My fabulous nutrition and training client Kylie, 52yrs is proof!

She has beat menopausal weight gain by eating 1900 calories a day. Kylie felt disconnected from her body, like she was living in someone else's body as she entered menopause. Since her amazing 5kg weight loss in just 12 weeks, she feels like herself again, with manageable menopause symptoms. She was chasing her tail at the gym and now has incorporated more rest days into her week, stress management techniques and wind down time. Her nutrition strategy was focused on protein and carbs post-training for recovery and eating a wide variety of good whole foods, which she enjoys, like oats and Lindt dark chocolate. 

The key to success in your 40’s and 50’s with your body composition goals is to lift heavy things and eat more food. 

Kylie can do 6 pullups, deadlift 107kg and back squat 70kg, all at 55kg body weight. 

“My family are my life and the most important thing to me, so I want to be present for them forever.  When I hit menopause, I saw all of that slipping away because I felt I was in someone else’s body. It was a dark hole I wanted to get out of immediately.

The care I take in looking after my body is a reflection of me and how I love to take care of others as well. So my long-term goal is to remain taking care of myself and challenging myself / pushing boundaries to see what I can achieve. Training and eating well make me happy and content which transpires across all areas of my life. It's self-perpetuating.” -Kylie Mildren

How to manage menopause belly? 

1. PROTEIN - our body's ability to digest, absorb and utilise protein declines with age, so our daily requirements increase. It is key to maintaining and possibly building muscle as we age. Peri/menopausal/post-menopausal women require around 1.2g- 2g per kg/BW of protein daily. 70kg female would need 140g protein. 

For most women, that looks like a palm-sized amount of protein in each meal and 2 high-protein snacks. 

1. VEGGIES/FRUIT- packed with micronutrients, help you feel your best, and assist with bowel movements. With more fibre, you're less likely to snack mindlessly. If you're eating less, add some to 2 meals daily.
2. BEVERAGE INTAKE - Drink plenty of water, stay hydrated, and feel better/energised. Have a glass before bed and when you wake up. Focus on drinking more water; you may consume fewer high-calorie drinks and snack much less. Alcohol may worsen vasomotor symptoms, impact sleep quality, and decrease the ability to recover from exercise. Don’t avoid alcohol but be thoughtful and deliberate with intake. Caffeine can intensify certain symptoms like breast tenderness, anxiety and insomnia. 400mg of caffeine is safe for adults to consume; for reference, 63mg of caffeine is in 1 espresso shot. If you have sleep issues, stop drinking caffeine up to 6-8hrs before bed as caffeine can stay in your system for up to 8hrs. High-calorie drinks - Usually contain high amounts of sugar and non-nutrient calories that can impact energy levels, with big blood sugar swings and crashes. Once in a while is okay, but not all the time.
3. EATING SLOWLY - increases satiety and food satisfaction. Be mindful, stop to eat and be present. Slow down, and chew your food. Enjoying your food leads to more satisfying meals and lets you stay present on fullness cues.
4. LIFT HEAVY STUFF.  Resistance training, a minimum of 3 x a week, is sufficient to help you maintain and build muscle. Make it hard; focus on multi-joint compound movements.