Why one size does not fit all for weight loss in peri menopause
One of the key things I focus on with clients looking for weight loss in peri menopause is to help them understand why the one size fits all approach to weight loss in midlife just does not work.
And once we understand this it is totally liberating!
Gone is the calorie counting, gone is the restriction, gone is the misery.
Just focus on eating for your body and keeping the blood sugar hormone insulin balanced.
You see for too long as midlife women we have been guided down the road of low fat and calorie counting, which simply does not work for women in midlife. Because low fat equals high sugar. Which in turn results in an insulin spike.
Insulin is a hormone that stores fat, and previously oestrogen kept it in check. But as oestrogen drops in peri menopause insulin starts to run the show, causing mostly havoc around our midsection! This is why calories in versus calories out does not work for women in midlife.
I encourage women to manage insulin naturally, by listening to the messages their body is sending them. The actions to take to keep midlife weight gain at bay, especially if coming off the weight loss drug like Ozempic, are not generic, they are based on how your body responds to insulin.
So hearing how you feel within 2 hours of eating is the bodies way of communicating with your brain. Messages like sugar cravings, a need to snack, bloating or the afternoon slump are all signs that the food you are eating is not keeping insulin steady.
This is why the one size fits all approach to dieting does not work, because the insulin response to food is different from person to person. And it is insulin, if high in the body, that keeps us hungry, bloated and ready to eat as much sugar as we can!
So if you are struggling with snacking, sugar cravings and weight gain after 40 here are 3 top tips to help you understand foods that will work for your body.
Eat only the foods that keep you energised for at least 4 hours - if you notice your energy sagging after 2 hours of eating something that food did not work for your body. You should be able to go for at least 4 hours without needing to snack.
Not all calories are created equal so don't count calories, focus on nutrients. The more nutrient dense your food is the more steady your insulin will be. Think lots of colours and quality proteins.
Move away from all things low fat. If fat has been removed then all the taste goes so the food manufacturers build the taste back up with sugars and sweeteners - causing an insulin spike and your body to hold on to fat.
The one size fits all approach to managing weight after 40 just does not work. Listening to your body is key. Start practicing today by keeping a food diary for a few days to see how you feel after 2 hours of eating. It might be the thing that helps you break the cycle of dieting forever!
