The Importance of Protein for Women in Peri/Menopause

Being a woman in midlife means you’re way more likely to be losing muscle than gaining it. As we get older we don’t have the same level of muscle protein synthesis that we once did. We actually require more protein, especially during menopause, where we have a decline in estrogen, increase in cortisol, and decrease in growth hormone and testosterone. All of which leads to accelerating muscle loss. Since most women don’t have a lot of muscle mass to start with, it’s crucial at this time to ensure more than just “adequate” amounts of protein.Are you always dieting or fasting? You’re not giving yourself a chance to eat enough protein, let alone enough calories. You can’t gain muscle or prevent muscle loss on lower calories or chronically being in a negative energy balance. As you lose more and more muscle past 40, your metabolism will slow down and we then start becoming more frail and prone to injury.Women need .07-1.0 grams of protein per lb of body weight.You might be thinking there’s no way you can eat that much protein! Yes, you can, but more importantly, you should, and I’ll tell you how.Most of my clients need help with this at first. You’re basically trading in carbs for protein. We have an almost unlimited supply and access to convenient carb sources (chips, crackers, cookies, breads, pastas and alcohol), but readily available and convenient protein sources are a little harder to find. In fact, you need to make some effort and this is what I help my clients with. Here are some examples of proteins and how to combine them to get anywhere from 35-50 grams per meal.Once my clients consistently hit their protein goals, they start losing weight and increasing muscle, which is exactly what we want when we’re in menopause!I suggest starting of with a 5 day challenge to see how much protein you are eating, all you need to do is track protein grams. Forget about calories and macros, just grams of protein, that's it, let me know how you do!Send us Fan MailThank you so much for listening, please share with a friend and subscribe so you don't miss an episode!If you want to see how I can help you on your journey, book a quick 10-15 minute call so we can chat about your goals!https://www.menopotmeltdown.com/quickchatnowNow accepting clients! Fit AF 90 Day Program https://go.katalystfitness.net/fit-after-fiftyFree Menopause Fat Loss Made Simple with Macros Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/kathykatalyst/?ref=shareFor all my social links: https://go.katalystfitness.net/kathykatalystDo you have a question that you would like answered on the show? Please ask your question here:https://go.katalystfitness.net/podcast-question-entryHave a personal question? Email me at [email protected] out the Mastering Menopause Macros Course on making weight loss in menopause easy by tracking macros.  All the tips and tricks that my clients and I have used! https://www.menopotmeltdown.com/maste...