Robyn Salvi Fitness Coach & Nutritionist

If you’re looking for an online nutritionist UK women can work with from wherever they live, one of the areas I often think deserves far more nuance is nutrition during menopause. Weight gain around menopause is something many women experience, but the explanation isn’t as simple as “your hormones make you gain weight” or “your metabolism stops working”.

There are real physiological changes happening during this stage of life, but that doesn’t mean you’re powerless to influence your health, fitness or body composition.

It also doesn’t mean you need to go on an extremely restrictive diet.

Myth 1: Menopause Automatically Makes You Gain Weight

Menopause can be associated with changes in body composition and where the body tends to store fat, particularly around the abdomen.

Hormonal changes, ageing, changes in activity levels, sleep disruption and changes in appetite can all play a role.

But menopause itself doesn’t mean that weight gain is inevitable.

Your energy requirements may change over time, and maintaining the same eating and activity patterns you had in your 20s or 30s may produce different results as you get older. That’s normal.

It doesn’t mean your metabolism has “broken”.

It means your body and circumstances have changed, and your approach may need to change with them.

Myth 2: You Need to Eat Dramatically Less

This is one of the biggest traps. A woman notices changes in her weight during menopause and assumes she needs to slash her calories.

She starts eating very little, becomes hungry and tired, struggles to train, and eventually finds the diet impossible to maintain. Then she feels like she’s failed.

The problem wasn’t necessarily a lack of willpower. The approach was simply too restrictive.

A more useful strategy is to look at the whole picture. Your protein intake, fibre intake, activity levels, strength training, sleep, stress and overall calorie intake can all matter.

The answer doesn’t have to be “eat as little as possible”.

Myth 3: You Should Avoid Strength Training Because You Don’t Want to Bulk Up

Actually, strength training can be particularly valuable during menopause and beyond.

As we age, maintaining muscle mass and strength becomes increasingly important. Resistance training can help support muscle, strength and bone health, while also helping you remain physically capable.

And no, lifting weights doesn’t mean you’ll suddenly become bulky.

Building significant muscle takes consistent training and appropriate nutrition over time. You can absolutely use strength training to become stronger and improve your body composition without turning into a professional bodybuilder.

Myth 4: Cardio is The Answer to Weight Gain

Cardio has lots of benefits and absolutely deserves a place in your routine.

Walking, running, cycling, swimming, and other cardiovascular activities can support heart health and fitness, and increasing your general activity can contribute to energy expenditure.

But you don’t need to spend hours doing cardio as punishment for your food.

A combination of resistance training, cardiovascular activity and regular daily movement is often a much more sustainable approach.

Myth 5: Your Nutrition Needs to be Perfect

It doesn’t.

One takeaway meal isn’t going to ruin your progress. Neither is a slice of cake, a holiday or a weekend where you eat differently from normal.

What matters is what you do consistently.

A healthy diet can include foods you simply enjoy. You don’t have to eat perfectly clean, avoid every processed food or remove sugar entirely.

Instead, build the majority of your diet around nutritious foods while leaving room for flexibility.

What can actually help?

Start by looking at your protein intake. Protein can help support muscle maintenance and can also contribute to fullness. Including a source of protein at meals can be a useful habit.

Then look at fibre. Fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, beans, lentils, nuts and seeds can all contribute to a fibre-rich diet.

From there, consider your activity.

Are you strength training? Are you walking regularly? Are you doing some cardiovascular exercise? Are you sitting for most of the day?

And then consider sleep.

This is particularly important if you’re experiencing menopausal symptoms that interfere with sleep. Poor sleep can affect how you feel, your appetite and your ability to train and recover.

It’s not one single thing.

Your Approach May Need to Evolve

One of the most frustrating things women can experience is feeling like the methods that used to work no longer do.

Perhaps you could previously lose a few pounds by cutting back for a couple of weeks, but now it doesn’t seem to work in the same way.

Instead of seeing this as your body failing you, it can be helpful to see it as a reason to change your strategy.

You may need more focus on strength training. You may benefit from increasing your protein and fibre. Your calorie requirements may have changed. You might need to pay more attention to daily movement and recovery.

That’s where individual coaching can be useful.

As an online nutritionist UK women can work with from anywhere, I can help you make sense of the bigger picture rather than giving you another generic menopause diet.

You Don’t Have to Fight Your Body

Menopause isn’t something you need to “fix”. It’s a stage of life, and your body is going through changes.

The goal isn’t to turn back the clock. It’s to support your health, strength, fitness and confidence as you move through it.

If you’re struggling with nutrition, weight changes or simply don’t know what approach makes sense for you, use the contact form to send me a message.

As an online nutritionist UK, women can work with wherever they are, I can help you create a realistic approach to nutrition and training that supports your goals without relying on crash diets or outdated myths.