1 hr 0 minHow Menopause Changes Your Metabolism and Fat Burning
With Michal and Merav
Guest on the show
Michal and Merav
Twin sisters with PhDs in physiology and co-founders of Lumen, a handheld breath device and app that measures whether your body is burning fat or carbs.
Episodes with Michal and Merav
1 hr 0 minWhat Michal talks about
Ep. 187: How Menopause Changes Your Metabolism and Fat Burning
Eating and training the same way but still gaining weight in menopause? Nikkiey Stott sits down with Michal and Merav, the twin-sister co-founders of Lumen, who both hold PhDs in physiology, to unpack what is happening inside your metabolism. They explain metabolic flexibility, your body's ability to burn fat when fasting and switch to carbs when it needs fast energy. They also explain why they see women in menopause losing that flexibility as muscle, and the mitochondria packed inside it, declines.
The conversation gets practical. The guests make the case for resistance training to build more muscle and more mitochondria, having carbs in your system before hard workouts, and feeding your muscles after them. They also cover why cutting carbs or fats completely backfires, why jumping into long fasts can raise cortisol and break down muscle, and how sleep, complex carbs and moving more through the day support insulin sensitivity. Michal shares how her own carb needs changed after 40.
Nikkiey ties it back to what she tells WarriorBabe women every day: there is no one-size-fits-all plan, restriction does not last, and lifting with real intensity is how you get toned and add healthy years. The episode closes with how the Lumen breath device measures whether you are burning fat or carbs.
- Lift weights with real intensity, because the guests explain that more muscle means more mitochondria, which means more ability to burn fat.
- Make sure you have enough carbs in your system before an intense workout, since Michal says women are more sensitive to muscle breakdown and training hard without carbs can break muscle down for fuel.
- After a workout, feed your muscles with protein, carbs and fat, and avoid being in a caloric deficit when your goal is building muscle.
- Don't cut out carbs or fats completely; the guests describe keeping your glycogen stores fluctuating, not too full and not too empty.
- Be careful with intermittent fasting, because Merav explains that suddenly fasting 16 to 18 hours can raise cortisol and push your body to break down muscle.
In Michal's words
Questions Michal helps answer
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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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Diets, Fasting & Diet Culture
Is keto sustainable long term?
No, not for most women. Nikkiey explains that keto can work if you follow it strictly, but it isn't designed to be sustainable. Almost nobody gives up carbs for the rest of their life, going in and out of ketosis stalls progress, and cutting carbs can make building muscle much harder.
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Diets, Fasting & Diet Culture
Can you build muscle while intermittent fasting?
Yes, but it's harder, and Nikkiey doesn't think it's the best route. She explains that intermittent fasting can work for muscle if you hit your calories, prioritize protein, keep your fast to roughly the overnight hours, and train inside your eating window. Long fasts without enough protein work against muscle growth.
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Common questions
Why do women gain weight in menopause even when eating and training the same?
Michal explains that during menopause women become more sensitive to muscle breakdown, and since muscles are packed with mitochondria, losing muscle means losing mitochondria. With fewer mitochondria, the body is less able to burn fat while fasting, which leads to fat accumulation, especially in the belly.
What is metabolic flexibility?
The guests describe it as the body's ability to rely on fat for energy during fasting and steady, low-intensity activity, then easily shift to carbs after a meal or during high-intensity effort. They link it to healthy mitochondria and to lower risk of chronic disease.
Is keto or low carb a good idea for women over 40?
Michal says low carb used to work for her, but since turning 40 she needs more carbs and benefits from a carb-rich dinner, because insulin sensitivity drops with age and premenopause. Both guests and Nikkiey agree that cutting out a macronutrient isn't a balanced or sustainable approach.
How can I get more mitochondria?
According to the guests, more muscle means more mitochondria, so the answer is resistance training with enough intensity. They also recommend having carbs in your system before hard workouts and feeding your muscles protein, carbs and fat afterward rather than staying in a caloric deficit.
Can intermittent fasting cause muscle loss?
Merav says intermittent fasting can be a great strategy but must be managed carefully. Suddenly fasting 16 to 18 hours can raise cortisol, put the body into stress mode and lead it to break down muscle for energy.
How does the Lumen device measure metabolism?
You inhale a set amount of air, hold it for 10 seconds and exhale into the device, which measures the carbon dioxide in your breath. Because burning carbs releases more CO2 than burning fat, this indicates which fuel your body is using.