“Ladies, stop blaming your hormones. It’s just what you’re eating.” 🙄 I hear this constantly from fitness influencers and it makes me laugh. Because I understand what they’re trying to say. A calorie deficit is real. Thermodynamics are real. But to say hormones aren’t driving your results? That’s not true. And it completely dismisses women’s lived experience. I have been a nutritionist focused on metabolic health and functional hormones for over 20 years. So I may know a thing or two above and beyond the laws of thermodynamics. Here is what is actually controlling your body composition, cravings, sleep, energy, and aging after 40. 1) Insulin. The most powerful fat storage hormone in your body. It controls whether you burn fat or store it. 2)Cortisol. Your stress hormone. Chronically elevated cortisol raises blood sugar, which raises insulin, which promotes abdominal fat storage and breaks down your previous muscle, that supports your metabolic health. 1) Thyroid hormones. Thes...