Menopause Weight-Loss Breakthrough: Meet 4 Women Over 50 Who Lost 374 Lbs by Building Muscle
They prove tricks from Dr. Vonda Wright’s new book 'Unbreakable' work age-defying, waist-shrinking wonders
Want to stay incredibly strong, lean, energized, healthy and happy into your 70s, 80s, 90s and beyond? Unbreakable author Vonda Wright, MD, is on a mission to help you (and all women!) do just that. Read more in her recent Woman’s World cover feature. The key strategy she recommends for healthy longevity: Building muscle mass. Because strong muscles act as armor against weight gain, injury and age-related diseases that might otherwise tarnish the shine of your golden years. And if you want proof of how well it works—especially for menopause weight loss—we’ve got it!
Check out Dr. Wright, who appears on the cover of this week’s Woman’s World magazine (get your copy here!), where she shares how you can set yourself up for a long, strong life.
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Real-world proof muscle boosts menopause weight loss
Dr. Wright personally focused on key strategies like increasing protein intake and strength training to “recomposition” her own post-menopause body, naturally displacing 33 percent of her body fat as she gained eight pounds of firm muscle. She also restored her stamina, eliminated brain fog and generally got her swagger back. Good news: Many other women report similar life-changing benefits. We’d like to introduce you to four of them.
Biz, Lisa, Sheryl and JoAnn are women who incorporated key Unbreakable principles while struggling with age-related weight and health issues. Like Dr. Wright, the main dietary strategy they used was increasing protein, a nutrient that “feeds” muscles and helps them grow while simultaneously causing biochemical shifts that reduce hunger and cravings (Check out how much protein you need for weight loss).
In addition to following a healthy diet, they also became more active, with special focus on adding strength training—because nothing builds muscle better or faster (find Dr. Wright’s free beginners routine at TheUnbreakableBook.com). All four women agree that their lives will never be the same.
Menopause weight loss success: Biz Velatini, 57, reduced belly fat
A longtime WeightWatchers member, Biz Velatini stayed fairly fit and at a healthy weight for decades. Then her late husband got sick. Seven years of stress eating followed; it amplified the effect of age-related hormonal changes. After he passed, she was eventually ready to reclaim her wellbeing. Yet her outlook changed. “I learned to value what truly matters—health, strength, mobility, joy,” she says. “I made that my goal instead of being skinny.”
Fond of the structure WeightWatchers created, she stuck with the basic eating approach. “But I’d see people having poached chicken with plain yogurt and think ‘No! Food should be joy and comfort!’” she recalls. Biz began posting fun protein-rich recipes @MyBizzyKitchen on Instagram. She also stopped worrying about the scale and focused on how she felt.
Biz found that lots of protein, hydration and walks in her neighborhood revved her stamina and spirits. “Gradually, my stomach didn’t touch the steering wheel anymore.”
One day, already down 35 pounds, the Illinois mom tried a free YouTube strength training routine and got hooked. Eventually, she splurged on a trainer twice a week. Her physical power and mental resilience grew, and “I’ve got guns!” She didn’t lose another ounce, “but strength training reshaped my body. People are astonished to see how different I look today compared to a year ago at the exact same weight.”
To women who worry they don’t have it in them to transform their bodies, Biz reminds you she started in a very unhealthy place. “Make little changes until they’re your new normal,” she says. “It’s how I got a life I love!”
Menopause weight loss success: JoAnn, 74, lowered her blood sugar
Ohio educator JoAnn Berkowitz, 74, got heavier and sicker despite carefully tracking her sugar intake and daily steps. When she refused diabetes meds, doctors got her into a Cleveland Clinic study.
JoAnn wore a continuous glucose monitor (CGM), which helped her double down on tricks that worked best—like extra protein, more sleep and walks with a weighted vest. She has shed 73 pounds and cut her blood sugar by 152 points.
“People ask if I’m on a diet. I say, ‘No, I just manage my food differently.’ I have a different energy now at 57, which impacts my entire life. It’s the best I’ve felt in 30 years!”
Menopause weight loss success: Sheryl, 63, is now pain-free
Not long ago, Avon rep Sheryl Penn, 63, couldn’t lift even light boxes of beauty supplies and was gaining weight. Her health was spiraling, too. So she joined WeightWatchers. There, the California native learned strategies to lose weight and manage menopausal symptoms—like eating more protein, building muscle and prioritizing sleep—that are now part of WW’s new menopause program.
Sheryl, who takes strength training classes at a local park, got strong and firm as her high blood pressure, breathing issues, sciatica and arthritis pain disappeared. Down 126 pounds, “everything I do feels better and easier,” she says. “I’m excited to see my grandkids grow up!”
Menopause weight loss success: Lisa, 51, reversed her diabetes
“Menopause hit me like a truck,” recalls Lisa Dove, 51. Luckily, she told her ob-gyn about her brain fog, exhaustion and irritability. Lisa was put on menopause hormone therapy, “and it truly gave me my life back,” says the Illinois mom. (Read more about menopause hormone therapy and weight loss.)
She had the energy and optimism to start making healthy changes like cutting sugar, adding protein and joining Life Time Fitness, where she’s hooked on classes that mix cardio and strength training.
Once a 297-pound diabetic, Lisa shed 140 pounds and normalized her blood sugar. “The confidence I gained is what I love the most,” she says. “That and the definition in my arms!”
A version of this story originally appeared in the February 23, 2026, issue of Woman’s World
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