If you're a woman over 40 who's doing everything "right" and still struggling with your weight, you're not alone-and it's not your fault. Your body has changed, and no one gave you the updated rules of engagement-until now.For decades, women have been told that weight loss is simply a matter of "calories in, calories out." But for women over 40-especially during perimenopause and menopause-that advice is both outdated and inaccurate. As metabolism naturally slows and hormones shift, thyroid function changes, sleep becomes disrupted, and stress responses intensify. Add in gut gridlock and chronic inflammation, and losing weight can start to feel impossible, unexplainable, and deeply frustrating.This is the first book in her three-part Weight Loss After 40 series. In Book I: Hormones, Stress, and Other Hidden Metabolic Imbalances That Keep Women Stuck, Dr. Lena Edwards draws on nearly three decades of clinical and personal experience to explain the real physiologic reasons women over 40 struggle with their weight. Instead of blame or oversimplified, one-size-fits-all advice, she offers a clear, science-based explanation of what's happening on the inside-and why the strategies that worked in our 20s and 30s no longer deliver the same, if any, results.Inside, readers will discover: - Why weight loss becomes harder after 40-and why it's not your fault- How shifting hormones during perimenopause and menopause reshape metabolism- How thyroid changes slow metabolism, diminish energy, and complicate fat loss- How cortisol imbalances and chronic stress drive weight gain after 40- How sleep deprivation disrupts appetite control, hormone balance, insulin regulation, and metabolic function- How gut health breakdown, inflammation, and immune activation contribute to stubborn weight- How food sensitivities and Candida overgrowth trigger inflammation, cravings, and metabolic chaos- How toxins and environmental exposures interfere with hormone balance and promote fat storage- How impaired detoxification forces fat cells to store toxic byproducts-making weight loss harder- The most common-and most overlooked-barriers preventing lasting weight loss- The essential first steps to understanding and supporting your changing physiologyThis book gives women the answers, understanding, and validation they've been missing for decades. It replaces confusion with insight, shame with understanding, and guesswork with science. Whether you've struggled with unexplained weight gain, fatigue, mood changes, sleep problems, or the sense that your body "stopped responding," this book helps you finally understand why-and what's really going on beneath the surface.Weight Loss After 40, Book One is the foundation of a three-book series designed to help women better understand their over-40 bodies-why weight loss becomes more challenging, how to uncover hidden saboteurs, and how to work with a qualified practitioner to implement customized solutions for lasting results. These strategies support not only sustainable weight loss but also improved energy, metabolism, and overall health.Your body isn't broken-you just need a new roadmap. This book is the place to begin.