S1E28 Why You Can't Lose Weight After 40 with Dr. Sherry Brewer

In this episode of 40s Forward, Dr. Betsy Greenleaf sits down with Dr. Sherry Brewer, double board-certified physician in internal medicine and integrative medicine, certified functional medicine practitioner, founder of Body by Alchemy, and author of Why You Can't Lose Weight.

Dr. Brewer knows weight-loss resistance personally. During perimenopause, while navigating divorce, exercising intensely, eating a Paleo diet, and seemingly doing everything "right," she gained about 20 pounds. That experience sent her searching beyond the traditional calories-in, calories-out model.

Together, Dr. Greenleaf and Dr. Brewer explore why the strategies that worked in your 20s and 30s may stop working after 40—and how hormones, stress, sleep, muscle, blood sugar, nutrition, and the gut microbiome can influence metabolic health.

What You'll Learn in This Episode • Why eating less and exercising more can backfire in midlife

• How perimenopause and menopause change metabolism

• Why intense exercise may raise blood sugar when the body is already stressed

• How under-eating can contribute to weight-loss resistance

• Why protein becomes increasingly important after 40

• The importance of preserving and building muscle

• Why extreme intermittent fasting may not be ideal for every woman

• How sleep deprivation affects blood sugar and metabolic health

• Why whole foods and processed foods can affect the body differently