M Deats Wellness

28/02/2026

The Physics of a "Curvy Fit" Machine...

So it's taken a bit of work for me to actually accept that in order for me to continue to train the way I do I need a TON more fuel and over the last few months it has really become clear. I have crunched the numbers over and over again (because I don't ever believe data the first time lol) and come up with the same answers...

I used to think my mass was a limitation. I spent years trying to shrink it, fuel it on what now feels air and adrenaline, and out-run and ignore the signals my body was sending me..

Then I looked at the data, properly...Like I do for my clients

Yesterday, I took my 109kg frame into the trails for a 75-minute base run. My human (conditioned) brain told me I was being slow. My Scientist brain saw something entirely different..

Moving 109kg against gravity isn't a gentle zone 2 jog. It’s a high-wattage power test. I averaged 208 Watts of output—power most people only hit in a sprint—all while keeping my heart rate in a steady, healing aerobic zone (135bpm).

In just over an hour, I burned 635 calories. My machine doesn't run on a standard 1,200 a day -calorie budget. It requires an average of nearly 3,000 calories just to keep the lights on and the repair work moving.

When I eat enough to sustain my output. I feel puffy (due to glycogen) In the past, I would have seen this as a sign to eat less.

Now, as a scientist, I know it’s the feeling of rebuilding my body using repair fluid and glycogen to fix the Hormonal Bankruptcy I lived in for too long.

To the Active Woman in Perimenopause...

We are often told we are slowing down. But look at your data. You aren't slowing down, you are only changing the pace you are operating in and an engine that requires more cooling, more fuel, and a lot more respect.

I’m trading the 'thin' ghost for the 'strong' machine. I’m eating the 2,500 calories. I’m honoring the 1 liter of sweat I left on the trail. I’m choosing a 90 Readiness score over a smaller pant size. At 40, I am owning my strength.

Are you fueling the active woman you are, or the ghost you were told to be? 👑

This is your time to start thriving and giving your body what she needs

25/02/2026

Growth is uncomfortable—and sometimes, it’s a little puffy

​I’m currently navigating the psychological "in-between" of a reverse diet. It’s that strange space where you know you’re doing the right thing for your metabolism, but your mind still plays tricks on you when your clothes fit a little differently (hellooo bootay)

​In perimenopause, we’re already dealing with so much change. Our bodies and muscles are looking for safety not emptiness.

Adding more carbs can feel scary, but for active women, our cellular health depends on it. I’m giving myself the grace to know that it might take half a year for my body to fully adapt and for my hormones to find their rhythm again

​This isn’t just about "fixing" a metabolism; it’s about healing the relationship between our fuel and our future selves.

I’m learning to get comfortable with fullness - in my muscles, on my plate, and in my life. It’s a slow burn, but the most beautiful things usually are.

23/02/2026

Its a season of radical self care ♡

More than we sometimes grasp in the beginning

23/02/2026

What I mean by this is that we’ve entered an era where HRT is often framed as a "magic wand" for perimenopause, but the biological reality is far more complex than a simple addition of hormones.

In perimenopause, the brain-ovary communication (the HPO axis) isn't just turning off; it’s becoming volatile, creating hormonal spikes and crashes that even the best-calibrated prescription can’t always override nor should they.

Research shows that while HRT is a gold-standard tool for stabilizing the "floor" of symptoms like hot flashes and bone loss, it doesn’t exist in a vacuum, meaning its not going to magically fix everything.

This is why a highly personalized approach, guided by a human practitioner who actually listens to your unique history, is essential; every woman’s receptor sensitivity and metabolic starting point are different, meaning a dose that works for one might do very little for another and thats what makes us beautiful and unique.

​Nutrition is still the most fundamental element here—without prioritizing blood sugar stability, nourishing yourself well and having adequate protein to support muscle mass, the body can’t effectively metabolize or utilize those hormones.


Furthermore, HRT can’t "out-medicate" a nervous system stuck in fight-or-flight; if we aren't actively managing the cortisol-driven stress that shifts how our bodies function after 40, the therapy often hits a wall.

True clinical management means viewing a tailored, human-led HRT protocol as a powerful stabilizer within a larger toolkit of metabolic health and lifestyle foundations, rather than a one-size-fits-all cure.

This phase of life is one that needs very specific guidance to help your future health.

21/02/2026

I experience runner's high on nearly every run, and for years, like most people, I believed it was endorphins. Naturally, I got curious about what was actually happening in my body. Turns out the whole 'endorphin rush' thing is basically a myth.

Your body is producing endocannabinoids—literally cannabis-like molecules and women's bodies respond way more intensely (love that for us). I've written about the science that explains why this happens and why women feel it differently to men.

Hint: Those hormones 😅😉

Happy reading ❤️

The runner's high isn't endorphins—it's endocannabinoids, your body's natural cannabis. New research shows women experience it more intensely based on cycle phase.

18/02/2026

A day in the life of a nutritional scientists brain

This is my life...my passion for women's wellness

A tireless pursuit in the best available ans cutting edge science to help those I educate get the absolute best information out there

17/02/2026

Reminder : You are not a performance. 🌿

​Stop trying to meet expectations that don’t even belong to you. Your existence is enough and you are worthy of love for who you are

17/02/2026

My endurance is a machine. My recovery is a ghost.

​I’m a nutritional scientist. I spend my life analyzing metabolic pathways and fueling strategies for others. But being an expert doesn’t make me immune to the Endurance Trap.

​In fact, it made it easier to rationalize.
​My DNA flags me for Higher Endurance. I can go all day. I used that machine to push through an Ultra-marathon 8 weeks ago, burning an extra 1,600 calories in a single session. I thought I’d recovered in a few days.

​I was wrong. The Machine sent me the invoice a few weeks later

My Testosterone flatlined at 0.07—clinically "off the map".
​Deep bone aches because my body was "mining" its own frame for minerals to keep moving.
​My HRV tanked into the 20s, and my gut—the very thing I study—shut down because it didn't have the energy to run.

​The Scientist vs. The Human

​As a scientist, I know the math. To lower chronic Cortisol (the stress hormone keeping me in this loop), I have to eat more. High cortisol is a fat-storage signal, the only way to switch it off is to provide abundance.

​But as a human, adding 200+ calories a day is psychologically terrifying. Even with my degrees, I have to fight the voice that equates "weight gain" with "losing control."

I have to remind myself that this initial weight isn't fat—it’s glycogen, water, and the literal weight of my body finally repairing itself after years!! Not just my recent event.

​Metabolic Awakening

​90 Readiness crown on my Oura today. That isn't from pushing harder. It’s from finally listening to the data I give my own clients
​Moving toward a 2800-calorie floor to prove to my brain the famine is over.
​Increasing my HRT (Estrogen + Testosterone) to protect my bones and restore my spark.

​Today, I’m at the Tiramoana bush walk. My "Machine" brain wants the full loop. My "Scientist" brain sees my 93 Sleep score and knows a fueled half-loop is the only way to keep the crown tomorrow.

​To the Active Woman in Perimenopause
​We are told to eat less and move more as we age, but for the athletic woman, that is a recipe for hormonal disaster.

Its time for us to stop living in survival mode.

14/02/2026

Its the simple things in life that are the most restorative and grounding

Late mornings

Gentle sun through the trees

Clean minimal spaces

Less stuff more joy

13/02/2026

Happy Valentines day ❤️ I hope you feel loved, seen, cherished and special for the beautiful soul you are ❤️

08/02/2026

HEALING IS AN UNRAVELLING.

It is physically uncomfortable. It is psychologically challenging. And it is some of the most honest work I’ve ever done.

For years, I subconsciously believed that "less" was the only way to be "more." I pushed my body in endurance on 1700 calories, lived at 104kg, and convinced myself that my sluggish gut and lack of appetite were just "efficiency." I was living in chronic scarcity, asking my body to perform miracles on fumes. And she did, for a long time..

Now, as I step up to a 37.5mcg HRT patch and move into 2000+ calories, I am in the "unravelling" phase. My body is recalibrating, it's filling my muscles with much-needed glycogen while simultaneously holding onto water as it adjusts to new hormonal signals. I feel like a big jellyfish, puffy and soft, but beneath that, I feel strong, a bones deep strong.

I realized I owed someone an apology for how long I made her wait for this abundance.

To the version of me who carried me so long and ran on fumes...

I am so sorry. I’m sorry I asked you for miles and strength without giving you the bricks and mortar to build with. I mistook your quiet struggle for "efficiency" and your survival mode for "discipline."

I’m sorry I let you believe that scarcity was a badge of honor. I see you now, the way you held on, the way you showed up for every ask, even when your energy bank was overdrawn. I know you were protecting me.

I see the "puffiness" now for what it is, Your way of finally soaking up the resources I’m giving you.

I’m not going to ask you to "shrink" anymore. I’m going to feed you. I’m going to give you the deep nourishment and the rest that you’ve been owed for years.

We are safe now. You don’t have to hoard every drop of water for a drought that isn't coming.

We are just rebuilding. Thank you for not giving up on me while I was learning how to take care of you.

07/02/2026

I love this cake. Its simple, budget friendly and really pretty.

I believe in enjoying food in a healthy way and that often means I don't enjoy "healthifying" every single sweet treat. I prefer to enjoy them as they are with the people you care about.

I have only made minor tweaks to this cake and the result is still a cake that feels like home.

A wonderful treat to be enjoyed as part of a healthy lifestyle ❤️

Let me know what you think if you make it

A thoughtful spin on classic hummingbird cake using half the sugar (because it has banana and pineapple, gluten-free flour, roasted pecans, and a tangy Greek yogurt icing. All the flavor, none of the crash.