If you’ve been hitting the gym, counting the calories, and still can’t budge the numbers on the scale, here’s the truth: it’s probably not what you’re eating. In midlife, fluctuating estrogen levels make our bodies more sensitive to stress, and we can’t handle the stress response as well as we used to. Your overscheduled life, that coworker you can’t stand, or even the clothes that don’t fit right, can spike your blood sugar just like a candy bar would. The result? Higher cortisol, stubborn belly fat, crappy sleep, and sluggish digestion.

In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on how stress messes with your hormones in midlife and creates weight loss resistance, and why pushing yourself harder isn’t the answer. I’m also sharing my four-step CALM method to get out of fight-or-flight, lower cortisol, and put your body back in fat-burning, hormone-balancing mode. It’s time to start working with your body instead of against it.

If you’ve been doing everything right and still feel stuck, this episode will help you to connect the dots and finally break free.

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What You’ll Learn

Why stress is basically a Snickers bar — minus the fun

The three types of stress and how chronic stress affects your weight

How hormones like cortisol drive stress-related weight gain

The CALM Method for regulating your body, not just your habits

Why letting go, slowing down, and shifting your mindset can actually help you lose weight.

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Resources from Leslie

Get your Free Episode 1 Worksheet! (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ow6p1S0C8X5fvoJ0q0UUqEAT_HKoGskt/view?usp=drive_link)

Free PDF: The CALM Plate —Get your free printable resource (https://stan.store/leslieduffycoaching/p/the-calm-plate)

Mini-Course: CALM the Cravings [Discount code: HSS15] (https://stan.store/leslieduffycoaching/p/calm-the-cravings)

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Mentioned in this episode

Huberman Lab | Control Stress for Healthy Eating, Metabolism & Aging with Dr. Elissa Epel (https://youtu.be/ulHrUVV3Kq4)

Anti-inflammatory properties of the vagus nerve: potential therapeutic implications of vagus nerve stimulation (https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1113/JP271539)

Can Meditation Slow Rate of Cellular Aging? Cognitive Stress, Mindfulness, and Telomeres (https://nyaspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.04414.x)

The Chain Mediating Effect of Negative Perfectionism on Procrastination: An Ego Depletion Perspective (https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/15/9355)

Estrogen Improves Insulin Sensitivity and Suppresses Gluconeogenesis via the Transcription Factor Foxo1 (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6341301/)

Impact of the Baltimore Experience Corps Trial on cortical and hippocampal volumes (