Louise is 55 and lives in New Zealand. For years, she watched the number on the scale creep in the wrong direction. She knew what was happening – post-menopausal weight gain that seemed immune to everything she threw at it. She tried different diets, different routines, different promises from different brands. None of it stuck. Eventually, she almost stopped trying.
“I was in a terrible rut,” she shared. “I’d tried so many things before, but nothing ever stuck.”
It’s a story that will sound familiar to a lot of women reading this – especially those over 40 who train, eat reasonably well, and still feel like their body is working against them. The frustration isn’t about laziness. It’s about doing the right things and watching them stop working.
Louise had almost given up when she came across The Collagen Co.’s 28-Day Shake & Glow Challenge – a free, structured program built around replacing one to two meals a day with their Glow Shakes and following a simple daily plan. No complicated meal prep. No calorie-counting spreadsheets. Just a clear routine and a community of women doing it alongside her.
She signed up. And then she did the hardest part – she actually started.
“Even on the Days I Couldn’t Be Bothered”
Four weeks later, Louise was 9 kg lighter. But the way she talks about it, the weight was almost secondary.
“I stuck with it. I showed up. Even on the days I truly, deeply couldn’t be bothered,” she said.
That sentence is worth sitting with for a moment. Because anyone who’s ever tried to build – or rebuild – a routine knows that the battle isn’t day one. It’s day nine. It’s the Tuesday morning when you’re tired and it’s raining and you’d rather just skip it. Louise didn’t skip it.
Over those 28 days, she described finally saying goodbye to “unwanted post-menopausal weight” that had been holding her back – not just physically, but mentally. The changes went well beyond the scale. Better energy. Deeper sleep. Stronger nails. Healthier hair. Clearer skin. And something harder to quantify but impossible to miss – confidence.
“I feel more confident, more in control, and finally back into a routine,” she said.
She pointed to one moment that summed it all up: pulling out clothes from the back of her wardrobe – pieces she’d written off completely – and putting them on.
“These were clothes I couldn’t even get on before. And now… they fit.”
“I’ve got more energy, fewer excuses, and a much happier version of me.”
For Louise, the structure of the challenge made all the difference. Not willpower. Not discipline. Structure.
“Having a clear plan made it so much easier. It stopped me from making excuses and saying I’d start ‘tomorrow.'”
Why This Hits Different After 40
If you’ve trained for years and suddenly feel like your body stopped responding, you’re not imagining it.
From perimenopause onward, declining oestrogen changes the game. Recovery slows down. Sleep gets worse. Body fat shifts to the midsection and stops budging no matter how consistent your training is. For women over 40 who are already active, this isn’t a discipline problem – it’s a hormonal one. And most standard fitness advice doesn’t account for it.
Research confirms that resistance training still works during and after menopause – a 2024 University of Exeter study found that women aged 40 to 60 gained meaningful strength and flexibility improvements from a structured resistance program regardless of their menopause status. Training isn’t the issue.
The issue, more often than not, is nutrition – specifically protein intake and consistency. That’s where most women in this age bracket fall short. And that’s exactly the gap the Shake & Glow Challenge is designed to close.
What’s Actually in a Glow Shake
Each serving packs over 29 grams of protein from a blend of hydrolyzed collagen peptides (17.5 g), milk protein isolate, and whey protein isolate. On top of that you get over 5 grams of prebiotic fibre from chicory root, MCT oil powder for quick energy, and 24 vitamins and minerals – everything from vitamin D and magnesium to biotin and zinc.
Under 1 gram of sugar. Under 7 grams of carbs. Gluten-free, soy-free, keto-friendly.
There are 13 flavours in the US lineup – Chocolate Milkshake, Salted Caramel, Cinnamon Churro, Iced Coffee, Cookies & Cream, and more. This matters. The best nutrition plan in the world doesn’t work if you dread drinking it. Louise herself said the shakes taste “more like a treat than a meal replacement,” which made it far easier to stay consistent.
You can browse the full range at The Collagen Co. Glow Shakes page.
Why Collagen Belongs in a Fitness Stack
Collagen used to live in the beauty aisle. That’s starting to change – and for good reason.
A growing body of research shows that supplementing with collagen peptides alongside resistance training can support fat-free mass gains and fat loss beyond what training alone delivers. Studies have also linked collagen supplementation to lower muscle-damage markers after intense exercise, which translates to faster recovery between sessions.
For women specifically, the evidence around bone health is hard to ignore. A 12-month study on postmenopausal women found that just 5 grams per day of collagen peptides led to meaningful increases in bone mineral density at the spine and hip – areas most vulnerable to age-related decline.
Then there’s the glycine angle. About a third of collagen’s amino acid profile is glycine, which has been linked to improved sleep quality. A recent study from Loughborough University found that collagen supplementation before bed significantly reduced nighttime awakenings and improved next-day cognitive performance in physically active participants. For anyone dealing with menopause-related sleep disruption, that’s not a trivial benefit.
And yes – the skin, hair, and nail improvements that Louise mentioned are backed by research too. A systematic review of 19 clinical trials found that 90 days of hydrolyzed collagen supplementation meaningfully improved skin elasticity, hydration, and wrinkle appearance.
Why Meal Replacements Actually Work (When They Do)
There’s a stigma around meal replacement shakes in the fitness world, and some of it is earned. But the data is clear: when done right, structured meal replacement programs consistently outperform “just eat better” approaches for weight loss.
A 2024 clinical trial found that participants using meal replacements lost significantly more weight over 90 days compared to those following a conventional calorie-controlled diet. A larger meta-analysis of 23 studies and nearly 8,000 adults came to the same conclusion.
The mechanism isn’t complicated. Meal replacements remove decision fatigue. They lock in a high-protein, calorie-controlled meal that you don’t have to think about, plan for, or cook. For people whose mornings are chaotic – and whose willpower fades by dinnertime – having one or two meals already handled is the difference between consistency and another abandoned plan.
That’s exactly what worked for Louise. Not a burst of motivation. Not a new gym routine. Just a clear plan that removed the daily negotiation of “what am I eating today?”
How the 28-Day Shake & Glow Challenge Works
The challenge is free to join. When you sign up, you get access to a dietitian-approved 28-day meal plan, a Glow Circuit workout guide, a weekly progress tracker, and entry into Glow Talk – The Collagen Co.’s private Facebook community with over 78,000 members sharing progress, recipes, tips, and the kind of real-talk accountability that most fitness apps can’t replicate.
The structure is straightforward: replace one to two meals per day with a Glow Shake, follow the plan, track your progress, and show up – even on the days you don’t feel like it.
Over 35,000 women have completed previous rounds of the challenge. The next cohort kicks off May 18, 2026.
Participants can also submit before-and-after photos for a chance to win a $9,000 grand prize glow-up weekend.
Should You Try It?
If you’re already dialled in – tracking macros, sleeping well, recovering fine, and seeing results – you probably don’t need a 28-day reset.
But if you’re in the larger group – training consistently but plateauing, watching recovery take longer than it used to, skipping meals or grabbing whatever’s fastest, knowing what you should do but struggling to actually do it – then a structured program built around 29+ grams of protein per meal, a built-in workout plan, and a community of tens of thousands of women on the same path is about as low-friction as it gets.
The next Shake & Glow Challenge starts May 18. Sign up free here.
Louise’s results are individual. Results in the Shake & Glow Challenge will naturally vary from person to person. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
References
- Svensen, E., Koscien, C.P., et al. “A Novel Low-Impact Resistance Exercise Program Increases Strength and Balance in Females Irrespective of Menopause Status.” Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2024. – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39531309/
- Zdzieblik, D., Oesser, S., et al. “Collagen peptide supplementation in combination with resistance training improves body composition and increases muscle strength in elderly sarcopenic men: a randomised controlled trial.” British Journal of Nutrition, 2015. – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26353786/
- Bischof, K., et al. “Reduction in systemic muscle stress markers after exercise-induced muscle damage following concurrent training and supplementation with specific collagen peptides – a randomized controlled trial.” Frontiers in Nutrition, 2024. – https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10999617/
- König, D., et al. “Specific Collagen Peptides Improve Bone Mineral Density and Bone Markers in Postmenopausal Women – A Randomized Controlled Study.” Nutrients, 2018. – https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5793325/
- Thomas, C., et al. “Effects of collagen peptide supplementation on sleep quality and cognitive function in physically active males.” European Journal of Nutrition, 2024. – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37874350/
- de Miranda, R.B., Weimer, P., Rossi, R.C. “Effects of hydrolyzed collagen supplementation on skin aging: a systematic review and meta-analysis.” International Journal of Dermatology, 2021. – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33742704/
- Astbury, N.M., Piernas, C., et al. “A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of meal replacements for weight loss.” Obesity Reviews, 2019. – https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6849863/
- “Efficacy of Meal Replacement Products on Weight and Glycolipid Metabolism Management: A 90-Day Randomized Controlled Trial in Adults with Obesity.” Nutrients, 2024. – https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/16/19/3284
