GLP-1s, Hormones, and Why You Can't Calorie-Count Your Way Out of Menopause with Dr. Michelle Gordon
6/2/20261 hr 15 min
In this episode of unPAUSED, Dr. Mary Claire Haver sits down with Dr. Michelle Gordon, a board certified obesity medicine physician and diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, with surgical fellowships from the American College of Surgeons and the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons. Through her practice Thrive Span Medical, she works with midlife women across 39 states whose metabolic and hormonal symptoms have been dismissed as normal aging. Dr. Gordon opens by dismantling the calories in, calories out framework, not as a vague wellness talking point but on a physiological level. She explains why biology determines the burn rate, why fat oxidation drops by 32% in perimenopause, why visceral fat accumulation accelerates when estrogen declines, and why insulin resistance and leptin resistance make it nearly impossible for midlife women to lose weight through willpower alone. She also covers how sleep deprivation compounds all of it, creating a cycle of cravings, brain fog, and weight gain that most women are navigating without any clinical support. Guest links: Michelle E. Gordon, DO (LinkedIn) Dr. Michelle Gordon (Instagram) Dr. Gordon, Obesity Medicine (Substack) Dr. Michelle Gordon (Facebook) Dr. Michelle Gordon Dr. Michelle Gordon (TikTok) Dr. Michelle Gordon Dr. Michelle Gordon (YouTube) Books: “The New Perimenopause: An Evidence-Based Guide to Surviving the Zone of Chaos and Feeling Like Yourself Again,” by Dr. Mary Claire Haver “The New Menopause,” by Dr. Mary Claire HaverWeightless: A Doctor's Guide to GLP-1 Medications, Sustainable Weight Loss, and the Health You Deserve,” by Dr. Rocio Salas-Whalen To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsMichelle Gordon· Guest0:00
Weight gain in midlife women is physiological and predictable. We know this now. The burn rate goes down, and you can't out-calorie count, count yourself out of it. It's gonna happen. It's predictable. We can work on it. Resistance training.
Mary Claire Haver· Host0:17
Mm-hmm.
Michelle Gordon· Guest0:17
I mean, that's, that's the number-one longevity hack. And sleep.
Mary Claire Haver· Host0:21
Yeah.
Michelle Gordon· Guest0:22
And fiber. You don't have to white-knuckle through it. If, if, if you start gaining weight, and you, you rapid- rapidly the weight comes on, and all you're doing is thinking about food and you're craving food, we have medica- medication that can help now. And the other thing I wanna say to the women is that if, if your doctor dismisses you, go get another doctor. There's a million doctors in this country. You don't have to go to a doctor that makes you feel like crap.
Mary Claire Haver· Host0:46
Yeah. [upbeat music] The views and opinions expressed on Unpaused are those of the talent and guests alone, and are provided for informational and entertainment purposes only. No part of this podcast or any related materials are intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Today's guest is someone I found the way I find many of the best medical communicators. I was scrolling on social media and came across a video where she was explaining why calories in, calories out does not work for many midlife women, not in the vague, wellness-y