Written by: Justine Jeddy, Guest Writer
It's no secret that peri-menopausal women are being bombarded with a plethora of misinformation. From supplements and diets promising to balance your hormones...
To fitness influencers telling you that the reason you can't lose your belly fat... is due to high cortisol levels and not doing the right core exercises.
I'm willing to bet that if peri-menopausal women had pronouns - they would identify as confused/overwhelmed.
So today I'm going to be demystifying the most common health & fitness lies, to give you clarity.
1. One dietary change or supplement can 'Balance your hormones'
Whilst it would be an easy fix this is not true. There is a huge lack of scientific evidence that backs this up.
Suggesting a single supplement or dietary change can balance your hormones is disregarding the complexity of hormone regulation. It also doesn't take into account individual variability. Hormone levels vary between individuals, so what may work for one person, might not work for another.
So what can you do?
Lifestyle habits such as
Improving the quality and longevity of your sleep so you aim for 9 hours
Managing your stress – choosing your thoughts, improving your self-talk and doing things that calm your central nervous system in the last hour before bedtime.
Improving your nutrition – especially increasing protein and fibre. Aiming for 30g of protein in each meal and getting 5 servings of fruit or vegetables throughout your day.
Exercise – doing resistance based training to support your muscle and bone health.
These lifestyle habits don't sound exciting, in fact they sound pretty boring. Yet they will have the biggest impact on how you feel, your mood, maintaining a healthy body composition and improving your energy levels.
Consulting with your doctor about MHT (Menopause Hormone Therapy) might be beneficial for you as well.
2. Cortisol causes belly fat and health issues in peri-menopause
Majority of menopausal symptoms women experience are due to a deficiency in oestrogen. The dreaded Menopause Belly is no different. We store the most amount of oestrogen in our ovaries.
When we enter peri-menopause our body recognises this drop in oestrogen and looks for a weaker form of it, which is found in fat cells. This is why fat congregates around the mid-section. This is not due to cortisol.
Speaking of cortisol...
We're told that cortisol is solely a 'stress' hormone and so it should be minimised and eradicated. The truth is we need healthy levels of cortisol in order for our body to function optimally.
So what can you do?
Fat loss works the same way draining a pool does. If you took a bucket and started scooping water out of one end of the pool it would reduce the overall water level of the pool. Not the one end you're taking from. This is exactly how fat loss works.
You can do core exercises all day long, it won't reduce your belly fat because you cannot spot reduce fat. The only way to lose fat is by creating the right calorie deficit for you (I'll explain this more in Myth 3).
A calorie deficit is consuming less calories (food & drink) than your body uses to stay at your current body composition.
For high stress levels it's important to understand that the best thing you can do to lower your stress levels... is to learn how to manage your stressors in your life and practise emotional regulation. Some ways you can do this are creating the habit of journalling, meditation, breath work and prioritising tasks to avoid overwhelm.
Stress management is a skill that you can develop, you can't fix it with a supplement or 'superfood'.
3. Fat burning vs actual fat loss
It's easy to get confused between fat burning and actual fat loss. Diets like Keto and Fitness trends like The Fat Burning Zone will tell you that by doing them you will burn more fat.
But burning more fat is not the same as losing fat. By cutting out carbs and only consuming fats your body will burn more fat as energy because it doesn't have carbs to draw upon. But burning fat as energy does not equate to more fat loss.
Similarly, exercising in The Fat Burning Zone suggests that if you exercise at a low or moderate intensity you'll burn more fat.
This can lead to a higher percentage of calories from fat burned, but this does not directly translate to fat loss.
So what can you do?
Your calorie deficit is the key factor in fat loss and the speed at which you lose.
Starting in a small deficit will give slower fat loss results but will be more sustainable and effective in the long run. Starting in a huge deficit will result in more fat loss initially. Yet, there is a higher risk of regaining the weight because it's unsustainable long term.
The best way to create the right calorie deficit for you is to use a Total Daily Energy Calculator online. This doesn't mean you need to track calories but it will give you an idea of what to aim for.
4. Slow metabolism makes weight loss harder in peri-menopause
It is harder to lose weight in Peri-menopause, but it isn't due to your metabolism.
Our metabolism doesn't change that much from 20-60 years of age. When we enter peri-menopause our BMR (Resting Metabolic Rate) drops to roughly 54 calories less a day. This is the average across the board regardless of body composition.
So it isn't your metabolism that is holding you back from losing weight. Another lie peri-menopausal women hear is that it's due to insulin resistance. Whilst Insulin is responsible for moving fatty acids and glucose into fat cells... Insulin can only increase fat storage in the presence of a calorie surplus.
So what can you do?
The 3 reasons why it's harder to lose weight in peri-menopause is due to
An increase in hunger & cravings – as hormone oestrogen decreases, our hunger hormone Ghrelin rises. This is why so many women notice an increase in their hunger and cravings.
Fatigue, a lack of sleep and energy due to menopausal symptoms makes it harder to create and stick to a deficit and be active
Change in Menstrual Cycle. Women experience a shortening and lengthening of their menstrual cycle which impacts their moods and energy levels in Peri-Menopause.
The lifestyle habits I shared earlier will support you with these.
5. Special diet needed for optimal health & fat loss in menopause
This one might get me in trouble.
The way you eat does not need to have a name. Every single diet out there is a calorie deficit in disguise.
For example: Keto – creates a calorie deficit by removing carbohydrates. Intermittent Fasting creates a calorie deficit by restricting your feeding window. In theory, both of these approaches mean you consume less energy.
But here's the fun part – the research and evidence shows us that no diet is superior for fat loss.
The key to optimal health and maintaining a healthy body composition are not found in the next diet. In fact a whopping 90% of people who do diets end up regaining the weight within a year.
Why is this? Because doing a diet doesn't give you an understanding of nutrition or the life skills & habits to maintain your new body composition.
I see so many peri-menopausal women who over-restrict themselves with their food and develop an unhealthy relationship with food... because what they were doing to be healthy and fit before peri-menopause is now no longer working for them.
Developing a healthy lifestyle is a skill which isn't found in a meal plan or diet that gives you bogus food rules.
Finding another diet is a temporary solution.
So what can you do?
To develop healthier habits and maintain a healthy body composition you need to have a solid understanding of nutrition. One rooted in evidence, not diet fads or fitness trends.
You also need to identify sustainable habits to put in place. That won't just enable you to reach your health and fitness goals, but will ensure you keep them long term.
Transforming your body, mind and habits is so much easier with the right accountability, guidance, tools and support. Justine has spent the last decade coaching hundreds of peri & post menopausal women to transform from the inside out. In an enjoyable and sustainable way so that they can become the healthiest and happiest version of themselves.
Imagine waking up with energy and loving what you see in the mirror, and having genuine confidence that shines from the inside out. Justine's signature online coaching program 'The Empowered Woman Transformation Academy' makes this a reality.
If you’d like to book a complimentary strategy session with Justine, you can do that here.
Justine Jeddy, Brainz Magazine Guest Writer
Justine has spent the last decade coaching peri & post menopausal women to go from survival to thriving. Justine is an evidence-based coach meaning she only uses tried, tested and proven methods that are backed by science. In the last decade she has coached hundreds of peri & post menopausal women to lose weight for the last time, build a stronger mind & body and teach them the life skills to thrive long term.
Having battled with her own weight loss, gut health and self-image she is passionate about what she calls ‘an inside out transformation’ that doesn’t just transform one part of you (physical body) but all of you (mindset and habits too!) she does this through her signature online coaching program The Empowered Woman Transformation Academy.
