The Healthy Living Blog

The Protein Shift: Why Women Over 40 Need More (and How to Get It)

You're training hard. You’re watching what you eat. But the results are not what they used to be.

Here’s something most women don’t know:
As we transition through menopause, our bodies become less responsive to the protein we eat.

This is called anabolic resistance—and it’s one of the biggest reasons women lose muscle, gain fat, and feel tired or frustrated in midlife.

The fix? More protein. And better timing.

🧬 The science behind it (Dr. Stacy Sims–style)

Dr. Stacy Sims, exercise physiologist, nutrition scientist and expert in female performance, breaks it down like this:

✔️ Estrogen plays a big role in how efficiently we build and maintain muscle
✔️ As estrogen declines, our sensitivity to dietary protein decreases
✔️ This means we need more protein just to stimulate the same muscle repair and growth

She recommends between 2-2.3 grams of protein per kg of body weight per day.
That’s significantly more than standard guidelines—and it’s essential for women who are active, training, ...

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Why building muscle is the most important thing you can do in menopause

Forget toning. It’s time to start training for muscle—and here’s why it matters more now than ever.

There’s a narrative women have been sold for decades:
✨ “Get leaner, not bulkier.”
✨ “Tighten and tone.”
✨ “Stay small.”

But once we enter peri-menopause and post-menopause, those goals stop serving us.

In fact, trying to shrink ourselves—by eating less, doing more cardio, and avoiding strength training—can make everything we’re trying to fix even worse.

Let’s get one thing straight:
Muscle isn’t a vanity goal. It’s your metabolic engine, your strength, your stability, and your future independence.
And if you’re in your 40s, 50s, or beyond, building it should be one of your top priorities.

🧠 What’s happening to your muscle in menopause?

According to Dr. Stacy Sims, once estrogen starts declining, several critical shifts occur:

1. Your body becomes less anabolic
This means it’s harder to build and maintain lean muscle—even if you're training the way you used to. Estrogen helps stimulate ...

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