July 16 2026: Why Am I Gaining Weight?!

“I’m Eating the Same… So Why Am I Gaining Weight?”

If you’ve ever looked in the mirror and thought, “How have I gained weight? I’m eating exactly the same as I always have,” you’re certainly not alone. For many women, this seems to happen during midlife, often alongside perimenopause or menopause. Clothes become tighter, the scales slowly creep upwards, and body fat seems to gather around the waist even though nothing appears to have changed.

It can feel incredibly unfair.

To make matters more challenging, menopause doesn’t just affect our hormones, it also changes where we tend to store body fat. As estrogen declines, fat is more likely to be stored around the abdomen rather than the hips and thighs. Even if your weight hasn’t changed dramatically, your body shape often has. It’s no surprise many women believe their metabolism has simply “slowed down.” 

It Still Comes Back to Energy Balance

When it comes to body fat, the underlying science hasn’t changed. Weight is primarily determined by energy balance – the relationship between the calories we eat and the calories we burn. Eat more than you burn and you’ll gain body fat. Eat less than you burn and you’ll lose body fat. Eat roughly the same and your weight will generally remain stable.

Hormones, menopause, stress and sleep can all influence appetite, movement and where fat is stored, but they don’t remove the importance of energy balance.

“Eating the Same” Isn’t the Same as Knowing

Here’s where many people unintentionally get caught out. Most of us estimate how much we’re eating. We believe we’re “eating healthy” or “not eating much,” but unless we’re measuring our intake, we simply don’t know whether we’re in a calorie deficit, at maintenance or eating slightly more than we realise. Healthy foods still contain calories. Olive oil, nuts, smoothies and granola are all nutritious, but they can still contribute to weight gain if we’re regularly eating more energy than we need.

This isn’t about tracking forever, it’s about gathering enough information to make informed decisions.

What About My Metabolism?

One of the biggest myths is that our metabolism steadily slows throughout adulthood. In fact, one of the largest studies on human metabolism found that it remains remarkably stable between the ages of 20 and 60, with the first meaningful decline occurring from around 60–70 years onwards. The researchers identified four major stages of metabolism across the lifespan: infancy, childhood through adolescence, adulthood (20-60), and older age (Pontzer H, et al. Daily energy expenditure through the human life course). For most women in midlife, a dramatically slowing metabolism simply isn’t the reason weight gain occurs.

So What’s Actually Happening?

Usually it’s several small changes adding up over time.

We often become a little less active, lose some muscle if we stop strength training, experience poorer sleep during menopause, and find ourselves eating slightly larger portions or snacking more often without noticing. None of these changes feels significant on its own, but together they can create a calorie surplus that gradually leads to weight gain.

Focus on the Basics

The good news is that the fundamentals of fat loss haven’t changed:

• Calculate a realistic calorie target.
• Create a modest calorie deficit.
• Track your food intake for a period of time.
• Prioritise protein, fruit and vegetables to help manage hunger.
• Strength train regularly to preserve muscle.
• Stay active through the day.
• Be patient and consistent.

Menopause can make fat loss feel harder, but it doesn’t mean your body is broken. By understanding what is actually happening – and focusing on the things you can control – you’ll give yourself the very best chance of long-term success.

Fat Loss Support is Right Here

Although fat loss isn’t every woman’s goal, we know the vast majority of you will be seeking success with this objective as you move through different seasons. It is not easy, and we want to provide you with a stack of options to get support, guidance and help.

• Coach Kim specializes in fat loss for women and actively supports our Move Daily Members. If you’d like Coach Kim’s expertise and no-nonsense guidance, the Membership is the most effective way to utilize it.
• The Fat Loss Nutrition Master Class is the most comprehensive program Move Daily has ever produced – it covers absolutely everything you need to support fat loss. Plus, we’re thrilled to gift you with a 30% discount – just enter FATLOSS30 at check-out.
• Our very own Stratton Steen now has THREE recipe playbooks with all the calorie and macro information you need. Excellent resources for planning in to your day of deficit eating. We have Fuel for Fat Loss, High Fiber for Fat Loss and the High Protein playbook.
• If you’re exploring a GLP-1 to support your fat loss goal, we encourage you to take a look at our program Muscle Matters, which Tracy and Kim created to maximise health, fat loss and muscle retention whilst utilizing these types of meds.

Coming This Fall….Momentum!

Our first 1-2-1 coaching and course based fat loss program, Coach Kim is bringing you Momentum. 90 days of empowering your fat loss journey with tangible actions, education and strategies alongside weekly 1-2-1 check-in’s with Coach Kim herself. This is the perfect hybrid for you to achieve your goals with personalized coaching. Places will be limited and we will share more soon!