LOSING BELLY FAT AFTER 50 WITHOUT DIETING

The number one thing women in peri menopause and menopause struggle with is feeling “puffy”. That “mushy-around-the-middle.” The belly fat. It's one of the biggest frustrations I hear about from women in their 40s, 50s, and 60s, and for good reason. You wake up one day and realize your waistline has vanished, your jeans don’t fit the same, and it feels like your metabolism packed up and left.

Here’s what you need to know: that stubborn belly fat is not your body betraying you. It’s your body protecting you. It has nothing to do with a lack of willpower or motivation and everything to do with hormones, blood sugar, and stress. Oh, and ladies if you're considering starting any sort of diet in the hopes of losing those extra pounds, that's literally the worst thing you could do. Stick with me on this.

Let’s clear this up once and for all. You cannot starve, restrict, or cardio your way out of menopause belly fat. Diets lie. They make you think eating less and moving more is the answer, when in reality, that approach is exactly what slows your metabolism, spikes your cortisol, and locks the fat on even tighter.

In your reproductive years, estrogen helps regulate where fat is stored, primarily around your hips and thighs. But as estrogen declines in perimenopause and menopause, your body shifts fat storage to the abdomen. Combine that with slower muscle turnover and years of under-eating, yo-yo dieting, endless spin or HIIT classes and your metabolism doesn’t stand a chance.

But estrogen isn’t the only player. Cortisol, your stress hormone, plays a starring role. Chronic stress - physical or emotional - raises cortisol levels. When cortisol stays high, it drives fat to the belly, breaks down muscle, and increases cravings for sugar and carbs. That’s why you can feel like you’re doing “everything right” but the scale keeps climbing. It’s not you. It’s your hormones and stress chemistry working against you.

Your metabolism isn’t broken; it’s underfed. Your midlife body needs more nourishment and love, not deprivation and punishment. Nothing thrives in a deficit. Not your energy, not your hormones, and certainly not your metabolism. When you skip meals, cut carbs, or survive on salads and coffee, your body perceives famine. It does the same thing you would do if you knew a famine was coming, you'd start storing as much as possible. Cortisol rises, thyroid function drops, and muscle breaks down for fuel. And since muscle is what helps burn off fat, less muscle means a slower metabolism and, you guessed it, more belly fat.

To reverse that, you have to feed your body the right amount, often enough so that it will let go of the notion famine is imminent. And when you do that, your body will start to trust that you're going to give it what it needs and it will let go of the stored fat. That means eating balanced meals every three to four hours that include protein, healthy fats and colourful carbs. Think of your metabolism like a campfire: you can’t keep it burning strong if you keep starving it of wood. Carbs are your kindling, protein is your log, and fat is the steady flame.

And yes, you do need fat and carbs in order to lose weight. Carbs are not the enemy, they’re your energy. The right carbs (fruit, veggies, oats, quinoa, sweet potatoes) work together with protein and fat to stabilize blood sugar, reduce cortisol, and support serotonin, your “feel-good” hormone. When blood sugar is steady, your body can finally exhale. It stops hoarding fat for survival and starts burning it for fuel.

Here’s the truth most women don’t hear: muscle is the single biggest fat-burning organ you have. And after 40, you start losing about one percent of your muscle mass each year if you’re not actively building it back. Less muscle means fewer mitochondria (your cellular powerhouses), lower metabolism, and weaker insulin sensitivity - all of which make belly fat storage more likely.

The fix? Lift heavy stuff. Strength training., resistance bands, or even bodyweight exercises two to three times a week signals your body to hold onto muscle and burn fat instead. And don’t worry, building muscle won’t make you bulky. It makes you lean, strong, and metabolically resilient. Strong is the new sexy, remember?

You can eat perfectly and work out consistently, but if you’re sleeping five hours a night or living in constant stress, your body will stay in survival mode. Elevated cortisol causes inflammation which keeps belly fat locked in place no matter how clean your diet is.

Prioritize sleep like you would a doctor or dentist appointment. Aim for seven to eight hours, and try to power down screens at least 30 minutes before bed. In the evening, trade scrolling for stretching, deep breathing, or journaling. Your hormones, and your belly, will thank you.

And finally, stop dieting. Seriously. Every restrictive diet you’ve ever tried has trained your metabolism to be cautious. It’s why women who’ve “always been healthy” still struggle to lose weight in midlife. Your body remembers the stress of every detox, cleanse, and low-carb phase. When you under-eat, your metabolism doesn’t rev up, it shuts down to conserve energy. Then the moment you eat normally again, it stores more as fat. That’s why “cheat days” on a restrictive plan always feel like three steps backward.

So here’s the reframe: midlife weight loss isn’t about eating less. It’s about food in the right portions and the right frequency to fuel your metabolism, balance blood sugar, and lower stress hormones so your body feels safe enough to let go of stored fat.

Start small. If you're not a breakfast person, eat breakfast with protein. Add strength training twice a week. Get 7+ hours of sleep. Hydrate. And yes, enjoy that glass of wine or square of dark chocolate when you want it—without guilt. Because deprivation is more damaging to your hormones than dessert ever could be.

Belly fat after 50 isn’t a life sentence. It’s a message from your body asking for balance. And the best way to get started, is to get In the Kitchen and learn how you can start today using food to create hormonal balance and stabilize blood sugar. When you stop punishing your body and start nourishing it, your metabolism responds beautifully.

If you’re done with making the same New Year's weight-loss resolution year after year and are ready to finally feel in control of your body again, watch my free video to learn the 3 key steps to reset your metabolism and lose the belly - for good.