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32 episodes

Menopause & Perimenopause Weight Loss

Body changes in perimenopause and menopause, what's hormonal and what isn't, and how to lose fat through it.

From Nikkiey Stott and the WarriorBabe coaching team · Updated Oct 25, 2026

You are eating what you have always eaten, training as hard as ever, maybe harder, and the scale is still creeping up. Your waistband is tighter, your sleep is worse, and when you ask your doctor about it you hear that it is just menopause. If that sounds familiar, this collection of episodes from The WarriorBabe Show is for you.

New to this? Follow the listening pathMenopause changed my body6 episodes in the order to hear them

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Host Nikkiey Stott does not pretend the hormonal changes are imaginary. In Not Losing Fat After 40? It May Not Be Your Hormones, she walks through the shifts she describes in this phase: estrogen declining and protecting muscle less, progesterone fluctuating and disrupting sleep, insulin sensitivity decreasing and fat moving to the midsection. Guests go deeper. Dr. Jolene Brighten explains why she sees a drop in progesterone, not hot flashes, as the first sign of perimenopause, and Lara Briden and Dr. Morgan Nolte explain how insulin resistance builds in this season.

The show's core point of view is that both things are true at once. Your body is changing, and a large share of what gets blamed on menopause is a plan that no longer fits it: too little food, too little protein, too much cardio and no progressive lifting. In Lifting, Under-Eating and Perimenopause: Truths After 40, Dr. Stacy Sims explains why 1,100 to 1,200 calorie days barely cover your resting metabolic rate and push your body to break down the lean mass you are trying to build. Louise Digby describes what she sees when women under-eat and over-exercise: cortisol rises, thyroid function is suppressed and the body holds on to fat around the middle. Nikkiey's advice is to run two tracks together. Get your hormones properly tested and have an informed conversation about HRT, and also rebuild your plan with more protein, real strength training and better sleep. As Dr. Brighten puts it, HRT alone is not enough without nutrition and lifestyle.

The member stories show what that looks like in practice. In How to Lose Body Fat in Menopause by Eating More, Amy drops running, starts at 1,400 calories and is now maintaining while eating more. Angela, Michelle, Lona, Debra and Erin all describe the same counterintuitive shift: fewer workouts, heavier lifting, more food and patience through the process.

If you are new here, start with Lifting, Under-Eating and Perimenopause: Truths After 40 for the big picture, then Early Perimenopause Signs Women Over 40 Should Know to understand what is happening hormonally. How Menopause Changes Your Metabolism and Fat Burning explains why losing muscle means losing fat-burning capacity, and Why Can't I Lose Weight in Perimenopause or Menopause? covers the under-eating trap. When you want proof from women in your shoes, pick any of the success stories. For belly fat specifically, How to Lose Visceral Fat After Menopause lays out Nikkiey's five levers, with strength training first.

What women ask

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  • Menopause & Perimenopause Weight Loss

    What are the first signs of perimenopause?

    According to guests on The WarriorBabe Show, the first signs usually aren't hot flashes or missed periods. Dr. Jolene Brighten says falling progesterone shows up first as worsening PMS, irritability, breast tenderness and waking at night before your period, sometimes from 35. Hatty McCafferty adds sleep disruption, skin changes, digestive shifts and fatigue.

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  • Menopause & Perimenopause Weight Loss

    How much protein do women in menopause need?

    Nikkiey's recommendation is about one gram of protein per pound of body weight, so a 150-pound woman aims for roughly 150 grams a day, and that target stays the same through menopause. Guests on The WarriorBabe Show land in a similar range, and several say most women are eating far too little.

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  • Menopause & Perimenopause Weight Loss

    Is it possible to lose weight after menopause?

    Yes. The WarriorBabe Show has featured several post-menopausal women who lost weight: Debra went from close to 180 to 149 pounds, Amy lost over 40 pounds, and Bryn lost over 25 while eating more. Nikkiey explains the approach is adjusting nutrition and exercise: enough food and protein, consistent strength training, and patience.

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  • Menopause & Perimenopause Weight Loss

    Should I eat fewer carbs during menopause?

    Moderately, yes, but not to keto levels. Nikkiey explains that WarriorBabe lowers carbs and raises fats during perimenopause and menopause because insulin resistance changes how your body handles carbs, using a split of 35% protein, 27% carbs and 38% fat. Carbs are never eliminated, and guest Louise Digby warns that going too low can slow your metabolism.

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  • Menopause & Perimenopause Weight Loss

    Why do women gain weight during menopause?

    On The WarriorBabe Show, the answer is mostly hormonal, not a willpower problem. As estrogen declines, fat storage shifts from the hips and thighs to the belly and around the organs. Muscle also becomes easier to lose. Guests add that insulin and stress are major drivers, even when your eating and training stay the same.

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  • Menopause & Perimenopause Weight Loss

    Is perimenopause the reason I can't lose weight?

    Partly, but probably not entirely. On Ep. 406, Nikkiey says perimenopause is real and makes fat loss genuinely harder. But a significant portion of what women over 40 blame on it comes from a plan that was never going to work: too little protein, no progressive lifting, inconsistency, or hormones never actually tested.

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Every Menopause & Perimenopause Weight Loss episode

Common questions

Is my weight gain in perimenopause just my hormones?

Nikkiey Stott says both things are true: hormonal shifts like declining estrogen and lower insulin sensitivity are real, but much of what women blame on perimenopause is a plan with too little protein, no progressive lifting and the same approach that worked at 30. She recommends getting hormones tested and rebuilding your plan at the same time.

Should I eat less and do more cardio to lose menopause weight?

The episodes argue the opposite. Dr. Stacy Sims explains that 1,100 to 1,200 calories barely covers your resting metabolic rate and pushes your body to break down lean mass, and members like Amy, Angela and Lona lost fat after cutting back cardio and eating more.

What kind of exercise works best in perimenopause and menopause?

Dr. Stacy Sims makes the case for heavy compound lifting two to three times a week with real rest between sets. Nikkiey puts progressive overload strength training first for visceral fat and pairs it with walking rather than long cardio sessions.

How much protein do I need during menopause?

Nikkiey says WarriorBabe keeps protein at about one gram per pound of body weight for women in this phase, using a macro split of 35% protein, 27% carbs and 38% fat that is not keto. Esther Blum recommends at least 100 grams a day with 30 to 40 grams per meal.

Why does fat move to my belly in menopause?

Nikkiey explains that estrogen helps steer fat toward the hips and thighs, so as it declines, storage shifts toward the abdomen and organs. Poor sleep, chronic stress and cortisol can make it worse, and Lara Briden describes how perimenopause pushes women toward insulin resistance.

Will hormone replacement therapy fix my weight on its own?

Dr. Jolene Brighten says HRT alone is not enough without nutrition and lifestyle. Member Debra shares that working on her hormones with a functional medicine doctor helped her feel better but did not make the weight come off.

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