In a candid and deeply relatable conversation with Women Fitness, renowned nutritionist and wellness expert Munmun Ganeriwal opened up about her deeply personal weight-loss journey, sharing how stress, emotional exhaustion, disrupted routines, and hormonal shifts contributed to unexpected weight gain during one of the most demanding phases of her life.
“The Body Is Not Your Enemy — It Is Simply Asking for Care”
Reflecting on early 2025, Munmun recalls the emotionally intense period surrounding her daughter’s Class 10 board exams. As a single parent, she found herself balancing every responsibility alone — supporting her daughter academically and emotionally while continuing to manage her own professional commitments. Long nights, shortened sleep, irregular meals, lack of exercise, and constant emotional engagement slowly pushed her body into imbalance. It was only after the exams ended, and life became calmer, that she realized she had gained nearly 9–10 kilos.
Stress, Sleep Deprivation & Weight Gain
Munmun explains that the weight gain was not sudden but rather the result of chronic stress, emotional overload, sleep deprivation, and neglecting recovery. Despite the physical changes, she never reacted with panic or self-criticism.
As a wellness professional, she understood the physiological impact of stress and poor sleep on the body. Instead of viewing the weight gain as failure, she saw it as her body’s way of asking for care and restoration. She also expressed gratitude that her body continued functioning well despite the pressure, with stable energy levels, balanced hormones, and no major health disturbances.
According to Munmun, years of mindful living and accumulated fitness helped protect her body during that difficult phase.
Why Weight Loss in Your 40s Feels Different
Discussing the emotional and physical challenges of her transformation, Munmun says acceptance became her greatest strength. Once she understood the reason behind the weight gain, there was no guilt attached to it.
However, she acknowledges that weight loss in the mid-40s is very different from losing weight in one’s 20s. Having previously lost pregnancy weight much faster, she noticed that this time the process required significantly more patience because of perimenopausal changes, hormonal shifts, slower recovery, and age-related metabolic differences.
Instead of forcing rapid results through extreme methods, she focused on consistency, patience, and respecting the stage of life her body is currently in.
The Problem With Modern Diet Culture
Munmun also spoke about the growing obsession with rapid weight loss and shortcut culture. According to her, people today are constantly searching for one magic solution — whether through extreme fasting, elimination diets, high-protein trends, or weight-loss medications.
While she acknowledges that certain medical interventions have their place, she believes the larger issue lies in generalized advice and social media-driven nutrition trends.
Drawing from more than two decades of professional experience, Munmun strongly believes that nutrition is deeply individual. Factors like metabolism, digestion, hormonal health, stress response, sleep quality, gut health, activity levels, and Ayurvedic prakriti all influence how the body responds to food.
For her, personalized wellness is the future of sustainable health.
Restoring Balance Instead of Chasing Fat Loss
Munmun reveals that her focus was never simply on losing weight but on restoring balance.
With a predominantly Vata constitution, she recognized that the irregular lifestyle during her daughter’s exams had aggravated her system. Her recovery, therefore, centered around rebuilding routine and grounding herself again.
She gradually returned to sleeping by 10 PM, waking up early, and following consistent movement practices. Her workout routine consisted of strength training three times a week, along with yoga and cardio on alternate days.
Nutritionally, she focused on warm, nourishing, easy-to-digest meals that supported digestion rather than stressing the body further. She also reintroduced Ayurvedic self-care rituals, such as Abhyanga and Padabhyanga — oil massage therapies known for their grounding and calming effects.
Wellness Should Never Feel Like Punishment
One of the most striking aspects of Munmun’s approach is her belief that wellness should coexist with real life.
Even during her weight-loss phase, she never isolated herself socially or gave up the things that brought her joy. She values meaningful friendships, travelling, and sharing good food with loved ones, and believes that sustainable wellness should never feel restrictive or punishing.
For Munmun, true health lies in creating balance rather than following rigid extremes.
Munmun on Why Gut Health Matters
Munmun strongly believes that gut health forms the foundation of overall wellness and weight management. According to her, digestion influences everything — metabolism, hormones, inflammation, cravings, nutrient absorption, and energy levels.
She emphasizes that even the healthiest foods cannot truly benefit the body if digestion is weak.
Her mornings are intuitive rather than rigid. Currently, she begins her day with a medicated Ayurvedic ghee preparation for hormonal support, followed by warm water before her workout. On other days, she may choose amla juice with dry ginger and turmeric, depending on what her body needs.
For Munmun, listening to the body’s signals — through digestion, sleep, mood, cravings, skin, and recovery — is far more important than blindly following trends.
A Message for Women Struggling With Weight Gain
Sharing a heartfelt message for women, Munmun encourages them to approach themselves with patience and compassion.
She reminds women that weight gain is often connected to stress, caregiving, burnout, hormonal changes, emotional burden, and lack of rest. Even people deeply committed to wellness can lose balance during difficult phases of life — and that is completely human.
According to her, the important thing is returning to oneself without guilt.
She also reflects on how she may have overextended herself during her daughter’s exams despite her daughter already being exceptionally bright and hardworking. Looking ahead to her daughter’s Class 12 board exams next year, Munmun says she hopes to remain equally supportive while maintaining better balance and self-regulation within herself.
Ultimately, she believes life is about learning, recalibrating, and evolving without repeating the same mistakes again.