This Doesn’t Have To Be Your New Norm.

A lot of women reach a point where the strategies that used to work stop working.

Eating a little less, moving a little more, or pushing harder no longer leads to the same outcome — and sometimes it even makes things worse.

And maybe you’re told, “This is just how it is now. It’s your hormones. Welcome to perimenopause.” Which leaves you thinking: What even is perimenopause? And is this really my new norm?

For many women in their late 30s through 50s, this shift happens when natural hormonal changes start affecting how the body handles blood sugar, stress, sleep, and recovery — often long before there’s a clear label or an abnormal lab result.

When those systems are under strain, the body becomes more protective. It holds on to weight, intensifies cravings, and makes fat loss feel unusually difficult — even when you’re doing all the same things that used to work.

That’s why more restriction rarely helps. More restriction sends signals to your body that it needs to slow down your metabolism even more and stay in a protective mode.

What’s needed isn’t more effort, but a better understanding of what’s actually slowing your metabolism down and how to speed it back up again.

Why Losing Weight Feels Harder Than It Used To

This is a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) — one of the tools we use to understand how your body responds to food, stress, and sleep.

You might feel annoyed — maybe even a little embarrassed — that you can’t seem to figure out why the scale won’t budge.

The old tricks don’t work anymore, and it’s frustrating to not understand why. Your annual bloodwork probably even came back “normal,” which somehow makes it feel worse.

You’re told it’s hormonal — but without any real explanation of what that actually means or what to do next.

You’ve probably seen the GLP-1 medications. Thought about it yourself. But you don’t want to be stuck on something for life — and you don’t want to lose weight at all costs.

You just want to feel comfortable in your body again, have steady energy, and honestly, not have to change 4 times just to feel ok while always obsessing over food and the scale.

For many women in their late 30s through 50s, subtle hormone shifts start changing how the body handles blood sugar, stress, sleep, and recovery.

That’s why guessing, restricting more, or pushing harder often backfires — and why this new phase of life can feel so confusing.

How To Move The Needle, and Scale

When weight loss feels stalls in your late 30s–50s, it’s usually a few systems working against you at the same time.

The biggest roadblocks I see are:

Unstable blood sugar, driving cravings, fatigue, and fat storage around the belly
Slowed digestion and gut inflammation, leading to bloating, constipation, and poor absorption
Poor sleep and low minerals, which keep stress hormones high and in fat-storage mode

Hormonal shifts during perimenopause and menopause often expose these issues — but ‘fixing’ or replacing hormones alone doesn’t resolve them. What does move the needle, and scale, is identifying the weak links in your metabolism. Once we know why your metabolism is slowing down, we focus on strengthening the roadblocks to get your burn rate back up again. We focus on stabilizing blood sugar, supporting digestion, calming your nervous system, and repleting key nutrients — instead of slowing your metabolism even further by restricting more.

Where Microdosing Fits

GLP-1s like Ozempic or Monjaro are powerful tools, but only when used with a game plan — not a standalone fix. For many clients I recommend micro-dosing since using a GLP-1 at much lower doses can help calm food noise and stabilize blood sugar while we actively address the root drivers of resistance, like blood sugar swings, digestion, sleep, inflammation, and nutrient depletion.

Because the underlying systems are being repaired at the same time, microdosing is not something you have to stay on to maintain results. The goal is to improve how your body regulates appetite, blood sugar, and energy on its own — so support can be reduced or removed without rebound. And I do this with you so you can feel confident carrying on without being reliant on a GLP-1 forever.

In some cases, other peptides may be used to support gut healing, inflammation, or tissue recovery, again as adjuncts — not as replacements for foundational work.

To start your weight loss journey and fire your metabolism back up, the level of support depends on what your body needs:

Rebuild for focused blood sugar support and guidance
Transform for deeper, lab-guided 1:1 work when issues are more complex

Client Wins

"Before working with Lauren, I tried a DIY approach to dieting and health eating. While some of it worked, I regularly experienced digestion problems after eating in the office or outisde. Bloating, constipation, and stomach aches were a constant part of my life.
Lauren was fantastic even before we officially started working together. Her tips of IG alone moved the needle for me. One of my aha moments was realizing that drinking coffee on an empty stomach was a big no-no.
When we began working together, I was in awe of how much I learned about myself, my body, and my digestive system. Going over my labs were eye-opening. I learned so much about why. my body needed and lacked. Simple dietary changes - what to eat more of and what to avoid - made a huge difference. Additional supplement work and deep care took me across the finish line and now I feel like a new person."
-Anton Kravchenko
"Before working with Lauren, I felt down in the dumps, no mental clarity, going to the gym with zero energy, type 5 and 6 stools and would wake up at least once or twice every night.
My life has changed in all aspects. I feel alert at work, present with my friends and family, more extroverted. I actually get an effective work out in now that I have energy. togo to the gym.
I would recommend Your Balanced Belly with every fiber in my body! I am living proof that Lauren is an expert at what she does and produces effective, life changing results for anyone who is struggling. I can't say thank you enough for investing the time to figuring out what was happening in my body and providing me with the knowledge and tools on how to fix and better it. I would do it again 100 times."
-Maddie Watson
"Before working together I felt like something was missing. I was self-supplementing based on what I had read and felt I might nneed, but wasn’t sure if I was really giving my body what it was lacking.
Through working with Lauren, I gained a trusted confidant and friend who was truly willing to meet me where I was at in my journey. Lauren didn’t try to change my ways or thoughts, but simply meet me where I was and use her knowledge and skill set to set me on a track that my body could respond to positively.
I am grateful for our work together and still think of tidbits of our conversations every day! You are knowledgeable, kind, understanding, compassionate, relatable and honest. I feel like I am now able to better understand some of the ways my body is feeling and how to use food, rest, or movement to help it feel better. Thank you!"
-Candy King
“Before I started working with Lauren I was always tired. I felt completely depleted of energy all of the time. I was also waking up regularly throughout the night to use the restroom. I struggled tremendously with bloating. I felt like no matter what I was alwyas blaoted and never felt good in my clothes because of this.
I am so thankful for all of the support Lauren provided. Since working with her, my bloating and energy levels have significantly improved and I can sleep through the night now. If you are on the fence about working with Lauren, do it! The insight Lauren provides as to what is going on in your body is soooo important. I would never have gotten the feedback or insight I did working with a general practitioner. She looks at everything and really can tell you what’s happeneing. inyour body and provides solutions. Thank you Lauren!!”
“Before working with Lauren I struggled daily to find energy to get through the day.
Now my energy levels are up and I’m sleeping so much better! I’ve also been able to improve lab levels that I’ve struggled for years trying to improve on my own. I have a much better sense now how nutrition impacts my body as a whole.
I highly recommend working with Your Balanced Belly! Improving your health is a journey and Lauren really teaches you the foundations to be successful in that journey.”
“I used to struggle with low energy, especially in the afternoons, along with digestion issues and frequent acne breakouts.
Since working together, I’ve experienced incredible changes - fewer acne breakouts, consistent energy throughout the day (no more afternoon slumps!), and much improved digestive system with minimal bloating and IBS issues. As. a result, my mood has improved too - it’s amazing to see the connection! On top of all that, my cholesterol levels dropped by 40 points without medication!!
Lauren is amazing to work with! She creates a really safe environment to talk about what’s going well and what we can improve as a team. I recommend Lauren to anyone who is either struggling with stomach issues or wants to get on a healther track using holistic practices and food. I’m still utilizing the techniques and things are going well - appreciate all the advice you have given me!”
-Leah

You know it’s time for a different approach. Let’s do this together.

I'm Ready!

“I started working with Lauren a couple months ago to try and improve my chronic fatigue and low energy levels. It has only been two months but I am already feeling the best I’ve felt in a LONG time!

Prior to working with Lauren, I would constantly fall into a never ending cycle of craving salty foods then sweet foods and then salty yet again. After only a couple of weeks working together, I now miraculously found myself no longer craving things like ice cream or bread. I have also found myself getting through the day without feeling the constant urge to nap or feeling anxious about having enough energy to get through social events.

Apart from all of this, Lauren is kind and compassionate and goes above and beyond to figure out the right protocol for you. I cannot recommend her enough!”

“I have had nothing but wins. I feel 1000x better and I feel hopeful. Every step has been easy and there is so much grace and kindness in your communication. You explain everything in ways I can follow and give this space for hope and expectancy rather than an end of the road experience.

I feel heard and seen and I don’t feel like a number. You have made me feel like a person and have been the only person that doesn’t just throw some pills my way because a text book says that’s the bandaid and leave me to my fate. I am beyond thankful”

“Lauren is amazing. She helped me with my perimenopause and other issues I had been dealing with for years. She helped me get to the root of the problem. I regained my strength. I am not as exhausted as I used to be. I would never think that I would get back my energy.

After working with Lauren, I got my metabolism back. I do not count calories anymore and can still maintain my weight. Lauren is very thoughtful, knowledgeable, caring, and thorough. She listens and gets all the details. I am so grateful to work with her.”

Weight loss doesn’t have to feel like an uphill battle.

You deserve to feel energized, present, and comfortable in your body — without overthinking every meal or second-guessing every choice.

Through targeted labs and practical, actionable tools, we focus on restoring how your metabolism actually functions so eating feels manageable again — not like a constant mental exercise.

Apply Now!