Does menopause weight gain go away on its own?

Nikkiey calls menopause a phase of life, not something to dread. She explains that the natural decline in estrogen increases visceral fat mass, which is why so many post-menopausal women feel the weight has flooded to their belly in just a couple of years. She adds that muscle mass, strength and bone density also start to decline. One WarriorBabe coach puts it this way: before menopause your body stored fat more evenly, and afterward declining estrogen redirects it to the midsection. You didn't do anything wrong. The episodes never describe this reversing by itself. They focus on what you do next.

Nikkiey's answer is four words: strength training and proper nutrition. For women with years of lifting behind them, she recommends longer rest periods, lower reps and a challenging weight to hold on to muscle and bone. One coach suggests short, joint-friendly sessions of 20 to 30 minutes, three to four times a week, and warns that eating too little and doing endless cardio raise cortisol, which in her view tells your body to hold on to belly fat.

The nuance is that your plan has to change as your body does. Valerie's results stalled for a couple of months after her doctor confirmed she was in menopause. She changed how she trained, listened to her body and made room for rest and recovery, and her results picked back up. Nikkiey's take: fighting menopause with 1,200 calories and harder workouts just makes the whole thing harder. In a live Q&A she also notes that when you start eating more, you may not see outside changes right away while your metabolism recovers.

So is it possible to lose it? Nikkiey says 100%, and she sees women in and after menopause getting great results. It's the plan, not you. For symptoms or hormone questions, work with your doctor.