Building Muscle in Menopause: Protein, Creatine and Strength Training with Dr. Gabrielle Lyon

In this episode of unPAUSED, Dr. Mary Claire Haver continues her conversation with Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, board-certified family physician, founder of the Institute for Muscle-Centric Medicine, and bestselling author of Forever Strong — and this time, it's the practical roadmap: exactly how to eat, train, and supplement to build muscle in your 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond. Dr. Lyon explains why your first meal after the overnight fast is the one that matters most — and why hitting 30–50 grams of protein at that meal can change your body composition even if you do nothing else. She breaks down anabolic resistance, the reason the diet and training that worked at 20 stops working at 58, and the research showing it's reversible: in one study, women over 60 got no muscle response from 15 grams of protein — but at 30 grams, their muscle responded just like the 20-year-olds'. Dr. Lyon and Dr. Haver get specific: what a 50-gram protein breakfast actually looks like, why two eggs won't stimulate aging muscle, how essential amino acids raise protein quality without more food, and why creatine at the doses shown to support muscle and brain health can't realistically come from diet alone. They cover why the protein RDA is a floor to prevent deficiency rather than a target for healthy aging, the truth about red meat and outdated saturated-fat guidelines, using triglycerides to personalise your carbohydrate intake, and the honest state of the evidence on estrogen, testosterone, and muscle. Dr. Lyon shares her warning about GLP-1 medications and a coming epidemic of accelerated sarcopenia — and how to use them safely with enough protein and resistance training — plus why "progressive overload" should really be "progressive stimulus," where a woman who has never lifted should start, and why getting bulky isn't the risk. Becoming frail is. Her three takeaways: get strong, prioritize high-quality protein, and know what you stand for. Guest links: Dr. Gabrielle Lyon (Website) https://drgabriellelyon.com/ Dr. Gabrielle Lyon (Instagram) Instagram: drgabriellelyon Dr. Gabrielle Lyon (Facebook) Facebook: doctorgabriellelyon Dr. Gabrielle Lyon (LinkedIn) LinkedIn: dr-gabrielle-lyon-00175a1a8 Dr. Gabrielle Lyon (YouTube) drgabriellelyon The Dr. Gabrielle Lyon Show (Apple Podcasts) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Books: "Forever Strong: A New, Science-Based Strategy for Aging Well," by Dr. Gabrielle Lyon https://www.amazon.com/Forever-Strong... "The Forever Strong PLAYBOOK: A Six-Week, Science-Based Plan to Sharpen Your Mind, Strengthen Your Body, and Get Healthy at Any Age," by Dr. Gabrielle Lyon https://www.amazon.com/Forever-Strong... "The New Perimenopause," by Dr. Mary Claire Haver https://thepauselife.com/pages/the-ne... "The New Menopause," by Dr. Mary Claire Haver https://www.amazon.com/New-Menopause-... For full show notes, please visit: https://bit.ly/4yhoHft 00:00:00 – The practical roadmap for protecting muscle 00:01:46 – Protein timing and the first meal 00:04:05 – Sleep, recovery and muscle growth 00:06:18 – Essential amino acids, GLP-1s and creatine 00:09:11 – Anabolic resistance explained 00:14:22 – How much protein women really need 00:17:35 – Animal protein vs plant protein 00:20:52 – What a high-protein meal actually looks like 00:27:25 – Menopause, hormone therapy and muscle 00:37:46 – GLP-1s, sarcopenia and muscle quality 00:41:43 – What counts as resistance training 00:45:07 – How beginners should start lifting 00:48:02 – What “heavy enough” really means 00:52:02 – What longevity gets wrong about mTOR 00:56:11 – Three priorities for aging well Never miss an episode—sign up for The 'Pause Life Newsletter: https://thepauselife.com/pages/newsle... Medical Disclaimer: The information, including opinions and recommendations, on this platform is meant for informational and educational purposes only. Mary Claire Media, LLC, the unPAUSED podcast, and The 'Pause Life are not medical organizations. Medical advice or medical diagnosis cannot be provided to you through the platform, any associated website, or customer portals. Using this platform does not establish a patient-physician relationship.