Why Women Over 50 Should Focus on Menopause Fat Loss Instead of Weight Loss

In this episode of Midlife Mojo, you’ll learn why women over 50 are better served by focusing on fat loss rather than just weight loss. Lisa highlights the importance of targeting adipose tissue, which preserves muscle mass and bone density, especially crucial during menopause. 

The episode covers strategies for effective fat loss, such as strength training, consuming a protein-rich diet, incorporating cardiovascular exercise, balanced nutrition, and prioritizing adequate recovery. Lisa introduces her new coaching program, 'Lean and Strong Over 50,' and offers a free Lean and Strong checklist to jumpstart getting fitter and more confident in midlife.

Episode Highlights:
[00:00] Introduction: Rethinking Weight Loss After 50
[01:55] Understanding Fat Loss
[04:13] The Importance of Fat Loss During Menopause
[04:52] Benefits of Prioritizing Fat Loss
[07:21] Key Strategies for Effective Fat Loss
[11:27] Wrap-up and Free Checklist

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Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction: Rethinking Weight Loss After 50
• 1:55 Understanding Fat Loss
• 4:13 Importance of Fat Loss During Menopause
• 4:52 Benefits of Prioritizing Fat Loss
• 7:21 Key Strategies for Effective Fat Loss
• 11:27 Wrap-up and Free Checklist

Transcript

[00:00:00] Lisa: If you're approaching 50 or over 50 and wanting to lose weight, it may be time to rethink your approach. Today we'll be uncovering why focusing on fat loss, not just shedding pounds to see a certain number on the scale can transform your body, your health, and your wellbeing during menopause. Stay tuned to learn why weight is not the best metric to focus on to be lean and strong in your fifties.

[00:00:30] Welcome to Midlife Mojo, the podcast all about how to be fit and flourish in your fifties. With me, your host with over 25 years of experience in the health, fitness, and wellness industry, Lisa DuPree. We'll be talking about all the things that support living life to the fullest. Let's dive in.

[00:00:54] Hello. Hello. Welcome to the Midlife Mojo podcast. I want to jump in today saying we've been doing some renovations and upgrades to our house recently. And it really got me thinking about how this is similar to losing weight. Thinking about when you're renovating an old house, if you've ever done any house improvements or renovated an old house, if you go in and you just strip away everything, you might be losing some of those beautiful details that were unique to the house, or you may even compromise some important structural elements that actually hold the house up or hold things together.

[00:01:37] But if you go in and you're strategic and you selectively remove layers, like of old wallpaper or old paint, and then replace like outdated or worn out parts, what you end up is restoring the house to its former glory. So in today's episode, I want to discuss why targeting fat loss instead of general weight loss is crucial, especially for women over 50, because it really is all about preserving what makes you lean and strong and beautiful while shedding what doesn't serve you.

[00:02:17] The term weight loss is often used as a catchall for slimming down, but focusing on fat loss instead can lead to more effective and healthy outcomes. Here's why shifting from a weight loss mindset to a fat loss approach is particularly important for women in their 40s and 50s. Your weight is a measurement of everything your body is composed of, and that includes muscle, bone, fat, your blood volume, your blood, the vital organs and skin.

[00:02:50] And when you lose weight, it's not always clear which component is decreasing, especially if you lose weight quickly with a restrictive diet or by cutting out essential macronutrients like cutting out carbohydrates or protein or fat. Fat loss. on the other hand, really specifically targets the reduction of adipose tissue.

[00:03:15] Adipose tissue is the specialized tissue that consists of lipid cells called adipocytes. Its main function is just to store energy for the body and it does that in the form of lipids. So these lipids represent a energy reservoir within your body. that's stored under your skin, which is called subcutaneous fat.

[00:03:43] It can be packed around your internal organs and your midsection, which is called visceral fat. It also occurs between the muscles within bone marrow and in breast tissue. The distinction between what component of your weight is being reduced is crucial because preserving muscle mass and bone density, especially for women over 50, dealing with menopause is important.

[00:04:13] During menopause, hormonal shifts, particularly a decrease in estrogen, can lead to increased fat storage. especially visceral fat around the abdomen. And this change makes losing weight after 50 more challenging. And it also highlights the importance of focusing just on fat loss rather than overall shedding pounds and looking at only that number on the scale.

[00:04:37] Maintaining muscle mass and reducing fat can also help mitigate some menopause related health risks. And those include development of cardiovascular disease and developing type 2 diabetes. Let's dive a little deeper into the benefits of prioritizing fat loss. One of the big benefits is the preservation of muscle mass.

[00:05:01] As we age, muscle mass naturally decreases in a process called sarcopenia. Sarcopenia is a condition that causes this loss of muscle mass on a progressive level but it also affects strength and quality of movement. It can be caused by aging. Immobility and a combination of other factors that include lack of exercise and poor nutrition.

[00:05:25] Focusing on fat loss ensures that you are not losing valuable muscle tissue that you have, and that is essential for maintaining strength, metabolism, and mobility as you age. Another big benefit is improved metabolic health. Improving metabolic health is a common concern during and after menopause.

[00:05:47] Reducing body fat, particularly that visceral fat around your organs, can significantly improve metabolic health. which reduces the risk of metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that occur together and they increase your risk for heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. So the main components of metabolic syndrome include obesity, high blood pressure, high blood triglycerides, low levels of HDL cholesterol, and insulin resistance.

[00:06:22] Another big benefit is just a better physical appearance and confidence level. Fat loss often leads to a more toned and defined appearance. And this benefit goes way beyond the physical. It's about feeling comfortable and proud of your body. Imagine looking in the mirror and just loving what you see.

[00:06:49] Wearing clothes that make you feel beautiful and empowered. This newfound confidence radiates through every aspect of your life, boosting overall well being. And during the transformative period of menopause, when many women are facing physical and emotional changes, as well as added stressors related to family, relationships, career, achieving a healthier, more confident self can be life changing.

[00:07:21] My new coaching program, Lean and Strong Over 50, is specifically focused on strategies for effective fat loss and muscle building in midlife. So, the key components include strength training, no surprise there, uh, incorporating regular strength training exercises to help build and maintain muscle mass is so important.

[00:07:45] This not only really helps in that fat loss, but it also supports your bone health and that is crucial for, for people that are in menopause or postmenopausal because of the higher risk of osteoporosis. Another big element is eating protein rich diet, ensuring that your diet is rich in protein helps support muscle repair and muscle growth.

[00:08:09] So even in midlife, you can build muscle with strength training. And when you're having enough protein that actually aids that process. Yeah. Can it be a little bit more challenging than when you were in your twenties? Um, yes, but also just having that protein available, those amino acids available, which are the building blocks of muscle makes a big difference.

[00:08:35] Protein also helps you feel full and satisfied, and this reduces the likelihood of overeating and over consuming. which is detrimental to fat loss. The third big element is cardiovascular exercise. And this really is including the right type of cardio workouts. And that is made up of elements of frequency, intensity and time.

[00:09:06] So you want to have all these things dialed in for you. At this point in your life, based on what your fitness level is, what your exercise history are, is what you know, what you enjoy doing to be able to really boost overall energy expenditure and improve heart health. Another element is balanced nutrition.

Focusing on a balanced diet that includes plenty of vegetables, fruit, whole grains and healthy fats, as well as protein. is important to have all the elements there, all the macronutrients and that also gets you the micronutrients that you need, vitamin and minerals. Avoiding crash diets that promise rapid weight loss is important because they often just result in muscle loss and they're just not sustainable for the long term.

[00:10:00] At this time in life and midlife, we really need to be focusing on adequate recovery. This is another element that kind of sometimes doesn't get addressed in looking at changing body composition. So prioritizing sleep, prioritizing managing stressors effectively, and then building in recovery activities such as stretching and even like mindfulness practice can help rejuvenate and recover.

[00:10:33] When you are, you know, doing these elements of different exercises and things like that, good recovery practices are essential for overall health as well as effective fat loss. And then monitoring progress. So, In my program, I use ways of assessing progress without using weight on the scale because weight is just that one overall measure.

[00:11:00] What we want to do is we want to go, we want to go deeper. We want to go, you know, we want to go into what's really important and look at body composition. So we look at body fat and other measurements produce a more accurate picture of fat loss muscle preservation or increase in muscle mass. As well as looking at, you know, preserving bone density as well.

[00:11:27] If you're ready to take the next step to kind of recomposition, transform your health and fitness, I've created a free Lean and Strong Checklist and that includes the most effective strategies for eating, moving, recovering, and thinking to be fit and confident in your 50s. You can go to LisaDupreeCoaching.com/checklist to get your free copy. I also have a link in the show notes, that's just a really easy way to grab your copy if you go and click on that link in the show notes. 

[00:12:00] So I want to recap, focusing on fat loss rather than just weight loss and the number on the scale is particularly beneficial for this time of life when you're looking to lose weight and boost metabolism. This approach ensures the preservation of muscle mass, enhances metabolic health and leads to better physical and mental wellbeing by incorporating strength training, a protein rich diet. Appropriate and tailored cardiovascular exercise, balanced nutrition, and adequate recovery. You can really achieve a healthier and more sustainable result that is going to serve you better in the long run.

[00:12:41] And don't forget to grab the free lean and strong checklist today to get a jump start and really embrace this fat loss mindset for a fitter, stronger, confident, and more vibrant you during and after menopause. So you can go to lisadupreecoaching.com/checklist or use the link in the show notes. Thank you for listening. And until next time, get out there and keep your mojo rising!