Taking medicine for weight loss, optimizing your nutrition, and familiarity with your body’s natural weight trends – this episode is all about answering your questions. This is what it boils down to – this is why this journey is about so much more than weight loss. In this final episode of So Much More Than Weight Loss, I’m going through any outstanding questions listeners have asked me.   Maintain Muscle Mass and Lose Fat Strength training three times a week Optimize your nutrition Eat to your specific macronutrients   Optimize Your Weight Loss First, we’re talking about whether taking medicine is the only way to lose weight once you’ve hit menopause or when you’re insulin resistant. No, it’s not the only way. Even if you are taking medicine, please know that you can still do your own work – weight loss medicine just helps you along the way. It’s so important that you maintain your lean muscle mass while losing body fat. By regular strength training and optimizing your nutrition and macronutrients, you can help preserve your lean muscle mass.  You also want to get familiar with your body’s weight trends. Your body cycles, so your weight will cycle, too. Try not to check the scale too often – even every two weeks is too much.   Tracking Your Nutrition I also explain how to calculate your nutrition needs, giving specific examples. I always encourage you to increase your protein needs and to eat complex carbohydrates rather than simple carbs. If you’re tracking your food, I don’t believe you have to track your vegetables, as I want you to eat as many as you can. Overall, I want you to find out what you enjoy eating and how you enjoy moving. Your enjoyment in this journey matters more than anything else and is why you keep going! What is your favorite thing to eat? What kind of movement do you prefer to do? Let me know in the comments on the episode page.   In This Episode  Whether medicine is the only way to lose weight when you hit menopause and have insulin resistance [2:00] The role of medicine that helps with weight loss [2:00] How to maintain muscle mass while working on fat loss [6:00] Why you need to get comfortable with your body’s trends [9:00] How to determine your protein needs based on your height and goals [12:45] What type of carbohydrates you might want to track [14:45] An example of a daily nutrition breakdown [18:00] Why it’s so important to enjoy the journey [25:45]   Quotes “You can get results. Don’t let menopause be an obstacle for why you believe you can’t get results. Medication may be necessary at some point, but it doesn’t mean you can’t make significant changes without it.” [5:11] “When weight loss is optimal, and we’re dealing with body composition change, we’re not going to lose a whole lot of weight on the scale.” [7:02] “When thinking about pre-and post-workout nutrition, if the goal is body composition, how we feed ourselves before and after exercise is also very important. Before and after exercise, our body relies on protein and carbohydrates, and fat is less of the requirement.” [21:22] “Embracing body composition really comes down to the commitment to learning about what your body needs and then actually enjoying the process of doing it. If you don’t like what you’re doing, you’re not going to do it. We have to promote this safe space to explore what you do like doing.” [25:00]   Resources Mentioned Check out the full episode page here Find Life Coaching for Women Physicians Online Follow Dr. Ali Novitsky on Facebook | Instagram  Subscribe to Life Coaching for Women Physicians on Apple Podcasts Podcast production by the team at Counterweight Creative   Related Episodes  Episode 139: So Much More Than Weight Loss Part 6 Episode 138: So Much More Than Weight Loss Part 5 Episode 137: So Much More Than Weight Loss Part 4