No, Your Metabolism Isn’t Broken - But Your Strategy Might Be
If you’ve ever blamed your age—or your hormones—for a sluggish metabolism, here’s some truth with a little tough love: your metabolism isn’t broken. But your muscle mass? That might be on the decline. And that, my friend, is the real issue.
Let’s bust the myth up front:
🔥 There is no such thing as a broken metabolism. 🔥
What’s really slowing things down is muscle loss—not your birthday, not your babies, not even menopause (we’ll address this further down).
Muscle = Metabolism
Women lose 3–8% of their muscle per decade after age 30. During the menopausal transition, that loss speeds up like a shopping cart on a hill. This age-related muscle loss is called sarcopenia, and while it can be part of the normal aging process, it’s not inevitable.
Why should you care? Because muscle drives your metabolism.
More muscle = more calorie burn, even at rest.
Less muscle = slower burn, more stubborn fat.
If you're cutting calories without lifting weights or eating enough protein, you're not shrinking fat—you’re shrinking muscle. That’s not weight loss, that’s metabolic sabotage. Something the scale alone won’t tell you. You need to understand your body composition…in other words, you need to know what you’re made of. The type of exercise you do and the quality of food you eat, matters.
Muscle Burns More Than Fat
Muscle is metabolically active tissue. That means it burns calories even when you’re just binge-watching Netflix or answering emails. Fat? Not so much. Think of it like this: two people might weigh the same, but the one with more muscle and less fat will have a higher resting metabolism. So building and maintaining muscle isn’t just about strength—it’s about body composition. The scale might not budge, but your jeans fit better, your energy improves, and your body works more efficiently.
But it’s not just how much you eat—it’s what you eat. Quality matters. You can’t fuel a high-performance machine with ultra-processed snack packs and expect it to build muscle. Whole foods rich in protein, fiber, healthy fats, and micronutrients give your body the tools it needs to repair, recover, and stay lean.
Why You’re Losing Muscle (And How to Stop It)
Muscle is like a toddler: it needs constant attention and snacks.
Stop under-eating. Chronic calorie restriction makes your body cling to fat and burn muscle. That 1,200-calorie plan? It’s not helping.
Start lifting. Resistance training causes microscopic damage to muscles—and your body responds by rebuilding them stronger. No, it won’t make you “bulky,” but it will keep you out of the skinny-fat danger zone.
Eat more protein. Especially when in a calorie deficit. Protein protects your muscle, keeps you full, and burns more calories during digestion.
Muscle Building Formula:
Lift heavy. Eat protein. Sleep. Repeat.
Quick Hits for Building & Keeping Muscle:
Train with weights 2–4 times a week.
Aim for 6–12 reps per set, near muscle fatigue. (Which means picking up something heavy enough).
Keep rest breaks short (30–90 seconds).
Eat at least 1.2-1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight. (More if you are trying to build muscle, up to 2 grams is ok, more than that won’t help, it will only put strain on your kidneys). ie. 130lb / 2.2= 59kg; 59kg x 1.2grams= 70.8grams; 59kg x 2grams=118grams ~ a 130lb woman should aim for 70.8-118grams of protein per day, spread through the day. That’s approximately 30 grams of protein per meal.
Avoid crazy-low calories—especially if you’re working out.
Sleep like it’s your job (this is a non-negotiable and when the magic really happens). 7–9 hours a night.
Why Eating Too Little Backfires
If you have subscribed to the “Eat Less, Move More” mentality and you’re still not losing fat, guess what? Your body’s in starvation mode.
Under-eating tells your body that food is scarce, so it holds onto fat to use as energy when that next meal never comes, which tanks your energy, and slows everything down to focus only on the essentials. That’s not a plateau—it’s a survival response.
Instead, try this:
Create a modest calorie deficit (10–25% max). Get help from a professional who can help you figure out the what and how for your caloric intake.
Keep it short (6–8 weeks), then return to maintenance. (Or at least check in with yourself to see if you’re really doing what you said you would).
Prioritize protein and keep strength training in the mix.
But What About Menopause?
Ah yes, the midlife plot twist. Menopause feels like the culprit behind a slowed metabolism—and in a way, it kind of is. But not for the reason you think. The real driver is still the same formula: declining muscle mass. What changes is how fast you lose that muscle, thanks to a hormonal cocktail that's getting a little weaker—especially testosterone, which plays a big role in maintaining muscle.
So no, it’s not just in your head. You really are working with a different set of ingredients now. What worked at 25—eating less, doing more cardio, skipping meals—just won’t cut it anymore. In fact, it might backfire hard. You’ve got to train smarter, eat to fuel instead of shrink, and give your body what it actually needs in this chapter.
And yeah, change is hard—especially when you’re tired, stressed, sleep-deprived, and trying to keep 67 plates spinning at once. But hard doesn’t mean impossible. You don’t have to do it all at once, and you definitely don’t have to do it alone.
Bottom Line: Fix Your Muscle, Fix Your Metabolism
If you want to boost your metabolism, preserve muscle, and feel like a badass in your own skin, here’s your 3-step roadmap:
Eat enough protein to protect your lean mass.
Lift heavy things (with good form).
Stop starving yourself and start fueling your body like you actually want to see results.
Ready to Take Action?
If you’re tired of doing everything “right” and getting nowhere, let’s talk. Book a free discovery call and let’s build a strategy that actually works with your body—not against it.
Not ready for 1:1 coaching just yet? Check out my 14 Day Protein Challenge , a self-paced program to guide you in slowly adding more protein to your diet.
