Video5 min
Postmenopausal at 54: Why 900 Calories Stopped Working
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In this video
Nilda is 54, a mother of two grown sons, soon to be a grandmother, and a department director at a healthcare facility. After menopause, the programs that once worked for her, including Weight Watchers, 21 Day Fix and a Facebook challenge, stopped delivering. Even in the past, the weight came right back every time she came off the strict plan.
By the time she found WarriorBabe, she was working out more and eating only 900 to 1,000 calories a day. She describes herself as hungry, tired and irritable, with a body that wasn't functioning the way it used to. She started with a free trial, a little skeptical, and was pleasantly surprised. She lost weight and is now in a muscle-building phase, deliberately putting some weight back on to add muscle.
Nilda explains what made the difference for her: learning what macronutrients do and how her body responds to different foods, a lifting program she can tailor to the number of days she can train, live Q&As with the coaching team, and a community of women going through the same changes.
Key takeaways
- Nilda found that strict programs gave her weight loss, but the weight came right back every time she went off the initial plan.
- After menopause, eating 900 to 1,000 calories a day while working out more left her hungry, tired and irritable, and her body stopped functioning the way she was used to.
- She lost weight with macros and lifting, then moved into a muscle-building phase where she is intentionally putting some weight back on as muscle.
- Nilda values learning what macronutrients do for the body and how the body responds to certain foods, which she calls skill sets for life.
- Her training is tailored to her schedule: if she can only fit in four days a week, that is the program she uses, and if she can do more, she does.
- Live Q&As give her a place to ask questions about the program and any difficulties she runs into.
- A community of women on the same journey helps her celebrate small and big wins and stay supported.
- Nilda's advice to anyone on the fence is to give it a try, since she gave it a couple of months and was pleasantly surprised.
Questions answered
Why does weight come back after programs like Weight Watchers or 21 Day Fix?
Nilda says she saw good weight loss results on those programs, but every time she went off the strict initial plan, the weight came right back on, so she was never able to maintain it.
Does eating 900 calories a day work after menopause?
Not for Nilda. She was eating 900 to 1,000 calories a day and working out more, and says she was hungry, tired and irritable, and her body wasn't functioning the way it used to.
Why would a postmenopausal woman try to put weight back on?
After losing weight, Nilda moved into a muscle-building phase where she is trying to put some weight back on as muscle. She says she is looking forward to seeing her body change as she adds muscle versus fat.
Can I follow a lifting program if I can only train four days a week?
Yes, according to Nilda. She says the training can be tailored, so if you can only fit in four days a week, that is the program you use, and if you can do more, you do that.
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Full transcript
Nilda: Hi there. My name is Nilda. I am 54 years old and I am a mother to two young men and soon to be a grandmother, which really excites me. I currently work at a healthcare facility where I'm employed as a department director for therapeutic rec and supportive social services.
I am new to macros and the WarriorBabe program. I've been struggling with weight loss now that I'm postmenopausal. Programs that I had tried in the past: Weight Watchers, 21 Day Fix, 15 Day Facebook Challenge. While in the past I saw good results in terms of weight loss, I wasn't able to maintain. Every time I went off the strict initial plan, the weight would come right back on.
And now that I'm postmenopausal, I have found that those programs just weren't working for me. In fact, I was working out more. I was eating less. I was eating anywhere from 900 to 1,000 calories a day. So I was hangry. I was hungry, tired and irritable. And my body was just not functioning the way I've known it to function in the past.
I came across the WarriorBabe program on Facebook. I saw a 10-day free trial and decided that I would give it a try. Initially, I was a little skeptical. I thought I would give it a couple months' try and see what it would do for me. And I was pleasantly surprised. Not only have I been able to take off weight, I am currently on a muscle-building phase, where I'm trying to actually put some of the weight back on and build muscle. And that excites me. I'm looking forward to seeing the changes that my body will make as I add muscle versus fat.
This program provides skill sets for life. It provides you with information and knowledge on macronutrients, what they do for your body, how your body responds to certain foods. It also looks at the exercise aspect and lifting, and what lifting program works best for your body type. And you can choose. You can tailor it. So if you can only fit in four days a week training for your fitness goals, then that's okay. That's the program that you use. If you can do more, then you do that. So it's something that you can tailor and make fit your lifestyle. And I love that about the program.
You also get access to the creator of the program and her staff. You have live Q&As where you're able to ask questions about the program itself, maybe some difficulties that you're having. You also have the Facebook group, women who are on this journey with you that are experiencing some of those changes. You're able to ask the group questions, and the group's there to applaud your successes, whether they're small or whether they're huge. We're there for each other. And we become a really neat family, so to speak, of women that are on the same journey.
What I really like about this program, what I've learned so far, is that it constantly adapts. Nikkiey works really hard to continue to modify the program to make it even better. She knows the program. She created the program. She's lived the program and continues to live the program.
So if you're thinking of joining, I would say to you, why not? This program offers you a skill set. It offers you support. And it provides for you what other programs don't, and that's that it changes with you. So if you're sitting on the fence, I'm going to tell you right now: get off the fence, sign up, try this program. It will change your life. So with that, get on the internet, sign up. You won't regret it. I know I haven't. Bye.
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