In day two of my training workshop, I’m joined by Coach Megan Hart to break down how to strength train for fat loss and body recomposition in menopause.

We cover why body composition matters more than BMI, the difference between weight loss and fat loss, and how losing weight without lifting can lead to a “skinny fat” look, especially if you’re undereating or using GLP-1s without enough protein.

Megan explains why strength training 3–4 days per week, adequate calories, and at least 100g+ protein help preserve muscle, support metabolism, improve insulin sensitivity, and protect bones.

We talk about avoiding excessive cardio and overly intense workouts that can spike cortisol, using progress photos and measurements, and building a simple, structured plan (3-day full body or 4-day upper/lower) with recovery, sleep hygiene, and supplements like fish oil and creatine.

If you wan the full workshop, you can get it here:

Thank you so much for listening, please share with a friend and subscribe so you don't miss an episode!

If you want to see how I can help you on your journey, book a quick 10-15 minute call so we can chat about your goals!
https://www.menopotmeltdown.com/quickchatnow

Now accepting clients! Fit AF 90 Day Program

https://go.katalystfitness.net/fit-after-fifty

Free No BS Menopause Secrets Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/kathykatalyst/?ref=share

For all my social links: https://go.katalystfitness.net/kathykatalyst

Do you have a question that you would like answered on the show? Please ask your question here:
https://go.katalystfitness.net/podcast-question-entry

Have a personal question? Email me at kathycote9142@comcast.net

Check out the Mastering Menopause Macros Course on making weight loss in menopause easy by tracking macros. All the tips and tricks that my clients and I have used!

https://www.menopotmeltdown.com/mastering-menopause-macr...

If you’re tracking your food but unsure whether to log your protein cooked or raw, this episode is for you.

This is a quick, practical breakdown of how I log protein and why it matters, especially if you’re working toward fat loss in menopause.

When protein cooks, it loses water and typically shrinks by about 25%. That means if you’re not accounting for that, you could be underestimating your protein and calories.

In this episode, I walk you through exactly how to calculate it easily plus a little tracking hack that I use as well. If you're already logging it a certain way, then by all means, please keep doing it your way!

• Protein shrinks when it’s cooked
• The 25% rule and how to use it
• How to convert cooked weight back to raw
• Why I prefer logging protein as raw in MyFitnessPal
• A simple math hack to make this easy (no overthinking required)

This is one of those small details that can make a big difference in your results.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing everything right but not seeing progress, tightening up your tracking could be the missing piece.

And if you need help dialing this in, feel free to reach out to me directly.

Thank you so much for listening, please share with a friend and subscribe so you don't miss an episode!

If you want to see how I can help you on your journey, book a quick 10-15 minute call so we can chat about your goals!
https://www.menopotmeltdown.com/quickchatnow

Now accepting clients! Fit AF 90 Day Program

https://go.katalystfitness.net/fit-after-fifty

Free No BS Menopause Secrets Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/kathykatalyst/?ref=share

For all my social links: https://go.katalystfitness.net/kathykatalyst

Do you have a question that you would like answered on the show? Please ask your question here:
https://go.katalystfitness.net/podcast-question-entry

Have a personal question? Email me at kathycote9142@comcast.net

Check out the Mastering Menopause Macros Course on making weight loss in menopause easy by tracking macros. All the tips and tricks that my clients and I have used!

https://www.menopotmeltdown.com/mastering-menopause-macr...

Peptides are everywhere right now.

Over the past week I attended a three day seminar teaching coaches how to add peptides to their business. The results being presented were impressive and the money being made in this space is even more impressive.

So I had to ask myself the question, should I be offering peptides to my clients?

In this episode I take you behind the scenes of what I learned and why I ultimately decided not to jump into the peptide gold rush.

This isn’t about saying peptides don’t work. They absolutely have their place. But the truth is my clients are already getting incredible results without injections, GLP-1 medications, or expensive peptide stacks.

Inside this episode I share why I’m sticking with the methods that already work for women in menopause, nutrition, strength training, lifestyle, and mindset.

One of my clients recently lost 15 pounds in nine weeks, and many women in my program lose 5 to 9 pounds in just two weeks using our rapid fat loss protocol once their metabolism is primed.

And that’s exactly what we focus on.

If you’ve been struggling with stubborn weight gain in menopause and feel like the rules have completely changed, you’re not crazy. They have.

I’m inviting you to my free 3-day workshop where I’ll show you exactly how we approach nutrition, training, and mindset for women in menopause.

You’ll walk away with your own macro targets, a 3-day strength training plan, and the mindset tools to finally stop the cycle of dieting and self sabotage.

3/23-3/25 7:30 pm EDT Join the workshop here:
https://go.katalystfitness.net/fitaf-menopause-workshop

Because yes, losing 10–15 pounds by summer is absolutely possible.

You just need the right approach.

Thank you so much for listening, please share with a friend and subscribe so you don't miss an episode!

If you want to see how I can help you on your journey, book a quick 10-15 minute call so we can chat about your goals!
https://www.menopotmeltdown.com/quickchatnow

Now accepting clients! Fit AF 90 Day Program

https://go.katalystfitness.net/fit-after-fifty

Free No BS Menopause Secrets Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/kathykatalyst/?ref=share

For all my social links: https://go.katalystfitness.net/kathykatalyst

Do you have a question that you would like answered on the show? Please ask your question here:
https://go.katalystfitness.net/podcast-question-entry

Have a personal question? Email me at kathycote9142@comcast.net

Check out the Mastering Menopause Macros Course on making weight loss in menopause easy by tracking macros. All the tips and tricks that my clients and I have used!

https://www.menopotmeltdown.com/mastering-menopause-macr...

In this episode of Mastering Menopause, I’m sharing a huge takeaway from a last minute health and mindset conference I attended in St. George, Utah, hosted by Jimmy Rex.

We get into what surprised me most, the speakers who completely blew me away, and why the real theme of the weekend wasn’t just “health hacks,” it was mindset, neuroplasticity, and the power of the story you tell yourself.

I also talk candidly about peptides, GLP 1s, and why I’m cautious about how they’re being marketed online. This is not something you dabble in for 30 days and suddenly become an expert. If you’re considering peptides, this episode will help you think smarter about safety, sourcing, blood work, and why foundational habits still matter most.

Highlights include:
• How building muscle and longevity should be the real goal in midlife
• A powerful neuroplasticity story from Dancing with the Stars alum Ashley Diallo
• Gut health insights that go beyond symptom chasing and get to root cause
• Why labs and individualized protocols matter before trying any intervention
• A jaw dropping story from Nick Yarris about survival, resilience, and mental strength
• How the weekend reignited my motivation to finish my book

https://www.instagram.com/mrjimmyrex/

https://www.instagram.com/dp_fit/

https://www.instagram.com/mobrossette/

https://www.instagram.com/itsashleynovak/

https://www.instagram.com/kirsten.asher.brossette/

https://www.instagram.com/nickyarris/

https://www.instagram.com/drnicholashowland

Thank you so much for listening, please share with a friend and subscribe so you don't miss an episode!

If you want to see how I can help you on your journey, book a quick 10-15 minute call so we can chat about your goals!
https://www.menopotmeltdown.com/quickchatnow

Now accepting clients! Fit AF 90 Day Program

https://go.katalystfitness.net/fit-after-fifty

Free No BS Menopause Secrets Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/kathykatalyst/?ref=share

For all my social links: https://go.katalystfitness.net/kathykatalyst

Do you have a question that you would like answered on the show? Please ask your question here:
https://go.katalystfitness.net/podcast-question-entry

Have a personal question? Email me at kathycote9142@comcast.net

Check out the Mastering Menopause Macros Course on making weight loss in menopause easy by tracking macros. All the tips and tricks that my clients and I have used!

https://www.menopotmeltdown.com/mastering-menopause-...

I’m making a strong case for tracking macros, especially for women in their 50s who feel stuck, frustrated, and tired of dieting.

If you’re still counting calories, guessing your protein, or saying “I eat pretty healthy” but not seeing results, this episode will open your eyes. I break down why tracking macros gives you real data instead of assumptions, how it helps you increase your metabolism safely, and why it’s actually the fastest and most enjoyable way to lose fat.

I talk about:
• The difference between counting calories and tracking macros
• Why most women dramatically underestimate protein
• Why I start clients in a maintenance phase before fat loss
• How tracking leads to true food freedom
• How our clients lose weight and maintain it without tracking

Tracking isn’t about obsession. It’s about information. And information gives you power.

If you’re ready to stop guessing, stop chronically dieting, and finally learn how to lose weight in a way you can maintain, this episode is for you.

Check out the Mastering Menopause Macros Course on making weight loss in menopause easy by tracking macros. All the tips and tricks that my clients and I have used!

https://www.menopotmeltdown.com/mastering-menopause-macros

Simplifying Macros Masterclass
Learn how to calculate your macros, hit your protein goals, and lose weight in menopause without stress or restriction. In this class, I’ll show you why MyFitnessPal gets it wrong and how to set up a simple, flexible plan that actually works.
https://go.katalystfitness.net/simplifyingmacros

Thank you so much for listening, please share with a friend and subscribe so you don't miss an episode!

If you want to see how I can help you on your journey, book a quick 10-15 minute call so we can chat about your goals!
https://www.menopotmeltdown.com/quickchatnow

Now accepting clients! Fit AF 90 Day Program

https://go.katalystfitness.net/fit-after-fifty

Free No BS Menopause Secrets Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/kathykatalyst/?ref=share

For all my social links: https://go.katalystfitness.net/kathykatalyst

Do you have a question that you would like answered on the show? Please ask your question here:
https://go.katalystfitness.net/podcast-question-entry

Have a personal question? Email me at kathycote9142@comcast.net

Check out the Mastering Menopause Macros Course on making weight loss in menopause easy by tracking macros. All the tips and tricks that my clients and I have used!

https://www.menopotmeltdown.com/mastering-menopause-...

Twenty years ago, I dug Valentine’s Day chocolates out of the trash.

And that moment kicked off 15 years of restriction, rules, all-or-nothing dieting, and solid disordered eating patterns that I didn’t even recognize at the time.

In this episode of Mastering Menopause, I’m sharing the story of the Valentine’s Day that changed everything — the 1,200 calorie era, the keto obsession, intermittent fasting, marathon training, and the years of believing I just “couldn’t be trusted” around food.

I was really good at losing weight.

I just sucked at maintaining it.

I lived in the constant cycle of:
• Restrict Monday through Thursday
• Blow it on the weekend
• Start over on Monday
• Create new rules
• Break them
• Beat myself up

I stopped baking cookies for my kids.
I wouldn’t keep “trigger foods” in the house.
I truly believed I had no control.

Until I learned how to eat in a way that actually supported my metabolism instead of fighting it.

In this episode, I talk about:

• How restriction creates obsession
• Why 1,200 calories isn’t the solution
• The mental freedom that comes from tracking macros properly
• Why protein is the secret sauce
• The difference between control and food freedom
• And how I can now have two chocolates and move on with my life

This is especially for the woman in her 40s or 50s who feels stuck in the restrict–binge–restart cycle and thinks menopause is the reason she can’t maintain weight loss.

It’s not.

Your metabolism just needs a different approach.

If you’re ready to break the cycle, I’m currently enrolling for the FIT AF Metabolic Fat Loss Accelerator — a 4-week program where we spend:

• 2 weeks at true maintenance
• 2 weeks in a precision fat loss phase
• With macro guidance, workouts, and real food freedom

https://go.katalystfitness.net/fatloss-accelerator

If this episode resonated, share it with a friend who needs to hear it.

You don’t have to live at war with your body or food anymore.

Thank you so much for listening, please share with a friend and subscribe so you don't miss an episode!

If you want to see how we can help you on your journey, book a quick 10-15 minute call so we can chat about your goals!
https://www.menopotmeltdown.com/quickchatnow

Now accepting clients! Coaching Process Video and booking link https://www.menopotmeltdown.com/mmmcoachingapp

Free No BS Menopause Secrets Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/kathykatalyst/?ref=share

For all my social links: https://go.katalystfitness.net/kathykatalyst

Do you have a question that you would like answered on the show? Please ask your question here:
https://go.katalystfitness.net/podcast-question-entry

Have a personal question? Email me at kathycote9142@comcast.net

I don't think most women understand the concept of eating at maintenance calories vs maintaining their weight on deficit calories.

If you’re eating 1,400 to 1,600 calories and not losing weight, this episode is for you.

One of the biggest misconceptions I hear from women in menopause is this:

“I must be eating at maintenance because my weight isn’t changing.”

But maintaining your weight and eating at your true maintenance calories are two very different things.

After years of chronic dieting, your metabolism adapts. Your body learns how to survive on fewer calories, fat loss stalls, energy drops, digestion slows, sleep suffers, and belly fat becomes harder to lose. Most women blame menopause, but what’s really happening is an underfed metabolism.

In this episode of Mastering Menopause, I break down:

• The difference between maintenance calories and metabolic adaptation
• Why eating more is often the first step to fat loss after 50
• How chronic dieting downregulates your metabolism
• Why the scale jumps when you increase calories (and why it’s not fat gain)
• How restoring calories helps reduce belly fat and improve energy
• Why maintenance calories are the foundation for sustainable fat loss

I also explain how I calculate true maintenance calories for my clients, why most women are not actually at maintenance, and why trying to diet harder on already low calories is exactly why fat loss has stopped working.

This episode is especially for women who feel stuck, tired, frustrated, and afraid to eat more, even though what they’re doing clearly isn’t working.

Your metabolism isn't broken, it's underfed.

I also share details about my new 4-week Metabolic Fat Loss Accelerator, where we spend two weeks restoring metabolism at maintenance calories before moving into a strategic fat loss phase. This is the same process I use with my one-on-one clients, just in a faster, structured format.

If you’re ready to stop chronic dieting and start working with your metabolism instead of against it, this episode will give you clarity and direction.

https://go.katalystfitness.net/fatloss-accelerator

Thank you so much for listening, please share with a friend and subscribe so you don't miss an episode!

If you want to see how we can help you on your journey, book a quick 10-15 minute call so we can chat about your goals!
https://www.menopotmeltdown.com/quickchatnow

Now accepting clients! Coaching Process Video and booking link https://www.menopotmeltdown.com/mmmcoachingapp

Free No BS Menopause Secrets Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/kathykatalyst/?ref=share

For all my social links: https://go.katalystfitness.net/kathykatalyst

Do you have a question that you would like answered on the show? Please ask your question here:
https://go.katalystfitness.net/podcast-question-entry

Have a personal question? Email me at kathycote9142@comcast.net

In this guest episode of Mastering Menopause, I sit down with Alicia, better known as AliciaXL on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. I found her through a clip shared by Brad Jensen, and I have been binging her content ever since. She is hilarious, brutally honest, and documenting her weight loss journey in a way that is refreshingly real.

We talk about why she chose full transparency, how accountability keeps her on track.

Alicia shares what it’s really like to lose weight when it isn’t pretty or perfect, how she handles low days, how she stays consistent when motivation is gone, and why tiny wins matter more than big, unsustainable overhauls.

We also get into practical nutrition and tracking. Alicia explains why tracking isn’t obsessive, it’s awareness, and why most people wildly underestimate portions and calories.

We talk protein goals, simple meal building, and how she makes “real life” cooking work without overcomplicating it. Plus, she shares her favorite tips, her most unhinged food combos, and the mindset shift she’s most proud of, learning how to stop hating herself and start talking to herself like someone worth fighting for.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or tired of trying to do this perfectly, you’re going to love this conversation.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aliciaaxl/

Thank you so much for listening, please share with a friend and subscribe so you don't miss an episode!

If you want to see how we can help you on your journey, book a quick 10-15 minute call so we can chat about your goals!
https://www.menopotmeltdown.com/quickchatnow

Now accepting clients! Coaching Process Video and booking link https://www.menopotmeltdown.com/mmmcoachingapp

Free No BS Menopause Secrets Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/kathykatalyst/?ref=share

For all my social links: https://go.katalystfitness.net/kathykatalyst

Do you have a question that you would like answered on the show? Please ask your question here:
https://go.katalystfitness.net/podcast-question-entry

Have a personal question? Email me at kathycote9142@comcast.net