Does Menopause mean not losing weight? Over 40s guide when your weight is increasing unexpectedly?

Oct 14, 2022

3 min read

If you’re reading this, you might be wondering:

This is one of the most common (and frustrating) questions I get asked — especially by women who’ve been showing up, training hard, and not seeing results reflected on the scale.

Let’s get one thing clear upfront:

Let’s Start with the Obvious (but Often Ignored): Muscle, Water & Glycogen

If you’ve recently started or returned to resistance training — even just a few months ago — and have been consistent, your body is adapting. That’s a good thing.

Muscle stores glycogen (carbs), and for every 1g of glycogen, you also store about 3g of water.

This means even small muscle gains can add 2–5kg of scale weight.

Add to that any improvements in bone density, which also weigh more — and the number can creep up.

It’s not fat. It’s your body getting better at fueling movement, storing energy, and protecting itself.

But What About Food? Here’s Where it Gets Sneaky

Even the most health-conscious people can be caught out by a few key things:

🔹 You’re eating more than you think.

Post-workout hunger kicks in.

You reward your hard work with a little more food.

You think you burned 600 calories, but your tracker exaggerated it.

🔹 “Healthy” food still has calories.

Nuts, smoothies, bliss balls, protein bars: nutritious, but dense.

“Clean eating” can psychologically lead to larger portions.

Dried fruit is a common trap — it’s easy to eat 3 peaches without realizing it’s 3 whole peaches.

🔹 You’re more efficient now.

Fitter people burn less doing the same workout.

As your body adapts, your calorie burn goes down, not up.

Then There’s Sleep, Stress, and Hormones

These three are the silent saboteurs of body recomposition:

💤 Poor Sleep

Lowers willpower

Increases hunger hormones (ghrelin goes up, leptin goes down)

Reduces your desire to move

Makes your body resist fat lossEven with 8 hours in bed, if sleep cycles are disrupted, you’ll feel it.

⚡ Chronic Stress (Hi Cortisol)

Elevates your stress hormone

Increases cravings (especially for sugar or carbs)

Shifts the body into a “store” rather than “burn” mode

🌀 Hormonal Shifts

Perimenopause and menopause can influence:

Fat distribution (e.g. more central weight)

Muscle retention

Recovery

Insulin sensitivity

But blaming hormones exclusively removes agency. They are a factor, not the whole picture.

The Real Problem? The Plan You Used in Your 20s or 30s No Longer Works

Menopause doesn’t mean the end of progress. But it does mean:

You need to build muscle, not just burn calories.

You need to fuel smarter, not restrict harder.

You need to recover harder, not train harder.

It’s about upgrading your strategy, not downgrading your expectations.

Let’s Be Real: You Might Be Doing Everything “Right” — for a Body You No Longer Have

And that’s OK.

Bodies change. Hormones shift. Life evolves.So the way you train, fuel, and support your body needs to evolve too.

What You Can Do Next

• Prioritize strength training
• Track patterns, not just weight
• Sleep like your results depend on it (because they do)
• Eat enough protein
• Focus on body composition, not just scale weight

You’re not broken.You’re not lazy.And you’re not alone.

If this resonated and you'd like tailored coaching or resources that help you thrive with your hormones, not against them — reach out