47 minWhy Can't I Lose Weight in Perimenopause or Menopause?
With Louise Digby
Guest on the show
Louise Digby
Louise Digby is a registered nutritional therapist whose team helps women aged roughly 35 to 55 lose stubborn weight through testing and personalized nutrition and lifestyle strategies, and she hosts The Thriving Metabolism podcast.
Episodes with Louise Digby
47 minWhat Louise talks about
Ep. 138: Why Can't I Lose Weight in Perimenopause or Menopause?
If you are in perimenopause or menopause, eating well, staying active and still not seeing results, this conversation is for you. Nikkiey Stott sits down with registered nutritional therapist Louise Digby, who works with women roughly 35 to 55 struggling with stubborn weight, fatigue and cravings. Louise explains why she starts with testing, and why the first problem she usually sees is that women simply aren't eating enough. Many struggle to get even 10 grams of protein into breakfast or lunch.
Louise breaks down what happens inside your body when you under-eat and over-exercise. Cortisol rises, sex hormones get down-regulated, thyroid function is suppressed, and your body holds on to fat, particularly around the middle. She explains why women in this life stage need some carbs to fuel the thyroid and hypothalamus, and how inflammation, water retention and toxic load can stall progress or cause a quick plateau.
The second half is practical. Louise covers how to add antioxidants through colorful produce, how to sneak vegetables into blended sauces, what your stools and urine tell you about digestion and hydration, how often you should be having a bowel movement, and simple ways to bring cortisol down, from one minute of deep belly breathing to humming and cold showers.
- Start your day with protein, because Louise finds many women struggle to get even 10 grams into breakfast or lunch, and a protein breakfast means more energy and fewer cravings.
- Under-eating while doing intense exercise raises cortisol, suppresses thyroid function and down-regulates sex hormones, which can stop fat loss and drive fat storage around the middle.
- Women in perimenopause and menopause need some carbs to fuel the thyroid and hypothalamus, and the right amount is individual and shifts with your cycle and your training.
- Eat deeply colored fruits and vegetables, beans, herbs and spices, and even dark chocolate and coffee to boost your antioxidant intake.
- If you don't like vegetables, roast onions, garlic, carrots, celery and squash in olive oil, blend them, and turn the result into a curry, bolognese or chili sauce or a soup.
In Louise's words
Questions Louise helps answer
Ask Nikkiey →
Fat Loss After 40
Why can't I lose weight after 40 even though I eat less and exercise more?
Nikkiey's answer: your body after 40 doesn't respond to restriction the way it did at 25. Eating less and doing more signals stress, so your body lowers your metabolic rate, raises cortisol, breaks down muscle and holds on to fat. The fix she teaches is more food, more protein, strength training and recovery, not further cuts.
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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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Common questions
Why am I not losing weight when I eat very little and exercise a lot?
Louise explains that under-eating triggers a stress response that raises cortisol, and intense exercise drives those stress hormones up further. That combination tells the body to hold on to energy, stores it as fat particularly around the middle, down-regulates sex hormones and suppresses thyroid function, which slows your metabolism.
Do women in perimenopause and menopause need carbs?
In Louise's view, yes. She finds women between about 35 and 55 need some carbs to fuel the thyroid and hypothalamus, otherwise metabolism can slow, but the amount is individual and varies with your menstrual cycle and the amount and type of exercise you do.
How much water should I drink a day?
Louise says there is no research-backed set amount, though people carrying more body fat need more water. A good rule of thumb is light yellow urine, not dark and not always completely clear, and if you eat a relatively clean diet your thirst will guide you.
Can toxic load cause a weight loss plateau?
Louise explains that the body stores toxins in fat when it isn't eliminating them, and can upregulate fat storage to cope. If someone loses weight and then plateaus quickly, it could be because releasing fat also releases stored toxins and raises the toxic load.
What are the signs you might be low in key nutrients?
Louise says the symptoms are often non-specific: lower energy, aches and pains, lots of premenstrual symptoms, and the top sign, trying to lose weight without results despite eating well and staying active.
How often should you have a bowel movement?
According to Louise, the general consensus is one to two fully formed bowel movements per day, especially if you eat two to three times a day. If you eat one meal a day you may have fewer, but you should still be eliminating every day.