following old methodology. In menopause, your body evolves, so you need to evolve your methods during this transformative stage, to nurture and nourish your body not beat it up.
What to Do Instead
If you want to feel strong, energised, and in control again, the solution isn’t to eat less and train harder. It’s to train smarter and fuel your body properly.
Strength Training Over Cardio
Cardio is great for heart health, but excessive high-intensity workouts increase cortisol (your stress hormone), which leads to fat storage, especially around your belly. I know you feel that if you aren’t sweating buckets you’re not doing enough, but that way of thinking is holding you back. It’s time to shift that. Instead, focus on progressive strength training to build lean muscle, speed up metabolism, and protect your bones.
Ditch the Random Workouts
Menopause isn’t the time for random classes or switching things up every week. If your goal in training is socialisation, group workouts are great. But if you’re serious about feeling better at this stage of your life, your body needs structure. Find a different way to socialise. A properly designed progressive strength training program ensures you continue building strength without hitting plateaus or over-stressing your body.
LISS Over HIIT
Swap high-intensity cardio for LISS (Low-Intensity Steady-State) exercise, like walking, casual bike riding, or swimming. It burns fat without spiking cortisol or draining your energy.
Fuel Your Body, Don’t Starve It
Instead of eating less, eat smarter. Your body needs adequate protein, healthy fats, and whole-food carbs to balance blood sugar, reduce cravings, and support lean muscle. The more you eat (the right food of course!), the higher your energy gets, the faster your metabolism gets, and the fewer symptoms you will experience. You know that 3 o’clock flop you currently suffer? Gone. Replaced with energy. That 3am wake up to go to the toilet? Gone. You sleep through the night. Just a few examples of how you can feel better, just by eating more, and the right foods.
Support Your Body With Key Supplements
While real food is always the priority, menopause can increase the demand for certain nutrients. The three queen supplements I recommend to all my clients:
- Magnesium – Supports sleep, muscle recovery, and stress reduction.
- Creatine – Boosts strength, brain function, and energy levels.
- Collagen – Supports skin, joints, and gut health.
Georgia’s Transformation
When Georgia stopped blaming her body for not responding to out-dated methodology, she finally started seeing results. She ate more, focused on strength training, and managed her stress levels. In just a few months, she:
- Boosted her energy throughout the day
- Stabilised her mood
- Felt stronger and more confident in her body
- Reduced her body aches and pains
- Started leaning up
And she did all this without starving herself, doing hours of exhausting cardio, or cutting out the foods she loved.
If you’re stuck in a cycle of exhaustion, stubborn weight gain, and frustration, it’s time for a new approach. And, you don’t have to figure it out alone.
I help women every day, ditch the outdated diet mentality, build strength, and balance their hormones, without extreme restriction or burnout.
If you’re ready to finally feel like YOU again, Contact Me and let’s chat about how we can get you the results you deserve.
- Coach Terri
