Challenging Menopause Myths

Philip Pape 0:01

You've been told that belly fat gain during midlife is just part of aging , that it's inevitable that your metabolism is shot and there's nothing you can do about it . But what if I told you that's not the whole story ? Recent research found that menopause belly isn't just about getting older . It's a specific hormonal reshaping of where your body stores fat , one that begins years before menopause and accelerates during the transition . But the same research reveals the exact timing windows when intervention works best , plus some insights about why some women don't experience this shift at all . Today we'll break down the science behind what's really happening to your body during menopause and the specific strategies that can not only prevent but actually reverse central fat gain .

Philip Pape 1:00

Welcome to Wits and Weights , the show that helps you build a strong , healthy physique using evidence , engineering and efficiency . I'm your host , philip Pape , and today we're gonna break down recent research that changes everything we thought we knew about menopause and fat gain the frustrating shift from storing fat in your hips and thighs to your belly , your abdomen . This is not random , it is not just aging and it's definitely not inevitable . This episode is gonna arm you with science-based strategies to take control of your body composition during the menopause transition , no matter where you are in the process , whether you are in your 20s and it hasn't come , if you're in perimenopause , if you're close to menopause

Understanding Menopause Belly Science

Philip Pape 1:39

or you're past . It doesn't matter the how today is going to work for you , either to prevent or reverse what we talk about , but it's important to understand the why . So let's start doing that , and before I do , I want to share something that Kate sent me .

Philip Pape 1:55

Kate is one of our students in Wits and Weights Physique University and she said I just want to give a shout out to Philip Pape at Wits and Weights . I've been listening to his podcast for about a year now and they're great , thoughtful , straightforward and useful information related to strength training and nutrition . In a world filled with conflicting advice , philip really cuts through all of it . I actually liked the info so much that I joined Physique University and have been in it for several months . Since then , I've learned more about structuring my own workout programs , become way more consistent with my exercise and have let go of a lot of baggage about how I eat . I'm still on my health and fitness journey , but I really appreciate the tools Philip has given me to keep going , and I love that , because that is what we're about on this show , we're cutting through the noise , we're giving you practical tools that work and then , if you choose , to get the accelerator of support and community , we have that for you as well .

Philip Pape 2:50

And related to that , we had a workshop last week and I want to mention this because it's relevant today . We had a 90 day body recomp workshop and , just like Kate was talking about , with tools and community and all that , we talked about how to build muscle and lose fat at the same time , and why I'm mentioning that now is that when it comes to menopause belly , when it comes to women in peri and post menopause , I understand that there are fears with gaining fat by building muscle and fears with restricting and dieting and binging and all those issues when going in a calorie deficit . So there is a middle ground that you can accomplish and you can do it very effectively . We held a workshop on this . The workshop is done , but the replay is available , as are all the bonuses , and the bonuses include a complete , mapped out 90 day plan for body recomp , a free custom nutrition plan , training programs whether you work out three , four or five days a week at a gym at home doesn't matter your level everything you need . If you go to livewitsandweightscom or click in the show notes , you can grab all of that the replay and all the bonuses and get the support in Physique University , get your entire first month included all of that for $27 . So if you're interested , livewitsandweightscom and those principles that we taught in that workshop apply perfectly to what we are discussing today , and so let's do that .

Philip Pape 4:07

Let me start with what might be the most important finding in menopause research in years , and it's about four years old now , 2021 . Dr Greil Greendale and her team followed 308 women for 12 years as part of the often talked about SWAN study , and I think this study is referenced with a lot of the Ozempic research as well . It's the study of women's health across the nation , and they didn't just track weight , they also tracked body composition . I believe they use research grade , consistently performed DEXA scans , which is very common in research , to see where fat was being stored , and what they found was , I'll say , remarkable on one hand , but probably not surprising to a lot of you out there . A lot of you women , whether you're in past or not yet in menopause , you're aware of this , and that is the dreaded menopause belly . It isn't just women are getting older and gaining weight everywhere and thus have menopause .

Philip Pape 4:59

Belly . It is a specific , measurable shift in how your body stores fat , in your fat distribution . Before menopause , women are storing fat primarily in what researchers call the gynoid pattern , that is , hips , thighs , butt Think pear-shaped . And then during the menopause transition , fat storage shifts rather dramatically to the android pattern that is abdomen and upper body think apple shape . So go from gynoid , which is pear shape , to android , which is apple shape , and the numbers are really mind-blowing because the change pre and post menopause is vastly different .

Philip Pape 5:41

Visceral fat that is , the dangerous fat around your organs , that that is representing this belly fat we're all concerned about . It increased before menopause but only in small amounts . Then , during the transition , it accelerated to 6.2% a year . That's a lot , that's a huge change , a little bit of an increase to a massive increase every year . And then android fat showed a dramatic change where pre-menopause it increased by 1.2% a year . And then android fat showed a dramatic change where premenopause had increased by 1.2% a year , during the transition by 5.5% a year .

Philip Pape 6:11

And this isn't just about appearance , even though that might be the source of the frustration . Visceral fat right , the belly fat around the organs

When Fat Redistribution Actually Begins

Philip Pape 6:22

is strongly linked to cardiovascular disease , type 2 diabetes , systemic inflammation . So we're talking about a fundamental change in health risk , and I love that improving your physique can also improve your health . There's nothing wrong with that . In fact , to me , that's very efficient . Everything we talk about on the show will effectively hit all the check marks of longevity , health , strength , physique fitness , function and , yes , how you look . It's beautiful , it works together . So let's talk more about that transition and when this starts , because there's confusion there .

Philip Pape 6:59

Most women think menopause belly begins when menopause begins , which is technically when your periods have stopped for about a year , and the research shows that the fat redistribution begins earlier than that , actually three years before your final menstrual period , which is about two years before the start of menopause . Let's say so . Let's just call it three years , right ? So if you're in perimenopause right now , which is generally in your forties , for some women it's early , as early as their late thirties , the phase when your cycles become irregular but you haven't stopped completely , or when the hormones are starting to decline this process has already begun . It's begun right , and I know it's begun because I talk to women every day and there's students in our physique university who are in their forties . You know they're not really that close to menopause yet , and yet they're seeing some of the challenges Some are , some aren't right Like .

Philip Pape 7:50

It's very individual and this , this understanding about timing , is really important because it opens up a larger window of intervention that most women don't know exist , where , by the time you realize what's happening , you know you've already gone through the most effective prevention period . I'll call it . That will make it easier when you get to that point . Having said that , now is the best time to start . When you're listening to my podcast , when we talk about fitness and training and nutrition , you can't get in a time machine and go back in time , and why would you wait to improve your health ? So now is always the best time . So it almost doesn't matter that you have this intervention window , but if you're 25 right now , or you're 35 or 40 or whatever , now's the best time to start anyway , and just know that it's going to benefit you tremendously down the road .

Philip Pape 8:38

So we fast forward to menopause . Post-menopause , what happens ? Well , the acceleration that happened during the transition actually slows down . So the menopause transition itself is a vast pool of accelerating fat gain and fat redistribution , and that's why it's so tough for so many women , right , I get it Like the research is telling us this is what is happening . The visceral fat will continue to rise even after menopause , but it slows down to about one and a half percent a year . Android fat slows to about one percent . Gynoid fat , which is the protective fat in your hips and thighs Also , that actually might begin to decline . So that's not great either , right ? Your protective fat declines about one percent a year . So you're watching your body transform from a protective fat storage distribution to a risky fat storage if you don't do something about it , and if you haven't and you're already menopause , fear not , you can reverse it . We're going to get into that .

Philip Pape 9:33

So let's talk about the biological mechanisms here , because understanding the why helps us develop the how . And the main drivers here

Biological Mechanisms Behind Fat Shifts

Philip Pape 9:42

are Well , there's several drivers . The first couple are hormone-related . So estrogen that is the biggest driver of all . Estrogen declined during menopause because estrogen has a protective effect on fat storage and preferentially directs fat to subcutaneous sites on your body , under the skin rather than around your organs . And when estrogen drops , you lose that protective mechanism . But estrogen is not the only player here . We also have FSH , follicle stimulating hormone that goes up during menopause , and research shows that this is independently associated with central adiposity right Belly fat gain as its own factor . Your body is getting hit with both issues from estrogen dropping , fsh increasing .

Philip Pape 10:28

Then we have the mitochondrial component . You know , mitochondria is like the power plants of your cells . Well , estrogen helps maintain the efficiency of mitochondria and because it declines , your mitochondrial function declines as well , which then affects your metabolic rate . It reduces your metabolism and it makes fat storage more likely . And then we have inflammation , the big boogeyman of inflammation . But in this case we're actually talking about inflammatory markers like IL-6 and TNF-alpha . These are cytokines that are released by visceral fat . Visceral fat is metabolically active , so it increases your inflammation , and then this creates a feedback loop where that fat storage promotes more inflammation , which then promotes more fat storage . And then we understand why there are so many challenges at this time of life . By the way , I did a whole episode on inflammation not long ago , talking about the biggest factors which have to do with lifestyle and how inflammation is misunderstood . But there is true inflammation going on at the cellular level that can be caused by lifestyle factors that we're also going to talk about today anyway . And then , finally , we have muscle loss . Muscle loss accelerates during menopause , something we hit on a lot on this show . Sarcopenia is what it's called . Sarcopenia further reduces your metabolic rate as well and then creates an environment where fat gain becomes increasingly likely .

Philip Pape 11:47

Hey , this is Philip , and before we continue , I want to talk about cookware . We all love to make our own food . I love nonstick pans . The problem is I've avoided them for years because when they get scratched , when they get heated , they can release microplastics , pfas small particles that can accumulate over time in the body , and some studies have shown them to be linked to health issues . If you're optimizing your nutrition and making lots of food for you and your family at home , it doesn't make sense to compromise that with questionable cookware . So that's why I was interested when Chef's Foundry , who is sponsoring this episode , showed me their ceramic cookware . It's called the P600 and uses Swiss-engineered ceramic coating which has no Teflon , no PFAS , no plastic components . It is nonstick , it works on all stovetops , it goes straight into the oven All the things you need if you're trying to cook a lot of your meals at home . Right now you can get the P600 at 50% off by going to witsandweightscom slash chefsfoundry . You'll also get a bunch of accessories with that . There's a whole page that explains what you'll get for that discounted 50% off . Go to witsandweightscom slash chefs foundry or click the link in the show notes . All right , let's get back to the show Now .

Philip Pape 12:59

Before we continue , I do want to mention that there are big individual differences when it comes to menopause

Nutrition Strategies for Menopause

Philip Pape 13:07

and fat redistribution . So don't assume that you're going to be right in the middle of the population , because there are a lot of genetic differences , for example ethnic differences . You know white and black women have similar patterns of central fat gain , but for example , japanese women in the study had no increase in visceral or android fat . Instead , their gynoid fat decreased . So there could be genetics , cultural factors , dietary patterns that also influence fat redistribution , and these are kind of confounding the research . So it's very difficult to tease all these things apart , and you know Japanese populations have very unique lifestyle factors and there could be something there that's genetics . Then there's also the timing that we've been talking about , where the researchers could predict fat distribution changes based on proximity to the final menstrual period with very high accuracy , and so this suggests the process itself is more controlled and predictable than we might have thought before .

Philip Pape 14:05

And then the last thing I want to mention here is the research is probably explaining why some women seem to have no issues , they kind of sail through menopause , minimal body composition changes . They're like what are you people talking about ? It's fine . And others are struggling massively , like significantly right . And it's not just genetics , it's definitely not willpower . There are measurable biological processes at work that potentially are the differences between some of these women , and a lot of it has to do with lifestyle and things that they did earlier in their life . So again , not that we can go in a time machine , we can't .

Philip Pape 14:40

So if we have this understanding , what can you do about this right now to either prevent , if you're young enough , or reverse menopause , belly fat ? So let's start with nutrition . Your approach has to be , I'll say , strategic and not necessarily aggressive , right ? Let's not be impatient and say , okay , I'm going to lop off the belly fat . How do I do it , philip , let's do it . I like your excitement , but we have to be strategic , right ?

Philip Pape 15:05

Severe calorie restriction , for example , is not strategic . It can actually do make things worse . It can accelerate your muscle loss , it can worsen the decline in your metabolism . So that's the first thing I mentioned is if you're trying to lose fat in general and you know you need a calorie deficit to do it . This is where , for menopausal women , or if you're trying to , you know , if you're in perimenopause going , getting close to the transition very reasonable deficits are a good way to go right .

Philip Pape 15:31

We're talking probably less than 500 calorie deficits , and this is where flexible eating then becomes your best friend , because you don't have to eliminate food groups , you don't have to follow restrictive meal plans . That is not what we're about . You track your calories , you're tracking your macros and micros and your fiber and you hit your targets . You hit your protein targets , you hit your fiber targets . You fill the rest of the foods with things that you enjoy that are mostly whole foods , but not always and make it sustainable so that you can go out and have fun with the ladies on Saturday night . Right , have fun at the birthday party , eat your cake , it doesn't matter . We want a sustainable , long-term approach that prevents the all or nothing mentality that I see derailing so many women .

Philip Pape 16:14

Protein becomes really critical for women for everybody , but women especially because of the need to protect that lean mass during weight loss or even just during this transition , and to maintain your metabolism , and the protein can come from a lot of places . Right , I get a lot of questions about well , I don't eat this , so how do I get my protein ? I'm like there's a lot of foods with protein yes , meat products , animal products , chicken , dairy , lean meats , seafood . There's soy-based products for plant eaters . There's protein powder . There's a million ways to get your protein during this transition , and I would focus on whole foods most of the time , but don't stress about it . I like an 80-20 approach , aiming for nutrient-dense choices 80% of the time , maybe 90% of the time , depending on how many calories you have to play with , leaving room for foods you enjoy . And that's really it .

Philip Pape 17:07

Now I've done other episodes that go way into all the nutrition science , into macros , all of that stuff . We covered all that on the workshop and exactly how to calculate that stuff . So , again , go to livewitsandweightscom if you want to grab the replay and the guide and all that good stuff is going to help you out . But when it comes to nutrition , having a reasonable deficit or not even being in a deficit and going for body recomp and making sure to prioritize protein and fiber and flexibility are going to go a long way . So that's nutrition

Training and Lifestyle Interventions

Philip Pape 17:37

Training .

Philip Pape 17:37

You guys know resistance training is non-negotiable . If you don't know that , I'm telling you it now . This is your most effective tool to prevent sarcopenia and to maintain your metabolic rate . And , ultimately , building muscle is the thing that's going to help you lose fat and lose that belly . It just is . I'm not talking about doing ab work , although that can be a tiny , marginally bit helpful right in helping those muscles pop and creating more definition . I'm talking about building muscle in general and how fit it makes you and how much a fat burner it makes you , so that the losing fat piece is easy . It also shifts the distribution of your fat . It also helps reduce fat going to your belly . So , focusing on progressive overload using compound movements , squats , deadlifts , pressing rows , all of those things Training sufficiently with challenging weights , with enough frequency . And then cardio let's stop doing all the excessive cardio . The F45s , the Peloton , the CrossFit style cardio Walking should be the foundation .

Philip Pape 18:36

You know , 8,000 to 10,000 steps is perfectly reasonable . More than that is fine . It's low stress , it's sustainable , it's excellent for health and fat loss . Another hack I have for you is move throughout the day . Don't sit around for longer than half an hour at any one time . Get up every half hour and walk for two minutes . I did a whole episode on how tremendously that increases your muscle protein synthesis , your insulin sensitivity , reduces your visceral fat storage , et cetera , et cetera . It's tremendously beneficial . So if you are being sedentary , even though you lift weights , even though you walk occasionally or even get enough steps , but you're being sedentary the rest of the day , not being sedentary can be tremendously beneficial for your belly fat , believe it or not . And then any other cardio should be very , very strategic . I'm a big fan of anabolic sprinting once or twice a week and that's it . That's it . I have a lot of resources on this . I'm not going to go into great detail , but the point is you can lose fat . You can lose belly fat . You can build muscle with very little .

Philip Pape 19:28

What we think of as traditional cardio Basically a lot of walking , not being sedentary , and then maybe some sprinting or fun cardio here and there . Not being sedentary , and then maybe some sprinting or fun cardio here and there . A lot of the fat distribution is going to be controlled through your diet , maintaining a healthy weight and body fat . Do not fall into the trap of thinking you need to just exercise more , eat less . Exercise more , eat less . Has that worked for you in the past ? That's all I'm going to say . Has that worked for you ? And I mean the recent past ? Right , I don't have to talk about all the negatives from excessive cardio , but it's going to make you more stressed and that's going to interfere with recovery and stress .

Philip Pape 20:01

Stress is one of the biggest causes of visceral fat storage . And that brings me to lifestyle factors , right ? Sleep quality . Honestly , if I had to put something at the very top besides lifting weights , it'd be sleep quality . Not just the amount of sleep , but sleep quality , consistent bedtimes and wake times . Lifting weights , it would be sleep quality . Not just the amount of sleep , but sleep quality . Consistent bedtimes and waketimes , good pre-bed rituals , not having blue lights too close to bed , because poor sleep , for sure we know , worsens fat around the organs , it worsens belly fat . When they've compared two groups , one that was sleep deprived versus one that had enough sleep , the sleep deprived group gained a lot more belly fat period . So , even if you're doing all the other things , if sleep is really bad and if you have a stressful job , a stressful life , stressful finances , stressful whatever , if you can work on getting those things out of your life improving those things right .

Philip Pape 20:47

I saw a post by somebody in another group I'm in . He said he has a three-hour round-trip commute and 10 hour work days . So so I can only train two days , and the response was well you , you basically need to find another job Like that's the best thing you could do right now . Don't , don't worry about when to train . That's the 1% . The 99% is this job is killing you . So think about the things you can control . Stretch management is tied into that , right . Chronic , chronically elevated cortisol is going to directly promote abdominal fat storage period .

Philip Pape 21:18

Now , when we talk about supplementation , the only thing I'm going to mention today for that is creatine . I think there's a benefit to trying creatine , seeing if you respond to it from a training perspective , but also for the potential cognitive benefits , especially during menopause . Now , there are other things people might recommend during menopause , like , hey , are you taking magnesium ? Do you have enough fish oil ? Do you have any deficiencies you need to address ? For some women , adaptogens are helpful , like ashwagandha , right , but those are all very specific and very personalized , and , again , they're the 1% . I think creatine , though , can be very helpful , and high dose creatine I think I might do a whole episode about it

Taking Control of Your Health Trajectory

Philip Pape 21:51

Could also help cognitive function and relate to these things as well .

Philip Pape 21:54

And then hormone replacement therapy . We got to mention it , hrt , bioidentical hormone replacement . It wasn't included in the SWAN study , but that is , of course , a big variable for some women . If you are deficient in your certain types of hormones and you've done all the other lifestyle factors , this is something you got to consult with your healthcare provider on , but that could be a game changer , whether it's thyroid , progesterone , estrogen , whatever . So I kind of mentioned before this .

Philip Pape 22:20

This isn't just about vanity or fitting into clothes , even though the menopause belly phenomenon starts from that for many of you . This is a fundamental shift in your health risk as well . I think it's important to glom onto that and understand that visceral fat accumulation increases heart disease , diabetes risk , mortality . All of that Understanding the mechanisms and timing that we've talked about today . It empowers you , it gives you the power . You don't have to accept an inevitable decline . It's really about strategically intervening as soon as you can . Research shows us that fat redistribution can absolutely be slowed , stopped and reversed with targeted approaches , and that is proper training , proper nutrition that is not restrictive , that is more nourishing and fueling you , building muscle , moving , walking , not having too much stress and getting good sleep . It's all of guess what the pillars that we should be doing anyway , and that is actually quite empowering , because that means pretty much everybody listening to this podcast .

Philip Pape 23:20

If you can do those things , those strategies , and stick to them consistently , you're going to have massively improved results over the general population and even over where you would have been a year from now . So you've got to start now . You've got to start as early as you can which by definition is now and then be consistent and focus on those fundamentals that drive the biggest changes and not getting lost in the little optimization details or supplements or detox cleanses or any of that nonsense in the fitness industry . And we can help you . We can help you do that if you just listen and apply the information in this podcast . Or the one factor that increases commitment and achievement by 50% is having accountability . Join us in Physique University . One of the best ways to do that is go grab our body recomp workshop and bonuses that we did by going to livewitsandweightscom , because that'll get you right into a method and step-by-step process that you can start to apply to do exactly what we're talking about today and focus on the thing that you might be missing right now , and I'm excited for you .

Philip Pape 24:23

I'm excited about this research . I'm excited that we are learning that the conversation around menopause and belly fat and everything has shifted . I think for decades , women have been told that weight gain and body shape changes are just part of aging . They're just hormones . They're just what happens . Deal with it , accept it , focus on other things , and the research itself shows us this is wrong .

Philip Pape 24:44

The menopause transition does create specific , measurable changes in fat storage that we can predict , we can prevent , we can reverse . And cultural factors , dietary patterns , genetics , lifestyle they all affect this , and one of the things you have the most control over is your lifestyle and your nutrition . So every woman listening has agency in this process . You are not at the mercy of hormones . You are not destined for a decline in your metabolism . You have tools , you have the timing , you have the science to guide your decisions . So , just to recap , what does work to prevent and reverse menopause ? Belly Strategic nutrition focused on having enough energy , fuel , protein , fiber , with lots of flexibility and not doing anything too extreme . Consistent resistance training to preserve and build muscle mass , lifestyle factors that optimize your hormones . And inflammation , like getting a sufficient quality sleep , eliminating stressors from your life , reducing your perceived stress and being active in general right , going for those walks , not being sedentary throughout the day the women who take control of their body composition that way during this transition

It's Never Too Late to Start

Philip Pape 25:49

. They don't just look better , they do , by the way , they look great , but they don't just look better . They are altering their health trajectory for the future .

Philip Pape 25:58

All right , if you're a new listener dealing with these exact challenges , here's what I want you to do right now . I want you to open up your podcast app , scroll down to the review section if you're using Apple , and tell us your story . How did you find this show ? What has been your biggest struggle with body composition during this phase of life ? Give us a five-star review that tells us what you're struggling with or how the show has helped you , and that's going to help other women discover these strategies that actually work and I personally read every single one . I love to give shout outs on the show , please . I'd be so grateful if you leave a five-star review today . Until next time , keep using your wits lifting those weights , and remember that menopause isn't the end of your physique goals . It's the beginning of a new chapter where you get to rewrite the rules . This is Philip Pape and you've been listening to Wits and Weights .