It's Not You, It's Your Biology

Picture this: You’re doing everything right.

You’re counting your macros, cutting back on sugar, getting your steps in, even skipping happy hour (well, mostly).

And yet… the scale won’t budge. Or worse—it creeps up!

Cue the frustration spiral:

• Maybe I’m not trying hard enough.

• Maybe I’m just getting lazy.

• Maybe I’m too old to lose weight anymore.

Let me stop you right there. This isn’t a willpower problem.

You’re not broken. And you’re not failing.

You’re likely experiencing weight loss resistance—a real and often misunderstood issue, especially for women 30+ navigating perimenopause or menopause.

This blog post is going to break it all down: what’s really going on, why your efforts aren’t translating into results, and what you can do to shift out of resistance and into results.

What is Weight Loss Resistance?

Weight loss resistance is when your body refuses to lose weight—even when you're in a calorie deficit, exercising regularly, and making conscious, healthy choices.

It’s not laziness.

It’s not lack of discipline.

It’s often a biological, hormonal, and metabolic issue.

In functional nutrition, we look at the root causes of why the body is out of alignment instead of just slapping on more exercise or stricter diets.

If you’ve been trying to lose weight and nothing is working, here’s the truth: your body might be working against your efforts, not because it's stubborn, but because it's trying to protect you.

Let’s unpack that.

Five Reasons Why Your Body Might Be Resisting Weight Loss

1. Hormonal Chaos: Perimenopause & Menopause

Estrogen, progesterone, testosterone—these aren't just reproductive hormones. They also regulate metabolism, mood, muscle mass, fat storage, and energy levels.

During perimenopause and menopause:

• Estrogen fluctuates wildly (and eventually drops)
• Progesterone decreases, which can lead to anxiety, sleep issues, and water retention
• Cortisol (stress hormone) can spike
• Insulin sensitivity often declines

All of this creates a perfect storm for fat storage—especially around the midsection.

Even if you’re tracking your food and hitting the gym, unbalanced hormones can override your efforts by slowing metabolism, increasing cravings, messing with sleep, and promoting fat storage.

Here’s the Solution:

Get hormone testing done with a functional practitioner or coach trained in women’s health. 

Balance often requires more than a “one-size-fits-all” approach. It might mean:

• Supporting liver detox (where excess hormones are cleared)
• Eating in sync with your cycle (if you’re still cycling)
• Adjusting macros to support hormonal health (think: more protein and healthy fats)

2. Under-Eating and Over-Training

You’ve been told to “eat less, move more” since you were twelve.

And it might’ve worked in your 20s.

But by your 30s or 40s, your body is smarter—and less forgiving. Prolonged under-eating and over-exercising (especially cardio) can tank your metabolism and spike cortisol, keeping your body in survival mode.

In survival mode:

• Your body clings to fat (especially belly fat)
• You lose muscle
• Your metabolism slows
• You feel exhausted, hangry, and burnt out

Here’s the Solution:

Reverse dieting and metabolic restoration. Slowly increase your calories (especially protein and carbs) to a sustainable level. Also, focus more on resistance training than cardio. These activities support lean muscle mass, which boosts metabolism and improves hormone balance.

3. Sleep Debt and Chronic Stress

Think sleep isn’t related to fat loss? Think again!

Lack of sleep increases ghrelin (your hunger hormone) and decreases leptin (your satiety hormone).

Add in a sprinkle of high cortisol from constant stress, and you’ve got a recipe for:

• Sugar cravings
• Belly fat
• Insulin resistance
• Mood swings
• Poor recovery from workouts

You can’t biohack your way past poor sleep and stress.

Here’s the Solution:

Prioritize sleep like it’s your job. Aim for 7–9 hours.

Support your circadian rhythm (making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep) by doing this:

• No screens 1 hour before bed
• Get morning sunlight
• Try magnesium glycinate or L-theanine for relaxation

And remember to tackle stress with more than wine. Breathwork, walking, journaling, lifting weights—pick your poison, but be consistent.

4. Gut and Liver Dysfunction

You won’t hear this at your typical weight loss clinic, but your gut and liver health are major players in fat loss.

Your liver processes hormones (like estrogen and thyroid hormones)

Your gut bacteria influence metabolism, blood sugar, and cravings

Poor digestion = poor nutrient absorption = sluggish metabolism

If you’re bloated, constipated, gassy, or reacting to common foods, your gut may be inflamed. If your liver is sluggish, excess estrogen can recirculate—leading to more hormonal imbalance.

Here’s the Solution:

Consider a functional gut and liver reset. This might include things like:

• Removing inflammatory foods (gluten, dairy, alcohol, sugar for a bit)
• Adding in digestive support like bitters, enzymes, and probiotics
• Supporting liver with cruciferous veggies, dandelion, turmeric, and adequate protein

5. One-Size-Fits-All Dieting Doesn’t Work Anymore

What worked before—cutting carbs, skipping meals, 1,200 calories a day—is probably backfiring now.

Why? Because your body has changed.

Your metabolism, hormones, stress load, sleep quality, and muscle mass are not the same at 42 as they were at 27.

Generic diets don’t take into account:

• Hormonal phases
• Inflammation
• Micronutrient needs
• Blood sugar stability
• Muscle preservation

These things are all very case-by-case, person-to-person and cookie cutter recommendations simply aren’t enough.

Here’s the Solution:

Ditch the cookie-cutter plans. Work with a macro nutrition and functional nutrition coach who can assess your unique needs—lab work, history, symptoms—and build a strategy tailored to YOU.

Macros can be a game changer for women because they:

• Prioritize muscle (through protein)
• Balance blood sugar
• Are adjustable as your body changes

Real Talk—What Actually Works for Weight Loss Over 30

Here’s what we see work time and time again in women over 30, especially during perimenopause and menopause.

Eat Enough Food—But the Right Kinds

Undereating backfires.

Fuel your body with:

• Protein at every meal (think: 30–40g)
• Carbs that support energy and recovery (fruit, potatoes, rice, oats)
• Healthy fats to support hormones (avocado, olive oil, seeds)

Track Macros, Not Just Calories

Calories matter, but macros matter more when hormones are involved.

Protein builds lean mass and keeps you full.

Carbs fuel your thyroid and workouts.

Fat helps regulate hormones.

Prioritize Muscle

You lose 3–8% of muscle mass per decade after 30.

Less muscle = slower metabolism = harder to lose weight.

Lift weights 3–4x/week. Go heavier than you think. Rest between sets.

Build the engine that burns more calories even at rest.

Address Hormonal Imbalances Head-On

Whether it’s testing your thyroid, balancing estrogen dominance, or fixing your cortisol curve—hormones won’t magically fix themselves.

Working with a functional coach can help uncover what’s actually happening beneath the surface.

Heal Your Gut and Support Your Liver

You’re not what you eat—you’re what you digest and absorb.

Focus on whole, anti-inflammatory foods. Prioritize hydration, fiber, and sleep.

The Role of Coaching: Why You Don’t Have to Figure This Out Alone

We’re taught that weight loss is just about willpower. That if it’s not working, you must be the problem.

But what if you’ve just been following the wrong map for your current season of life?

A macro nutrition and functional nutrition coach doesn’t just hand you a diet. They help you:

• Understand your unique hormonal landscape
• Create a personalized macro plan
• Optimize your workouts for results, not burnout
• Learn to eat more, not less (and still lose weight!)
• Run labs to uncover deeper issues
• Finally break out of the "try harder" hamster wheel

You’re Not Failing—You Just Need a New Approach

If you’ve been stuck in a cycle of dieting, working out harder, eating less, and seeing zero results…

…it’s not because you don’t want it badly enough.

It’s because your body needs a different strategy. One that works with your biology, not against it. One that accounts for hormones, stress, gut health, metabolism, and real life.

You don’t need more grit.

You need more support, smarter strategies, and personalized care.

So, if you’re ready to stop blaming yourself and start working with your body instead of fighting it, let’s chat!

Whether you’re in perimenopause, dealing with hormonal chaos, or just trying to feel like yourself again—we can help.

Your next chapter starts now!

Our one-on-one macro nutrition coaching program is designed to help you reach your health and physique goals using macro science. We specialize in helping women in perimenopause optimize their nutrition, test their hormones, and finally get results that stick.

Or, grab my FREE Bloodwork Blueprint Guide and get an easy-to-use list of must-have labs your doctor should order every year (and why they matter) now! 

Let’s work together to create a plan that works with your body, not against it.