MENOPAUSE ISN'T MAKING YOU GAIN WEIGHT

“Everything changed when I hit menopause.” If I had a dollar for everytime a women shared that with me, I'd be writing this from some beach in Aruba. The story is almost always the same; They’re eating the same foods, doing the same workouts, yet the scale continues to climb. Clothes no longer fit the way they used to, they feel tired and wired at the same time, and no matter what they do, they can't seem to get rid of the meno belly.

I get why so many women think menopause has broken their bodies. It can certainly feel that way when something that always seemed to work suddenly doesn't. That there's something wrong with you.

Please know that you are not broken. Menopause isn't entirely the problem, it simply highlights problems that have been bubbling under the surface from years of doing things that don't serve your body. Menopause exposes them, it didn't create them. That may sound like a small distinction, but it completely changes the conversation because if menopause broke your body, there would be very little you could do about it. If, however, menopause is revealing where your body needs support, then there is tremendous reason for hope.

One of the phrases my clients hear me repeat over and over is, “Symptoms are signals. Your body’s not broken. She’s trying to tell you something.” Weight gain, fatigue, cravings, poor sleep, brain fog, hot flashes are not your body turning against you. They are messages asking you to pay attention to what is happening beneath the surface. Symptoms are not the problem; they are often the first clue that something deeper needs to be addressed.

For years we have blamed almost everything on changing hormones, and while hormones certainly influence what happens during menopause, I think we often overlook one of the biggest players in the story: metabolic health. I sometimes joke that menopause is all “BS,” but I’m not talking about the expression most people expect. I’m talking about Blood Sugar.

Blood sugar affects far more than whether someone develops diabetes. It influences your energy, your cravings, your mood, your ability to build and maintain muscle, your inflammation, your body's willingness to store or release fat, cognitive function and longevity. When blood sugar is constantly rising and falling throughout the day, your body has to work harder to keep everything in balance. Kind of like putting your car up on blocks, starting it up and putting brick on the gas pedal and walking away. Running full out for an extended period of time is only going to make the car's engine wear out sooner. Same with your body.

Exactly why so many women feel they woke up one morning in a completely different body. In reality, the changes often begin years before menopause. Blood sugar becomes less stable. Muscle gradually declines. Sleep becomes lighter. Stress accumulates. Inflammation quietly increases. Menopause doesn't cause all of those changes, but it can magnify them until they're impossible to ignore.

It can't be eat less, exercise more. That's a lot of what got us here in the first place. In nearly forty years in the health and fitness industry, I've seen women blame themselves for things that were never in their control. They assumed they lacked willpower and discipline when, in fact, their bodies were asking for a different kind of support.

I came from the same camp. But as I began learning how food, blood sugar, inflammation, movement, sleep and stress all work together, my health changed in ways I never imagined possible. The arthritis I had for 20 years disappeared. I stopped getting sick several times each year. My slow metabolism started to speed up. By the time I reached menopause, I wasn't hit with a wall of symptoms. I've never even experienced a hot flash. I don't share that to brag, I share it because I want women to know that our bodies are remarkably capable of healing and adapting when we create the right environment for them.

That is why I spend so much time talking about the “six plates” (check out the video) as well as the quality and balance of the food we eat rather than simply the quantity. Numbers are not nutrients and all calories are not created equally. Different foods create very different hormonal and metabolic responses.

The same is true of body weight. All weight is not created equally. Losing muscle is not the same as losing body fat, and gaining muscle is not the same as gaining fat, even if the scale reflects the exact same number. .

Your body is your vehicle that drives you through life. If you want your journey in that vehicle to avoid the potholes and road construction over the next twenty or thirty years, it deserves more than quick fixes and temporary solutions. It deserves quality fuel, regular maintenance and the attention you would give anything you hoped would last a lifetime.

When I ask women what they really want, they rarely tell me they simply want to weigh less. They want to have the energy to travel. They want to play with their grandchildren without feeling exhausted. They want to hike, golf, garden, volunteer, build businesses, travel, and wake up feeling good in their own bodies. In other words, they want the freedom that good health provides.

That’s why I believe we need to stop seeing menopause as the beginning of decline. Instead, we need to see it as an invitation to pay closer attention to our health than ever before. It’s an opportunity to build muscle, stabilize blood sugar, reduce inflammation and create habits that support us for decades to come. The body has an incredible capacity to respond when we begin giving it what it truly needs.

My goal has never been to simply help women lose weight. My goal is to help as many women as possible build a body that lets them live longer, stronger, healthier, and truly enjoy the life they've worked so hard to create.

Head over to Tania's website for her video and more information on the next session of the FIT Menopause Method to help you build the health and body you deserve.