Maintaining your weight after 45 can become a real battle. Hormonal changes, a slower metabolism, and fat accumulation mean that many women face a challenging stage of life.

«"After 45, the female body changes completely," and not for the better. Francis Holway, one of the nutritionists One of the world's most prestigious experts, with over 25 years of experience working alongside elite athletes, states it bluntly: "What happens to women during menopause and perimenopause is biologically very unfair." He explains that estradiol—the main female hormone—begins to fluctuate and then disappears, causing a natural accumulation of fat This responds to an ancestral mechanism: ensuring energy for a possible pregnancy and breastfeeding. "It's between 8 and 10 extra kilos that they didn't ask for," she emphasizes. 

“The female body is programmed to accumulate fat when menarche occurs, and then, in perimenopause, that programming turns against it,” Holway warns. This extra fat, which centuries ago guaranteed survival In a context of scarcity, it is now unnecessary and frustrating. Metabolism also slows down, and Weight loss becomes an uphill battle: “It’s night and day compared to a young person.”, She asserts that after the age of 45 or 50, losing weight requires a much greater effort, even when eating less than what previously worked.

The only natural way out, according to the expert, is the strength training. For him, maintaining muscle mass is the best way to prevent a sluggish metabolism. “The big problem is that many women try to lose fat without strength training and by excessively cutting calories. They end up with less muscle, more fat. "And double the frustration," he says. 

Holway insists that the increase in fat during this stage is not due to willpower, but rather to outdated biology. For millennia, the female body was designed to survive without food during pregnancy and breastfeeding. But in the 21st century, with constant access to calories and a sedentary lifestyle, that design works against us. “It’s not laziness, it’s evolution poorly adapted to the present.”, he points out.

In addition to training, he emphasizes that eating well is not enough without a strategy. "If There is no strength training and protein intake is not adjusted.”Yes, you lose muscle instead of fat,” she explains. Menopause requires different planning, not only to look good, but also to avoid associated health problems such as osteoporosis, sarcopenia, or cardiovascular risk.

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“Women not only have to fight against their hormones, but also against the myths and misinformation,” he adds. Magic formulas, baseless training programs, and recommendations designed for a general audience proliferate on social media, It does not take into account female physiological reality. “"Not everyone has fatty liver, nor is everyone intolerant to oats, nor is gluten the universal enemy," she criticizes.