For years, women have been taught that eating less is the fastest path to losing weight. But for women navigating menopause, that belief may be doing more harm than good. And according to Nikkiey Stott, co-founder of WarriorBabe, it is one of the most overlooked reasons progress stalls.
“Women think they need to eat less because their body is changing,” Stott explains. “But in many cases, they need to eat more strategically through macro-based nutrition, not just eat less overall.”
That misconception is where most women in midlife get stuck.
Your metabolism isn’t broken; it’s just adapting
As women enter perimenopause and menopause, hormonal shifts begin to influence how the body uses energy. Estrogen production declines, muscle mass becomes harder to maintain, and recovery slows. These changes are often interpreted as a “slowing metabolism,” but that framing misses what is really happening.
“Your body is always trying to keep you alive,” Stott says. “If you consistently underfuel it, it will adapt to survive.”
That adaptation shows up in subtle but frustrating ways, including lower energy, increased fat storage (especially around the midsection), disrupted sleep, and plateaus in weight loss despite eating less. What many women do in response is double down. They cut calories further, add more cardio, and try to outwork what feels like resistance.
But the issue isn’t effort. It’s fuel.
Undereating and muscle loss go hand in hand
One of the biggest risks of undereating during menopause is muscle loss. And for women over 40, that loss carries more consequences than many realize.
“Muscle drives your metabolism,” Stott emphasizes. “It’s what allows your body to use and burn energy efficiently.”
When calorie intake is too low, especially without enough protein, the body doesn’t just pull from fat stores but also breaks down muscle tissue to meet its energy needs. Over time, that leads to a slower metabolism, reduced strength, and a body that feels harder to maintain. That point is where many women see fewer results, despite feeling like they are doing everything right.
“When women are eating less and working out more but still getting nowhere, it’s usually because their body no longer trusts that it’s going to be fueled consistently,” Stott explains.
At WarriorBabe, this is one of the first patterns Stott and her team address. And they don’t address it by pushing more restrictions, but by rebuilding a foundation of proper fueling.
Information is the enemy, not hunger
Diet culture has trained women to ignore hunger cues or see them as a lack of discipline. But during menopause, those signals become even more important.
“Hunger is your body communicating with you,” Stott explains. “Ignoring it is often what keeps women stuck.”
When women consistently ignore hunger, cortisol levels can rise, which further impacts fat storage and energy levels. Combined with already fluctuating hormones, this creates a cycle that feels difficult to break.
Instead of viewing hunger as a problem, the goal becomes learning how to respond to it with intention. That means prioritizing protein, incorporating carbohydrates around activity, and ensuring overall intake supports the body’s daily demands.
It’s not about eating more for the sake of it. It’s about eating enough to function.
Why “eat less, move more” stops working
The traditional weight loss advice of “eat less, move more” is rooted in a simple equation. But the body, especially in midlife, is not simple.
“When you’re 25, you can get away with a lot,” Stott says. “But when you’re 45, your body requires a different level of support.”
Undereating combined with excessive cardio creates stress on the body. And in menopause, where the body is already more sensitive to stress, that approach can backfire quickly.
Instead of losing fat, the body holds onto it. Instead of feeling energized, women feel depleted. And instead of building consistency, they burn out. That’s why strength training and proper nutrition are paired so closely in Stott’s approach.
“You can’t train your way out of underfueling,” she says. “The body needs both stimulus and support.”
Reframing progress in midlife
Part of the challenge is how progress is defined. For years, the scale has been the primary metric. But when undereating leads to muscle loss, the number on the scale may go down while overall health declines.
“A smaller body isn’t always a healthier body,” Stott points out.
In menopause, progress looks different because it’s reflected in strength, energy, recovery, and consistency (i.e., how the body performs, not just how it looks). This shift requires letting go of outdated rules and replacing them with strategies that align with what the body actually needs.
Fueling as a long-term strategy
The idea that eating more can lead to better results feels counterintuitive for many women. But when done correctly, it is often the missing piece.
“Food isn’t the problem. Undereating is,” Stott says.
By increasing protein intake, maintaining adequate calorie intake, and supporting workouts with carbohydrates, women can begin to rebuild muscle, stabilize energy levels, and create a metabolism that works with them instead of against them. It’s not a quick fix; it’s a long-term strategy. And that’s the point.
“Menopause isn’t the end of progress,” Stott says. “It’s just a different phase that requires a different approach.”
When women stop trying to shrink their bodies through restriction and start supporting them through proper nutrition, everything changes. Strength returns. Energy improves. And results finally become sustainable.
Because in midlife, the goal isn’t to eat less. It’s to fuel better.