4 Reasons You’re Not Losing Fat After 40 (It’s Not Your Hormones)

00:00Perimenopause is not an excuse. It is also not nothing. But both things are true. And so the women who gets the best results in this chapter of their lives are the ones who address them both simultaneously. They get their hormones tested. They have the conversation about HRT. And then those women that get results rebuild their plan. They eat more protein. They do their lifting. They get better sleep. They have a strategy that is designed for their body that they have now, not the one that they had 15 years ago. Hey, hey, hey, what's going on, everybody? Welcome back to The WarriorBabe Show with your host, Nikkie Stott. And in today's episode, guys, I'm going to do a hot take. And what I mean by that is I'm going to say something today that some of you guys may push back on. And that's totally okay. Because I think that this conversation needs to happen. I would rather have it honestly than not have it at all.

00:50So here's my hot take. Perimenopause is real. I'm experiencing that right now. Hormonal changes are real. You know, people say that they start experiencing in their early 40s. Guys, I'm 36. And I'm already starting to feel it. They affect, you know, your body composition, your results, your energy, your metabolism, your sleep. Like all of it is real. All of it is true. All of it is documented. And it is totally not in your head. And some of what women are blaming on perimenopause is actually their plan, like their workout, their nutrition plan. And so these two things are both true at the same time. And the inability to tell them apart is what is keeping a lot of women stuck in a story that feels so true, but it's not complete. So that's what I want to really get at with you guys today. And like figure out which one are you actually dealing with?

01:43Okay, so before I get into like the full blown hot take, I want to give perimenopause its full credit because I'm not here to minimize it at all. Like what is happening hormonally, I have gone through it, I'm going to actually probably do like a life update podcast because in the last year and a half, really like when I started taking I'm not on like HRT, but I'm on testosterone support. I take progesterone because my periods started to get crazy wicked in that luteal phase from pain, breast tenderness, moody, all the things. So progesterone really helped me out on that. But also all that to say side rant, I probably do like update because in the last year and a half, I have been experiencing perimenopause.

02:29And regardless of all the things I was doing right, like leading me up to this point, I was so struggling. And so I'm saying like, it is real, it is real, not here to minimize what is happening hormonally, I'm here to make sure that we're actually accurate about it. Because if just to like elaborate a little bit more perimenopause is a transition phase, that can be between like, as early as your mid 30s, and typically spans like four to 10, maybe even like 15 years before menopause actually hits. And it produced it like, like, and it is so true. It's like you wake up and you're like, what happened? Like I woke up and I'm like, what happened?

03:09It produces like, it produces like, these real like measurable, like physiological changes that directly affect your your body composition, your metabolism, your results, like so many things, because what's happening is estrogen is declining, and that reduces your body's ability to protect muscle, even when you're eating less, like estrogen is declining behind the scenes. Why you guys are so worried about eating less, you're not, you know, this is the hormonal side that I want that I want to talk about and make known to people, is that this is also happening simultaneously as you're not eating less. So if you're not eating less, if you're eating less, and you're also having your estrogen tank, then it's like, this is why that same restriction that produced like fat loss at 30 now burns muscle alongside it. And why like you could be gaining weight, even though you're doing the work, because you're not giving your body enough what it needs. And so you're losing muscle in the process. Does that make sense? Like your estrogen is no longer there to defend your muscle mass.

04:06Progesterone fluctuates. And that that will disrupt your sleep. That's why I think I also had to get on support. Because if y'all know, if you listen to early days in The WarriorBabe Show, don't mess with my sleep. I'm for real about that. And once my sleep got started getting messed with and nothing that I was doing changed, that I was like, it's these are all hormonal signs. And it starts like that when you know, not getting enough sleep, that can be like the hormonal

04:36cascade. That starts with like one change that ripples in throughout your entire body composition environment, like you're not getting enough sleep. Testosterone declines. I mean, geez, mine hit a wall. Like I was at a wall. When I got my lab work done. And when that declines at the small amount that women have that supports muscle building, and fat burning becomes less available. So let the muscle building signal from training gets less efficient recovery takes way longer. And that's what I was experiencing. I was in my recovery, like I would take me like four days to recover from length. I'm like, this is not normal. Another thing is insulin sensitivity decreases. So like even though the same carbohydrate that your body used to eat, it used to consume really well at like 30, or even younger than that now produces a more significant insulin response, which makes more fat storage around the midsection more likely. And then the one that most women describe as experiencing is that is that there have the fat redistribution.

05:35So fat that used to go to like, your hips and your thighs, like the places that would just, you know, underneath of estrogen's direction, like the places you wanted it to go now, because estrogen is declining is going to the abdomen around your organs, like, there's it's you have the same body. But since there's less estrogen, the fat is being redistributed to like a different part and think about like a different address for your fat on your body. And all of this is real.

06:05All of this is documented. All of it makes body composition work genuinely harder. Like it is like women saying things just change. And it just doesn't feel like my body yet. It's real. This is what's happening. And so I'm not disrupting any of that. What I am what are one in dispute is that these hormonal changes actually explain everything. And honing in on that, like, they can explain everything to a degree, let me say that, because they don't fully show you like, overall, so let me just get in the hot take. Let me get in the hot take. Here's where I want you, I need you guys to stay with me, because this part is that it's going to maybe sting for a little bit, you guys.

06:45And I'm saying it because I care about your results. And because I love you guys not to be harsh, a significant portion of what women over 40 are attributing to perimenopause is actually the result of a plan that was never going to work, regardless of your hormones. So let me be specific on what I mean by that. One is under eating protein. I know that this is a, like, just a common thing that women, it's, it's under eating, but it's also just not knowing how much protein we're actually eating. And perimenopause will increase your protein requirement because anabolic resistance means that your body needs more protein to get the same muscle preserving response.

07:22So if you're only eating 40, 50, 60 grams of protein a day, and your muscles are disappearing, your metabolism is slowing, that is a protein problem that's compounded by you being in perimenopause, not a perimenopausal problem alone. So it's not all the hormones aren't only the problem, it is also the plan that you are following. And let me also just say this point blank, because this is a hot take. Like, like, I've talked to friends, and my friends are like, well, yeah, I'm in a mini cut. But then they like slide in, well, I haven't been like consistent. I'm like, well, then it's not a cut.

07:54Like, you guys got to be honest with yourselves. If you are in a cut, and you are, quote unquote, like paying attention to you tracking your macros and like paying attention to what you're eating, which is the only way that you are going to be able to produce results, you cannot consistently get a result that you want when you are inconsistently following a plan. It just doesn't make sense. It doesn't compute. Even when I say it out loud about like that, think about that, you guys, if you are like, yeah, well, I'm trying to die, I'm trying to follow this plan. What does trying mean? Because trying means you're not actually doing it. So the hot take is, you may be going through this and experiencing perimenopause and all these hormonal shifts happening.

08:29And you may have a plan that has actually aligned for you. Or maybe it's not. But regardless if it is or it's not, if you're not being consistent with it, it's not going to produce a consistent outcome for you. So out of the hot take, whatever plan you are following, you got to apply consistency to it. And there's multiple episodes that I've done in this podcast series in the life of The WarriorBabe Show to the word show. I've talked about the difference between consistency and perfection. You do not have to be OCD, perfect all the time, all or nothing. That is not what I'm asking of you when you're on a plan.

09:06What consistency looks like is your consistent majority of the time. You are consistent 80% to 85% of the week. That is where we can at least take real data, real numbers and look at it and adjust the plan accordingly to what may be working or what may not be working. So that's just my little rant there. But also a little bit to be more specific on what I mean by like you're following a plan that may never work for you is you're under eating protein. You're not lifting.

09:36Like I know women are out there, you guys are moving your body or you're getting out to doing these strength classes, you're doing like boot classes, you're doing XYZ, you sign up for higher ox, like you're doing these things. But like lifting is like not the main priority for you. Guys, estrogen was protecting your muscle back in the day. When estrogen leaves, the protection leaves. The replacement for that protection is a mechanical signal from strength training. Lifting heavy enough to tell your body the muscle is actually needed. If you are doing cardio and Pilates and boot camps and walking and running and with no real progressive resistance training,

10:11the muscle loss that you are experiencing is not just you being in, well, it's just my perimenopause or it's just my hormones. It's the absence of the one thing that fights back against it, which is lifting. So it's like lifting can't take a back seat here on this journey that you're on. You have to make it a priority. And then all the other things that you want to do, if you want to do Pilates and you want to do boot camps and you want to do high rocks, like do that. I'm not saying to take out things that you love or things you want to try, but you have to build them around the lifting because lifting is what's going to protect your muscle.

10:45Hey, while you're listening, if you're getting value from this episode, take a moment to tap that review button or share this podcast with a friend. It's a small gesture that goes a long way in helping more women find their way to feeling stronger and more confident in their skin. I appreciate you so much for taking the time to support this show. And then I've talked about sleep. So like, obviously those are the obvious things. Like you've got to feed your body enough. You've got to get out of this world. Like I know I talked about it. I talked about it. The world that we need to get in is a narrative changing from if I eat too much, I'm going to get fat.

11:20That is not true. First of all, I've talked about this before. I'm a coach at the end of the day. Yes, I own a company and build a company and I'm in the background of the company, but I'm also the face of the company and have the methodology and have the coaching experience and coached women for over a decade. So when it comes to, you know, you focusing on, well, like I want you guys to succeed. I'm a coach at the end of the day. So if I have you guys eat more food, my goal is to not make you fat.

11:53My goal is to get you the body that you want. So you've got to put a little trust in changing the narrative that, well, if I actually eat more food and I do it in the right way and I'm consistent with it over time, you will get X results. It will happen. You just got to allow yourself to actually just like rewrite the narrative. It's like, have you actually tried to eat more food? Have you done that in a consistent timeframe? Have you allowed your body to eat more protein for four weeks straight? Right? Like, and like allowing the narrative to change, which will come from you getting the results

12:24that you want to see by taking said action. Now the core of the hot take too is like, there's no adjustment to the approach. If your body has changed hormonally and you have not changed your approach, like if you were doing what you did at 35 and expecting it to work the same as 48 or 52, then the results you are getting are not purely a hormone story. They are a strategy story. So yes, like perimenopause will change the rules. Most women are still playing the old, playing by the old rules and the old narratives and the old talk track and the old diet culture and, and, and, and.

12:58So it's like the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and over and expecting different results. If you're still doing the same thing that you were doing at 30 or 28, expecting to get the same results, that's going to drive you insane. Something needs to change. The strategy needs to change. And this is a strategy. This is a strategy or 400 episodes of the podcast. I always stayed true and consistent in my message to you guys, which is eating more, not less training, less, not over training and getting strength training in the play.

13:30Okay. So the practical framework, like question number one, like the questions that will help you figure out whether you're experiencing is primarily hormonal or primary the plan that you're following, or it could be both. So one question would be like, are you eating enough protein? If you do not know your daily protein intake, then get the app out track honestly for a week. If you are consistently hitting like one gram per pound of body weight, then you can roll out protein as a primary driver. If you are eating 40 to 60 grams a day, that gap is doing significant damage.

14:03That has nothing to do with your hormones. Question two would be, are you lifting progressively, not moving, not taking classes, not the bootcamps, not using resistance bands? Like, are you doing progressive strength training with external load? Are you doing compound movements? Are you doing weights that are genuinely challenging? Are you increasing them over time? If the answer is no, the muscle loss and the metabolic slowdown that you are experiencing cannot be fully attributed to perimenopause. The training signal is missing. So like this narrative, like, well, it's just my hormones and it's just me getting older.

14:34Like, is it? Is it? That's where I want to challenge you guys in because I want you guys to get to the truth. Question three would be, have you had your hormones actually tested? Because here's the thing that surprises a lot of women. Listen, many who believe that they are in perimenopause have not had a comprehensive hormonal panel done. They're experiencing symptoms and they're attributing them to hormone changes without actually the data. So have you had your estradiol checked? Have you had progesterone checked? Testosterone, thyroid, fasting, insulin tested recently.

15:05You do not actually know what your hormones are doing unless you have that data. So get that data before you build the story in your mind that it's, oh, hormones, my hormones are changing. How do you actually know that? And then another question would be like, what approach are you actually doing? That's the most, this is the most honest question. If you're doing the same thing that you did at 35 or 30 or 25, like the same calorie target because it worked before, the same training because it worked before, the same approach and not seeing the same results, the answer is not just that your hormones change. It is that the approach has not called up to the body that it was supposed to serve.

15:38So if you answer those questions honestly and your plan is fully optimized, if you had adequate protein, progressive strength training, like your sleep addressed, your hormones actually checked, you know, and you're still struggling, then yes, the hormones are likely the primary factor in the medical intervention and deserve serious consideration, right? But most women who go through these questions, honestly, they find at least two or three areas where the plan has room to improve. And I will guarantee you it's room to improve in eating protein and making sure, and I don't

16:11want to hear, well, Nikki, I eat protein. What does that even, what does that mean? Or do you know how much protein you're eating in a day? You got to get to the data, you guys. You got to, well, you got to track, you got to bring that awareness into the picture. Because then I'll be like, well, yeah, I eat protein. Okay, what does that mean? What does that look like for you? They'll run through me a day. And I'm like, God, that's 80 grams of protein, maybe. So like, do you actually know that number? You know what I mean? Like, I'm challenging you guys in this respect. How I want this to land, because I don't want this episode to feel like I'm just like dismissing what you are experiencing or how hard you're trying to do things.

16:44Perimenopause is not an excuse. It is also not nothing. But both things are true. And so the women who gets the best results in this chapter of their lives are the ones who address them both simultaneously. They get their hormones tested. They have the conversation about HRT. And not from like a, like from an informed physician. Not like me. I would recommend a functional doctor. Not someone from the 1990s version of that conversation. Like HRT, the conversation, like doctors are now coming to the surface of being like, yeah,

17:14like actually the HRT doesn't cause breast cancer. And actually, it's actually good. And actually, it serves a purpose, right? Conversations are changing as they always do. And women I've talked in their 70s are like, I wish I got on HRT. 20 years ago. Like I would talk to somebody that has a current research backed conversation. And then they take these hormonal pieces very seriously. As real as like the composition changes. That that factor. Like that deserves like, these deserves real attention. And then those women that get results rebuild their plan.

17:47They need more protein. They do the lifting. They get better sleep. They have a strategy that is designed for their body that they have now. Not the one that they had 15 years ago. So those two tracks running simultaneously are what produce results in this season. Not one or the other, but both. Yes, perimenopause changed the rules. The plan, but the rules, the plan has to change with them. And when it does, dude, your results are absolutely possible. I've seen it in over 100,000 women that have come through Warrior Babe. And I've seen it in thousands over and over and over again.

18:19On our coaches' rosters, the babes that they coach. Women in their 50s, their 60s, even in their 40s. They're changing their bodies in a way better and faster fashion than they did in their 20s and their 30s. But you getting into your 50s, being able to build the strongest, leanest, and most capable version of you is absolutely possible. And it's not you having the right plan and also understanding where your hormones are at and addressing both of them. All right?

18:50And if you guys, like every Thursday at 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, I'm live. I talk about this in a two and a half hour training. I even open up three hot seats where I'm talking to women specifically about their journey, where they're at, what they're struggling with, and giving them some real takeaways that they can go and start doing post that training. Every Thursday, 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. That link is in the bio below this podcast episode. I highly recommend that you register for it and just come hang out and just obtain, like, you know, this is me in, like, a 20, 30-minute podcast.

19:23Think about two and a half hours worth of training that you'll be able to absorb and hopefully have some even more light bulbs going off. All right? So I hope to see you guys there. And I hope that you guys enjoyed this podcast. Because if there's anything, like, it's getting real and honest with where you're at in your journey and bringing that awareness to it, awareness and honesty. And when you have those two and you can take the constructive criticism to change, you will be able to change. All right. Love you guys. I'll see you in the next episode. Peace out. Hey, really quick.

19:54Before you go, I have one small favor to ask. If this episode brought you value or sparked something in you, take just a moment to hit that review button. Your rating and review make all of the difference, helping more women discover the tools they need to transform the fitness and their confidence. It takes less than a minute, but it can change the path of someone else's journey. Thank you so much for leaving that review. I appreciate you so much.

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.