Why is it so hard to lose weight after menopause?

Maggie Topham describes doing everything she was taught and still feeling like her body couldn't recover. Her realization was that those routines were designed for a younger body. As she explains it, when estrogen drops after 40, stress tolerance drops with it. A bad night's sleep or a stressful morning can drain you for the whole day, and recovery takes longer. Most women assume they aren't working hard enough, so they add cardio and cut food further. Maggie says that keeps you in a constant state of stress, and your body pushes back. If hormones are a concern for you, that is a conversation to have with your doctor too.

The member stories follow the same pattern. Nilda says Weight Watchers and 21 Day Fix worked before menopause, but afterward she was exercising more and eating 900 to 1,000 calories and felt hungry, tired and irritable. Kelly says restrictive dieting worked when she was younger, then menopause came and the weight wouldn't move. She was told 1,200 calories and walking only, no weights, and ended up under 800 calories, angry and hungry. She later learned she wasn't eating enough protein.

Brandy used to blame getting older and a slow metabolism. She no longer thinks that was the problem: it was how, what and when she was eating. One WarriorBabe coach's takeaway for women in their 40s and 50s is simple: eat right, and eat enough of the right foods. It's not a lack of willpower. The approach needs to match the body you have now.