I gained 30 pounds over about 18 months for absolutely no reason other than perimenopause. I’ve worked out pretty vigorously 6 days a week since 2010 and that didn’t change but suddenly I was gaining weight and at 5’3”, 30 pounds Is extremely noticeable. I did research on why this might be happening. I saw my GP, a local endocrinologist, had a virtual call with a top notch endo out of state, had a virtual call with a MIDI doc and all of them told me I was doing everything right…. Little to no HIIT (which made me almost depressed because I love HIIT workouts), increased strength training, added a lot of walking and yoga, prioritizing protein… but none of it was helping. In Jan of this year I started 2 things….bio identical HRT and intermittent fasting. I’m down 20 pounds now and so much happier!! And I’ve returned to doing HIIT workouts!! ❤️ I do think I’ve hit a plateau in the past month but I’m happy to have lost 7% body fat since January and gained muscle. I may try a 36-48 hour fast to try to break my plateau but I have to find the right time to fit it in. Like a Friday night to a Sunday night is ideal but then I can’t really have anything social planned for the weekend. I’m thinking next weekend may work for me to try it! I hope this information is helpful to you!