If you’ve noticed your weight shifting in midlife—especially around the abdomen—you’re not imagining it, and you’re certainly not alone. Women in their 40s, 50s, and 60s often tell us their body feels unfamiliar, or that what used to work “just doesn’t anymore.” The truth is that midlife weight gain is more about our physiology than it is about lack of willpower. During perimenopause and menopause, estrogen and progesterone decline. These hormones influence where we store f