"crushing expectations under which American women live"

I think the notion that Americans (women or men) live under unusual expectations to be thin is questionable. Most or all of western European countries of obesity levels less than the US. Outside of Polynesia, the US has the highest obesity rate in the world.

It is possible that our unusually high obesity rate is caused by unusually high pressure to be thin, but I don't believe it. If Sole-Smith were serious, she'd have addressed the inconvenient fact that despite our uniquely American obsession with thinness, we have the highest obesity rate of any country not located in the Polynesian triangle.

I also don't understand why that leads to morbidly obese

'hey we have unrealistic expectations about saving for college, so let's go to the casino with our credit card and go full tilt borderline bankrupt.'

Ever try to lose weight while fighting menopause?

It's alarming how what used to work now just... doesn't anymore. Not to mention the fun insomnia, night sweats, and all the other weird shit shifting hormones is doing to me.

I do have to disagree with her on the "oh, high cholesterol? I'll just take meds!" High cholesterol runs in my family, so when I got the inevitable "you have a stick of butter in your veins" result, I went hard at it with diet -oatmeal with blueberries every morning, an apple and a handful of almonds every day for a snack, try to keep things a mix of high protein and high fiber otherwise. Brought those numbers down. But weight? It feels like a losing battle.

I don't know that it is any easier for guys in their 40s. *

Im not disputing that and empathize

It sounds awful and demoralizing. Seriously. For men TRT is getting traction - is there a similar course of treatment for women? I have only heard horror stories of women starving themselves to hope to maintain fitness.

My response above was more geared towards the author who has not gone through menopause and espouses a position that basically says give up and give up super hard.