Weight Loss & Menopause with Dr Roopa Chari

Weight gain during menopause isn’t just about getting older… and it’s not about willpower. 

In today’s episode, “Weight Loss & Menopause,” I’m joined by Dr. Roopa Chari, a Board-Certified Internal Medicine physician with over 25 years of experience in Integrative and Functional Medicine, and Co-Founder of the Chari Center of Health.  Dr. Chari specializes in helping women over 45 address stubborn belly fat, metabolism, and hormone imbalances using natural, physician-guided strategies—and in this conversation, she breaks it down in a way that finally makes sense.  

We talk about the three key areas that make the biggest difference. You’ll also hear real success stories of women who have improved their metabolism, balanced their hormones, and regained their confidence—without extreme diets or exhausting routines. This episode is a powerful reminder that this stage of life isn’t something to fight… it’s something you can understand, support, and truly thrive through. 

So let’s call in Dr Roopa Chari…Let’s “Call IT in With Dar!”  

Transcript

In today’s episode, “Weight Loss & Menopause,” I’m joined by Dr. Roopa Chari, a 

Board-Certified Internal Medicine physician with over 25 years of experience in Integrative and Functional Medicine, and Co-Founder of the Chari Center of Health.  Dr. Chari specializes in helping women over 45 address stubborn belly fat, metabolism, and hormone imbalances using natural, physician-guided strategies—and in this conversation, she breaks it down in a way that finally makes sense.  We talk about the three key areas that make the biggest difference. You’ll also hear real success stories of women who have improved their metabolism, balanced their hormones, and regained their confidence—without extreme diets or exhausting routines.  This episode is a powerful reminder that this stage of life isn’t something to fight… it’s something you can understand, support, and truly thrive through. So let’s call in Dr Roopa Chari…Let’s “Call IT in With Dar!” 

Speaker Dar 

Welcome in. Dr. Roopa, I'm so excited to be with you today. I really got to know you a little bit because I interviewed your brother a few weeks ago. So this is extra exciting for me. So welcome in. 

Speaker Dr. Roopa  

Thank you so much, Darla, it's great to be here 

Speaker Dar  

Before we dive into this talk about weight and menopause, please tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got to this point of passion. 

Speaker Dr Roopa 

Absolutely so our mother is from India, and our parents are both from India. So as we were growing up, mom would always give us natural remedies, talk about mind-body medicine, and bring in spiritual healers from countries around the world. So my brother Deepak and I were exposed to that growing up and so and my mother's family background is in Ayurveda, in ancient medical science from India. So as we were growing up, you know, she said, if you go into medicine, you can be the bridge between both worlds, allopathic medicine and having natural solutions for people and helping guide them towards the natural way of living and natural solutions and the root cause. So that always was my dream, since childhood, and because of certain health issues that I went through as well after finishing residency and medical medical school and residency and then starting practice, I said, I need to take care of my own health because of all the stress with that. And so then I learned from leading edge natuRoopathic doctors and medical doctors who were practicing functional medicine, and it transformed my life and that of my family, and of course, with my patients. So we formed the Chari center of health in 1999 and in San Diego, California, and it was a dream come true for to work with my brother our mother, and really work on healing people at the foundation level, both physically and emotionally and because my own issues also later on in life, with menopause and perimenopause menopause, menopause. That's why I love focusing on the topic we're speaking about today. 

Speaker Dar 

I love that you use the term foundational, because sometimes the symptoms are there and we're treating surface symptoms. So thank you for that beautiful revamp of how you set up the center. Now, let's get into some specifics about what you want women to know 

Speaker Dr.Roopa  

Definitely and what happens as women are going through perimenopause, where the periods are starting to change. They may get shorter or longer, and there may be other symptoms associated with that, sometimes hot flashes or night sweats, or their sleep is getting disrupted, or their mood is changing, and then leading into menopause, what a lot of women are getting very frustrated with is not only these symptoms, but the fact that they're gaining belly weight or belly fat, and it's very hard to get rid of. And what worked in the past is no longer working anymore. So it's so important to know that we just need to address some three key areas to begin with, to really reset the metabolism and for hormone balancing so that they can lose weight. And actually, it's really a transition as to what they were doing before and what they need to do at this phase of life, 

Speaker Dar  

beautiful before we get into those three key issues. And I'm sure everybody's anxious for that. Could you tell us a little bit about client transformation? Of course, keep their names confidential, but about some of the work that you've seen in the transformation that women have made? 

Speaker Dr. Roopa 

Absolutely so, one of my clients, she's in her 50s, and when she first came to see me, she said, Dr, Chari, I'm so frustrated. I'm gaining this belly fat, and at the same time, I'm eating right. I'm doing so much cardio, but I can't, it doesn't seem to come off. And it's really so frustrating. And I understand completely how that feels. And so when we looked more closely, we discovered her blood sugar was fluctuating, going up and down, and she had lost a lot of muscle mass over the years, so her body then shifted kind of into storing fat. And so once we started addressing all of them. those issues, then we improved her metabolism and hormone balance. Then she gradually started losing the inches. Her energy improved, her sleep improved. But, you know, Darla, what really stood out to me the most was that her confidence returned. That to me, is so important, the physical changes are so amazing, and then to also see the Emotionally, how they're feeling, their confidence, feeling like they can go out again. And she told me, I finally feel like myself again, and that's why this matters to me so much. It's not just about the numbers on a scale or measuring tape. It's really about helping women feel vibrant and confident in this beautiful stage of life. 

Speaker Dar 

Yes, feeling vibrant and confident is so important. Do you have another one you'd like to share? 

Speaker Dr. Roopa 

Sure, sure. So another patient, she came to me, she said, you know, dr, Charlie, I've stopped really going to social events, and I have a big family reunion at a, you know, big wedding that's coming up, but I don't want to go, because I don't want to be seen in the pictures. I don't want to be seen in the videos. I'm no longer feeling comfortable in my body anymore. And she told me she hadn't bought any new clothes in years because nothing felt good on her anymore. And so as we worked on these three steps again, in improving her metabolism, her hormone balance, she then started losing the inches again. And so that. Again, it was very, very powerful, because after that, then she ended up going to the wedding, had a fantastic time meeting all of her loved ones after a long period of time, and she said, Oh my god, I would have missed out on such an important event in my life because of this. So again, that's really the reason that I feel so called to do this work is to help women, both physically and then enhance how they feel emotionally when the transition takes place and transformation 

Speaker Dar   and what a great story about how sometimes the women shrink themselves. She was not shrink physically, but she shrink themselves emotionally and stay at home and miss activities and a lot of it can be, you know, turned around, 

Speaker Dr Roopa 

Oh, definitely, absolutely, Darla, and that's what's so encouraging, that it can be turned around. It's just a matter of strategy, right? 

Speaker Dar 

So let's dive into some strategies so that our listeners stop feeling broken. For sure, absolutely. 

Speaker Dr Roopa  

Well, one of the reasons that gaining belly weight and belly fat becomes such a big problem for women after 45 and I've been through this, I know exactly what it feels like to look in the mirror and to pinch the belly fat to see my favorite clothes in the closet so that I couldn't wear, so I understand how it feels. So one of the biggest reasons is, you know, there's hormonal changes, because as we're going through perimenopause, menopause, and then even after menopause, the estrogen, progesterone, they kind of go up, and eventually they go down. And then when that happens, the body becomes more prone to storing fat around the belly instead of in our hips and thighs. And the second thing that happens is that our cells become less sensitive to insulin, and insulin is a very important hormone made by our pancreas that helps get sugar into our cells so we can make energy. So when that insulin sensitivity goes down, then our blood sugar goes up and down. We can feel tired, feel weak, more run down, not have that kind of energy. And then another very important thing that takes place is that's so important for us as women is our muscle mass goes down. And so when that happens, you know, then that will affect our metabolism, and our blood sugar and stress hormones can go up as well, which is why addressing the emotions is so important. And so as we address each of these issues with the hormones, balancing the blood sugar, boosting our muscle mass in a very gentle, loving way, and balancing stress, oh my goodness, it's amazing what will happen. It's like literally a reset. For the metabolism, because women need to know it's not about willpower, it's the metabolism and hormonal shift that we need to address. 

Speaker Dar 

That is so interesting, because I know myself and others in my circle are used to pushing through just doing more, working harder, and it sounds like between hormones and insulin and muscle mass and being stressed, there's much more going on than can be cured with just pushing through. Yeah, that's absolutely true. So could you give us somewhere to start? 

Speaker Dr Roopa 

 Definitely. So one thing women have to realize is we first need to focus on balancing our blood sugar, making that more stable, and we do that just by eating balanced meals that include protein, healthy fats and fiber. And I really want to emphasize the protein part, because a lot of us as women, we're not eating enough protein, or we're eating less protein than we were before, and we need to do the exact opposite, and by eating more protein, what I mean is by eating anywhere from 25 to 30 grams of protein per meal, and try to include protein at each meal, because that's going To help control our blood sugar, control our food cravings, and also very, very important, maintain our muscle mass, which then supports our metabolism, such as I'll give a couple quick examples, like for Breakfast, eggs or Greek yogurt lunchtime, fish or chicken or lentils and dinner some form of lean protein with vegetables. Or you can have lentils, chickpeas. And you know, there's so many vegetarian and vegan sources of protein, including plant based protein powders as well. So eating cottage cheese is another wonderful option as well for increasing our protein levels and just making sure you're getting enough protein that is really speaking the first step. 

Speaker Dar 

So balancing the blood sugar is the first step in getting more protein. What else can we do? 

Speaker Dr Roopa  

Absolutely the second step, I would say, is then to also incorporate some form of strength training, and I mean gentle resistance exercises, not going in for heavy weights and pushing, pushing, pushing again, because that actually will create more stress and more inflammation. You know, slow and steady wins the race. And what I love about yoga is it's about working with your body, not pushing, pushing, pushing. And so I love the form of exercise, resistance exercise called isometric exercises, which is your own muscle against your own muscle. So we're not really breaking down, tearing down, rebuilding. It's just like, you know, you fold, you know, make two fists with each hand and then curl up and hold for 10 seconds or so, or 20 seconds, and then breathe out and release and open your hands. And doing repetitions of that, you know, it's called isometric exercises. You can find that on YouTube as well, and doing that two to three times a week can preserve muscle, improve how sensitive your cells become the insulin so balances your blood sugar, and it supports losing the fat and so that it and I remember again, it's slow and steady. Wins the race. You can always then use lightweight, starting with one pound, then go to two pounds. You know, as you feel more comfortable. That is very important as well. So that would be step number two. 

Speaker Dar  

Yes, I so believe in isometric exercise, even though you know my history is having co owned a fitness center, but now I love helping women 65 and older, reduce aches, fatigue and brain fog, so that they can regain mobility and stay independent. And we really do little 10 minute breaks. I call them freedom bites, little 10 minute breaks throughout the day, and it might. Be, you know, as simple as calf raises, or as simple as that forearm raise and hold, and quite a few are isometric. So I'm glad to hear about step two that I've been promoting.  

What else would you recommend? 

Speaker Dr Roopa 

The third and very, very important step is addressing our stress and sleep. And I know so many women have heard this already, and I can't emphasize this enough, because when we're going, going going because of life stresses. What happens is the another hormone called cortisol, which is a stress hormone, goes up, and when it goes up and our insulin levels go up, what happens is we tend to hold on to belly fat, so it's so important to address high quality sleep, and that could be something as simple as avoiding electronics, you know, 30 minutes to an hour before going to sleep, and when you sleep, ideally, ideally, keep your phone in another room, or if you keep it in The same room or your bedroom. Don't keep it in a nightstand near your head. Keep it, you know, far away from you and on airplane mode is beneficial. And just playing light, nice music before you go to sleep, that also will help you to, you know, kind of get into winding down before sleeping. And here's something else that's very interesting, is that if you go outside in the morning, you know, when the sunshine is there, you don't stare at the sun, but just look at the horizon and just take in that fresh sunlight. You know, go for even just a five minute walk, just to take in that fresh air and get a nice little bit of a walk. And it kind of sets the tone for the day. And that sunshine, in addition to helping us with our vitamin d3 which will help our bones and immune system and blood sugar and decrease inflammation, it will also help us later in the evening, 12 to 14 hours later, it will help our brain that Morning sunshine will help our brain in the evening release more melatonin, and that melatonin will help us drift off into a very deep and restful, regenerative sleep. So simple steps to do, but that can make a world of difference. 

Speaker Dar   

I love those simple steps. Excellent. And  I'm glad you took some time to describe going out in the morning and getting that morning light and how it benefits us later on. Of course, it helps to have a dog. I have to do that every morning, exactly,  whether I want to or not. 

Speaker  Dr Roopa  

So, yes, soak up that sunshine. 

Speaker Dar  

So now that you've kind of gone through just a brief structure of what you can help women with, how can they proceed now? How can they get hold of you? Or do you have something you can offer for them to get started? 

Speaker Dr Roopa 

Definitely. Thank you, Darla. They can reach me by going to my website, which is Chari center.com.  And I have a strategy calls specifically for women, 45 plus for going reviewing with them what they're going through, what their frustrations are, and I can share with them more than what I feel other issues may be going on as well, to then lead them to getting results that they're searching for, and it's complimentary. And you know, there's no obligation whatsoever. You know, after just speaking with me, I just love to speak with women and share this, because this is something that I went through myself. I understand the frustrations, and I love to share with women that there's so much that can be done and in a very strategic manner to get the results. 

Speaker Dar 

Thank you. Thank you so much for sharing that, and thank you for the work that you're doing in the world. For women. Is there anything like that is coming into your mind that you want to share before we wrap up? 

Speaker Dr Roopa 

Yes, I just want women to know that there's nothing wrong with them. You know, women tend to blame themselves when they're gaining weight, not able to lose it, and they're trying different things, and nothing seems to be working. I want them to know that their bodies aren't broken and that it's not about willpower. It's about this natural transition in this new phase and transition in our life, which we should actually celebrate. And so it's just a matter of having a different strategy at this phase in our life than we did in our 20s and 30s, and by following these strategies that they can get the results that they're looking for, I want them to know and really appreciate this beautiful new transition and phase in life and to celebrate it fully. 

Speaker Dar 

Yes to celebrating it fully. Thank you so much for the time that you've spent with us today. 

Speaker  Dr Roopa  

Oh, thank you, Darla, it was such a pleasure.  

Transcribed by https://otter.ai