4 Menopause Weight Loss Mistakes (and How to Fix Them!)

Are you struggling to lose weight during menopause, especially stubborn belly fat? You’re not alone! In this video, I reveal the 4 most common menopause weight loss mistakes and show you exactly how to fix them with science-backed strategies that actually work for women in this stage of life. 

In this video, you’ll learn:

• Why crash diets and old weight loss tricks don’t work after menopause
• The importance of strength training for metabolism and belly fat
• How stress and sleep impact your hormones and weight
• How to break free from all-or-nothing thinking and finally see results
• Simple, realistic changes you can make starting today! 

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Which mistake surprised you the most? Comment below. I read every one!

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Menopause Minis: 10-Minute Strength Workouts
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Chapters:
00:00"Menopause Weight Loss Mistakes
04:21 Midlife Fitness: Strength Over Cardio
08:50 Sleep and Stress Tips
11:11 Menopause Health Tips & Advice

#MenopauseWeightLoss #BellyFat #MenopauseMistakes #WeightLossTips #StrengthTraining #HealthyHabits

Transcript

0:00

Have you ever felt like you woke up and your body completely changed overnight once menopause hit? Hey, you're not alone. Because about 80% of women experience weight gain during menopause, especially around their midsection, that stubborn belly fat. Hey there. I'm Cam Allen. Welcome back to the Menopause Method. And if you've tried diet after diet or spent hours on the treadmill with, like, little to show for it, you are not alone. Today I'm revealing the most common mistakes women make when trying to lose weight around menopause and what you can do to finally break through those stubborn plateaus. Stick with me because I'm also going to share science strategies that actually work for women in this stage of life. Did you know that after menopause, women lose muscle twice as fast as men? What is the deal? They can do keto diets no problem. They can do fasted workouts no problem. And now we have a statistic saying they lose muscle mass slower than we do. And also, did you know that just one night of poor sleep can actually spike your hunger hormones? Let's dive into the real reasons why weight loss feels so flipping hard and how to fix it now. Okay. Mistake number one is relying on your old diet strategies, relying on those same diet tricks that worked in your 20s and your 30s. They tend to backfire now. And here's a fact. Our resting metabolic rate drops about 2% per decade after the age of 20. Well, what's your resting metabolic rate? That's how many calories your body needs just for you to survive. For your eyes to blink, for your lungs to breathe, for your heart to beat. That doesn't include walking or any kind of exercise or even the energy it takes to digest food. It's literally just your body functioning. That means by the time you hit menopause, your body's burning fewer calories at rest than it used to. Crash diets. Skipping meals might have worked before. Maybe you just thought about cutting bread out and your body and your body responded. But now those tricks don't work. They actually backfire. They slow your metabolism even more and cause even more muscle loss. And you need to hear this. Muscle is your organ of longevity. The more muscle you have, the more responsive your metabolism is. Muscle is your organ of longevity. It adds life to your life. Keep it crash. Diets tend to waste away muscle, and we do not want that. In fact, a study published in the journal Obesity found that women who ate less than 1200 calories a day lost more muscle than they lost fat. Do you Know how many women I start working with and they're at 1200 calories and they think they're doing great? Mm. Mm. 1200 calories is not designed for women in menopause. We need to keep our muscle. Here's the thing. When you lose more muscle, it makes it even harder to keep the weight off long term. So what do you do instead? You focus on balanced meals with at least 25 to 30 grams of protein at each and every meal. In fact, plan it first, like, where's my protein? Then add some healthy fats and plenty of fiber. Fiber is kind of like the secret weapon that I'm starting to hear more and more people talk about. It is definitely a dowel mover. So this combo of protein, healthy fats, and fiber keeps you full, keeps you satisfied, it supports your muscles, and it keeps your metabolism humming. That's a good thing. Mistake number two, ignoring strength training. If you've found me and if you've listened to any of my other videos, you know I'm a huge advocate for strength training in midlife. So mistake number two is ignoring strength training. Did you know that women can lose up to 8% of their muscle match each decade after 40? That really makes me sad because I didn't start lifting weights until I was 41. And we know that less muscle means a slower metabolism and. And more body fat, the exact opposite of what you're trying to do. And that belly fat tends to gather around your midsection. Many women stick to cardio, thinking, well, that's the best way to burn calories, because that's what diet culture told us in the past. And in the past, maybe it worked, but in midlife, it does not. What research shows us is that strength training not only preserves your muscle, but it boosts your resting metabolic rate, which I talked about in mistake number one. Your resting metabolic rate is how many calories or how much energy does your body need just to sit here for your heart to beat, your eyes to blink, and your lungs to breathe? We want to boost that. More muscle means more active metabolism. In a 2017 study in menopause, it found that post menopausal women, women that are have already transitioned to menopause, who did resistance training three times a week, lost significantly more belly fat. They lost their belly fat than those who did only cardio. In fact, what I see is when people rely only on cardio, they're actually more hunger and they're dipping into too much cortisol bucket, if you will, and they actually gain more belly fat. I Cannot tell you how many women have trained for like 5Ks, half marathons, marathons in midlife and gained weight. From a math point of view, you're like, how in the world does that happen? I am exercising more and I'm eating less. Right, but we're not a math problem ladies. We have the math problem. Calories in, calories out. But the other huge part of our metabolism is our hormones. So what do you do instead? Start with some body weight exercises like squats, pushups, lunges, and gradually add your resistance bands or your weights. I really think the sweet spot for midlife is around 60 minutes a week. You can split that up however you want. Even 10 minute per session can make a huge difference over time. That's what I do most days. Ladies, check out the menopause minis in the notes below. It is a strength program, not random workouts off the Internet to help you be consistent and actually get results. Okay, mistake number three, not managing your stress or your sleep. I know, I know. What? I know. You're like, what does this have to do with my belly fat? But overlooking your stress and your sleep has a very surprising stat. In fact, chronic stress can increase your risk of abdominal obesity by 50%, according to the International Journal of Obesity. Why does that happen? Because stress raises your cortisol too much. You see, when you normally wake up in the morning, daylight gives us our cortisol awakening effect. That's your get up and go. So cortisol naturally rises in the morning, and it drops as the sun sets. In the evening, it plays seesaw with your hormone melatonin. So stress is our get up and go, melatonin is our sleep. So in the morning, cortisol's higher, melatonin's lower. Makes sense as the sun goes down because cortisol is one of those hormones that uses daylight. Melatonin goes up and cortisol goes down. If you're running on caffeine, cortisol, and a boatload of stress that tells your body to store fat, that there's danger, and I need to store fat. And it tends to store that fat around your belly. And so what does sleep have to do with this? Women in menopause are twice as likely to struggle with insomnia. I went through a stage of that. Just one night of poor sleep can increase your hunger hormone. It's called ghrelin, by 15%. And it also decreases your fullness hormone leptin, by 15%. You've probably experienced this firsthand. I want you to think back to a Time where you didn't sleep. And I bet the next day you were in your pantry searching for cheap and easy carbs because your body needed instant energy. And what do we do? We go to the pantry and we look for something salty and crunchy. I'm talking about myself. Maybe it's crackers or something of the sort like that. Usually my food of choice when I didn't sleep and I need carby carbs are crackers. Something in a box in a bag that is salty. Maybe you're the same way. So what in the world do you do instead? You gotta figure out your sleep hygiene. Stick to a regular bedtime. Now that it's getting dark earlier,

it's like 6: 8:32

30 and I want to crawl in bed, but I kind of like

make myself stay until 8 or 8: 8:35

30. Don't laugh, but I'm the person that eats dinner at 4 so I'm really synced up with the sun. I wake up when the sun comes up and I wanna go to bed when the sun goes down. Getting a regular bedtime. I know it sounds boring, but it actually is what your body wants. It wants the consistency. Avoid screens, you know, before bed. So stop looking at your phone, stop watching tv, stop looking at your computer. Or if you are have to do those things or you want to do those things, get some blue blocker glasses. You know as woo woo as this sounds, trying relaxation techniques like deep breathing or gentle stretches before bed really make a difference. And for stress, even 10 minutes a day of like meditation. I love using the Insight timer which is free or a walk outside can lower your cortisol and support your weight loss. Mistake number four, this has to do with your brain. It's that all or nothing thinking. A recent survey found that 70% of women that were trying to lose weight gave up after one single bad day. This perfectionist kind of mindset leads you to yo yo dieting and a ton of frustration. Here is the truth. Consistency beats perfection day in, day out, every single time. Studies show that people who stick to their healthy habits 80% of the time lose more weight and keep it off for longer than have to do. They have to do it perfect. I just throw it away. So what do you do instead? You focus on your progress, not your perfection. If you miss a workout or you have an indulgent meal, just get back on track. The very next opportunity, literally your next choice can be you're back on track. You do not need to wait until Monday. Every single healthy choice adds up. So let's recap with some small changes that really make a big difference when it comes to belly fat and menopause. Add an extra serving of veggies on your plate. Swap those sugary drinks for like water or tea. Take a brisk 10 minute walk after meals. That's really going to help your blood sugar. Plus it helps digestion and it lowers your cortisol so it's like many things. Try a 10 minute strength workout before breakfast like make no excuses. Remember, it's about building habits that fit your life today, not overhauling every single thing at once. If you've made any of these mistakes, don't worry, you're not alone. It's never too late to change which mistakes surprised you the most. Let me know in the comments. And if you found this episode helpful, please hit like and subscribe for more menopause health tips. You deserve to feel strong and confident at every single age. Thanks so much for watching. If you found these tips helpful, don't forget to hit that button and subscribe for more menopause health and fitness advice. And if you're ready to take your results even further, check out my next video on the best foods to eat during menopause. I'll show you exactly what to add to your plate to boost energy, balance those hormones and support your weight loss journey. Click right here and I'll see you there.