786. Why You Can't Lose Weight After 37 (It's Not Your Metabolism)

If you feel like your body stopped responding after 37, it is not because your metabolism suddenly "slowed down" with age. In this episode, I break down the real reason so many women feel stuck despite eating well, exercising consistently, and doing everything "right." The truth is, your body can get trapped in a cycle involving cortisol, insulin, and estrogen that drives fat storage, inflammation, exhaustion, and frustration. I explain how chronic stress raises cortisol, disrupts blood sugar, increases insulin resistance, and fuels estrogen imbalance, creating a loop that makes weight loss feel impossible no matter how hard you work. And if you are exhausted, inflamed, and tired of guessing what your body needs, there is a better way forward. Book your discovery call here: https://calendly.com/dr-beth-westie/program-discovery-call Download your Hormone Cascade Map here: https://dr-beth-westie.mykajabi.com/hormone-cascade-map

In this episode, I sat down with Dr. Brandy Zachary (Dr. Z) to talk about functional medicine, menopause, and why so many women are being dismissed when they need real answers most. Dr. Z shares her personal health journey, from life changing illness and being declared permanently disabled to rebuilding her health through functional medicine and creating tools that now help practitioners better serve their patients. Here's what we dive into: Why so many practitioners were never taught how to truly address root cause healing The biggest mistakes women make when searching for menopause solutions Why there is no "one size fits all" menopause protocol How hormone shifts often expose deeper underlying imbalances already happening in the body Why depression and anxiety during menopause are often overlooked and dismissed How bioidentical hormone support can create relief while deeper healing happens The importance of personalized care instead of influencer driven health advice Why women should never "just suffer through it" during this stage of life How menopause can become one of the most empowering seasons of a woman's life with the right support Why practitioners need better education around women's hormones Dr. Z also shares how she is helping train providers and building tools to help end medical gaslighting so women can finally get the care they deserve. This is an incredibly empowering conversation for women navigating hormonal changes and for providers who want to better support them. Connect with Dr. Z: DiganoseThis Podcast FunctionalMedicine 2.0 Podcast https://searchfunctionalmedicine.com/ https://thedrz.com/ Clinical Core Monthly

If you feel like your body just isn't responding the way it used to, you're not imagining it. Most weight loss advice out there was never designed for women, especially not women navigating hormone changes in their late 30s, 40s, and beyond. The idea that you just need to eat less and move more sounds simple, but for many women, it actually makes things worse. When your body is under constant stress, whether from under-eating, over-exercising, or life in general, it shifts into a state where it holds onto fat instead of letting it go. A big piece of this comes down to hormones. As estrogen levels change, your body becomes less sensitive to insulin, which means it's easier to store fat even if you're eating "healthy." At the same time, muscle mass naturally declines if you're not actively working to maintain it, and that directly impacts your metabolism. Layer in chronic stress and rising cortisol, and now your body is even more resistant to fat loss. You might notice things like stubborn belly weight, low energy, poor recovery from workouts, or waking up in the middle of the night. These are all signals that your system is under strain. This is also why so many traditional approaches backfire. More cardio and fewer calories might have worked in your 20s, but now they can lead to muscle loss, a slower metabolism, and even more frustration. Your body isn't broken. It's just responding to a different set of internal signals. Instead of trying to force weight loss, the focus has to shift to supporting your metabolism. That starts with getting enough protein, often more than you think you need, and focusing on strength training to rebuild and maintain muscle. Walking and lower-stress movement can also support your system without driving cortisol higher. For many women, the real shift is understanding that you may need to build your body back up before it's ready to let weight go. That's how you create results that actually last. If you've been doing all the right things and still feel stuck, it's likely not about trying harder. It's about getting the right support for your body specifically. If this sounds like you, you can book a discovery call to get a clear, personalized plan for what your body actually needs: https://calendly.com/dr-beth-westie/program-discovery-call 👉 Download your FREE Hormone Cascade Map here: https://dr-beth-westie.mykajabi.com/hormone-cascade-map

Waking up at 3 a.m. is one of the most common sleep struggles for women, especially during times of stress and hormonal change. This is not random and it is not just anxiety. It is often tied to a deeper connection between your liver, cortisol, progesterone, and blood sugar regulation. Between 1 and 3 a.m., your liver is most active in detoxification. If your body is dealing with blood sugar crashes, hormone imbalances, or an overloaded system, it can trigger a cortisol spike that wakes you up and keeps you alert! This is where the "three P's" of hormones matter: production, processing, and pathways. If any of these are off, you can experience disrupted sleep even if you are doing all the "right" things. Common root causes of 3 a.m. wakeups include: • Blood sugar dysregulation from under eating or poor protein intake • Elevated cortisol from stress, overtraining, or lack of recovery • Low or poorly processed progesterone impacting calming pathways • Liver overload affecting hormone detox and overnight balance If you have been trying different solutions without results, the missing piece is often testing. Looking at your hormones, gut health, and blood sugar markers can pinpoint exactly what your body needs. If you are ready to stop guessing and finally fix the root cause, book a discovery call here: 👉 https://calendly.com/dr-beth-westie/program-discovery-call

In this episode, I break down what "cortisol face" really is and why cortisol is not the enemy. Symptoms like facial puffiness, under eye bags, jaw tension, acne, and dull skin are not just cosmetic. They are signals that your stress response is out of balance. If your cortisol does not follow the ideal rhythm throughout the day, your body can get stuck in chronic fight or flight. This dysregulation can impact your minerals, blood sugar, gut health, and hormone balance. Facial puffiness is often linked to water retention caused by mineral depletion. Jaw tension and clenching are tied to a stressed nervous system and low mineral status. Skin changes like acne, dryness, and premature aging can happen when cortisol interferes with collagen and repair processes.  If you are dealing with these symptoms and want real answers, this episode will help you understand what your body is telling you and where to start. If you are ready for deeper support, schedule a discovery call with our team to create a personalized plan: https://calendly.com/dr-beth-westie/program-discovery-call

In this episode, I sit down with Leilani Stevens to talk about somatic work, what it really means, and why it can be such a powerful missing piece in healing. We dive into how somatic work focuses on the body, not just the mind. I share how many women try to think their way out of stress and anxiety, but the body can still be stuck in a survival response. If your nervous system is reading your environment as unsafe, no amount of mindset work will fully resolve that. We also discuss how this work helps you reconnect with your body, build self trust, and show up differently in your daily life, relationships, and even medical settings. Leilani shares details about her upcoming immersive retreat, which combines somatic work with aquatic therapy in a heated pool environment. This experience is designed to help the body deeply unwind stress patterns and create a new baseline of calm and regulation. The retreat is a small, intimate experience with guided support, integration, and space to fully reset your nervous system. If you feel disconnected from your body, stuck in stress, or like something deeper is holding you back, this episode will open your eyes to a completely different approach to healing! To learn more about the retreat or see if it's a good fit for you, you can visit this link: https://www.somaticremedies.com/fluid-body-retreat-application

In this episode, I break down why weight loss can feel impossible after pregnancy or during hormone shifts, even when you are doing everything "right." The biggest takeaway is this: it is not about willpower, and it is not just about calories. If your hormones are off, your body will resist weight loss no matter how little you eat or how much you exercise. Calorie deficit only works when your hormones are balanced. If they are not, your body may see restriction as stress and hold on to fat even more. Your body relies on three key steps for hormone health: production, processing, and proper elimination. If any of these are disrupted, your metabolism will not function well. After pregnancy, a drop in progesterone can lead to estrogen dominance, which promotes fat storage and water retention, especially in the midsection. Chronic stress raises cortisol, which disrupts blood sugar and insulin. This leads to increased fat storage, particularly around the belly. Trying to fix this by eating less or exercising more often backfires because it adds more stress to your system. If your hormones are imbalanced, more intense exercise can actually make weight loss harder, not easier. If your body is not clearing estrogen properly through the liver and gut, it can recirculate and contribute to weight gain. Gut health plays a bigger role than most people realize. Even if your habits have not changed, your body has. Pregnancy, stress, and aging all shift how your hormones function, which changes how your body responds. Lasting results come from identifying your specific hormone patterns, whether that is cortisol, insulin, estrogen, or gut health, and addressing the root cause. If you are feeling stuck and want a clear, personalized plan, you can book a free discovery call with my team here: https://calendly.com/dr-beth-westie/program-discovery-call

Have you ever felt terrible after just one glass of wine? Or noticed that foods you used to eat just fine are now giving you headaches, bloating, brain fog, or a racing heart? You're not imagining it and you're not just "getting older." This might be a histamine problem, and today we're getting into all of it. Histamine is one of the most missed pieces of the puzzle for so many women. The symptoms can look like inflammation, allergies, or just general mystery symptoms that nothing seems to fix. And here's the tricky part: it's not consistent. You can tolerate something one week and react the next, which makes it incredibly hard to figure out what's actually going on. In this episode I break down what histamine actually is, why your body might be struggling to process it, and the very important connection between histamine and your hormones that almost nobody is talking about. What we cover: Why aged cheese, wine, fermented foods, and even leftovers can trigger a histamine response The "histamine bucket" concept and why your symptoms seem so random The two enzymes responsible for breaking histamine down and what gets in their way Why estrogen and histamine have a feedback loop that feeds itself (fire feeding fire) How progesterone actually helps stabilize mast cells and what happens when it starts to decline The gut connection and why healing digestion matters just as much as anything else Genetic factors that can make you more sensitive to histamine than the people around you The bottom line: Avoiding wine and fermented foods might give you a little relief, but it is not the long term answer. If your hormones are off, if your gut is struggling, or if cortisol is driving the whole thing, we have to address all of it together in the right sequence. Otherwise you are just guessing. Join the Hormone Clarity Workshop I am hosting a live workshop April 14 & 15 where we go through your hormone imbalances and what your body is actually telling you. We cover all of this, including the gut and histamine connection, estrogen, progesterone, cortisol and more. You'll walk away with real clarity on what's going on and where to start. It is just $17 and I will be there live to answer your questions. Grab your spot here: https://drbethwestie.com/the-hormone-clarity-workshop/

If you've been feeling more anxious, wired, and exhausted lately and nobody can seem to tell you why, this episode is for you. One of the most frustrating things I hear from women is that they've been told to just relax, go on a vacation, try yoga, journal, do some deep breathing. And look, I love all of those things. I do them myself. But here's the truth nobody is telling you: if your hormones are in a state of low progesterone and high cortisol, those tools literally cannot do what they're supposed to do. If you've ever laid in Shavasana at the end of yoga class and your mind is just racing through your entire to-do list instead of melting into the floor, that's not a willpower problem. That's a hormone problem. In this episode I walk you through why this happens, what's actually going on in your body, and what it actually takes to get unstuck: What we cover: Why stress management advice keeps failing you (and it's not your fault) The progesterone and cortisol connection that drives anxiety, exhaustion, and that "wired but tired" feeling Why testing your hormones at the wrong time of your cycle gives you useless results (and what to do instead) The three steps to actually moving forward: testing at the right time, identifying other contributing systems, and building a protocol that fits your real life Ready to go deeper? I'm hosting a live Hormone Clarity Workshop April 14 & 15: two time options so you can actually make it. We go through your hormone deficiencies and imbalances together, you answer questions, we talk through it, and you walk away with real clarity on where to go next. It's just $17 and it could be the thing that finally makes everything click. Grab your spot here: https://drbethwestie.com/the-hormone-clarity-workshop/

If you've ever said, "I asked my doctor to test my hormones and they only checked one thing," this episode is for you. I break down the difference between conventional labs and functional testing, why you can be told everything is normal while you still feel awful, and what to ask for next. Conventional Labs: Are You Sick Enough? Conventional testing is designed to look for disease. You are either sick or you are fine. The range is narrow, and if your numbers are not far enough outside of it, you are told you are normal. That can happen even if you are exhausted, gaining weight, losing hair, and struggling with brain fog. Thyroid is a common example. Many women are told their TSH is normal, end of story, even when their symptoms clearly point to hypothyroid issues. Functional Testing: Where Is the Imbalance? Functional testing looks at optimal ranges, not just whether you are sick enough for treatment. You can sit in a not great range for years. Not bad enough for medication, but not good enough to feel like yourself. Often, you are working hard just to stay afloat with clean eating, supplements, exercise, and stress management. That effort is keeping you from crashing, but it is not getting you into an optimal range. Why One Lab Value Is Not Enough Using thyroid again, TSH alone is not a full picture. We often need TSH, Free T3, Free T4, and antibody markers to really understand what is happening. You might be making hormones but not converting them properly because of stress, inflammation, nutrient deficiencies, or estrogen imbalances. If we do not look deeper, we miss that. Why This Matters  I have lived this. After having kids, I went through postpartum thyroiditis. I was exhausted, foggy, losing hair, and felt terrible. I was told I was just a tired new mom. But I knew it was more than that. That experience is a big reason I am so passionate about functional testing. Too many women are dismissed when their labs do not fit into a narrow box. My favorite functional test is the DUTCH Test, a dried urine test for comprehensive hormones. It looks at estrogen and progesterone patterns, testosterone and other androgens, cortisol and adrenal function, key nutrient markers, gut and inflammation markers, neurotransmitters, melatonin, and more. It connects the dots so we can see what is really driving your symptoms. Ready to figure out what is really going on? Schedule a discovery call with my team and we can talk through your symptoms, your health history, and whether deeper functional testing like the DUTCH test would be the right next step for you. Book your discovery call here: https://calendly.com/dr-beth-westie/program-discovery-call