Menopause misinformation… 💁🏼‍♀️

Menopause Misinformation Is Out of Control. It’s the latest trend – everyone is suddenly a menopause specialist. Social media fitness ‘experts’ are overcomplicating menopause, health, and fitness, and using women’s vulnerability to sell unnecessary products.

What does the science actually say?

• Hormone therapy may help with symptoms, but it won’t build muscle. Lift weights, but not necessarily heavy ones. Resistance training to failure works, whether that’s heavy with low reps or light with high reps.
• All exercise is good for health. Cardio remains important during and after menopause. Don’t skip it in favor of just lifting
• Weighted vests? Not needed unless you like them. There’s no solid evidence they help build muscle or bone just by wearing them while walking which is the current trend.
• Calorie deficits still work. Menopause doesn’t break biology. Your calorie requirement may change, but fat loss still comes down to a calorie deficit consistently, over time, and patience.
• Glucose and cortisol spikes are normal and necessary if you’re healthy. You don’t need to monitor or control them.
• Your liver and kidneys detox your body. No magic food, drink, or cleanse is needed. Eat nutritious meals with enough protein and fiber.
• Menopause supplements? They’re unregulated and untested and most don’t do much. Many have too little of anything useful to matter.
• Biohacks like cold plunges and red light therapy sound exciting, but there’s no strong scientific backing. Save your money

You’re not broken. Your body still responds to exercise before, during, and after menopause. Pick a routine you’ll stick with. Fat loss and muscle gain take time so stay patient.
There’s no magic diet, workout, or supplement. If a message sounds overly complicated or too good to be true, that’s a red flag. And usually the person giving that message is selling something.

The boring basics work. Consistency is key. Patience is paramount.
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Xx

‘Diet’ red flags 🚩

Diet culture is full of ‘solutions’ for weight loss. People pray on people’s desire for ‘guaranteed’ fixes and social media is FULL of “guaranteed” ways you can lose weight/fat. You’ll see plenty of self proclaimed fitness/health/well being “coaches” and influencers trying to suggest you really need to do whatever it is they’re selling.

There are a number of red flags to look out for when thinking about ‘dieting’.

Replacing whole foods with Juice Cleanses / Supplements or going on a ‘detox’ can result in fewer calories and rapid initial water loss and a possible calorie deficit from meal replacement. Supplements may also provide a laxative effect or promote excessive bowel movements etc which result in water loss. None of which are sustainable or healthy long term aproaches
to weight loss.

Labelling foods as ‘good’ or ‘bad’, or having ‘cheat’ meals are other terms to be wary of.
No food is good or bad – all foods are good, it’s just about quantity. Food and morality have nothing to do with each other and we shouldn’t attach guilt to eating certain types of food which we enjoy.

Excluding whole food groups (carbs/sugar/ etc) is also unnecessary and unsustainable. Unless you have a medically diagnoses reason to exclude a food then all foods can fit into a healthy diet.

Labelling foods and taking about diets and foods in these ways that cast judgment just leads to increased anxiety and confusion. Allow yourself food freedom, remove the guilt from certain foods and accept that all foods are permitted – it will lead to a far healthier relationship with food and a far happier path to weight loss. It also means you can save your pennies and avoid paying people for these products which make promises they can’t deliver.

🤗
xx

‘One Medium Avocado…’ 🥑

If you like them then avocados make a great addition to your meals. They’re full of unsaturated fats, high in fibre and vitamins C, E and K. They’re also high in magnesium and folate.

However, if you are trying to lose fat/weight and watching those cals then it’s worth just being aware that avocados can pack a punch when it comes to calories and they also vary significantly. If you’re using a calorie tracking app you’ll often find entries like ‘one medium avocado’ or ‘half a medium avocado ’ with the associated calories. You’d probably just enter that and assume you were pretty much right. But what exactly is ‘medium’? Medium to me may be small to someone else and the calorie differences are pretty significant!

The difference between these two avocados is nearly 100g and both are sold as ‘medium avocados’ – not small or large. So if you were regularly eating the larger one you’d be taking in almost 160 extra calories every time. That may not sound like much but over the course of a week or month that will add up. I’m not suggesting you stop having avocados if you like them – they’re fab! But just have a go at weighing your portion the next time you have some
avocado you have and see exactly how many calories it does contain.

Knowledge is power right? And if you’re trying to lower that bodyfat then every calorie counts! The more aware you are of what goes in to your mouth the better!
Enjoy 🤗
Xx