If you have ever been told your thyroid labs are “normal” but you still feel tired, foggy, stuck, cold, anxious, constipated, or unable to lose weight, you are not alone. Your body is not broken. It is communicating. An estimated 20 million Americans have some form of thyroid disease, and nearly 60 percent of them do not know it. Many spend years feeling off before anyone recognizes what is actually happening. Part of the problem is how thyroid health is tested and interpreted. Most doctors rely heavily on one number, TSH, to assess thyroid function. But TSH is not a thyroid hormone. It is a signal from your brain telling your thyroid how much hormone to make. It does not tell you how much hormone your body is actually using. So it is entirely possible for TSH to be “in range” while your cells are functionally underpowered. That is why so many women feel dismissed when their labs look fine but their bodies do not. What your thyroid actually does. Your thyroid produces two main hormones, T4 and T3. T4 is a storage form. It circulates in the blood but does not do much on its own. T3 is the active form. It enters your cells and tells them how fast to run, how much energy to produce, how warm to be, how quickly to digest food, how well your brain functions, how your heart contracts, how your bones rebuild, and how easily you burn fat. Every cell in your body depends on T3. So having thyroid hormone in your blood is not enough. You have to be able to convert T4 into T3 and actually deliver it into your cells. Why do my symptoms persist even on medication? (Synthroid, Levothyroxine) Here's the kicker - Synthroid and levothyroxine give your body T4. Great! However..... your body still has to convert that T4 into T3. Under healthy conditions, that conversion happens mostly in the liver and the gut. How is the Health of your Liver and Gut? But under stress, inflammation, infection, calorie restriction, nutrient deficiencies, or poor sleep, the body often diverts T4 into reverse T3 instead.

Waiting for “full-blown Thyroid disease” is the problem Undiagnosed or misdiagnosed thyroid issues increase risk for - - Weight gain or unexplained weight loss - Heart disease - Infertility & miscarriage - Osteoporosis - Fatigue, - brain fog, - constipation/diarrhea - Poor fat digestion & gallstones - Joint pain & mood disorders Why This Matters for Fat Loss Over 40 Thyroid hormones regulate a LOT of bodily functions including but not limited to - - Basal Metabolic Rate - Body weight & fat burning - Cholesterol & triglycerides - Muscle strength & tone - Heart rate & cardiovascular health - Menstrual cycles & mood - Digestive efficiency - Brain function & energy If thyroid signaling is off, fat loss feels impossible no matter how “perfect” nutrition looks. Have you done blood tests and been told your Thyroid is "normal"? 88–93% of adults have some level of metabolic dysfunction (from mild to severe) when the bar is set for OPTIMAL metabolic health. Would you rather be "normal" or Optimal?

If you’re over 40 and still holding belly or lower back fat, it’s not because you’re doing something wrong. It’s because your body is responding exactly as it was designed to protecting you. Fat loss after 40 is not a calorie problem, it’s a safety and signal problem. FitnHealthy Nugget #1 - Belly Fat Is a Nervous System Signal For women 40+, stubborn fat usually means- - Chronic stress - Poor sleep - Hormonal shifts (perimenopause/menopause) - Years of under-eating and over-doing Your body stores fat when it feels unsafe not lazy. FitnHealthy Reframe - Your body isn’t resisting fat loss.It’s protecting you from perceived stress. This is where nervous system regulation becomes non-negotiable. FitnHealthy Nugget #2- “Doing More” Keeps Women Stuck - More cardio - Less food - More HIIT - More restriction These send one message to a 40+ female body- “We’re under threat.” Threat = cortisol Cortisol = belly fat retention FitnHealthy Key insight- If fat loss feels harder the more disciplined you are, your body is in survival mode, not failure mode. FitnHealthy Nugget #3 - Strength Training Must Be Calming, Not Chaotic Strength training is essential but HOW you train matters more than how hard. For women 40+- - Max-effort workouts raise cortisol - Poor recovery blunts fat loss - Consistent, repeatable training works better than intensity spikes FitnHealthy principle -Train to communicate strength and safety, not punishment. FitnHealthy Nugget #4- Fat Loss Begins With Recovery (Not Cardio) No recovery = no release. When sleep or lack of Protein is short or broken - - Insulin sensitivity drops - Cortisol rises - Appetite dysregulates - Fat loss stalls This is SWERPSS in action- Without Sleep and Stress regulation, fat loss strategies backfire. FitnHealthy Nugget #5- Nutrition Is About Hormonal Safety, Not Eating Less Years of dieting teach the female body to conserve. For women 40+- - Under-eating slows metabolism - Protein stabilizes blood sugar and hormones - Consistency matters more than perfection

Methane cases often feel like they “should” do well with fasting. The thought is that less food equals less bloating, but physiologically it frequently backfires especially if constipation and low energy symptoms are present. Why fasting often fails methane cases 1. Methane already slows motility (movement through the digestive tract); fasting can reduce the “push” even further leading to constipation and bloating. With methane/IMO, the gut is already sluggish. Many people rely on meal-driven reflexes (the gastrocolic reflex) to move stool. When you fast- - Fewer meal triggers LEADS TO fewer bowel movements - Stool sits longer LEADS TO more fermentation + gas trapping - Fewer meal triggers LEADS TO fewer bowel movements - Which LEADS TO Distention which can worsen even if you’re eating less 2. Fasting raises stress hormones in “already tapped out” bodies. Tiger. A lot of methane cases are already in a semi conserved state with cold hands/feet, fatigue, poor sleep, stubborn weight. Longer fasting windows can push the body into- - Higher cortisol + adrenaline - More blood sugar instability - More cravings later - Worse sleep (big one) That stress response can stall fat loss even if calories are lower. 3. Constipation leads to recirculation of bile + hormones If fasting worsens constipation, you can get even - - Slower bile flow signaling - More estrogen recirculation (in many women) - More inflammation signaling - All of that makes the body more resistant to fat loss and can increase “puffy” belly appearance. 4. Many methane cases do better with “steady fuel,” not long gaps. It doesn't mean no fasting at all. There's what's called a Methane to Cortisol to Thyroid chain reaction Here’s how it's created - Step 1 Methane slows transit Methane acts like a brake on intestinal movement leading to constipation + gas trapping. Step 2 Slower transit increases stress signaling When you’re constipated and distended, the body interprets it as a chronic internal stressor-

Coffee on an Empty Stomach Stimulates- 1. Cortisol (stress hormone) - Coffee directly increases cortisol - On an empty stomach, the spike is larger High cortisol- This is the biggest issue for women with night waking, lack of belly fat loss or constipation. 2. Adrenaline (Epinephrine) - Triggers “fight or flight” - Increases alertness and heart rate Can feel like it's helpful short term, however it may be stressful long term (for specific people & conditions).This stalls fat loss. 3. Noradrenaline (Norepinephrine) - Sharpens focus - Suppresses appetite - Tightens blood vessels and gut muscles This can temporarily reduce hunger but slow digestion. 4. Dopamine - Increases motivation and pleasure - Reinforces the habit (“I need coffee to feel normal”) This is why coffee can feel emotionally regulating. 5. Glucagon - Signals the liver to release stored glucose (sugar) - Raises blood sugar when no food is present This is why coffee can feel energizing even without eating, but it increases stress signaling. This stalls fat loss. 6. Reduced Insulin Signaling (indirect effect) - Coffee before food can blunt insulin sensitivity short term. This stalls fat loss. When coffee is taken without food, the body interprets it as “We need energy, but none is coming in therefore...... release the stress hormones.” This raises blood sugar. For someone already dealing with- - Constipation - Bloating - Night waking - Fat loss resistance This can reinforce the stress loop. Why is coffee is different with food? When coffee is taken after eating then - - Cortisol response is smaller - Blood sugar is more stable - Digestion is less disrupted - Less rebound bloating later Same coffee , VERY different hormonal response. FitnHealthy Forever Tip - Coffee on an empty stomach pushes stress hormones up, coffee after food is much gentler on your system. Does all of this mean that Coffee is bad? Heck no! Coffee can be a powerful tool, however like any Power Tool, it's best when used properly.