Many women reach midlife and find themselves in unfamiliar territory. Despite eating well, moving regularly, and doing everything that used to work, the body no longer responds — especially when it comes to weight. Instead of shedding a few kilos with effort, weight seems to cling, often shifting to the middle. Clothes fit differently. Confidence dips. And the internal dialogue becomes relentless:
“I used to lose 5kg in a few weeks — now nothing works.”
“I’m doing everything I can — why do I still feel so stuck?”
“I just want to feel like myself again.”
We want to say this clearly: it’s not your fault.
You haven’t failed. You haven’t “let yourself go.”
Your body is navigating a complex hormonal and metabolic shift — and it needs a different kind of support.
At ERH, we teamed up with performance dietitian Dane Baker (NZRD) to unpack why weight loss feels so difficult in midlife — and what can actually help.
The Old Rules Don’t Work Anymore
The advice many of us grew up with — “eat less, move more” — can backfire in midlife. Hormonal changes, stress exposure, sleep disruption, and the natural decline in lean muscle all contribute to a slower, more reactive metabolism. What used to be a quick adjustment is now a drawn-out frustration.
Worse, the usual response — cutting carbs, skipping meals, or ramping up cardio — often leads to:
- More fatigue
- Poor muscle retention
- Increased cravings or binge-restrict cycles
- A growing sense of helplessness
Dane’s comments:
This is a common and challenging theme we see in clinic, its almost as if you can be trying too hard or have unfortunately been misled through the latest fad diet. Restrictive diets frequently lead to severe energy deficits (the gap between our intake and expenditure), despite initial good intentions and high motivation. These diets often prove unsustainable long term as willpower declines. Valuable muscle can be lost, and appetite and cravings can increase in response to the severe energy deficit, this results in either weight regain or frustrating progress. The more this cycle repeats, that harder it can also make future weight loss, our metabolism can be impacted in the years following.
In summary if your body is under-fuelled or over-stressed, it adapts to conserve energy. The result? Fatigue, hormonal disruption, and stubborn weight gain — even in women with healthy BMIs.
It’s Not Just About Weight — It’s About Composition
Many midlife women focus on dropping weight. But the real issue is often body composition, rather than body weight. You may not need to lose many (or any) kilos, especially if your BMI is in the normal range — you may need to rebuild lean muscle and shift your muscle-to-fat ratio to feel strong, energised, and well again.
You can have a normal BMI and still struggle with tone, energy, and metabolic health if you’re losing muscle and gaining visceral fat.
That’s where most mainstream diet advice fails. It focuses on weight loss, not metabolic repair or body re-composition.
The Real Solution: Fueling, Not Restricting
To rebuild strength and shift fat stores, your body needs fuel — particularly:
- Consistent resistance training that is specifically targeted to optimise lean muscle mass.
- Enough daily protein (aiming for 20–30g per meal and an approximate target of 1.6g/kg e.g. 120g for 75kg)
- Distributing meals and snacks across the day to best control appetite.
- Recovery time (less stress, better sleep)
It also takes patience and consistency. Unlike rapid dieting, these changes unfold over months, the knowledge on how to fuel enough, and the patience and self-compassion to rest and recover enough — but it’s worth it. Women may see:
- Improved shape and tone
- More energy and focus
- Better sleep and mood
- A renewed sense of body confidence
This is where performance nutrition shines — not necessarily in making you smaller, but in making you stronger and more resilient.
About Dane Baker
Dane Baker is a New Zealand Registered Dietitian and Performance Dietitian who works with both athletes and everyday people seeking to optimise their health. In addition to his work with New Zealand’s leading sports people on fuelling and performance, Dane also has expertise in supporting women with midlife body composition changes.
Want to learn more or book an appointment with Dane?
👉 Book an appointment with Dane Baker
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