Behind the Body

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Podcast by Andrea Cutuk

Behind the Body

You’re eating salads for lunch, walking daily, and skipping dessert, but the older you get, the tighter your jeans get. You’ve tried cutting carbs, adding more cardio, and intermittent fasting. Your body is changing faster than your habits, and you’re tired of feeling like it’s out of your control. Welcome to Behind the Body! I’m Andrea Cutuk - NASM-Certified Nutrition and Fitness Coach - and I like to talk openly and honestly about weight loss (or lack thereof) after 40. After losing 20 pounds and maintaining it for almost 10 years through perimenopause, I talk about exactly what causes weight gain when hormones shift and what to do about it. No generic advice from 25-year-old fitness influencers. No extreme diets or programs that last two weeks. Just a woman like you who’s been there, with real strategies that work when estrogen drops, metabolism slows, and you’re juggling work, family, and a social life. Each week, we’ll chat about topics such as: * Why you gain weight around your midsection even when you eat the same foods * How to lose fat without giving up restaurants, wine, or your sanity * What specific foods and habits help (and hurt) fat loss after 40 * How to build strength and boost metabolism so you’re aging in the best way possible This isn’t necessarily about motivation. It’s about understanding the science of perimenopause and menopause weight gain, and getting practical tools that fit your actual life. You don’t need another 90-day challenge. You need sustainable habits that work for your lifestyle, and forever. I hope you’ll join the Behind the Body community! New episodes every Monday.

Latest episodes

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23 February 2026

Your Perfect Calorie Deficit for Fat Loss Over 40 (Permanent Weight Loss Masterclass Pt. 2)

Download the free Fat-Loss Formula Workbook for use in this episode.

Most women over 40 are either under- or overeating. Both options use guessing, and that's what's keeping you stuck.

In Part 2 of the Permanent Weight Loss Masterclass, I'm walking you through the exact math behind a calorie deficit that scientifically works, burns fat without tanking your metabolism, and leaves you hungry.

This is a workshop-style episode. Have your phone or calculator ready. By the end, you'll have your specific calorie maintenance and deficit written down.

In this episode, we cover:

  • What a calorie deficit actually is (and the one mistake that makes it backfire)
  • Why 1,200 calories is a toddler's intake, and why eating more can speed up fat loss
  • How to calculate your BMR and TDEE in under 10 minutes
  • The difference between a conservative and aggressive deficit, and how to pick the right one for you
  • Why you need a "Diet Deadline", and what happens if you skip this step

The bottom line: If you don't know your number, you're guessing. Guessing leads to under- or overeating, a metabolic slowdown, and rebound weight gain. This episode fixes that.

Download the free Fat-Loss Formula Workbook referenced in this episode.

Missed Part 1? Start HERE first.

Get ready for Part 3 next Monday! I cover the Exit Strategy: how to stop dieting without regaining weight.

🎯 Take the FREE ‘What’s My Metabolism Type’ quiz that identifies your unique metabolism type and get empowered with personalized strategies to manage your weight confidently. → Quiz: https://behindthebody.com/quiz

LET'S CONNECT!

📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthebody.co/

📲 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/behindthebody.co

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@behindthebody

📌 Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/BehindtheBody/

🎙️ Podcast: https://pod.link/1698226037

💌 Join my Newlsetter: https://behindthebody.com/Newsletter

👩🏻‍💻 Website: https://behindthebody.com/

🔔 SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a quick review on Apple or Spotify Podcasts. Every review helps another woman like us find our community of strength, power, learning, and "glowing up".

New episodes every Monday.

👋🏻 ABOUT ME:

I'm Andrea, a certified nutrition and fitness coach and founder of Behind the Body. I spent years doing cardio and avoiding weights because I just wanted to be skinny, and I didn’t understand the impact it would have. At 40, I did a lifestyle overhaul, and I finally started lifting 3-4 times per week. Now at 44, I have the strong, toned body I'd been chasing for decades. I've maintained these results for over 8 years with the same simple approach. Now I help women over 40 stop overcomplicating fitness and start building sustainable strength.

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational purposes only. Always consult with your healthcare provider before making significant changes to your diet or exercise routine.

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12:57

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16 February 2026

Why 95% of Diets Fail Women Over 40 (Permanent Weight Loss Masterclass Pt. 1)

f you’ve ever lost weight, only to gain it back months later, this episode and this entire series are for you.

The problem isn’t your willpower, laziness, or lack of discipline. Sure, they may play a role. But there's a bigger factor at play.

Biology.

In Part 1 of the Permanent Weight Loss Masterclass, I break down:

  • Why 95% of diets fail
  • What’s happening to your metabolism
  • The role of metabolic adaptation
  • Why “eat less and move more” stops working
  • The critical mistake women make after reaching their goal weight
  • And the one structural shift that makes fat loss permanent

Most women treat weight loss like a sprint with extreme calorie cuts, daily cardio, 1,200 calories, and white-knuckling it until the scale drops.

But your body is not designed for starvation. It adapts.

When you slash calories, your metabolism downshifts to protect you. Hunger increases. Energy drops. Fat loss stalls. Eventually, you rebound because your body stepped up to do exactly what it was designed to do.

Permanent weight loss isn’t a sprint. It’s a staircase.

Over this 4-part series, I’ll walk you through the exact phased system I used to lose 20+ pounds and keep it off for nearly a decade, and the same framework I use with my private clients.

Next Episode: We calculate your exact calorie numbers for deficit and maintenance phases. Download the Fat Loss Formula Workbook (link below) so you're ready.

Resources:

  1. Download the Fat Loss Formula Workbook: https://behindthbody.kit.com/da09590a82
  2. Subscribe to Behind the Body YouTube for video versions: https://www.youtube.com/@behindthebody
  3. Take the "What's My Metabolism Type" Quiz and get a personalized plan to start burning fat: https://behindthebody.com/quiz

✨ Stay Connected:

Join my BTB newsletter for weekly insights, wellness strategies, and updates straight to your inbox. Sign up at behindthebody.com/newsletter

🎯 Take the FREE ‘What’s My Metabolism Type’ quiz that identifies your unique metabolism type and get empowered with personalized strategies to manage your weight confidently. → Quiz: https://behindthebody.com/quiz

LET'S CONNECT!

📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthebody.co/

📲 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/behindthebody.co

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@behindthebody

📌 Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/BehindtheBody/

🎙️ Podcast: https://pod.link/1698226037

💌 Join my Newlsetter: https://behindthebody.com/Newsletter

👩🏻‍💻 Website: https://behindthebody.com/

🔔 SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a quick review on Apple or Spotify Podcasts. Every review helps another woman like us find our community of strength, power, learning, and "glowing up".

New episodes every Monday.

👋🏻 ABOUT ME:

I'm Andrea, a certified nutrition and fitness coach and founder of Behind the Body. I spent years doing cardio and avoiding weights because I just wanted to be skinny, and I didn’t understand the impact it would have. At 40, I did a lifestyle overhaul, and I finally started lifting 3-4 times per week. Now at 44, I have the strong, toned body I'd been chasing for decades. I've maintained these results for over 8 years with the same simple approach. Now I help women over 40 stop overcomplicating fitness and start building sustainable strength.

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational purposes only. Always consult with your healthcare provider before making significant changes to your diet or exercise routine.

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11:24

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09 February 2026

How to Exercise When You Have Zero Motivation After 40

You know exercise matters in your 40s. But you also know that if you rely on motivation to work out, you'll be waiting forever, because motivation is a lie.

You're busy. You're tired. You have a million things on your to-do list. And the last thing you want to do is work out.

I get it. At 45, getting myself to the gym is 10x harder than it was in my 20s. But here's what I've learned after almost 10 years of staying consistent: waiting to "feel like" working out means you'll never go.

In this episode, I share the 5 mantras I use to get myself moving when I'd rather stay on the couch or literally do anything else:

These aren't rah-rah motivational speeches. They're real strategies for busy women who know they should exercise but struggle to actually do it.

🎯 Take the FREE ‘What’s My Metabolism Type’ quiz that identifies your unique metabolism type and get empowered with personalized strategies to manage your weight confidently. → Quiz: https://behindthebody.com/quiz

LET'S CONNECT!

📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthebody.co/

📲 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/behindthebody.co

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@behindthebody

📌 Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/BehindtheBody/

🎙️ Podcast: https://pod.link/1698226037

💌 Join my Newlsetter: https://behindthebody.com/Newsletter

👩🏻‍💻 Website: https://behindthebody.com/

🔔 SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a quick review on Apple or Spotify Podcasts. Every review helps another woman like us find our community of strength, power, learning, and "glowing up".

New episodes every Monday.

👋🏻 ABOUT ME:

I'm Andrea, a certified nutrition and fitness coach and founder of Behind the Body. I spent years doing cardio and avoiding weights because I just wanted to be skinny, and I didn’t understand the impact it would have. At 40, I did a lifestyle overhaul, and I finally started lifting 3-4 times per week. Now at 44, I have the strong, toned body I'd been chasing for decades. I've maintained these results for over 8 years with the same simple approach. Now I help women over 40 stop overcomplicating fitness and start building sustainable strength.

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational purposes only. Always consult with your healthcare provider before making significant changes to your diet or exercise routine.

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13:16

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02 February 2026

5 Things I Tell Myself When I Want to Eat Everything (Food Noise Over 40)

Food noise in your 40s hits different. That voice telling you to order takeout, eat the cookies, throw in the towel, it's louder when you're stressed, exhausted, or irritated.

Last week I experienced it at full volume. My husband was out of town. Work stress was high. I was burning out. And every part of me wanted to eat everything in sight and justify it.

But here's what I've learned after almost 10 years of maintenance: you can work with food noise and give yourself grace and a plan, rather than fight it. You can indulge without losing control.

In this episode, I share the 5 mantras I use to keep from spiraling when I want to eat everything.

These are about control, not restriction. They're about eating what you want from a place of intention instead of desperation.

Because one cheeseburger at 44 bloats me for three days. We can't indulge the same way we did in our 20s or 30s. But we also can't live in all-or-nothing mode forever.

This is how you find balance without throwing in the towel.

🎯 Take the FREE ‘What’s My Metabolism Type’ quiz that identifies your unique metabolism type and get empowered with personalized strategies to manage your weight confidently. → Quiz: https://behindthebody.com/quiz

LET'S CONNECT!

📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthebody.co/

📲 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/behindthebody.co

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@behindthebody

📌 Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/BehindtheBody/

🎙️ Podcast: https://pod.link/1698226037

💌 Join my Newlsetter: https://behindthebody.com/Newsletter

👩🏻‍💻 Website: https://behindthebody.com/

🔔 SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a quick review on Apple or Spotify Podcasts. Every review helps another woman like us find our community of strength, power, learning, and "glowing up".

New episodes every Monday.

👋🏻 ABOUT ME:

I'm Andrea, a certified nutrition and fitness coach and founder of Behind the Body. I spent years doing cardio and avoiding weights because I just wanted to be skinny, and I didn’t understand the impact it would have. At 40, I did a lifestyle overhaul, and I finally started lifting 3-4 times per week. Now at 44, I have the strong, toned body I'd been chasing for decades. I've maintained these results for over 8 years with the same simple approach. Now I help women over 40 stop overcomplicating fitness and start building sustainable strength.

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational purposes only. Always consult with your healthcare provider before making significant changes to your diet or exercise routine.

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17:02

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26 January 2026

5 "Healthy" Habits Making Your Belly Fat Worse After 40

If you're over 40, eating relatively clean, and exercising, but still gaining belly fat, it's because after 40, the rules of biology change for us.

In this episode, I'm breaking down the 5 common "healthy" habits that backfire in perimenopause and menopause, and what we can do instead.

Here's what we cover:

  • Why excessive cardio spikes cortisol and stores belly fat (even when you're burning calories)
  • How eating too few calories triggers your thyroid to slow your metabolism
  • Why intermittent fasting works for men but increases insulin resistance in women over 40
  • The fat mistake that's sabotaging your hormone production
  • How one bad night of sleep creates diabetic-level insulin resistance the next day

None of these things had a significant impact on us in our 20s and 30s. But now, they're the culprits for the very thing we're trying to avoid: unintentional weight gain and belly fat.

🎯 Take the FREE ‘What’s My Metabolism Type’ quiz that identifies your unique metabolism type and get empowered with personalized strategies to manage your weight confidently. → Quiz: https://behindthebody.com/quiz

LET'S CONNECT!

📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthebody.co/

📲 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/behindthebody.co

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@behindthebody

📌 Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/BehindtheBody/

🎙️ Podcast: https://pod.link/1698226037

💌 Join my Newlsetter: https://behindthebody.com/Newsletter

👩🏻‍💻 Website: https://behindthebody.com/

🔔 SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a quick review on Apple or Spotify Podcasts. Every review helps another woman like us find our community of strength, power, learning, and "glowing up".

New episodes every Monday.

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12:30

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19 January 2026

THIS is the Real Reason Fat Loss is Harder After 40 (It's Not Hormones)

Think your metabolism is slowing with age, and it is! But not because of your hormones. You are losing 3-8% of your muscle every decade after your late 30s, and that's quietly destroying your ability to burn fat.

Most women over 40 are fighting an uphill battle they don't even know exists. They cut calories harder, add more cardio, try another restrictive diet, and wonder why nothing is working.

The REAL problem is that age-related muscle loss is tanking your metabolism. And extreme calorie deficits are making it even worse, stripping away the exact tissue you need to burn fat efficiently.

In this episode, I break down:

  • Why calories in vs. calories out still matters (and why muscle changes everything)
  • How losing muscle quietly lowers your daily calorie burn
  • Why eating 1200-1400 calories is sabotaging your progress
  • The difference between weight loss and fat loss (and why it matters at our age)
  • Actionable strategies: shorter fat loss phases, lifting weights, and prioritizing protein

This isn't about being skinny. It's about being strong, healthy, and looking your best at 45, 55, 65, and beyond.

🎯 Take the FREE ‘What’s My Metabolism Type’ quiz: It identifies your unique metabolism type and empowers you with personalized strategies to manage your weight confidently. → Quiz: https://behindthebody.com/quiz

LET'S CONNECT!

📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthebody.co/

📲 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/behindthebody.co

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@behindthebody

📌 Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/BehindtheBody/

🎙️ Podcast: https://pod.link/1698226037

💌 Join my Newlsetter: https://behindthebody.com/Newsletter

👩🏻‍💻 Website: https://behindthebody.com/

🔔 SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a quick review on Apple or Spotify Podcasts. Every review helps another woman like us find our community of strength, power, learning, and "glowing up".

New episodes every Monday.

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