Back to Blog
Midlife woman smiling after workout, representing healthy weight loss and strength after 50

How to Lose Weight After 50: 3 Hidden Saboteurs That Keep Midlife Women Stuck

Jul 09, 2025

If you're a woman over 50 feeling tired, inflamed, and frustrated with weight gain, this is for you.

You’re doing your best. Eating “healthy,” walking daily, maybe even counting calories… and yet nothing’s changing.

Your jeans feel tight. Your energy dips by 2pm. And you’re starting to wonder:
"Is this just how it is now?"

It’s not. And you’re not alone.
I help women just like you reclaim their energy, balance their hormones, and feel amazing in their bodies again without extreme diets, bootcamps, or doctor’s orders.

Today, I want to share the three most common saboteurs that block women over 50 from losing weight naturally, and how to finally move forward with strength, clarity, and confidence.

 

1. Blood Sugar Imbalance: The Silent Hormone Disruptor

Even if you're eating clean, unstable blood sugar can quietly undermine everything from your sleep to your waistline.

Here’s the truth: most women over 50 are walking around with some degree of insulin resistance, but they’re never told that.

It doesn’t always show up as diabetes or pre-diabetes. It often shows up as:

  • Belly fat that won’t budge

  • Middle-of-the-night wakeups

  • Afternoon energy crashes

  • Constant sugar cravings

This was my story too. I was eating well and exercising consistently, but I kept waking up at 2am. Once I stabilized my blood sugar with a few key shifts, I started sleeping deeper, thinking clearer, and yes, shedding those last few stubborn pounds.

Here’s what worked:

  • Prioritizing protein, fiber, and healthy fats at every meal

  • Avoiding processed carbs and “naked” fruit

  • Hydrating consistently

  • Eating balanced meals (not grazing all day)

2. Not Building Muscle: The Midlife Metabolism Mistake

Muscle isn’t just for athletes. It’s for every woman who wants to age well, stay strong, and protect her health.

After 50, you naturally lose muscle every year—unless you actively rebuild it.
Without muscle, your metabolism slows, your hormones shift, and fat gain accelerates.

But here’s what most women don’t realize:
Muscle is a metabolic organ. It communicates with your body and protects it.

When you strength train, your body releases myokines—powerful hormone-like messengers that:

  • Balance blood sugar

  • Lower inflammation

  • Protect the brain

  • Burn fat

  • Improve circulation

  • Support immunity

  • Even guard against cancer

If you want to feel strong, energized, and independent in your second act, muscle is the medicine.

This is one of the most important shifts I teach in my Strong After 50 Blueprint.

3. Chronic Stress: The Hidden Trigger for Belly Fat

Stress doesn’t just affect your mood, it affects your weight.

When you’re constantly in fight-or-flight, your body produces more cortisol, which tells your liver to dump glucose into your bloodstream. That extra glucose? It gets stored as fat, often around your belly.

Even if you're eating well, chronic stress can completely sabotage your progress.

The fix isn’t “doing less.” It’s supporting your nervous system daily, in small, doable ways:

  • Deep breathing before meals

  • Strength training (yes, it calms stress hormones!)

  • Walks in nature

  • A calming bedtime ritual

  • Saying no more often

When your body feels safe, it lets go of what it’s been holding onto; weight, tension, inflammation.

Your Second Act Starts With You

If you've been feeling like your body is working against you, know this:
You don’t need to fight harder.
You need a new approach that actually works with your changing body.

And I want to give you a head start.

🎁 Download your free Strong After 50 Blueprint  Inside, you'll learn the exact wellness foundation I use with my clients to help them build strength, balance hormones, and feel at home in their bodies again, without gimmicks or guesswork.

Your second act is here. Let’s make it your strongest one yet.

 

Download my free Happy Hormones eBook.

Download Free eBook Now!

Don't miss a beat!

New moves, motivation, and classes delivered to your inbox. 

We hate SPAM. We will never sell your information, for any reason.