“I’ve Tried Everything” – Have You Really?

“I’ve tried every diet going.”

It’s one of the most common things I hear from women in midlife.

Slimming clubs.
Low fat.
Low carb.
Calorie counting.
Meal replacements.
Intermittent fasting.

The list can be endless.

And often the frustration is real because despite all the effort, many women still find themselves struggling with energy levels, weight changes, cravings, poor sleep, menopausal symptoms or simply feeling disconnected from their bodies.

But whenever someone tells me they’ve tried everything, I gently ask another question:

“Has anyone ever explained how your body actually works?”

Because there’s a difference between being given information and developing understanding.

Most diets teach rules.

Few teach body awareness.

The Thing Most Diets Never Teach You

Your body requires energy simply to keep you alive.

Even if you stayed in bed all day doing absolutely nothing, your body would still need energy to:

This is called your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR).

Think of it as your body’s minimum energy requirement.

It’s not a target to eat below.

It’s the amount of energy your body needs before you’ve even started living your day.

Yet many women spend years trying to eat as little as possible without understanding what their body actually requires.

Why Movement Matters

On top of your BMR comes activity. Exercises that challenge large muscle groups, such as walking, Pilates, strength training and functional movement, help maintain muscle mass and support metabolic health. Research shows these activities can improve insulin sensitivity, support blood glucose regulation and contribute to healthy ageing. Exercise such as:

Walking the dog.

Housework.

Shopping.

Gardening.

Looking after children or grandchildren.

Exercise.

All movement requires energy.

This is where metabolic exercise becomes important.

Metabolic exercise is movement that challenges large muscle groups and encourages the body to use energy efficiently both during and after exercise.

Examples include:

The goal isn’t simply to burn calories.

The goal is to maintain muscle, improve insulin sensitivity, support hormone health and help the body become more metabolically efficient.

Why Muscle Is So Important In Midlife

From our 30s onwards we naturally begin to lose muscle mass unless we actively work to maintain it.

Muscle is metabolically active tissue.

The more healthy muscle we maintain, the better our body can utilise energy.

This becomes particularly important during peri-menopause and menopause when hormonal changes can influence:

Movement is not just about fitness.

It’s one of the most powerful tools we have for supporting long-term health.

Eating For Your Activity

Another mistake many people make is trying to eat less while asking their body to do more.

If you’re walking regularly, attending Pilates classes, practising yoga, strength training or increasing your daily activity, your body needs appropriate fuel.

Food is not simply calories.

Food provides:

When we fuel appropriately, we often see:

✓ More stable energy > Better blood glucose regulation > Improved recovery > Better appetite control > Fewer cravings > Improved mood

Knowledge Creates Freedom

This is why I believe education is more powerful than another diet plan.

When you understand:

You stop fighting yourself.

Instead of your body dictating your choices through fatigue, cravings or frustration, you begin making informed decisions that support your health.

That’s where real confidence comes from.

Not from following rules.

But from understanding yourself well enough to make choices that work for your life.

Because perhaps the problem isn’t that you’ve tried everything.

Perhaps nobody has ever taught you how your body actually works.

Want to be on the waiting list of Honest Body Healthy Eating? Contact Laura HERE and let her know to put you onto her eating list.

The Most Useful Articles

There isn’t actually a universally accepted scientific category called “metabolic exercise” in the research literature. The fitness industry uses the term widely, but researchers tend to study its components under terms such as:

Here are the references for the evidence behind the types of exercise that improve metabolic health.

Excellent Review Paper

Hawley, John A. et al. (2014)

Exercise as a Therapeutic Intervention for the Prevention and Treatment of Insulin Resistance

Published in Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews.

Key findings:

This supports your message that movement is about much more than burning calories.

Particularly Relevant for Midlife Women

Westcott, Wayne L. (2012)

Resistance Training Is Medicine: Effects of Strength Training on Health

Published in Current Sports Medicine Reports.

Findings:

This is highly relevant when discussing menopause and age-related muscle loss.

Strong Evidence for Metabolic Health

Bird, Stephen R. & Hawley, John A. (2017)

Update on the Effects of Physical Activity on Insulin Sensitivity in Humans

Published in BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine.

Key message:

Even a single exercise session can improve insulin sensitivity for up to 48 hours afterwards.

The evidence consistently shows that:

Skeletal muscle is one of the body’s largest sites for glucose storage and disposal.

When we lose muscle through ageing, inactivity or menopause-related changes, our ability to regulate blood glucose can become less efficient.

When we maintain or build muscle through resistance training, Pilates, functional movement, walking and other forms of exercise, we improve:

That is the scientific foundation behind what many fitness professionals refer to as metabolic exercise.

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