The "Eat Less, Exercise More" Trap: What Actually Works at 50+
Have you ever felt like you’re doing "all the right things" - counting the calories, hitting the cardio, and staying disciplined - yet your body just isn't responding the way it did ten years ago?
Trust me, you aren’t crazy, and you aren't alone. In today’s episode, I’m diving deep into why the "rules" we learned in our 30s and 40s simply don't apply once we hit midlife. Whether you’re noticing new belly fat that seemingly appeared overnight or you're struggling with energy and sleep, the game has changed but that doesn't mean you can't win it!
I’m sharing my personal journey of navigating these shifts at 60, including the lessons I’ve learned about why more isn't always better. We’re moving away from the "starve and strain" era and moving into a season of intentional, hormone-supportive living.
In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on:
Why your favorite workouts from a decade ago might actually be spiking your cortisol and holding you back.
What resistance training looks like for me now (hint: it’s not always heavy lifting!) and why it’s non-negotiable.
My recent spring break experience and what it taught me about the "order" of how we eat.
Why I protect my sleep like it’s gold and how progesterone changed the game for my 10-year battle with sleep.
How simple breathing can do more for your waistline than an extra hour on the treadmill.
I want to make this so simple and doable for you. I’m giving you a list of "action items," but I only want you to pick one to start with today. Let’s stop negotiating with our bodies and start listening to what they actually need in this beautiful second act of life.
Resources Mentioned:
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Description text Here is the corrected transcript, polished for your website. I have kept your exact wording and "first-person" conversational style while correcting the spelling (including "Well Worthy Life," "Lewy body," and "Gus Mayer"), fixing the punctuation, and organizing it with clear headings for better readability.
Episode Transcript: Why What Worked in Your 30s and 40s Isn't Working Now
Host: Deanna (Well Worthy Life)
Today on the podcast, we're going to be talking about what worked in your thirties and forties and why it's not working now. I know if you're like me, you're like, "Wait, everything keeps changing." And guess what? I think at 60, it keeps changing even more. So, we have to dial things in; we have to do things a little bit different. And that's what I'm going to be sharing on the podcast today.
First of all, welcome back. Thank you so much for joining me. I’m so happy to have you here as always, and I love hearing from you guys. I know you are like me, and you are so frustrated because your body is not responding to what you're doing. You feel like you're doing all the things right, and it's still not working, right?
Midlife is such a game-changer for us that we had no idea. But I always say this: what we're all learning today is going to help our daughters, our daughters-in-law, and our granddaughters so that in the future, they all have a better idea of how to do things. We were brought up in the era of "eat less, exercise more" and "don't eat fat." So many things have been shown to be so damaging to our health—like being told we can't use hormones and all the things. Now we're learning so much more, and I can't even imagine how much I've learned in just the last 10 years. I know you have too.
We just keep evolving. But things have to change. We can't do what we did in our thirties and forties and expect the same result. Our hormones are shifting, everything is shifting, and we've got to make the change. I’ve shared a lot on different topics, but I want to give you a concise podcast today that gives you actions you can take to try to fix this for yourself. I've got my notes with me because I want to stay on task and keep it short.
The Shift in Body Composition
First of all, I want to tell you: you're not crazy if you feel like your body has changed overnight. It happens to all of us. I remember when I turned 50, I was like, "What has shifted?" All of a sudden, my stomach was getting bigger. I never used to have a problem gaining weight in my stomach; it was always in my hips and thighs. Now, all of a sudden, it was in my belly. I know a lot of you can relate to that.
We grew up in this era where we were taught to count calories. Then we were taught to count macros. Macros are much better than calories, but I don't want you to get obsessed with tracking them long-term either. We were taught to exercise more and eat less to lose weight, and nobody really talked to us about our hormones.
What Actually Works Now
I want to make this so concise and so doable that you can walk away from this podcast and figure out what you need to do differently today.
1. Focus on Muscle We have to be focused on our muscle through strength training or resistance training. I personally do Pilates and Barre. Some people would say that I need to be lifting heavier weights, but for me, Barre and Megaformer Pilates work very well. You've got to figure out what works best for your body, but you've got to focus on that resistance.
2. Protein and Blood Sugar Balance Eating protein is so important. We also have to focus on blood sugar balance. I’m going to get into that more in a little bit.
3. Nervous System Regulation This one is really big. We need to focus on stress and breathing—doing things that don't keep our cortisol high. When our cortisol is high, we are going to have belly fat, no matter what else you do. You've got to bring your cortisol level down and get out of that "fight or flight" state.
4. Hormone Support In my podcast last week, we talked all about my hormone journey. Hormone replacement is so important as we get older because we are losing those hormones, and that's causing the big shift. I wasn't on hormones until I was probably 55. We know today you can start them earlier than that.
Prioritizing Sleep
If I want to make this simple for you, the number one thing is that our sleep has to be good. If we don't have good sleep, it raises our cortisol and throws everything off. I don't care what else you're doing; you are not going to be able to lose the weight you want or have the energy you want without sleep.
That was the number one thing I experienced when I hit perimenopause. I was actually put on Ambien for 10 years. Looking back, I can't even believe it, but that's what the doctor told me to do. Now I know I was probably lacking in progesterone. Had I just had some hormone replacement, I probably would've started sleeping much better.
I protect my sleep like it's gold. My husband gets mad at me sometimes because I go overboard—I want to get to sleep at the same time, I want the room dark, and I want the room cold. I take my magnesium and my bioactive peptides. Sleep is the foundation for how your body responds to food and everything else.
Practical Steps for Your Daily Routine
I don't want you to try all of these at one time because that's overwhelming. Just take one thing you hear today and start there.
Protein First: I have a sweet tooth, but if I start my day with a cinnamon roll, I crave sweets all day and my blood sugar spikes. We should never start our day with strictly carbs. Think eggs—but remember, one egg only has six grams of protein. I’ll do two eggs with added egg whites to get 20 to 30 grams of protein first thing.
The Glucose Revolution Rule: A great book called The Glucose Revolution talks about this: never eat carbs alone. If you're going to have a cinnamon roll, eat your eggs first. If you’re at dinner and they bring bread, eat your salad and protein first, then have the bread. This "blunts" the insulin spike.
Re-thinking Intermittent Fasting: There is controversy here, but I would venture to say it's better for us in perimenopause and menopause not to go 14 to 16 hours every day without food. My body needs time to rest and digest, but going too long can raise cortisol. I usually go about 12 or 13 hours now.
Movement After Meals: An ideal tactic is to go for a walk after dinner. Even a one-mile loop around the neighborhood is so good for blood sugar. If you can’t go for a walk, do some wall squats while you're watching TV!
Stop Overdoing Cardio
If you are a cardio junkie, I want you to listen. In my thirties and early forties, I was a runner. I ran with my girlfriends four to five days a week, and I loved that time. It worked for me then because I could get away with it. But as you start losing those hormones, overdoing cardio just elevates your cortisol. You really want to shift that focus to strength training. You can still run once or twice a week, but look at your goals and make sure you aren't over-stressing your body.
Manage Your Stress
Stress raises cortisol, which makes us hold onto belly fat. At this age, many of us are taking care of aging parents or dealing with young adults and grandkids. We are being pulled in so many directions. You have to manage that stress—breathing, walking in nature with no headphones, and not scrolling on your phone.
Final Thoughts
Get curious about your hormones. Perimenopause can start in your late thirties, so check that out. As we age, our hormones are depleting, and we have to find ways to support our bodies.
One of these things hopefully jumped out to you. Start there first. Don't try to do it all. What we did in our thirties and forties will not continue to work in our fifties and sixties. Life is about adjusting—adjusting to new things and really listening to what our bodies need at different times.
I hope you enjoyed this podcast. If this resonated with you, please share it with someone who needs to hear it!goes here
