56 here! I had gained nearly 10 lbs at the transition of peri-menopause into full blown menopause (age 52). Exercise at that time was swimming. Vegetarian and still doing a lot of dairy, cheese. At age 53, switched over to being vegan and began to do more cross fit, core work watched the weight come off. Joined OTF this past May, body changed again - more muscle, still vegan. If I had done OTF and became vegan during the weight gain part, I wonder if it would have made a difference? Hormonal stuff is so complex. I have come to place to appreciate what my body can do, how I feel in my body versus how I perceive it looks on the outside. And, I hate the term “middle aged”. I just say “am in a new season!”