Lose Stubborn Belly Fat and Build Lean Muscle in Perimenopause and Beyond.
You’re eating less, working out, and watching every bite. The scale won’t move, your midsection keeps changing, and the muscle you used to build easily isn’t showing up anymore.
I help women in perimenopause through post-menopause lose body fat, especially around the belly, and build muscle through personalized nutrition, structured strength training, and ongoing coaching built around your real life.
30 years as a Registered Nurse. 20 years in nutrition and lifestyle. Former competitive bodybuilder. 100% virtual.
See If You QualifyStart with the Free Body Results Assessment.
Does This Sound Like You?
Your body stopped responding the way it used to. You may recognize one of these, or several.
The Scale Won’t Move
You’re eating less and moving more, and the number hasn’t budged in months.
Belly Fat That Wasn’t There Before
Your midsection is thicker and your clothes fit differently, even though your habits haven’t changed.
Your Body Composition Is Shifting
You weigh about the same, but you look softer and you’re losing tone you used to have.
Diets That Used to Work Don’t Anymore
Cutting calories, cutting carbs, fasting, starting over on Monday. Each attempt gets less response than the last.
Working Out Without Building Muscle
You’re putting in the effort, but you’re not getting stronger or seeing the definition you expect.
Losing Weight, Then Gaining It Back
You lose a few pounds, it creeps back, and you’re not sure what actually worked.
Some women use hormone therapy, some can’t, and some choose not to. Some use GLP-1 medications. Either way, many still find the scale stuck, their belly unchanged, or their muscle slipping away. Medication can be part of your care, but it doesn’t replace the right nutrition, strength training, and consistency.
The Moment You Decide You’re Done Guessing
Most women live with these changes for months, even years. They try another diet, add more cardio, eat even less, and tell themselves it will turn around.
Then something makes it unacceptable to keep going the same way. Pants that won’t button. A photo where you don’t recognize yourself. A doctor’s visit where the number on the scale is higher again. Or realizing you’re working harder than ever and your body is giving you less in return.
It’s rarely one moment. It’s the realization: “What I’ve been doing isn’t working anymore, and I don’t want to spend another six months guessing.”
When you reach that point, the instinct is to find a stricter diet or a harder workout. Here’s why that usually isn’t what’s missing.
Eating Less and Doing More Isn’t the Answer
When the scale stalls and your belly changes, the usual advice is to cut more calories and add more cardio. In perimenopause and beyond, that often backfires. Eating too little and skipping strength training can cost you muscle, and losing muscle makes it even harder to lose fat.
After 30 years in nursing, 20 years in nutrition and lifestyle, and years as a competitive bodybuilder, here’s what I see: most women aren’t failing for lack of effort. What’s missing is:
- Eating enough protein and the right foods to lose fat without losing muscle
- A structured strength training plan that actually builds muscle
- Knowing which change to make first, instead of changing everything at once
- Making that change work in your real meals, weekends, and busy days
- Tracking the right progress markers, not just the scale
- Someone reviewing your results and adjusting with you
So they keep starting over, trying the next plan, and can’t tell what’s actually working.
Doing more isn’t the same as doing the right things, in the right order, consistently. That’s where real fat loss and muscle come from.
How I Help You Figure Out What Matters First
When you’re struggling to lose stubborn belly fat or build muscle, doing more isn’t always the answer. You need to understand what you’re actually doing, how your body is responding, and what deserves attention first. Instead of handing you another diet or workout plan, I help you look at your nutrition, strength training, lifestyle habits, and real results so we can make changes in the right order.
See What’s Actually Happening
We look at your real meals, daily habits, strength training, sleep, and progress. Not what you think you’re doing, but what your actual data shows us.
Decide What to Change First
Instead of changing everything at once, we identify one meaningful adjustment based on where you are right now and what your data shows.
Build Consistency in Real Life
You practice that change through your actual meals, workouts, weekends, restaurants, and busy days. We focus on making it consistent before adding something else.
Review Your Results and Adjust
We look at your trends, body measurements, progress photos, strength, and other relevant indicators to see how your body is responding. Then we decide whether to stay the course, make an adjustment, or move forward.
From Starting Over to Seeing Real Results
The shift
- Eating less and lessEating to lose fat and keep muscle
- More cardioStructured strength training
- Changing everything at onceOne meaningful change at a time
- Judging progress by the scale aloneMeasurements, photos, and strength
- Starting over every MondayHabits that hold up in real life
What women tell me changes
- Losing belly fat and inches
- Getting stronger and building lean muscle
- Clothes fitting better, and sometimes a smaller size
- Knowing exactly what to eat and how to train
- Habits that hold up on busy days, trips, and hard weeks
- Steadier energy and better sleep along the way
- Feeling confident in their body again
Every woman’s results are her own, and no specific result is promised.
Meet Michelle Black, RN
Michelle Black, RN | Functional Nutrition + Lifestyle | Perimenopause through post-menopause
I’ve been a Registered Nurse for 30 years and have worked in nutrition and lifestyle for 20. I’m also a former competitive bodybuilder and bikini competitor, so I know firsthand what it takes to lose fat and build muscle.
When you work with me, it’s personalized coaching, not a template. It’s not another diet, meal plan, or information course. We use your real nutrition and lifestyle data, a structured strength training plan, and consistent coaching to make one meaningful change at a time, then review your results and adjust. It works alongside your medical care and doesn’t replace it.
- Built around your real life: work, family, travel, and restaurants
- Structured strength training matched to your current level
- For women who use hormone therapy or GLP-1 medications, and women who don’t
- No unnecessary supplements or extreme workouts
- Adaptable for vegetarian and plant-based lifestyles
- 100% virtual, for women across the US
"I joined this program when I was at my wits end. I now know how to eat for my body. My energy is high all day, I sleep great, and the plantar fasciitis I thought was from weight gain? Just changed how I eat and it went away completely."
Joanne Thuman, Program Member
See If You Qualify Read Michelle's StoryWant to Know Why the Scale Stopped Moving?
The Free Body Results Assessment helps you see why your body may not be losing fat or building muscle the way it used to, and what to focus on first. Everyone starts here. Women who qualify may be invited to a free 30-minute 1:1 Body Results Assessment with me, where we talk about what’s been happening, what you’ve tried, what you want to change, and whether working together makes sense for you.
See If You QualifyReal Women. Real Results.
Women who were frustrated with their weight, their belly, and their body, in their own words. Every woman’s results are her own.
When I started working with Michelle, I was waking up two to three times a night, dealing with hot flashes, cold flashes, and struggling with body composition no matter what I tried. I had read the books. I had tried the programs. Nothing was working. Since working with Michelle, I cannot remember the last time I had a hot flash. The cold flashes stopped almost immediately. I now wake up once a night at most and go right back to sleep. My body fat dropped from 37.2% to 30.3%. I went from a size 16 to a 14 and my 16s literally fall off me now. My face has changed. My belly has changed. And I did all of it without counting a single calorie. What is different here is not just the information. It is the how. Michelle identifies the specific patterns in your nutrition and lifestyle that are working against you and we fix them together. I am not following a meal plan. I am learning how to eat for my body and my life and it is working in a way nothing else ever has. If you are a woman over 50 who has tried everything and thinks you already know what to do, you probably do not. I did not. This is different.
Program MemberI lost 60 pounds, my energy improved, and my cravings decreased drastically. My blood sugars are stable and I feel it when I have an off day. I was post-menopausal with Type 2 diabetes and I tried everything. Then I found Michelle. Follow the program. It works. I am 69 and feel healthier than ever.
Karen LoveI was on 3 prescriptions. The more I worked out and less I ate, the worse I felt. Within 3 months of joining I was off all prescriptions and lost 30 pounds and a bunch of inches. She gave me my freedom with food back.
Lisa WilkersonShe teaches you how to heal your body through food. Easy steps that work to reverse menopause symptoms including weight issues. I lost 15 pounds by just changing what I eat and when. NOT dieting. I still get ice cream when I want it but I crave it less.
Marybeth RobertsI was 219 pounds, hit a standstill at 183, and went back and forth to 187. I went through the teaching modules again and really put her knowledge into action. I have lost 4 more pounds in the last 2 weeks. Macronutrients finally make sense with Michelle Black.
Lisa FoleyMy clothes fit better, my energy is high throughout the entire day, and I sleep great. The hormones alone were not doing the trick. This nutrition program gave me the emotional stability and energy I had been missing for years.
Joanne ThumanHot flashes are gone. Joint pain reduced so much I can now sleep on my side. Brain fog gone. I learned how to balance my meals and exercise correctly for my hormones. This program truly works.
Tonia GipsonI reduced the medications I am on and feel so much better. She is truly invested in the success of her clients. She answers questions in the community and offers weekly Zoom support calls. If you want a maintainable lifestyle she is your person.
Angela Hodges6 weeks in and I am finally sleeping. No more hot flashes and I am not craving like I used to. I feel like a 7 or 8 out of 10 and I was at zero when I started. This is not something you can Google. It takes the right support and the right plan.
Program Member, 6 Weeks InMy total cholesterol improved from 193 to 163 in one year. My bone density test that previously showed osteoporosis now shows osteopenia and my fracture risk dropped to 12%. My doctor told me to keep doing what I am doing. I learned to leave the diet mentality behind and finally understand how to nourish my body and burn fat efficiently. This is truly a lifestyle not a diet.
Jeri Missasi DennisonWould you like to be the next woman who loses the belly fat and feels strong in her body again?
See If You Qualify Read more success storiesYour Questions Answered
What women ask most before they decide on their next step.
Wouldn't It Feel Good to Stop Starting Over?
If you’re tired of dieting without results and you’re ready to lose the belly fat and build muscle, let’s figure out what to focus on first, together.
Your first step is the Free Body Results Assessment. If you qualify, you’ll be invited to choose a time for a free 30-minute 1:1 Body Results Assessment, where we’ll talk about what’s been happening, what you’ve tried, what you want to change, and whether working together makes sense for you.
Michelle Black, RN | Functional Nutrition + Lifestyle | Perimenopause through post-menopause. This information is educational and does not replace guidance from your doctor.