Why the scales never seem to budge in peri menopause
I have had so many conversations this week about weighing weekly and sometimes daily. And it has mostly gone like this:
‘I have been good all week, and I expected to get on the scales seeing some weight loss and the scales said exactly the same as last week! Not a pound has moved!’
Weighing weekly in peri menopause or menopause is the same as putting money into a savings account and checking it the following week expecting it to have doubled in value!
Weight loss is something you have to be in for the long game.
Just like the savings account if you deposit a small amount monthly you don’t even notice it, then long term you have a lump sum. Weight loss is the same. Small consistent actions taken daily is what will get the results long term, especially if you are looking for weight loss in peri menopause and beyond.
So if I got to the end of the week having been good all week and the scales had not budged this is what I would do:
I would stop weighing myself. Weighing yourself daily or weekly messes with your head! Because it does not give you a full representation of what is happening in your body. As progesterone drops we can end up having water retention which skews the number on the scales
I would stop calorie counting. Not all calories are created equal. Calories from colourful nutrient dense foods hit different in the body to calories from a ‘healthy’ snack bar. If you need to count anything count the amount of colours on your plate!
I would focus on how food is making me feel. You want to feel energised from the food you eat, not permanently tired and feeling restricted. If you need to snack between meals then the food you are eating is not working for your body.
I would prioritise a protein rich breakfast. The key to managing weight effortlessly is to get insulin the blood sugar hormone balanced from the start of the day. A protein rich breakfast that keeps you going until lunch time is one of the first places to start.
I would make sure I prioritise sleep. We totally underestimate the power of sleep for improving our fat burning ability and for helping to lower insulin. Lower insulin means we have a natural desire to eat less, and store less of the food we consume as fat.
So if you have been weighing yourself weekly, and sometimes daily – stop.
It is not going to help you achieve results long term. It just messes with your head because it never looks like the scales move and you feel like you are failing!
Focus on taking daily consistent actions that are easy to achieve, this will mean you keep going with it long term. And get the result you desire. It is what really does work for easy weight loss in peri menopause and menopause.
It may take a little longer, but I promise you the journey to get there is so much more enjoyable and you will be able to maintain it long term.
