Over 40 and Transitioning to Menopause: How This Woman Managed Weight Gain and Other Symptoms

I’m going to be really open about my situation here. So no judgment, please. 

Menopause has caused me countless problems in the past. Some of the symptoms were really draining.

I’m 47, and for years, I moaned that I hated having my period so late in life. 

And now, this brought down an assortment of unpredictable stuff that made no sense, followed no pattern, and changed throughout the day and night.

The migraines, brain fog, anger, hot flashes… 

I needed to take myself away into my room sometimes and tell the family to leave me be.

I couldn’t describe what I had been going through to them, even if they wanted to hear it all.

And some days, all I could do was just get through doing virtually nothing.

I would miss my sharp brain – I couldn’t believe words failed me.

I mean, my reproductive system is winding down – how come I couldn’t remember the word for a potato?

Is weight gain related to menopause?

As if that wasn’t enough, in the past year and a half, I have put on 43 lbs despite eating less, exercising the same, and not making any other changes that could affect my weight. 

I know that metabolism slows down (gradually) as people age, but I think gaining that much weight in under 2 years was a bit insane. 

And it was driving me nuts that I was having a really hard time losing it.

I’ve noticed my friends were gaining a sizeable amount of weight in menopause too. 

When the symptoms started, I thought I’d only get hot flashes… that’s all I had heard about.

It took me a while to connect the dots between menopause and my weight gain.

The 2 common solutions that failed me

I went to seek professional help and was recommended hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

It helped a bit, but nothing has changed drastically since I started it. 

And any time I mentioned the weight gain to any of my friends, I got a reaction like, “Oh, yeah, just you wait, it gets worse.” 

It’s so sad to look back – I assumed I was supposed to feel awful and get bigger during this time.

But when I could no longer bear the new rolls on my belly and bending over felt like a huge discomfort (on top of every other menopause symptom), I knew I needed a change. 

Not to mention I was forced to buy new, bigger, baggier clothes to hide my body. I was embarrassed. 

I also tried losing weight in conventional ways before:

Followed some well-known diets and eliminated carbs from the menu.

For 2 months – almost no alcohol, almost no processed foods, avoiding sugar. Basically deprived myself of as much as I could.

During that time, I lost only 2–3 pounds.

Twenty years ago, I swear, I would’ve been down 20 pounds with this effort!

Weight loss method that works for women in menopause (according to my physician)

I went to see my physician. Again.

Fortunately, this time, besides the “it is what it is” type of answer, she also shared something unexpected.

Turns out, most of her patients in menopause had lost weight successfully by following a personalized intermittent fasting approach.

According to her, intermittent fasting was safe and especially beneficial for women not only in menopause but also transitioning to it (perimenopause).

She was 100% sure it would work for any woman later in life. 

I had a few failed attempts to fast on my own terms (I had no idea what I was doing: avoided coffee during my fasting windows – a huge mistake, didn’t count sleep as fasting, and restricted myself, which was absolutely unnecessary).

That’s why I started a personalized intermittent fasting program my physician recommended…

How things have shifted at first

Intermittent fasting means cycling between voluntary fasting and non-fasting over a given period.

With a personalized program, I started fasting slowly and followed a 12:12 protocol (12 hours of eating daily). 

I quickly managed to prolong fasting windows to 16–18 hours per day by following the information in the app I used. 

I also enjoyed doing it because I started feeling the effects of fasting almost immediately.

I watch what I eat, but I don’t restrict myself; I don’t follow any specific diet or eliminate any food groups, and I enjoy desserts without guilt or shame.

And guess what?! I’ve lost 21 pounds so far. I feel better, and my clothes are two-three sizes smaller than when I started. 

The most surprising part is that my hot flashes are almost non-existent now, and I’m not bloated anymore. 

I’m so much happier now!

Avoid the misinformation trap

When I first started researching intermittent fasting, I found thousands of weight loss transformations. 

The proof is everywhere, and it was easy to get excited. 

I read a few articles, noted a few intermittent fasting-friendly recipes, and then tried to get started independently. 

But that was a huge mistake. 

Just knowing I needed to restrict my eating time wasn’t enough. I soon realized that I was doing it all wrong!

So my advice is: don’t start intermittent fasting without help, especially if you don’t know the answers to questions like: 

• “What is the correct fasting window for most weight loss for you?”
• “How much weight can you lose with intermittent fasting?”
• “Does sleeping count as fasting?”
• “What can I eat during the fasting window?”
• “Does coffee/tea break the fast?”

Here’s how I found the correct answers to these questions and started losing menopausal weight successfully: 

Firstly, my physician suggested I complete a free health quiz to take the guesswork out of my weight loss and intermittent fasting (link below). 

In less than 2 minutes, I got my personalized intermittent fasting book, including meal plans perfectly aligned with the fasting lifestyle and created by professional nutritionists.

Although I’m skeptical of all the ‘books’ there, this was not a trick!

Secondly, I was given an assistant app option, which allowed me to explore more features and discover how it could enhance my experience, and I was pleasantly surprised!

And just as my physician told me, with that book (called Beyond Body) alongside weight loss, I experienced other benefits of fasting:

✅ Increased metabolism and energy, 

✅ Little to no food cravings, 

✅ Better mood, and…

✅ Almost fully eliminated menopause symptoms! 

What’s there to lose? Click the button below to get your own personalized intermittent fasting book!