Welcome.
If you're here, something has probably changed in the last year or two. Weight is settling around your middle even though you're eating the same way you always have. Maybe you tried cutting back or adding more cardio, which used to work, and this time it barely made a difference.
You're not imagining it, and it isn't a willpower problem. As estrogen drops during perimenopause, the body tends to store more fat around the abdomen and gradually loses muscle. That second part matters more than most people realize, because muscle is one of the main things that keeps your body strong and your metabolism working the way it did in your thirties.
That's why this page is built around strength training. Not hour-long gym sessions. Three short workouts a week, simple enough to start even if you've never lifted anything heavier than a grocery bag, and designed to fit around a job, a family, and everything else on your plate.
The goal for the first few months is straightforward: get those three workouts to feel like a normal part of your week, and see the weights you're lifting go up. For progress, a tape measure around your waist will tell you more than the scale, since building muscle can make the scale look stuck even when things are changing.
To get started, open the first workout in the guide. Then, if you'd like, comment below with where you're starting from. Have you lifted before, or is this completely new? What's gotten in the way in the past? There's no wrong answer, and most women here are starting from scratch.
This is educational, not medical advice. Please check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program, especially if you have joint issues, a heart condition, or anything else that affects how you move.