Menopause Fat Loss: Proven Strategies That Work
When I first started coaching almost a decade ago, I had no idea just how many women hit menopause and suddenly felt like their body had swapped out the rules overnight.
And I’m not just talking about the scale creeping up—there’s the stubborn belly fat that laughs in the face of your old diet tricks, the energy dips that make you question if coffee is your entire personality now, and the unsettling feeling that your body is plotting against you.
If you’re going through this now, I promise you’re not imagining it. Hormonal shifts can absolutely make things feel more challenging. But “more challenging” doesn’t mean impossible—and it definitely doesn’t mean you’re doomed.
A little while back, I spoke to menopause expert Kim Schlag on my podcast, and what she shared was such a breath of fresh air compared to the doom-scrolling I’ve seen on social media. Kim dropped a truth bomb every lady in midlife deserves to hear: any diet that leads to fat loss works because it creates a calorie deficit—no matter how fancy the name, how many online gurus sell it, or how many carbs it demonises.
And that means you don’t need to swear off bread, pasta, or chocolate like they’re your toxic ex. The real key is figuring out how to stay in a slight calorie deficit that works with your daily life—one where you can still eat some birthday cake at your nephew’s party and not spiral into guilt or all-or-nothing mode.
That alone? Game-changer.
But what does it look like in practice? I’ve coached plenty of women through menopause who were eating what they thought was “pretty healthy” yet couldn’t budge the scale.
So, the first step? Track what you’re eating and drinking for a couple of weeks, without changing a thing. Yes, it feels awkward, like looking through your own spending history after a rough month—but it’s incredibly eye-opening. You might discover your “little handful” of nuts is 300 calories, or that the nightly glass of wine you swear doesn’t count, actually… does.
Pair this food tracking with a cheap step counter. Nothing fancy—no need to buy a tracker that can measure your oxygen saturation on top of telling you you’ve barely left your desk all day 😂 just something to show you how much you really move. Most people are shocked at how sedentary they’ve become… especially if life, work, or a Netflix habit (Squid Games season 2 has been enjoyable so far) that has them parked on the sofa more than they’d like to admit.
I get it: it’s tempting to skip this part and jump straight into some shiny diet plan. But tracking first is like checking your GPS before a road trip—you don’t want to end up in a random village 40 miles off course because you guessed your starting point.
Once you’ve got your real data, you can make small but powerful tweaks:
Reduce your daily calories a bit—nothing drastic.
Increase your movement, even if it’s just adding an extra 2,500 steps daily.
Start strength training consistently with good form, focusing on progression. If you don’t know where to start, click here for a free workout plan to help you.
It’s not sexy, but it’s what works—and what you can genuinely stick to.
Another absolute game-changer? Protein. Kim pointed out on the podcast that most women she sees are getting 50–60 grams of protein a day—sometimes even less. I see it too with my own 1:1 online fitness members when they first start with me. And if you’re not getting enough protein, good luck feeling full or keeping muscle.
A realistic first goal? 100 grams of protein per day. I know it sounds like a lot, but once you get there, you’ll notice you’re not constantly hungry—and your body will finally have the building blocks it needs to maintain or build lean muscle, so you don’t just lose weight but actually look stronger and feel better, too.
Because at the end of the day, it’s not about chasing perfection—it’s about building habits you can actually live with.
Here’s the truth no one wants to sell you: You don’t need a “special menopause diet.” You need the same evidence-based basics that work for everyone, but applied with more patience, self-compassion, and a serious focus on protein and movement.
I’ve helped countless women navigate these changes without banning their favourite foods or resorting to extreme crash diets. The fundamentals still work—just consistently applied, even when your hormones are flipping tables behind the scenes.
If you’re sick of second-guessing what will actually work and want a clear, realistic plan you can live with, sign up for my free 14-Day Fat Loss Kickstarter by clicking here. It’s designed to give you straightforward steps—without extremes or fads—so you can start feeling like yourself again.
Speak soon,
Leo
