I’m 50. Almost everything that works for me now, I took from the industry I spend my life arguing with. I’m a holistic nutritionist and I’ve spent 20 years inside women’s metabolic health and hormones. Which means I’ve read a lot of food diaries. The women who change after 40 aren’t the ones eating less. They’re the ones who stopped fighting their hormones and started working with them. Here are 7 things I stole from diet culture and never gave back: 1. The calorie deficit. Two to four weeks, maximum, and the last time I ran one was 2024. What they sold you was a permanent one. You can lose fat and build muscle at maintenance, and the body you actually want does not get built in a deficit. 2. The eating window. They sold it to you as a calorie cap. I use it for sleep. Done by 7pm most nights, 6 at home. 3. Fasting. I fast overnight and I don’t graze. What I threw out was skipping breakfast and calling a latte a fast. 4. The protein obsession. I kept it, then found out it was half...