09/19/2026
Respectfully, if you’re in perimenopause, doing Orangetheory six days a week, and fasting until noon, you may be driving the very weight gain you’re working so hard to prevent.
Exercise isn’t the problem. Fasting isn’t automatically the problem.
The problem is the total stress load.
When frequent high-intensity training is layered on top of under-fueling, poor sleep, hormonal changes, work, motherhood, and everyday life, your body may spend too much time in a stressed, sympathetic state without enough opportunity to recover.
And yes—I see women actively gaining weight while exercising harder and eating less.
That mismatch between output, nourishment, and recovery can contribute to:
• increased hunger and cravings
• disrupted sleep
• blood-sugar instability
• fluid retention and inflammation
• loss of metabolically active muscle
• fatigue and reduced movement throughout the rest of the day
• stubborn or increasing weight
This doesn’t mean you should stop exercising. It means your perimenopausal body may need a different strategy.
Fuel earlier.
Prioritize protein.
Strength train.
Walk.
Allow for true recovery.
And stop assuming that more intensity plus less food is always the answer.
Your body isn’t betraying you. It’s responding to the environment you’ve created—and that environment can change.
