163: Metabolism, Midlife Weight Gain & Fatigue with Dr. Aleksandra Gajer, MD

After a decade in emergency medicine, Dr. Gajer shifted her focus to proactive, root-cause care centered on metabolic health, habit change, and improving healthspan. We talk about what’s missing in modern medicine, why being told “it’s just genetic” is rarely the full story, and how insulin resistance quietly drives many midlife symptoms.

We dive into fatigue, weight gain, poor sleep, and loss of vitality, especially during perimenopause, and how insulin resistance, muscle loss, inflammation, gut health, thyroid and cortisol imbalance, and hormone shifts all connect. Dr. Gajer explains insulin resistance in simple terms and why the eat less move more approach often backfires in midlife.

What we cover:

• Why midlife weight gain often comes down to insulin resistance
• What insulin is doing behind the scenes
• Why genetics are not the whole picture
• The metabolism shift that works in midlife: building muscle and stabilizing blood sugar
• Protein and fiber targets for metabolic health
• Simple tools like post-meal walks and consistent eating windows
• How sleep and light exposure affect insulin resistance
• Perimenopause hormone changes and sleep disruption

Find Dr Gajer: 

• website click here