Regained 50 Pounds 5 Times? What Finally Worked in Menopause

Maggie: Hey, my name is Maggie, and I didn't just lose 50 pounds once. I lost it five different times, and every single time it came back. After years and years of constantly trying to keep up with my body, everything just kept getting worse. Not because I stopped trying, but because I was following the wrong system, the one most women are told to follow.

So if you've ever felt like your body is broken, like no matter how hard you try, it just doesn't work anymore, this video is exactly what you need. By the end of this video, you will know exactly how I finally lost that 50 pounds for good, and how you can do the same, even if nothing has worked for you before.

To understand why I feel better than ever today, you first need to understand where I started. I started teaching fitness classes when I was just 16 years old. Working out wasn't just something I did, it was my entire identity. I always had to move, always wanted to be burning, always wanted to be pushing harder. And through my 20s and 30s, this pretty much worked. I could eat bags of Sour Patch Kids every day and get away with it. If I wanted to drop a couple of pounds, I'd hold back a little, exercise even more, and it usually worked out okay.

But the second I stopped eating perfectly, it would usually come back. In my mid-40s, I started doing triathlons, right as perimenopause was beginning. I didn't even know it at the time, but here's the thing no one really talks about. From the outside, I looked perfectly healthy, but on the inside, my body was falling apart.

What happened next was the breaking point. When I actually hit menopause, everything went sideways. The weight gain just accelerated, even though I was working out more than ever. My depression deepened intensely. And let me tell you, my life from the inside wasn't as pretty. My hair was falling out. My gut was a mess. I wasn't sleeping. I'd stay up and watch Seinfeld episodes. I literally didn't want to wake up in the morning. My relationships were suffering. My marriage, I didn't think it was going to make it. Work wasn't going well. Things honestly were looking pretty dark from the inside.

And here's what I need you to hear. I was doing more than I had ever done in my entire life, and I was the sickest I had ever been. I'd wake up in the morning and get ready for work while planning my workouts in my head. I was doing triathlons, so I was biking, running and swimming. I would plan two to three hours of cardio a day. I was pouring in more effort than I ever had, just searching to feel better, to gain some confidence. And mentally, socially, physically and emotionally, I was doing all the wrong things.

There was one moment that changed everything, and it happened outside of a hospital waiting room. My first grandbaby was on her way, and I was sitting outside of that hospital room because it was COVID and I wasn't allowed inside. I was waiting to feel the happiness of this baby's arrival, yet I felt pretty flat. And I was so confused by this. I knew the way I should be feeling. I knew myself. This should be the happiest day of my life. My daughter was healthy. The baby was healthy. I couldn't cry. I couldn't feel the joy. I didn't feel the way I was supposed to feel, and it scared me more than anything. At that moment, I realized if I kept going like this, I was on my way to losing myself. And that's when I made the decision that started to change my life.

I was going to stop all of this. Why was I trying so hard to be skinny? I really just wanted to be healthy. And that single shift in my goal changed everything that came after.

So what did I actually do differently? I'll break it down for you: the exact three changes I made, and why they finally worked after decades of failure.

Change number one: I quit cardio completely. This is the one thing that scared me to death. Cardio had been everything for over 30 years. It's who I was. It was the only way I knew to control my weight. So letting go of it was scary and felt almost impossible. But once I began learning how to truly improve my health, I realized it was the first thing that needed to go. I knew that what I was doing wasn't working. I was working out instead of spending time with the people I love. So when I started learning this, I decided to quit cardio cold turkey. Not because I was doing less, but because I was finally doing what my body needed. And it felt so much better.

Now, I didn't just stop there, because I needed to replace the cardio with something, and I knew it needed to be something that gave my body what it needed. Which led to the next shift that changed how I actually started to feel.

Change number two: I built muscle for my metabolic health. Like so many women, I'd lifted weights before, but I'd never made it an actual priority. My old routine was always the same: run for hours, then maybe lift a few little weights if I had time. And honestly, part of that came from the fear so many of us are taught, that lifting heavy will make us look big or bulky. So we avoid it. We just stick to cardio. It's what we know. And we end up getting stuck.

The problem is when you're in a calorie deficit and doing tons of cardio, your body burns muscle for fuel. And muscle is the very thing that keeps your metabolism running. Without it, you're just chasing your tail. So at 47 years old, I made strength training the foundation of everything. And here's what happened. My training time dropped to 20 to 25% of what it used to be. Within about three months, I started tapering off my antidepressants. People started telling me I looked ripped. I'd never heard that in my life. I wasn't spending more time in the gym. I was actually spending a lot less.

And I took that same approach with food. I stopped depriving myself and started fueling my body right away.

Change number three: I stopped starving. This one might surprise you. My old goal used to be about 800 calories a day. Burn 800 calories, net zero. And in my mind, that was winning. I tracked everything obsessively. But here's what nobody told me. If you don't have muscle, your body can't handle food. It stores it as fat. But when you build muscle, your body becomes a furnace.

Since learning that, I've completely changed the way I eat to make sure my body is actually getting what it needs to build muscle. Today, I simply prioritize protein. I easily eat double what I used to eat. So instead of going to bed feeling guilty because of what I ate, I go to bed wondering if I ate enough to fuel the muscle I worked so hard for. I aim to eat about 150 grams of protein a day. I eat mostly whole foods, and I don't obsess over every calorie. I easily eat over 2,000 calories a day. Most of the time, it's about 2,500 calories. And I love it. I'm leaner now than I've ever been in my entire life.

Now, if you're watching this and you're not sure where your body is right now, especially if you're over 40, the first step is figuring out what your body actually needs to be properly fueled. We put together a quick quiz to figure out what phase you're in and what to focus on next. It takes about two minutes and it's completely free. It's linked below in the description.

Now let's talk about why I didn't gain the 50 pounds back this time, and how I've been able to keep it off for good. You're probably asking yourself, why did it finally work after failing five times before? I stopped chasing skinny. I stopped using my body like a punishment machine. And I started asking different questions. What does my body actually need to be healthy? Once I gave my body what it needed, like real food, strength training and rest, everything started to stabilize. My mind was clear. My body was strong. And for the first time in a long time, I actually felt present. I can confidently say that I'm healthier now at my age than I was in my 30s running marathons.

After my transformation, something unexpected happened. Women started reaching out, wanting to know exactly what I did to finally lose the stubborn fat and keep it off for good. And I realized most of them were going through the exact same thing I was going through. The same frustration, the same confusion, the same broken approaches that don't work for women over 40.

So I went back to school. I became a nationally certified integrative health coach with a focus on the entire body, not just weight loss. I didn't become a coach to build a brand. I became one so other women wouldn't have to hit the same breaking point that I did. Today, I apply the same strategies and everything I learned through my education to help thousands of women overcome the exact same challenges I went through myself.

So if you're ready to take that first step, but you're not sure where to begin, there's a quick two-minute quiz linked in the description. It will help you figure out exactly what your body needs and what to focus on next. It's already helped a ton of women finally get the help they need.

For example, we recently had a meetup in Miami, Florida, where we were able to come face to face with a large handful of babes who shared what they've been through at this stage of their life. Almost every single one of them talked about the freedom and happiness they feel. Their relationship with food has changed. Their relationship with their body has changed. They feel more confident in social situations, in their relationships, in their jobs. This is life-changing information. So many of these women are going through the same story, the same pain, and the resolution is right here, right in front of you.

Don't forget to take the quick quiz below to find out exactly what your next step should be. Thank you so much for watching.