In perimenopause, your muscles become resistant to protein signals a phenomenon called anabolic resistance driven by declining oestrogen. The standard RDA of 0.8g/kg/day was designed to prevent deficiency, not maintain muscle mass during hormonal transition. Research consistently supports 1.2–1.6g/kg/day for perimenopausal women roughly double the RDA. Timing matters too. Here's what the evidence says about how much perimenopause protein you actually need, when to eat it, and

60–70% of women gain weight during perimenopause — not from eating more, but because five hormonal systems governing metabolism, fat storage, appetite and calorie burning shift simultaneously. Estrogen redirects fat to the abdomen. Progesterone loss removes 600 calories a month you were burning without knowing it. Insulin resistance increases. Leptin stops working. And FSH — a hormone nobody talks about — independently drives fat gain before estrogen even drops. Here's what's