Bet you didn't know THIS about your metabolism... When your metabolism slows it throws off your hormones, there's a new power struggle that kicks in... Progesterone vs. cortisol Now, progesterone plays multiple essential roles, not the least of which is curbing your stress response from cortisol. What does this mean in a broad sense? Less progesterone = higher cortisol response. Cortisol = 'survival mode' and fat buildup. So when you stress about things and your mind is occupied with a mound of BS you have to deal with... Or you hit the gym for too long and put tons of extra physical stress on your body... Expect more stored fat covering up that muscle tone you've worked so hard for. It sucks, but it's the truth. That's why no amount of cardio will get the job done. Why no amount of food cutting (another stressor) will work, either. This leaves only one answer to eliminate that constant push-pull — only one way to minimize the minuses of exer...