Everyone is telling you “just eat more protein!” And they’re not wrong. But they’re missing something critical for women over 40. I’m 49. I’ve been a nutritionist focused on women’s functional hormonal health for over 20 years. And here’s the pattern I see over and over: Women clean up their diet. Ditch the processed food. Whole foods, protein at every meal. And they STILL can’t lose weight. So they eat even MORE protein. And the scale goes UP. Here’s why: when you add more protein, you often add more fat without realizing it. Fattier cuts of meat. Extra nuts as snacks. Not realizing that super healthy olive oil is also calorie dense. The science is simple but brutal: fat contains 9 calories per gram. Protein and carbs contain 4. Fat is more than DOUBLE the caloric density. A tablespoon of olive oil = 120 cal. A handful of nuts = 170 cal. Some cheese on your salad = 110 cal. That’s 400 hidden calories in foods you thought were helping you. A landmark NEJM study found people und...