Santa Isn’t Counting Macros And Neither Should You

December can feel like a pressure cooker: end-of-year exhaustion, disrupted routines, family dynamics, more alcohol, and less sleep. Add perimenopause or postmenopause, and cravings spike while motivation vanishes. In today's episode I share a calmer path that doesn’t demand perfection or push you into another punishing reset. Instead, I reframe December as stabilisation: keep blood sugar steady with protein-first meals, protect sleep with consistent bed and wake times, reduce alcohol, and choose daily walks over punishment workouts. The goal isn’t losing weight through the holidays; it’s arriving in January steady, nourished, and ready.

I dig into why weight loss after 40 starts with safety, not discipline. When the body feels safe, cortisol drops, insulin improves, sleep deepens, and cravings soften. That shift makes consistent habits possible again. You’ll hear clear, real-world strategies to reduce all or nothing thinking, meet emotional needs without shame, and build routines that hold when life is full. I also speak to why “I’ll start in January” can work when December is kind and structured, not chaotic and guilt-ridden.

If your usual tricks no longer work, you’re not broken—your body is working under new rules. I explain how tailored support can uncover blockers like iron deficiency, thyroid issues, or insulin resistance, and why structure, accountability, and hormone-aware nutrition avoids the eat-less, move-more trap. 

Send me a text!

Are you a woman feeling stressed, flat and experiencing the challenges of perimenopause or menopause?

It’s time to reclaim your youthful energy, radiance and self-assurance (and your ideal weight).

I’m here to help with my proven method.

Here's how I can support you -

1. Hit your health and wellbeing goals this year, balance your hormones and lose weight with your own personalised protocol, based on your body's biochemistry. Sounds awesome right!! Book a free 30 minute Peri Weight Loss Assessment with me so we can discuss your health and wellbeing goals and also see how I might be able to support you. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Book your call here. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

2. Follow me on Instagram and Facebook - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@the.perimenopause.path

3. Join the waitlist for my innovative NEW 8 week group program, In Your Skin™️, for women in perimenopause and post-menopause who want effective solutions to manage skin changes at this time of life.

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Hi, I'm Susie Garden and this is the Ageless and
Autumn Podcast.
I'm an age-defying naturopathand clinical nutritionist and
I'm here to bust myths aroundwomen's health and ageing so
that you can be ageless andawesome in your 40s, 50s, and
beyond.

(00:20):
The Ageless and Awesome Podcastis dedicated to helping women
through perimenopause andmenopause with great health, a
positive mindset, and outrageousconfidence.
Hit subscribe or follow now andlet's get started.
Hello, gorgeous one, and welcometo this week's episode of the
Ageless and Awesome Podcast.

(00:42):
I'm your host, Susie Garden,Perimenopause naturopath, weight
loss nutritionist, and fellowperimenopause survivor.
And today's uh episode is alittle different.
This one's for you if you'relistening right now in the lead
up to Christmas, thinking I wantto lose weight, but honestly, it
just feels impossible.

(01:04):
Maybe you want to lose fivekilos, maybe it's 10, maybe it's
30 kilos.
Maybe your clothes feel tighter,maybe your energy is gone, your
hormones are out of whack.
Maybe you're tired of thinkingabout food, your body, your
hormones, and starting again.
And here we are, just beforeChristmas.

(01:27):
And if that's you, I want you toknow this episode is not here to
fix you, to rush you, tomotivate you into action.
Um, it's here to help youexhale.
So if weight loss feelsinsurmountable right now, please
stay with me.
Please listen today becausethere's nothing wrong with you,

(01:48):
and this is not the end of yourstory.
So, firstly, let's just name thereality.
Let me speak directly for amoment.
You're not lazy, you're notweak, you're not failing, you're
tired, you're hormonallyshifting, you're carrying years,
maybe even decades, ofresponsibility, emotional load,

(02:12):
stress, and your body is askingfor something different now.
When women in their 40s and 50scome to me and say, I want to
lose, let's say, 12 kilos, but Ican't even imagine how.
What I hear underneath isexhaustion, grief for the body
they used to have, fear thatit's too late, and shame for not

(02:37):
being able to just do it.
And I want to be very clearhere: uh perimenopause changes
how everything feels.
And menopause can sometimes bethe continuation of that.
Your resilience is different,your motivation is different.
It might be in the toilet rightnow.
Stress tolerance is different.

(02:58):
Your ability to manage stresscan change dramatically in peri.
Your sleep is different, yourblood sugar is different, and
your nervous system isdifferent.
So, of course, weight loss feelsharder.
And it's not because you'redoing something wrong, it's
because your body is operatingunder a completely new set of

(03:18):
rules.
So, let's talk about whyChristmas can make this feel
even harder.
December is not just about food,it's about end of year
exhaustion, family dynamics,emotional triggers, disrupted
routines, more alcohol a lot ofthe time, less sleep, and a

(03:41):
whole lot of pressure to hold ittogether, particularly if you're
the linchpin of the family.
And for women in perimenopauseand postmenopause, this can be
the perfect storm.
And this is why right now, maybeyour cravings feel louder.
Maybe your willpower feelslower, your energy might feel

(04:02):
just non-existent.
And the idea of doing somethingagain to help this problem feels
overwhelming.
And yet there's also this voicesaying, I should be doing
something, I can't just give up.
I don't want to gain moreweight, I don't want to spend
next year the same as this year.
So you're stuck between pushingwhen you're exhausted and

(04:26):
stopping and feeling scared.
That tug of war is incrediblydraining.
And I want to say something thatmight surprise you.
December may not be the righttime for you to lose weight.
That's not failure, that'swisdom.
And here's the reframe I give myclients every year.

(04:51):
December for many people is notfor fat loss, it's for
stabilization.
Stabilization means not gainingmomentum, not spiraling, not
swinging between restriction andindulgence, not punishing
yourself, not panicking.
It means keeping your bloodsugar steady, protecting your

(05:13):
sleep, supporting your nervoussystem, eating regularly, moving
daily, staying connected toyourself.

Because here's the truth (05:23):
you cannot force fat loss from a
stressed, exhausted body.
And every time you try and pushthrough that exhaustion, your
body pushes back harder.
Weight loss after 40 doesn'tstart with discipline, it starts
with safety.

(05:44):
When your body feels safe, yourcortisol will settle, your
insulin improves, cravingssoften, sleep deepens,
motivation returns.
But you know, safety cannot berushed.
And now I just want to addresskind of why I'll start in

(06:05):
January doesn't have to be a badthing.
We've been taught to hate thephrase, I'll start in January,
or this is my new year'sresolution, or whatever, because
it can sound a bit trite, it cansound a bit like, oh yeah, here
we go again.
This is what I did last year,this is what I did the year
before, and nothing, none ofthat worked.
But the problem isn't January,the problem is what we do in

(06:27):
December.
If December is chaos, guilt, andself-criticism, then January
feels punishing.
But if December is steady, kind,supportive, nourishing,
grounded, then January can feelcalm.
It can feel clear, clear, it canfeel possible.

(06:52):
And that's what I want for you.
I don't want you draggingyourself into January feeling
heavier, inflamed, ashamed,depleted, and desperate.
I want you walking into Januarythinking, I'm tired, but I'm
okay.
I didn't make things worse.
I'm ready to get started.
I'm ready for support.

(07:13):
So let me tell you what actuallyhelps at this point.
Not in theory, but in real life.
Stop under eating.
Skipping meals and being good,so to speak, makes everything
worse in peri andpost-menaphors.
Eat regularly, start withprotein, and eat enough.
This alone should reduce yourcravings and emotional eating.

(07:38):
Prioritize sleep overperfection.
So sleep loss drives weight gainfaster than food does in many
people.
So you want earlier nights,stick to your routines if you
can, get up the same time in themorning, even if you're on
holidays.
The research tells us that sleepis way better in people that
have the same getting up time,same bedtime, as much as you

(07:58):
can.
Trying to sleep in to make upfor that lost sleep doesn't set
you up for a good night's sleepthe following night.
So you want earlier nights, youwant less alcohol, you want more
rest, and your hormones willthank you.
Walk or maintain the kind ofexercise you've been doing.
Don't punish yourself.
Walking, I really like becauseit's achievable for most people.

(08:21):
Even short walks are helpful.
They start building routine.
Walking lowers cholesterol, itsupports blood sugar, calms the
nervous system.
You know, this is not the seasonfor punishment workouts.
You should always enjoy to acertain extent.
I know sometimes you may notnecessarily enjoy it while
you're doing it, but certainlyafterwards you should feel a

(08:44):
level of satisfaction and havethat adrenaline rush and that
those um endorphins flowingthrough your body, which do make
you feel good.
And another tip I have is dropthe all or nothing thinking.
You don't need perfect days, youjust need okay days strung
together.
One meal will never ruin yourprogress, but stopping and just

(09:09):
trashing your body with everymeal, that does.
That's that will ruin yourprogress.
Um, be kind to emotional eating.
So if food is comforting rightnow, ask yourself, what am I
actually needing?
Really?
Sometimes it's rest or boundary,saying no.
Sometimes it's connection,sometimes it's hormones.

(09:34):
Shame only fuels this cycle.
Really try to understand what amI actually needing right now?
And if you're listening to thisand you're thinking, I know what
I should do, but I can't seem todo it on my own anymore, or the
things I normally do aren'tworking anymore, this makes
sense.

(09:54):
You know, weight loss in periand post-menopause is way better
when it's not a solo sport.
Not because you're not capable,but because your body's more
complex.
Your life is fuller, yournervous system is more
sensitive, and your margin issmaller.
And that's exactly why women dojoin the GLOBE Protocol,
especially around this time ofyear.

(10:15):
Not because they're ready todiet, but because they want
structure.
They want to know exactly whatto eat and how much of it.
Um, they want reassurance, theywant accountability.
They want someone whounderstands their hormones, is
not just going to tell them toeat less and exercise more.
They want to stop guessing, theywant to feel supported and they

(10:36):
want a path forward that doesn'tfeel brutal.
And that's what I provide.
So if weight loss feelsimpossible right now, please
hear me when I say this.
You don't need to solve 12kilos, 30 kilos, or even five
kilos today.
You don't need to be perfectthis month.

(10:57):
You don't need to punish yourbody.
You need steadiness,nourishment, compassion, and
support.
And if you feel like, yep,that's what I need, I would love
to help you inside the GLOWprotocol.
It's my signature program forwomen in peri and post-menopause
who want sustainable weightloss, hormone balance, and

(11:20):
peace.
Peace with food and theirbodies.
The clinic is closed duringChristmas and the new year
weeks, but I'm taking bookingsfor January, early January.
If you're thinking you may wantto start in February when the
holidays are over, get yourselfready to go in January because
this process takes a little bitto get you set up.

(11:43):
We start with uh the peri weightloss assessment where I find out
a little bit about you, you findout a little bit more about me.
We go through what might be thebest way forward for what your
goals are, and we go from there.
We then do your initialconsultation, which is a full
health assessment.
I guess you'd get some bloodtesting done, maybe other

(12:06):
testing sometimes, depending onwhat's going on in your body.
Because, you know, we want tomake sure that we're not setting
you up for failure.
We want to I want to set you upfor success.
So if there's potential blockersto weight loss, I'm gonna
uncover them for you.
And then a bit of paperwork andget your nutrition, your

(12:26):
personalized nutrition plangenerated, presented to you, and
then you are good to go wheneveryou're ready.
So book in your peri weight lossassessment for early January and
let's make 2026 your year whereyou meet your goals.
Enjoy yourself over this festiveseason.

(12:49):
Be kind to yourself, and I'll beback next week with a brand new
episode.
Thanks so much for joining me onthe Ageless and Awesome podcast.
If you would like this episode,please make sure you click the
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(13:09):
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