Why Eating Less and Exercising More Backfires in Menopause: What is Low Energy Availability?

In this episode of The Menopause Method, Cam Allen discusses the challenges women face during menopause, particularly regarding weight gain and low energy availability. She explains how diet culture from previous decades has led to ineffective strategies for managing weight during menopause. The conversation covers the symptoms and consequences of low energy availability, emphasizing the importance of proper nutrition and exercise. Cam provides practical steps to break the cycle of ineffective dieting and encourages listeners to nourish their bodies for better health and longevity during menopause.

00:00 80s and 90s diet habits impact menopause.

06:03 Muscle requires protein, calories, effort, recovery.

06:43 Track intake with Cronometer for balanced nutrition.

11:13 Empower menopausal women: Nourish, exercise, feel amazing.

In this episode, you'll hear: 

• Understanding Low Energy Availability: In menopause, significant hormonal shifts can make our bodies more sensitive to stress and energy deficits, leading to an array of challenges like slowed metabolism and increased belly fat.
• The Importance of Nutrient-Rich Foods: Prioritize balanced meals with macronutrients and micronutrients, which become more critical during menopause to support bodily functions and overall vitality.
• Shift Focus to Strength Training: Embrace lifting weights 2-3 times a week. This approach helps preserve muscle mass, enhance bone density, and revamp metabolism instead of focusing solely on calorie burning.

Transcript

0:00

Welcome back to the menopause method. My name is Cam Allen, and I am your tour guide to everything menopause. Okay. Today's show is for you if you find yourself eating less, exercising more, and still gaining weight, and particularly around your belly. I get it. It's frustrating. You're like, well, I've always done this. Why isn't this working? And we're gonna break it down today so that you walk away understanding what's happening and how to break free from this cycle. If you're listening to this episode, chances are you went to high school in the eighties. And in the eighties, we believe that slashing calories and doing crazy amounts of cardio was the only way to get the body composition we are chasing. And then we lived through the nineties where there was fat free everything. We were literally eating snack wells and ripping our gut apart, and we were not being nourished. In menopause, all of this craziness backfires due to our shifting hormones, and our body has different needs for energy balance at this stage. So we're gonna talk about something called low energy availability today. You're going to understand what it is, why it happens, and how to break 3 free from the cycle forever. First of all, what is low energy availability? It occurs when your body does not have enough energy, AKA calories, to support the essential functions of your body operating. See, you're adding all this extra energy by exercising, and you're not fueling yourself for the basic functions. In fact, there was a study in 2018 showing that this lee, low energy availability, leads to things like slower metabolism, hormone craziness, and reduced bone density, all of the things that we don't want in menopause. For me, it was my thyroid. It literally down regulated. I was doing more than ever. I was training clients in the gym. I was exercising myself. I was watching what I was eating, yet I was exhausted and gaining weight. Yeah. That's what low energy availability does to you. So what's the connection with menopause? So hormone changes, especially your estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone make your body more sensitive to stress and more sensitive to energy deficits. And guess what happens? Your body literally holds on to body fat as a protective mechanism, especially in your midsection. Your body's like, hey. This lady is exercising like crazy, and I'm not getting the nourishment, so I better hold on to this body fat. Or maybe this happened to you when you were younger and you were still cycling. Some women actually lose their menstrual cycle. Their body's in such a state of panic that the body doesn't feel safe creating another human at this time, and you lose your period. So how does diet culture contribute to Leigh? Here it is. We grew up with eat less, exercise more just simply does not work in menopause. Now it's hard for us to change our mind because we've been doing this for a very, very long time. But extreme calorie restriction and excessive exercise leads to burnout and not weight loss. In fact, women over 40 who diet restrictively and like to do a ton of exercise actually develop nutrient deficiencies, and they lose muscle mass. That is the exact opposite of what you're trying to do. So let's break it down. Think of yourself as a car. And, you know, you're if you're running on fumes, eventually, the car shuts down, and it conserves energy. Like, you can't get get very far on fumes. Right? Or what about your cell phone? I guarantee you I guarantee you charge your cell phone at night. Think of nutrition that way. Are you recharging your body so you have energy to actually function the next day? Or you could think of your metabolism as a thermostat. Diet culture turns that thermostat way down when you restrict food, making it really hard to burn calories and maintain energy. Literally, your body's in a panic mode. Here she goes again, acting like a crazy lady, and there's not enough nutrition for my thyroid or my hormones to function properly. So I'm just gonna slow everything down and store this extra body fat. Literally, that's what's happening. So what are exactly the symptoms of low energy availability? Fatigue, even when you sleep well, increased belly fat despite being in a calorie deficit, poor exercise recovery. I know I experienced this one. I started noticing very strange injuries. I wasn't recovering from exercise in my late forties. I was definitely overdoing it. We call it overreaching. I was exercising beyond my body's ability, and the energy I was putting in did not equal the energy I was putting out. Irregular periods or missed periods for those that are still cycling. That is a sign of low energy availability. Poor sleep quality, waking up feeling unrested, difficulty building or maintaining muscle, and then you add on mood swings, irritability, and increased anxiety. Then this might also happen. Digestive issues like bloating and constipation are also side effects from low energy availability. Literally, your body is not getting enough energy to do its basic functions, and so it's going into survival mode. So what does the science say about ly causing weight gain and then a pause? Literally, your metabolism slows down. It down regulates. Your body reduces the energy it's putting out to protect itself, so it slows down your metabolism. That is why you exercise more, you eat less, and you still have more belly fat, and then this kicks in. We have increased cortisol. Chronic undereating and chronic over exercising actually raises your cortisol. And your cortisol is a stress hormone that is linked to fat storage in your belly. And then here's the kicker, reduced muscle mass. Without enough protein getting in your system and enough calories, your muscle breaks down faster, further slowing down your metabolism. I need you to know that muscle is expensive for your body to keep around. That means it takes effort in the gym lifting heavy for you weights. It takes nutrition around your workouts, and then it takes rest and recovery time between your workouts for your body to actually rebuild itself. If you're not giving your body enough calories, AKA energy to do those things, then it's the first to go. I gotta keep that body fat because that body fat's gonna keep me alive. This muscle, I don't need this muscle, and that is what happens. Okay. So we've got this problem. Our body is holding onto fat, and it's losing muscle because we're not actually nourishing ourselves. So what are the simple action steps to actually break this cycle so you can get back on track and reach your goals? First of all, I would suggest tracking your intake. What kind of food are you eating? Do a food log. Is your are you eating enough to support your activity level? Hands down, my favorite app for tracking nutrition is called Cronometer. Cronometer tracks your fat, your carbs, and your protein, but it goes way beyond that. It also tracks your fiber and all your micronutrients, and it's a really, way to look under the hood, if you will, and see what's happening with your nutrition. I will tell you, your micronutrients matter even more now in menopause than they ever have. You know, I'm here to help you live a vibrant healthy life, not just an average life. Right? Micronutrients are the key for that. So that means nutrient dense meals, balanced macronutrients, again, the protein, the carbs, and the fats, and in general, just like 30 grams of protein per meal. If you don't know what that looks like, tracking is the best way to do that. Okay. Next, I want you to shift to strength training. You probably know that if you've been around me at all. I want you to focus on building muscle versus burning calories. In fact, if you track your stuff like I track on my Oura ring, I turned off the calorie feature. I am not a calorie calculator. I am a beautiful human being that's trying to live a vibrant, healthy menopause. I don't need to know how many calories I'm burning in my workout. It's nonsense. What I do want you to do is lift heavy weights, heavy for you, 2 to 3 times a week, depending on your symptoms. 2's a sweet spot most weeks for me to come to really combat the muscle loss and really support your metabolism. In fact, studies show that strength training 2 to 3 times a week improves your muscle mass and your bone density while changing your metabolism. That was from a sports medicine, study in 2017. You can do this. You can do this. Next, I want you to fuel for recovery. So that means this is an easy fix. No more fasted workouts. Ladies, most women in menopause do not do well on fasted workouts. I need you to have nutrition around your workouts, you know, like 200 calories before you workout. And then after you workout, get a good meal in with that 30 grams of protein and also some carbohydrates. Those foods are gonna actually help your body repair itself. You're gonna notice more muscle and less body fat in a very short amount of time. Not only that, you're gonna have more energy. You're gonna feel better. Eating around your workouts is a simple way to turn this low energy availability around. Don't forget anti inflammatory foods like leafy greens, omega threes, whole grains. In fact, taking omega threes in addition to eating those kind of foods is one of the stack supplements that I include with my clients. I think omega threes are really important. It helps keep your skin soft, it keeps your joints feeling better, and it helps inflammation. See, when we exercise, we're causing our body to be inflamed. And then just because we live in America, like, we're exposed to omega sixes, which causes more inflammation. So by supplementing with omega threes, we're reducing that ratio, and it's gonna be helpful to you. I promise. Next up, rest and recovery. So reduce your high end density cardio and replace it with restorative movement, like taking a walk, doing yoga, doing stretching. Those things are gonna matter. And then also that includes sleep. So figuring out what are your triggers for getting good sleep, what are your triggers for getting bad sleep, whatever that is. Because here's the deal. Poor sleep disrupts your appetite hormones, your ghrelin and leptin, and it increases your cravings. You know this. This is from a sleep medicine review in 2019. But on days you don't sleep, you're in the cabinet looking for something salty and crunchy to give you a quick, cheap, and easy carb fix. You need energy, and that's what you're looking for. And then finally, listening to your body. Like, I can't stress this enough. You are your own best expert. You live in your skin. Pay attention to your hunger and fullness cues instead of being in an extreme, calorie in your in your rules. Get rid of the rules. Give yourself permission to eat more if you feel fatigued or unwell. Think about nourishing yourself for your activity, for your life. Are you stuck in this eat less, exercise more trap? It takes a minute to change the way your brain is wired, and let me help you break free. You can book a free discovery call or join move that out method to start building sustainable plan for your energy, strength, and confidence in menopause. So, you know, make sure you check out the other episodes in the, menopause method to learn how strength training can help actually supercharge your energy and your metabolism. If you found this episode super helpful, please leave a far 5 star review and share it with your best friend in menopause. I appreciate it. Let's get the word out and help women feel amazing in menopause.