Are you a woman over 40 and not losing weight in the menopause, despite trying everything that worked for you in your 20s and 30s? You’re not alone.
Many women going through menopause find it harder to drop pounds, even when they’re putting in the same (or more!) effort as before. You may be feeling frustrated, stuck, and trapped in clothes you’d rather not be wearing.
The good news? You’re not doing anything wrong—it’s just that your body is going through hormonal changes that make weight loss more challenging.
But don’t worry.
Once you understand what’s happening and how to work with your body, you can lose weight during menopause and get back to feeling confident in your skin.
In this blog, we’ll cover the 5 most common reasons women over 40 struggle with weight loss during menopause, and how to overcome them with actionable strategies to help you lose weight and feel great.
1. Hormonal Changes Make Weight Loss Harder
One of the biggest reasons women experience weight gain—or struggle to lose it—during menopause is due to changing hormone levels. As you approach menopause, your levels of progesterone and estrogen begin to drop.
This can start up to ten years before menopause, in what’s known as perimenopause.
These hormonal shifts can cause a range of symptoms, including joint aches, slower metabolism, and weight gain, particularly around the middle. It can feel like no matter what you do, the scales won’t budge.
This is why traditional diets that worked for you in your 20s and 30s might not be effective now.
Most women try common approaches like cutting calories or ramping up cardio, but these can backfire during menopause.
The solution? A hormonally optimized nutrition and exercise plan that works with your body’s changes rather than against them.
Inside our Fit Over 40 program, we help women lose 1-2 stone every 12 weeks by using a nutrition and exercise approach specifically tailored for women in menopause. No more extreme diets—just sustainable results.
2. Elevated Stress Levels (and the Weight Gain Triangle)
As you age, your body’s stress response becomes more sensitive, especially during menopause. Stress can come from many sources—work, family, and even dieting or over-exercising. When you’re stressed, your body produces more cortisol, the stress hormone, and if cortisol levels remain high for too long, it can lead to what we call the Weight Gain Triangle:
- Leptin resistance: This increases cravings, especially for comfort foods.
- Insulin resistance: Your body stores fat more easily, especially around the belly.
- Thyroid deregulation: Your metabolism slows down.
Together, these effects can make losing weight feel nearly impossible. And if you’re trying to “push through” with low-calorie diets or intense exercise, you may be adding to the problem.
What’s the solution? Instead of stress-inducing workout plans and crash diets, we recommend low-impact strength training (LIST) and a balanced nutrition plan. LIST keeps stress on the body low, avoiding the Weight Gain Triangle, while still helping you build muscle and tone up.
3. You’re Eating Too Much (or Too Little)
Another common issue for women struggling to lose weight in menopause is not eating the right amount of calories. Many women assume that cutting calories drastically is the way to go. While this might work when you’re younger, it can actually backfire when you’re over 40.
Here’s why: very low-calorie diets are seen by the body as a form of stress. This triggers the stress response (and raises cortisol), leading to stalled weight loss or even weight gain. Plus, it leaves you feeling hungry all the time—making it impossible to stick with long-term.
On the other hand, some women find that they’re unintentionally eating more than they need, especially with portion sizes or hidden calories in snacks and drinks.
For women in menopause, there’s a calorie sweet spot that’s:
- High enough to avoid overstressing the body
- Low enough to promote steady weight loss of 1-2 pounds per week
In our Fit Over 40 program, we calculate the exact calorie needs for each client based on their unique body type, age, hormone levels, and dieting history. This way, our clients are able to lose 1-2 stone every 12 weeks without feeling deprived or stressed.
4. You’re Doing the Wrong Type of Exercise
One of the most common mistakes we see is women in their 40s and 50s spending hours doing cardio or high-intensity workouts (HIIT) and wondering why they’re not seeing results.
The truth is, while these exercises might feel effective (because you’re sweating and exhausted afterward), they aren’t the most efficient way to lose weight in menopause. Cardio and HIIT can raise cortisol levels and trigger the Weight Gain Triangle we mentioned earlier.
Instead, we recommend Low-Impact Strength Training (LIST). This type of exercise is much gentler on your body, avoids raising cortisol, and is highly effective at burning fat and building muscle.
It’s also easier on your joints, which can be more sensitive during menopause.
5. Lack of Consistency
Even if you have the right plan, consistency is key. Many women know what to do but struggle to stay on track, especially with busy lives and high stress levels.
Social events, holidays, and other distractions can throw you off course, and before you know it, you’re back to square one.
Consistency can be especially challenging if you’re trying to go it alone.
Without accountability, it’s easy to give up when things get tough. This leads to yo-yo dieting or simply falling off the wagon.
That’s why accountability is a crucial part of our Fit Over 40 program.
We track and monitor every client’s progress weekly and provide support to keep them on track, no matter what life throws their way. This ongoing support is one of the reasons our clients are able to achieve incredible results, dropping 1-2 dress sizes in 12 weeks.
Ready To Begin Your Weight Loss Journey?
If you’re not losing weight in the menopause, it’s not your fault—it’s just that the traditional methods don’t work for women over 40. But with the right approach, you can lose weight, drop a dress size (or two!), and feel confident in your body again.
Here’s how to get started:
Learn more about our Fit Over 40 Programme and how we can help you drop 1-2 dress sizes in 12 weeks: Learn more here
Download our free guide on how to lose weight and tone up during menopause: Download here
Sign up for our free training to discover the best weight loss strategies for women over 40: Sign up here