Menopause - Part 2
Body Composition
Part 2: Body Composition
Muscle, Metabolism & Midlife Strength
If Part 1 helped you understand why your body is changing, Part 2 will help you explore how those changes show up physically…and, more importantly, how to respond with wisdom and strength.
We’re not here to chase weight loss just for weight loss sake.
We’re here to reframe body composition as a vital sign of resilience and to understand muscle, metabolism, and midlife strength as the foundation of your well-being. This shift in focus, from shrinking your body to fortifying it, is one of the most empowering mindset changes you can make during this phase of life.
Your Body Is Changing
Let’s start by acknowledging a core truth: your body is different now. And it’s not your imagination.
Women often report:
A sudden increase in belly fat (the so-called “menopause muffin top”)
Thicker thighs, softer arms, or a “heavier” overall feeling
A body that seems to resist the strategies that once “worked”
These are hormone-driven, protective changes that happen as estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone decline.
Estrogen is a powerful regulator of where fat is stored, how blood sugar is metabolized, how muscle is maintained, and how inflammation is controlled.
As levels fall, fat is more likely to accumulate around the midsection (visceral fat), blood sugar becomes harder to regulate, and muscle mass begins to decline—unless we actively counter these effects.
Why the Body Holds Onto Weight in Midlife
One of the most misunderstood parts of menopause is the biological intelligence behind the weight gain many women experience.
Yes, it can feel frustrating…but your body isn't betraying you. In fact, it may be trying to protect you.
Here’s how.
1. Estrogen & Fat Storage Are Linked
Fat cells, especially those around the abdomen, can produce a weak form of estrogen called estrone. As ovarian estrogen declines, the body often increases fat storage to maintain some hormonal balance.
In other words: increased fat stores may be the body’s attempt to compensate for lost estrogen by creating a backup source.
This is particularly true for visceral fat, the type stored around the organs. It’s not ideal long-term (due to metabolic risks), but in the short term, your body may see it as a necessary adaptation.
2. Fat as Hormonal Reservoir
Fat tissue also serves as a storage site for hormones and helps buffer changes in hormone levels. With fluctuating estrogen and progesterone during perimenopause, a little extra fat provides a kind of stabilizing insulation, both physically and chemically.
3. Stress Response & Cortisol
During menopause, your adrenal glands step in to produce small amounts of estrogen. If you’re under chronic stress, they prioritize cortisol production instead, which:
Increases appetite (especially for carbs and sweets)
Promotes fat storage around the belly
Slows down muscle growth and metabolism
From an evolutionary standpoint, the body interprets this as: There’s uncertainty or scarcity, let’s store energy and protect vital systems.
4. Inflammation & Blood Sugar
As estrogen declines, inflammation often increases, and insulin sensitivity decreases. Both can make it harder to burn fat efficiently and easier to gain weight…especially around the midsection.
Reframing Weight Gain → Body Composition
Instead of framing these changes in terms of appearance, we’re going to talk about what they mean functionally.
This is about:
Preserving muscle to protect metabolism, bone health, and mobility
Supporting insulin sensitivity to prevent blood sugar issues and inflammation
Regulating fat storage not to "get smaller," but to reduce disease risk
Rebuilding strength—physical, mental, and emotional
Muscle Is Medicine
After the age of 35–40, women lose approximately 3–5% of muscle mass per decade if not actively working to maintain or build it. This process, known as sarcopenia, accelerates after menopause, especially without sufficient estrogen, protein intake, and resistance training.
Why Muscle Matters More Than Ever:
Muscle burns more calories at rest than fat, keeping metabolism more efficient
It’s essential for glucose control, helping reduce insulin resistance
It protects your joints, supports posture, and prevents falls
It’s tightly linked to longevity and quality of life
More muscle = more energy, more stability, better metabolism, and a stronger, more capable body for decades to come.
And it’s never too late to build muscle. Even women in their 70s and 80s can see improvement with the right approach.
The Midlife Metabolism Shift
One of the most frustrating experiences women report is that “nothing works anymore.” You might be:
Eating the same foods you always have
Moving regularly
Trying to “cut back” on calories or carbs…
…and yet your body still feels like it’s working against you.
This is not about willpower. It’s about physiology.
What’s Changing Under the Surface:
1. Insulin Resistance
As estrogen drops, your cells become less sensitive to insulin. This means your body is less efficient at moving glucose into your cells for energy, and more likely to store it as fat—especially around the belly.
Symptoms of insulin resistance can include:
Fatigue after meals
Intense cravings for sweets or carbs
Difficulty losing weight despite effort
Elevated fasting glucose or A1C on lab work
2. Mitochondrial Efficiency
Your mitochondria (the energy factories inside your cells) become less efficient with age and hormone loss. This is part of why you may feel more tired, less resilient to stress, and more prone to fatigue after exercise.
3. Thyroid + Cortisol Interplay
Thyroid function may subtly decline during this time, and chronic stress (which is often peaking in midlife) can suppress thyroid hormones even more. This further reduces metabolic efficiency, motivation, and energy levels.
Bone Density, Fascia & Connective Tissue
Estrogen plays a critical role in maintaining bone density. After menopause, women can lose up to 20% of their bone mass within 5–7 years, especially if they’re not engaging in weight-bearing movement or resistance training.
At the same time, connective tissue (fascia, tendons, and ligaments) becomes less elastic. This may show up as:
Joint stiffness
Slower recovery from workouts
More frequent injuries or “tweaks”
Why This Matters:
You are not just maintaining aesthetics—you are preserving your structure. Strength training, mobility work, and fascia care (like myofascial release or stretching) become non-negotiables for long-term comfort and vitality.
Key Shifts in Perspective
Your midlife body is not meant to be the same as your 25-year-old body. It’s meant to be stronger, wiser, and more rooted. But you have to train it accordingly. That means:
More protein (we’ll get to that in Part 4)
More strength-based movement
More nervous system recovery
Less self-punishment for being human
Integration: What to Take from This Section
Your body composition is changing due to hormonal shifts. This is not a personal failure—it's a biological process.
Muscle is critical to your health, metabolism, and vitality after menopause. It’s the new measure of wellness, not the number on the scale.
You may need to relearn how to nourish and train your body—not as a younger woman, but as the wise, evolving woman you are now.
These changes are not reversible—but they are malleable. You can build strength, improve your insulin sensitivity, and reawaken energy at any age.
Next Up:
In Part 3, we’ll talk about the sleep-stress-hormone loop—why you're waking at 3 a.m., why stress feels louder, and how to restore deep, healing rest by supporting your nervous system and circadian rhythms.
If you have any questions, jump to our private Facebook Group or the Ask Lisa page :)