Your cart is empty
Tax included and shipping calculated at checkout
There’s a particular frustration that seems to creep into midlife.
You’re eating much the same way you always have. You’re still trying to make healthy choices. Perhaps you’re exercising regularly too.
And yet somehow, maintaining your weight suddenly feels like much more work.
Things that used to keep you comfortably in balance don’t seem to have quite the same effect. A few indulgent days seem to show up more easily. And losing a couple of pounds can feel considerably harder than putting them on.
If that sounds familiar, you’re certainly not the only woman asking:
“Why is this happening when I haven’t really changed anything?”
The answer is more complicated than simply blaming your metabolism and it certainly isn’t a reason to assume you need another restrictive diet.
Your Body Has Change - Even If Your Habits Haven’t
One of the strange things about midlife is that our routines may stay fairly similar while our bodies don’t.
Ageing is associated with changes in muscle mass, body composition and energy expenditure, while the hormonal changes around menopause can also influence where body fat tends to be stored.
That means the approach that seemed effortless in your 30s or 40s may not produce exactly the same results later.
It doesn't mean your body has suddenly stopped working properly.
It simply means that what your body needs now may be different from what it needed then.
Does Your Metabolism Really Slow Down?
This is probably one of the first explanations most of us hear:
“Your metabolism slows down when you get older.”
There is some truth behind age-related changes in energy needs, but the story is more nuanced than the phrase suggests.
Changes in muscle mass, activity levels and body composition can all affect how much energy we use. Menopause itself is also associated with changes in body composition and fat distribution.
So rather than thinking of your metabolism as something that has suddenly become “broken,” it may be more helpful to think about the many things that are changing together.
And because this deserves a proper explanation, we'll be looking at metabolism in much more detail in another edition of The Mid-Life Edit.
Muscle Matters More Than We Realise
This is one of the areas I really want NÄRA to talk about.
We naturally tend to lose muscle as we get older, particularly if we aren't actively doing things to maintain it.
And muscle isn't only about looking toned.
Maintaining muscle is important for strength, mobility and healthy ageing, and changes in muscle mass can also influence our overall energy requirements.
This is one reason resistance exercise becomes increasingly valuable through midlife.
That doesn't necessarily mean lifting enormous weights in a gym.
Bodyweight exercises, resistance bands, Pilates and appropriately challenging strength training can all form part of staying strong.
Menopause Can Change Where We Carry Weight
This is another important distinction.
Sometimes the frustration isn't simply that the number on the scales has changed.
It's that our shape has changed.
Research has associated the menopausal transition with changes in body composition and a tendency towards greater abdominal fat accumulation, while ageing itself also contributes to changes in weight and body composition.
That can explain why clothes may suddenly fit differently even when the number on the scales hasn't changed dramatically.
And it can be particularly confusing for women who have spent decades feeling that they understood their own bodies.
Sleep and Stress Belong in This Conversation Too
When we're thinking about weight, it's very easy to concentrate entirely on food.
But our eating habits don't happen in isolation.
Poor sleep can affect hunger and food choices, while stress, tiredness and mood can influence what, when and how much we feel like eating.
And midlife isn't exactly famous for being stress-free.
Work. Family. Ageing parents. Relationships. Menopause symptoms. Waking at 3am for no apparent reason...
Sometimes the question isn't simply:
“What am I eating?”
It might also be:
“How am I sleeping, moving and feeling?”
That's a much more useful conversation than blaming yourself for lacking willpower.
So... Do We Just Need to Eat Less?
This is where I want to challenge some of the messaging aimed at women our age.
When maintaining weight becomes harder, the instinct is often to cut everything out.
Fewer carbohydrates.
No treats.
Smaller portions.
Skip breakfast.
Try another diet.
And for a while, that might feel like taking control.
But constantly eating less isn't necessarily the most helpful way to think about nourishing a body through midlife.
Instead, the quality and composition of our meals deserve attention too.
Protein, fibre-rich foods, vegetables, wholegrains, healthy fats and a varied diet can all form part of a nutritious eating pattern.
The Goal Doesn't Have to Be Eating Perfectly
Healthy eating shouldn't mean spending the rest of our lives worrying about every mouthful.
There should still be room for dinner out.
A piece of cake.
A glass of wine if that's something you enjoy.
Sunday lunch.
Holidays.
Life.
Perhaps midlife is less about trying to eat perfectly and more about creating habits that work most of the time and that we can actually imagine maintaining.
Because a way of eating that makes you miserable is unlikely to feel sustainable for very long.
This Was Part of My Own Midlife Wake-Up Call
For most of my adult life, maintaining my weight had felt relatively straightforward.
I'd always eaten a fairly healthy, balanced diet. I exercised. I stayed active. Even after having my three boys, I generally felt that I understood my body and what worked for me.
Then midlife arrived and suddenly the same approach didn't seem to work in quite the same way.
I was still exercising.
I was still eating well.
But maintaining my weight seemed to require so much more thought and effort than it ever had before.
At the same time, I was hearing everything from “your metabolism has slowed down” to “you need to eat less”, “eat more protein”, “don't eat carbs”, “fast”, “don't fast”...
The more I read, the more confusing it seemed.
Eventually, Keith and I stopped looking for another quick fix and started trying to understand what my body actually needed at this stage of life.
That journey became part of the reason we created NÄRA Balance and why we created The Mid-Life Edit too.
Because I suspect I'm far from the only woman who reached midlife and wondered:
“Why has nobody explained any of this to me before?”
Maybe Maintaining Our Weight Isn't About Fighting Our Bodies
I'd finish on this thought:
Our bodies aren't supposed to remain exactly the same throughout our entire lives.
They've carried us through pregnancies, careers, sleepless nights, stressful periods, celebrations, losses, hormonal changes and decades of living.
Perhaps midlife isn't the time to start punishing them because they're changing.
It may simply be the time to understand them a little better.
Move in ways that help us stay strong.
Eat in ways that nourish us.
Pay attention to sleep and stress.
And stop expecting the body we have today to respond exactly as it did twenty years ago.
The question doesn't always have to be:
“How do I get my old body back?”
Maybe a better one is:
“How do I look after the body I have now?”
And that's exactly the conversation we'll continue here in The Mid-Life Edit.
Welcome to NÄRA. We're very glad you're here. ❤️
Read Also
- Posted on
Does your metabolism really slow down during menopause, or is there more to the story? Discover what research tells us about metabolism, muscle, hormones and why maintaining your weight can feel harder in midlife.
- Posted on
“I’m eating pretty much the same way I always have… so why am I suddenly hungry all the time?”
If that thought sounds familiar, you’re certainly not the only woman asking the question.
Midlife can bring changes we were expecting — and quite a few we weren’t.
We hear plenty about hot flushes, disrupted sleep and mood changes. But what often gets talked about far less is how different our relationship with food can begin to feel.
Perhaps you’re reaching for snacks more often.
Maybe the meals that used to keep you satisfied don’t seem to anymore.
Or perhaps you simply find yourself thinking about food far more than you used to.
And when you’re still eating relatively well and trying to look after yourself, it can be incredibly frustrating.
So, what’s going on?
Your Body Is Changing — Even If Your Lifestyle Hasn’t
Perimenopause and menopause involve significant hormonal changes, particularly changes in oestrogen.
At the same time, we’re getting older — and that brings its own changes to things such as muscle mass, body composition and how much energy our bodies use.
That combination can mean that the things which worked perfectly well for us in our 20s, 30s and even early 40s may not necessarily feel quite the same in midlife.
It doesn’t mean we suddenly need to start fearing food or following an extreme diet.
But it can mean that it’s worth looking at what our bodies need now, rather than simply continuing with what worked twenty years ago.
Menopause Can Change More Than Your Periods
When we talk about menopause, we often focus on the obvious symptoms.
But menopause is a whole-body transition.
Changes in body composition and weight are common during perimenopause and menopause, and many women notice that weight begins to settle differently — particularly around the middle.
Sleep can also become more difficult, while tiredness, stress and changes in mood can make our everyday eating habits feel different too.
So rather than assuming that one single hormone is responsible for everything, it can be more helpful to look at the bigger picture.
Sleep Matters More Than We Sometimes Realise
A bad night's sleep doesn't just leave you feeling tired.
Think about what tends to happen the following day.
You're exhausted.
You need something to get you through the afternoon.
Preparing a balanced meal suddenly feels like much more effort.
And that biscuit, chocolate bar or quick snack becomes considerably more tempting.
Midlife can be particularly challenging because night sweats and other menopause symptoms can disrupt sleep.
So if your eating habits have changed, it may be worth asking another question too:
How well am I actually sleeping?
Sometimes food is only one part of the story.
Muscle Matters Too
One of the most useful things we can do in midlife is stop thinking about exercise purely in terms of burning calories.
Muscle is incredibly important as we get older.
That's one reason strength and weight-bearing exercise become increasingly valuable during this stage of life.
Walking, Pilates, yoga and cardiovascular exercise can all have a place, but incorporating resistance or strength training is worth considering too.
The aim doesn't need to be becoming smaller.
It can simply be becoming stronger.
What You Eat Can Make a Difference
Rather than immediately thinking about eating less, it may be more useful to look at what is actually on your plate.
A balanced midlife diet might include plenty of:
vegetables and fruit
wholegrains
beans and pulses
good sources of protein
fibre-rich foods
healthy fats
calcium-rich foods
Protein and fibre are particularly useful components of a balanced diet, and fibre-rich foods include vegetables, fruit, wholegrains, beans, lentils, nuts and seeds.
This isn't about creating another set of food rules.
It's about making what you eat work harder nutritionally.
And What About Those 3pm Cravings?
Ah, the afternoon cupboard visit.
For many of us, this is where good intentions seem to disappear.
But rather than immediately blaming yourself for a lack of willpower, look at the day as a whole.
Did you eat breakfast?
Was there enough substance in your lunch?
Have you drunk enough water?
Did you sleep properly?
Are you stressed?
Have you been running around all day without stopping?
Sometimes the answer isn't “I need more willpower.”
Sometimes it's simply:
“I need to look after myself differently.”
Midlife Doesn't Need Another Extreme Diet
This is perhaps the most important part.
When our bodies begin to change, the temptation can be to respond by becoming increasingly restrictive.
Eat less.
Cut this out.
Don't eat that.
Exercise harder.
Start again on Monday.
But midlife shouldn't become a permanent battle between you and food.
A healthy, balanced diet, regular movement, strength exercise, good sleep and looking after your mental wellbeing all matter during perimenopause and menopause.
There isn't one magic food, ingredient or supplement that replaces those foundations.
And at NÄRA, we don't believe there should be.
This Is Exactly Why NÄRA Began
Our founder, Soulla, had always eaten well, exercised and maintained her weight without giving it too much thought.
Even after having three boys, returning to the weight where she felt comfortable was relatively straightforward.
Then midlife arrived.
Suddenly, the things she'd done for decades didn't seem to feel the same.
She found herself thinking about food more often and questioning what she should be eating, how she should be exercising and why maintaining her weight suddenly felt so much more complicated.
And everywhere she looked, the advice seemed to contradict itself.
Eat more.
Eat less.
Do cardio.
Don't do cardio.
Avoid carbohydrates.
Eat carbohydrates.
It became exhausting.
So rather than creating another diet or another set of impossible rules, Soulla and her husband Keith began looking more closely at nutrition and the changes women experience during midlife.
That journey eventually became NÄRA.
Not because we believe there's a magic answer.
But because we believe women deserve straightforward information, thoughtful nutrition and a much more positive conversation about this stage of life.
Maybe We Need to Stop Asking, “What's Wrong With Me?”
And start asking:
“What does my body need from me now?”
Because midlife isn't about giving up on the body you've known for decades.
Perhaps it's about getting to know it again.
And that's exactly what The Mid-Life Edit is here to explore.
Welcome to NÄRA. We're very glad you're here.
DISCOVER NÄRA BALANCE →