June 2, 2025 • 27 mins
Have you been cutting calories, working out harder, and still not seeing the scale move? You’re not alone—and you’re not doing anything wrong.
In this empowering episode of The Ageless and Awesome Podcast, I unpack why traditional weight loss advice fails women in their 40s and beyond—and what actually works instead.
What we cover in this episode:
✨ The truth about the “eat less, move more” myth—and why it backfires in perimenopause
🧬 How hormonal shifts like oestrogen decline, cortisol spikes, and insulin resistance affect your metabolism
💪 Real, evidence-based strategies that actually support weight loss at this stage of life
🥗 Why your liver, muscles, and sleep habits are key to resetting your metabolism
🧠 The mindset shift that helps you move from fighting your body to working with it
Whether you’re feeling stuck, frustrated, or just curious about why your usual tricks aren’t working anymore—this episode will leave you informed, inspired, and ready to take a more compassionate and strategic approach to your body and your health.
🎧 Listen now and discover what it really takes to lose weight and feel incredible in perimenopause and beyond.
Are you a woman feeling stressed, flat and experiencing the challenges of perimenopause?
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
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, I'm Susie Garden and this is the Ageless and
Awesome podcast.
I'm an age-defying naturopathand clinical nutritionist and
I'm here to bust myths aroundwomen's health and aging so that
you can be ageless and awesomein your 40s, 50s and beyond.
The Ageless and Awesome podcastis dedicated to helping women
(00:24):
through perimenopause andmenopause with great health, a
positive mindset and outrageousconfidence.
Hit, subscribe or follow nowand let's get started.
Hello, gorgeous one, andwelcome to this week's episode
of the Ageless and Awesomepodcast.
I'm Susie Garden and this is.
(00:45):
I like to think about this asbeing your go-to space for real
talk on perimenopause,postmenopause, hormone health,
nutrition and just enjoying lifein your 40s and beyond.
So today we're diving into atopic that you know I have
conversations with women everyweek about this topic into a
topic that you know I haveconversations with women every
(01:07):
week about this topic.
Many people reach out to me viaDM.
My friends talk about this andit's that old chestnut why
you're doing all the things andinverted commas eating healthy
foods, going to the gym, tryingto manage your stress, and
you're still not losing weightduring perimenopause and
(01:27):
postmenopause.
Does that sound familiar to you?
It is a topic I've kind oftouched on in different ways in
previous episodes and also onInstagram, but I wanted to do a
bit more work on this topicbecause it still seems that
there's a lot of question aboutit.
So if you've ever thought I'mexercising more, I'm eating less
(01:50):
.
Nothing is changing In fact,I'm still putting on weight Then
this episode is especially foryou and we're going to bust the
old school eat less, move moremyth that is still being peddled
by many medical professionals,many gym professionals, and
let's dive into real metabolicstrategies that actually work
(02:12):
for women in peri and postmenopause.
So grab a cup of tea, get comfyand let's get into it.
Some of you might question whyI'm choosing to talk about this
now.
I mean, we're like in winternow.
In the Southern Hemisphere,it's not generally seen as being
(02:34):
weight loss season, so to speak.
More it's like spring, summer,when people are thinking about
getting into their bathing suitsand into their more revealing
clothing.
Getting into their bathingsuits and into their more
revealing clothing.
But let me tell you, now is thebest time to work on weight
loss because there's lessparties, there's less social
occasions, there's morehibernation and a lot more
(02:58):
control over your food.
So, if you're kind of thinkingis now a good time.
It really is.
This is when I get quite busyat this time of year, when
people are actually thinking,yes, I'm going to do it now, and
then I am ready to go, because,remember, working on your
health, working on your weight,this is something that is a
(03:19):
lifestyle change.
It's not seasonal.
It's not a diet as such.
Again, inverted commas.
This is about a lifestylechange that is for the long term
, that is going to sustain youand make you healthier, help you
navigate the hormonal shifts ofperimenopause and postmenopause
(03:42):
and post-menopause, and so Ireally invite you to consider
whether or not now might be afantastic time for you to
actually make some changes.
So let's get into this.
So let's start with why eatingless and moving more doesn't
work in women in perimenopauseand sometimes postmenopause as
(04:03):
well.
Because you know, there's thatold myth that I have tried to
dispel many, many times, andthat is that weight loss is
simply a matter of calories inversus calories out.
We've heard it forever.
Right, just eat many differentcommunities.
And here's the truth.
This advice was never designedfor women in perimenopause.
(04:35):
It's based on outdated science.
In fact, if you're interested,I can send you some science on
this.
So please feel free to DM me attheperimenopausepath and I can
send you an awesome reviewarticle on why calories in,
calories out doesn't work.
It is outdated and oftenresearch for these sorts of
(04:59):
things is done on young men, soit's not necessarily going to be
appropriate for women,particularly women in midlife,
that are going through massivehormonal shifts.
Because, as we know, inperimenopause particularly, the
hormones are shifting constantly.
Estrogen and progesterone andtestosterone start to decline,
(05:24):
sometimes erratically.
In fact, the majority of cases,the estrogen in particular is
quite erratic and that affectseverything pretty much, from you
know, your insulin sensitivityto fat storage, to mood, to
sleep.
You know, you know this stuffif you're going through it.
But if you're still trying tofollow the same formula from
(05:45):
your twenties and your th, your30s, and you're not seeing
results, it's not because you'redoing something wrong, it's
because the rules have changedand nobody bothered to tell you.
So that's kind of the landscape.
So let's talk a little bit moreabout this hormonal metabolic
shift.
So in peri particularly,several key hormones impact your
(06:08):
metabolism.
So estrogen is one of the keyones and as it declines, fat
tends to redistribute Hello,belly fat.
Estrogen also plays a role ininsulin sensitivity plays a role
in insulin sensitivity and withless of that or less
sensitivity of your insulin,your body becomes more insulin
(06:38):
resistant.
And when you're getting degreesof insulin resistance and this
happens to all of us as we kindof get beyond our forties and
fifties, of get beyond our 40sand 50s it makes it way easier
to store fat and harder to useglucose as fuel.
So that's one of the mainhormones is estrogen, and I'm
going to bring up insulin in aminute as well.
Cortisol is another hormonethat you would have heard of,
(07:01):
and chronic stress keeps yourcortisol elevated.
This messes with your bloodsugar regulation.
It increases belly fat.
It messes with your blood sugarso that you feel fatigued,
maybe you get cravings, and itworsens your sleep and even if
you get a good sleep, you canwake up just feeling sluggish
(07:22):
and horrible and this impactsyour willpower the next day.
And again these cravingsbecause the body was like, oh,
give me some energy.
Does that sound familiar to you?
A lot of my clients getimpacted by this.
And the third sort of keyhormone is let's get back to
insulin.
If your body becomes moreinsulin resistant, then it's
(07:45):
harder to manage blood glucose.
This leads to cravings, fatigue, weight gain and if it's not
addressed, it can actually putyou into pre-diabetes.
It's a risk factor for type 2diabetes.
You definitely don't want toget to that level.
And if you do have diabetes andyou're listening to this
(08:05):
podcast, that's type 2 diabetesthen you know there are so many
things we can do with diet thatcan really help manage your
blood sugar, and you've probablybeen told this, but it's worth
having a chat because, yeah,I've had a number of clients
with diabetes that have seenincredible improvements in their
blood sugar control, but alsotheir energy levels, also their
(08:29):
sleep just, and, of course, theweight loss.
That's probably their main goal, but for me it's.
The blood sugar regulation is abig deal because that improves
your eye health, your kidneyhealth, it reduces your chances
of getting multiple infectionscan sometimes lead to amputation
, so this is a really big deal.
So insulin is really importantto be managed, and this insulin
(08:54):
management is not just if youhave diabetes.
Honestly, once you're in peri,you really need to start
thinking about it so that youcan have a way healthier way,
more fun life as you get intothe next decades.
So what's the takeaway?
I guess it's not about eatingless and exercising harder.
It's about managing yourhormones so that your body stops
(09:16):
holding onto weight as aprotective mechanism, but also
it stops holding onto weightjust because these hormones are
controlling that.
So you need to take back thecontrol by focusing on hormones
rather than calories, onhormones rather than calories.
(09:37):
So what else?
What are some actual strategiesthat work?
There are five key strategiesthat I use with my clients
within the GLOBE protocol andalso metabolic balance that
actually move the needle when itcomes to sustainable weight
loss in peri and post-menopause.
So number one personalizednutrition over calorie counting
Instead of tracking calories,instead of tracking macros.
Focus on blood sugar managementand that doesn't mean you have
(10:01):
to measure your blood sugar,though.
It's really interesting to get,maybe, a continuous glucose
monitor, even do a free trial,or I think it's about $15 or
something to do a trial for twoweeks, so interesting to see how
foods are impacting you.
So when you want to manageblood sugar, there's a few
things that you can do.
You need a nice balance ofproteins, fats and fiber-rich
(10:25):
carbs at pretty much every meal.
Also, eating meals three timesa day and no snacks will give
you better blood sugar balance.
Around five to six hoursbetween meals is the sweet spot.
And also a little trick taketwo bites of protein first.
That really helps manage yourinsulin secretion and tricks
(10:49):
your body into thinking you'rehaving a high protein meal and
that reduces that insulinspiking and means that you're
going to burn fat moreefficiently.
When your blood sugar is stable, your hormones can function
properly and your body can beginto release stored fat.
And I often see when peoplestart working with me, within
(11:10):
the first week you will seesubstantial weight loss just
from doing exactly this startingyour personalized nutrition
plan and having balanced mealswith those breaks, those fasting
periods during the day, and twobites of protein first little
tricks like that.
I have quite a few littletricks Also.
(11:31):
Please stop skipping meals.
Please stop it.
For many, many women,intermittent fasting, where
you're doing like a 14-8 orsimilar 14-10, I should say I
was just adding that in my head.
I was thinking when I said itthat didn't sound right a 14-10
or a 16-8.
If you're doing that, sobasically you're eating within
(11:54):
either an 8 or a 10-hour window.
For many women, from a weightloss point of view, this is not
going to be particularlyeffective.
So stop skipping meals.
This can increase cortisol.
It can muck around with yourblood sugar just can make things
worse.
So, yeah, three meals a day, nosnacks, is my recommendation
for managing weight in peri andpost-menopause.
(12:18):
It's something I've done formany years now and if I break my
own rules particularly it's asocial thing that will generally
be breaking my rules aroundthat then I really don't feel
good because I know it and Iknow why it's because my blood
sugar is all over the shop, allright.
Number two support your liverand detox pathways.
(12:40):
We have multiple detox pathways, including our respiratory, our
lungs they're a reallyimportant detox pathway.
Our skin is a really importantdetox pathway.
Our kidneys so urinatingfrequently, your liver Well,
that's a really important one,as is your gut, obviously, with
(13:03):
getting our waste products outof the body.
And the liver processes ourhormones.
If it's not very happy, excessestrogen can build up in the
body, in the blood generally,and that can lead to mood
imbalances like PMS symptoms andcan impact weight.
(13:26):
So doing things like adding inbitter greens, that really helps
to support your liver Anythingbitter tasting Cruciferous
veggies so that's veggies thatcontain sulfur.
The liver loves sulfur, socruciferous veggies are things
like your cabbages, cauliflower,broccoli, brussels sprouts,
(13:47):
veggies like that.
You can just Google cruciferousveg, you'll find heaps, and
sometimes supplements can behelpful.
I'm not a massive fan of peopletaking liver detox supplements
all the time.
I know there are a lot that aremarketed to women in
perimenopause and menopause andbig brands.
It's not really necessary.
You can do a lot through food,but sometimes a supplement can
(14:10):
help for a short period of time,just to kind of give you a bit
of a kickstart.
But yeah, also drinking lots ofwater really help with
supporting your detox pathways,and we use a measure of 35 mils
per kilo of body weight.
That will give you what yourwater intake generally should be
, and you might be surprised howmuch that is.
(14:31):
We cap that up at four liters.
So if you did your calculation,it comes to like 4.1 or 4.2,
please don't go over four liters, all right.
Number three another realstrategy that works to help with
moving the needle when it comesto weight loss in women in peri
and post-menopause this is oneof my favorite ones is build
(14:56):
muscle, don't just burn calories.
As we age when I'm saying theage my just in your 40s you'll
notice it we naturally losemuscle mass.
You may find you have to work alot harder to keep the muscles
that you have, particularly ifyou're quite strong, quite fit.
You've, you know, really workedon that part of your health
(15:16):
over many years and you mightthink, yeah, no, I'm good.
You will naturally lose muscleweight and muscle mass as your
estrogen drops and that lowersour resting metabolic rate.
It also impacts our gosh somany things, our bones,
particularly important.
Also, just the way theaesthetics, I guess, of the
appearance helps with insulinsensitivity increases metabolism
(15:41):
.
Strength training really isessential and you know I have
I'm not a lover of the gym, I'llbe honest, and I only really do
this because I know that it'simportant, and you know I have
osteopenia, which is part ofthat story of me not liking the
(16:01):
gym.
I guess, and you know for otherthan when I was a nurse, a lot
of the jobs that I've had overthe years have been quite
sedentary and involved a lot ofsitting.
So I think that's probably partof my story as well, and
probably many other women that Ihave as clients.
So strength training is prettymuch what you need to focus on.
(16:24):
There are other things we donutritionally, but strength
training is essential.
So really think about what youcan do to bring that into your
life if you're not already doingit, and please don't be afraid
to lift heavier weights.
You're not going to get massive.
You will not bulk up incredibly, particularly in that age range
(16:45):
, 40 plus, but it will reallyhelp with balancing your
hormones.
My fourth strategy isprioritizing rest and sleep.
Sleep is so important.
We've really underestimated, Ithink, the role of sleep in
health.
We used to think it was justthat would just be about, you
(17:06):
know, repair.
We knew repair was happening.
We knew that obviously you justneed rest generally.
But now we know that poor sleepraises cortisol, so we know that
it's going to interfere withyour blood glucose metabolism.
It also raises ghrelin.
So ghrelin and that is speltG-H-R-E-L-I-N Ghrelin is the
hunger hormone, so you want toincrease your ghrelin.
(17:29):
You're going to have increasedhunger and it's just on a
hormonal basis.
It's got nothing to do with howmuch food you need.
The other thing that poor sleepdoes is it lowers leptin, and
leptin is our satiety hormone.
Powers leptin and leptin is oursatiety hormone.
It makes us feel full.
So if you've got increasedhunger hormone and lower
(17:50):
fullness hormone, that is adeadly combination to give you
cravings.
The lack of sleep gives youfatigue.
So guess what?
You're going to reach for thesimple carbs to give you some
energy.
You may overeat because yourhormones are telling you you're
hungry and that you never fall,and this is a problem with
weight.
So set a bedtime routine thatcan be so simple.
(18:13):
It doesn't need to be adramatic entry into bed.
Reduce your screen time, lowerthe lights after you've finished
eating.
Um, consider, you know, maybehaving a bath, maybe, uh, using
lavender essential oil, maybe amagnesium might be good for you.
(18:35):
Or if some salts bath, thatwould be awesome.
If you have a bathtub, Idon't't.
I wish I did.
Sometimes some really nice.
There are some really niceherbal herbs that can help with
sleep.
All of this and look at your ownsleep, maybe even measure that
over a week.
Just track it Like are yougetting to sleep pretty easily?
Are you still awake after halfan hour 45 minutes in bed?
(18:57):
You really should be asleepbetween 10 and 20 minutes after
getting into bed and then areyou waking?
If you're waking, how often isthat happening?
What time is it happening?
How long are you awake for?
Are you finding it difficult toget back to sleep?
When you wake up in the morning, do you feel refreshed or do
you feel sluggish?
All of these things areimportant.
If you're going to go and havea chat to a healthcare
(19:19):
professional about sleep, all ofthese things are important to
note.
My final kind of strategy, Iguess, for managing weight in
peri and post-menopause is tomanage your stress.
Stress isn't just emotional,it's not just, you know, having
a bad day at work or havingfamily issues.
(19:42):
It's also nutritional, it'senvironmental.
I know when I walk into myoffice and my desk is really
untidy because of myself, versusif it's super tidy and clean,
it gives me a different level ofstress.
Even your mindset about thingscan really influence your stress
levels, and some of the kind ofthings from a nutritional point
(20:04):
of view would be under eating,over exercising, skipping meals,
drinking too much coffee, nottaking breaks during the day and
I've definitely been guilty ofthat not taking breaks during
the day.
It was only when I startedworking down at a clinic down in
Burley here a few years agothat the clinic owner mandated
(20:27):
that we all have one hour lunchbreaks, and that was a game
changer for me.
I've never done that, ever as anurse.
It was 30 minutes, if you gotthat when I was working in the
pharmaceutical industry.
If you had lunch, you'd justhave lunch at your desk, or when
I was a rep, out in the field,you you know eating in the car
or having lunch with customers.
(20:48):
So you know I've never reallybeen one to have an hour for
lunch and that just was luxury.
So I really try to do that.
Sometimes I don't do it, but Ireally try and even try and take
my little dogs for a walk orsomething like that, just to
give get me out in the sunshineas well.
And what I invite you to do islearn to listen to your body.
(21:09):
Like with anything that you'redoing, ask yourself is this
nourishing me or is thisdepleting me?
And I often ask this of myclients about exercise.
Right, like, if you go and do,let's say, a run, for example,
do you feel energized after therun?
If so, that's awesome or do youfeel really depleted?
And if that's the case, thenmaybe you need to switch it up
(21:31):
and find something that'sactually going to make you feel
good after you do it.
Now there's one other thing Iwanted to talk about, and that
is the emotional side of weightgain, and what I find is so many
women blame themselves.
They feel like it's their faultthat their body is working
against them because of theirhabits, their behaviors.
(21:54):
But that's not necessarily thecase.
Obviously we have, as women,very complicated relationships
with food.
This food is punishment, foodis comfort, food is reward.
You know you're not broken.
There's nothing wrong with you.
It's just perhaps some habitsneed to be changed a little.
(22:16):
But you also need to understandthe biology, understand your
metabolism.
What's going on?
Because, as I mentioned before,you have hormones that control
your hunger.
You have hormones that tell youwhen you're full.
And if they're not workingproperly and this happens a lot
in obesity then you're reallygoing to be struggling and it's
going to be feeling reallyconfusing when you're looking at
(22:38):
what to eat, because you'rejust always going to feel hungry
.
So if you change your mindset,if you shift your mindset from
one of trying to control yourbody to collaborating with your
body, with your hormones, withyour needs, then everything
changes, because you begin tochoose foods that fuel you, not
punish you.
(22:59):
You move because it feels good,not because you've got to burn
off some calories, because weknow that doesn't work right.
So when you begin to trust yourbody again, that's when the
magic happens and if you're kindof nodding along, going, oh my
gosh, that's me.
That's exactly what I'mexperiencing, I want you to know
you're not alone.
(23:19):
I talk to women every week aboutthis and this is the work I do
every day with women just likeyou, through the perimenopause
path, through the GLOW protocoldig into your symptoms, look at
what your hormones are doing andthat's not necessarily testing.
I can tell a lot just throughyour symptoms.
(23:40):
I create your personalized planand finally getting you feeling
like yourself again.
So if you're ready to take thatnext step, I invite you to book
a free peri-weight lossassessment with me.
The link is in the show notes.
Or you can go on Instagram andDM me at the perimenopause path.
We'll chat about what's goingon, see if we're a right fit to
(24:03):
work together and talk to you alittle bit about what that would
look like.
So thanks so much for listeningtoday.
If this episode resonated withyou, I'd love it.
If you could leave a review.
That always makes me so happy.
Or share the episode with afriend, or screenshot it.
Share it on Instagram.
I'd love you to tag me if youdo that Makes me.
(24:23):
Or screenshot it.
Share it on Instagram.
I'd love you to tag me if youdo that.
It makes me so happy.
Your support really does meanthe world to me and it helps
more women find thislife-changing information.
So enjoy the rest of your week.
I hope it's a good one for you,and if it's not so good, then
you know, just be kind toyourself.
(24:44):
I'll be back next week withsome more fresh content.
Until then, take care.
Thanks so much for joining meon the Ageless and Awesome
podcast.
If you liked this episode,please make sure you click the
little plus button if you're onApple Podcasts, or the follow
button if you're on Spotify, sothat you get each new episode
(25:04):
delivered to you every singleweek.
If you feel like writing me afive-star review, you would
absolutely make my day.
If you found this episoderesonated with you, head over to
my Instagram and DM me attheperimenopausepath.
I would love to connect withyou.
Hi, I'm Susie Garden and this is the Ageless and
Awesome podcast.
I'm an age-defying naturopathand clinical nutritionist and
I'm here to bust myths aroundwomen's health and aging so that
you can be ageless and awesomein your 40s, 50s and beyond.
The Ageless and Awesome podcastis dedicated to helping women
(00:24):
through perimenopause andmenopause with great health, a
positive mindset and outrageousconfidence.
Hit, subscribe or follow nowand let's get started.
Hello, gorgeous one, andwelcome to this week's episode
of the Ageless and Awesomepodcast.
I'm Susie Garden and this is.
(00:45):
I like to think about this asbeing your go-to space for real
talk on perimenopause,postmenopause, hormone health,
nutrition and just enjoying lifein your 40s and beyond.
So today we're diving into atopic that you know I have
conversations with women everyweek about this topic into a
topic that you know I haveconversations with women every
(01:07):
week about this topic.
Many people reach out to me viaDM.
My friends talk about this andit's that old chestnut why
you're doing all the things andinverted commas eating healthy
foods, going to the gym, tryingto manage your stress, and
you're still not losing weightduring perimenopause and
(01:27):
postmenopause.
Does that sound familiar to you?
It is a topic I've kind oftouched on in different ways in
previous episodes and also onInstagram, but I wanted to do a
bit more work on this topicbecause it still seems that
there's a lot of question aboutit.
So if you've ever thought I'mexercising more, I'm eating less
(01:50):
.
Nothing is changing In fact,I'm still putting on weight Then
this episode is especially foryou and we're going to bust the
old school eat less, move moremyth that is still being peddled
by many medical professionals,many gym professionals, and
let's dive into real metabolicstrategies that actually work
(02:12):
for women in peri and postmenopause.
So grab a cup of tea, get comfyand let's get into it.
Some of you might question whyI'm choosing to talk about this
now.
I mean, we're like in winternow.
In the Southern Hemisphere,it's not generally seen as being
(02:34):
weight loss season, so to speak.
More it's like spring, summer,when people are thinking about
getting into their bathing suitsand into their more revealing
clothing.
Getting into their bathingsuits and into their more
revealing clothing.
But let me tell you, now is thebest time to work on weight
loss because there's lessparties, there's less social
occasions, there's morehibernation and a lot more
(02:58):
control over your food.
So, if you're kind of thinkingis now a good time.
It really is.
This is when I get quite busyat this time of year, when
people are actually thinking,yes, I'm going to do it now, and
then I am ready to go, because,remember, working on your
health, working on your weight,this is something that is a
(03:19):
lifestyle change.
It's not seasonal.
It's not a diet as such.
Again, inverted commas.
This is about a lifestylechange that is for the long term
, that is going to sustain youand make you healthier, help you
navigate the hormonal shifts ofperimenopause and postmenopause
(03:42):
and post-menopause, and so Ireally invite you to consider
whether or not now might be afantastic time for you to
actually make some changes.
So let's get into this.
So let's start with why eatingless and moving more doesn't
work in women in perimenopauseand sometimes postmenopause as
(04:03):
well.
Because you know, there's thatold myth that I have tried to
dispel many, many times, andthat is that weight loss is
simply a matter of calories inversus calories out.
We've heard it forever.
Right, just eat many differentcommunities.
And here's the truth.
This advice was never designedfor women in perimenopause.
(04:35):
It's based on outdated science.
In fact, if you're interested,I can send you some science on
this.
So please feel free to DM me attheperimenopausepath and I can
send you an awesome reviewarticle on why calories in,
calories out doesn't work.
It is outdated and oftenresearch for these sorts of
(04:59):
things is done on young men, soit's not necessarily going to be
appropriate for women,particularly women in midlife,
that are going through massivehormonal shifts.
Because, as we know, inperimenopause particularly, the
hormones are shifting constantly.
Estrogen and progesterone andtestosterone start to decline,
(05:24):
sometimes erratically.
In fact, the majority of cases,the estrogen in particular is
quite erratic and that affectseverything pretty much, from you
know, your insulin sensitivityto fat storage, to mood, to
sleep.
You know, you know this stuffif you're going through it.
But if you're still trying tofollow the same formula from
(05:45):
your twenties and your th, your30s, and you're not seeing
results, it's not because you'redoing something wrong, it's
because the rules have changedand nobody bothered to tell you.
So that's kind of the landscape.
So let's talk a little bit moreabout this hormonal metabolic
shift.
So in peri particularly,several key hormones impact your
(06:08):
metabolism.
So estrogen is one of the keyones and as it declines, fat
tends to redistribute Hello,belly fat.
Estrogen also plays a role ininsulin sensitivity plays a role
in insulin sensitivity and withless of that or less
sensitivity of your insulin,your body becomes more insulin
(06:38):
resistant.
And when you're getting degreesof insulin resistance and this
happens to all of us as we kindof get beyond our forties and
fifties, of get beyond our 40sand 50s it makes it way easier
to store fat and harder to useglucose as fuel.
So that's one of the mainhormones is estrogen, and I'm
going to bring up insulin in aminute as well.
Cortisol is another hormonethat you would have heard of,
(07:01):
and chronic stress keeps yourcortisol elevated.
This messes with your bloodsugar regulation.
It increases belly fat.
It messes with your blood sugarso that you feel fatigued,
maybe you get cravings, and itworsens your sleep and even if
you get a good sleep, you canwake up just feeling sluggish
(07:22):
and horrible and this impactsyour willpower the next day.
And again these cravingsbecause the body was like, oh,
give me some energy.
Does that sound familiar to you?
A lot of my clients getimpacted by this.
And the third sort of keyhormone is let's get back to
insulin.
If your body becomes moreinsulin resistant, then it's
(07:45):
harder to manage blood glucose.
This leads to cravings, fatigue, weight gain and if it's not
addressed, it can actually putyou into pre-diabetes.
It's a risk factor for type 2diabetes.
You definitely don't want toget to that level.
And if you do have diabetes andyou're listening to this
(08:05):
podcast, that's type 2 diabetesthen you know there are so many
things we can do with diet thatcan really help manage your
blood sugar, and you've probablybeen told this, but it's worth
having a chat because, yeah,I've had a number of clients
with diabetes that have seenincredible improvements in their
blood sugar control, but alsotheir energy levels, also their
(08:29):
sleep just, and, of course, theweight loss.
That's probably their main goal, but for me it's.
The blood sugar regulation is abig deal because that improves
your eye health, your kidneyhealth, it reduces your chances
of getting multiple infectionscan sometimes lead to amputation
, so this is a really big deal.
So insulin is really importantto be managed, and this insulin
(08:54):
management is not just if youhave diabetes.
Honestly, once you're in peri,you really need to start
thinking about it so that youcan have a way healthier way,
more fun life as you get intothe next decades.
So what's the takeaway?
I guess it's not about eatingless and exercising harder.
It's about managing yourhormones so that your body stops
(09:16):
holding onto weight as aprotective mechanism, but also
it stops holding onto weightjust because these hormones are
controlling that.
So you need to take back thecontrol by focusing on hormones
rather than calories, onhormones rather than calories.
(09:37):
So what else?
What are some actual strategiesthat work?
There are five key strategiesthat I use with my clients
within the GLOBE protocol andalso metabolic balance that
actually move the needle when itcomes to sustainable weight
loss in peri and post-menopause.
So number one personalizednutrition over calorie counting
Instead of tracking calories,instead of tracking macros.
Focus on blood sugar managementand that doesn't mean you have
(10:01):
to measure your blood sugar,though.
It's really interesting to get,maybe, a continuous glucose
monitor, even do a free trial,or I think it's about $15 or
something to do a trial for twoweeks, so interesting to see how
foods are impacting you.
So when you want to manageblood sugar, there's a few
things that you can do.
You need a nice balance ofproteins, fats and fiber-rich
(10:25):
carbs at pretty much every meal.
Also, eating meals three timesa day and no snacks will give
you better blood sugar balance.
Around five to six hoursbetween meals is the sweet spot.
And also a little trick taketwo bites of protein first.
That really helps manage yourinsulin secretion and tricks
(10:49):
your body into thinking you'rehaving a high protein meal and
that reduces that insulinspiking and means that you're
going to burn fat moreefficiently.
When your blood sugar is stable, your hormones can function
properly and your body can beginto release stored fat.
And I often see when peoplestart working with me, within
(11:10):
the first week you will seesubstantial weight loss just
from doing exactly this startingyour personalized nutrition
plan and having balanced mealswith those breaks, those fasting
periods during the day, and twobites of protein first little
tricks like that.
I have quite a few littletricks Also.
(11:31):
Please stop skipping meals.
Please stop it.
For many, many women,intermittent fasting, where
you're doing like a 14-8 orsimilar 14-10, I should say I
was just adding that in my head.
I was thinking when I said itthat didn't sound right a 14-10
or a 16-8.
If you're doing that, sobasically you're eating within
(11:54):
either an 8 or a 10-hour window.
For many women, from a weightloss point of view, this is not
going to be particularlyeffective.
So stop skipping meals.
This can increase cortisol.
It can muck around with yourblood sugar just can make things
worse.
So, yeah, three meals a day, nosnacks, is my recommendation
for managing weight in peri andpost-menopause.
(12:18):
It's something I've done formany years now and if I break my
own rules particularly it's asocial thing that will generally
be breaking my rules aroundthat then I really don't feel
good because I know it and Iknow why it's because my blood
sugar is all over the shop, allright.
Number two support your liverand detox pathways.
(12:40):
We have multiple detox pathways, including our respiratory, our
lungs they're a reallyimportant detox pathway.
Our skin is a really importantdetox pathway.
Our kidneys so urinatingfrequently, your liver Well,
that's a really important one,as is your gut, obviously, with
(13:03):
getting our waste products outof the body.
And the liver processes ourhormones.
If it's not very happy, excessestrogen can build up in the
body, in the blood generally,and that can lead to mood
imbalances like PMS symptoms andcan impact weight.
(13:26):
So doing things like adding inbitter greens, that really helps
to support your liver Anythingbitter tasting Cruciferous
veggies so that's veggies thatcontain sulfur.
The liver loves sulfur, socruciferous veggies are things
like your cabbages, cauliflower,broccoli, brussels sprouts,
(13:47):
veggies like that.
You can just Google cruciferousveg, you'll find heaps, and
sometimes supplements can behelpful.
I'm not a massive fan of peopletaking liver detox supplements
all the time.
I know there are a lot that aremarketed to women in
perimenopause and menopause andbig brands.
It's not really necessary.
You can do a lot through food,but sometimes a supplement can
(14:10):
help for a short period of time,just to kind of give you a bit
of a kickstart.
But yeah, also drinking lots ofwater really help with
supporting your detox pathways,and we use a measure of 35 mils
per kilo of body weight.
That will give you what yourwater intake generally should be
, and you might be surprised howmuch that is.
(14:31):
We cap that up at four liters.
So if you did your calculation,it comes to like 4.1 or 4.2,
please don't go over four liters, all right.
Number three another realstrategy that works to help with
moving the needle when it comesto weight loss in women in peri
and post-menopause this is oneof my favorite ones is build
(14:56):
muscle, don't just burn calories.
As we age when I'm saying theage my just in your 40s you'll
notice it we naturally losemuscle mass.
You may find you have to work alot harder to keep the muscles
that you have, particularly ifyou're quite strong, quite fit.
You've, you know, really workedon that part of your health
(15:16):
over many years and you mightthink, yeah, no, I'm good.
You will naturally lose muscleweight and muscle mass as your
estrogen drops and that lowersour resting metabolic rate.
It also impacts our gosh somany things, our bones,
particularly important.
Also, just the way theaesthetics, I guess, of the
appearance helps with insulinsensitivity increases metabolism
(15:41):
.
Strength training really isessential and you know I have
I'm not a lover of the gym, I'llbe honest, and I only really do
this because I know that it'simportant, and you know I have
osteopenia, which is part ofthat story of me not liking the
(16:01):
gym.
I guess, and you know for otherthan when I was a nurse, a lot
of the jobs that I've had overthe years have been quite
sedentary and involved a lot ofsitting.
So I think that's probably partof my story as well, and
probably many other women that Ihave as clients.
So strength training is prettymuch what you need to focus on.
(16:24):
There are other things we donutritionally, but strength
training is essential.
So really think about what youcan do to bring that into your
life if you're not already doingit, and please don't be afraid
to lift heavier weights.
You're not going to get massive.
You will not bulk up incredibly, particularly in that age range
(16:45):
, 40 plus, but it will reallyhelp with balancing your
hormones.
My fourth strategy isprioritizing rest and sleep.
Sleep is so important.
We've really underestimated, Ithink, the role of sleep in
health.
We used to think it was justthat would just be about, you
(17:06):
know, repair.
We knew repair was happening.
We knew that obviously you justneed rest generally.
But now we know that poor sleepraises cortisol, so we know that
it's going to interfere withyour blood glucose metabolism.
It also raises ghrelin.
So ghrelin and that is speltG-H-R-E-L-I-N Ghrelin is the
hunger hormone, so you want toincrease your ghrelin.
(17:29):
You're going to have increasedhunger and it's just on a
hormonal basis.
It's got nothing to do with howmuch food you need.
The other thing that poor sleepdoes is it lowers leptin, and
leptin is our satiety hormone.
Powers leptin and leptin is oursatiety hormone.
It makes us feel full.
So if you've got increasedhunger hormone and lower
(17:50):
fullness hormone, that is adeadly combination to give you
cravings.
The lack of sleep gives youfatigue.
So guess what?
You're going to reach for thesimple carbs to give you some
energy.
You may overeat because yourhormones are telling you you're
hungry and that you never fall,and this is a problem with
weight.
So set a bedtime routine thatcan be so simple.
(18:13):
It doesn't need to be adramatic entry into bed.
Reduce your screen time, lowerthe lights after you've finished
eating.
Um, consider, you know, maybehaving a bath, maybe, uh, using
lavender essential oil, maybe amagnesium might be good for you.
(18:35):
Or if some salts bath, thatwould be awesome.
If you have a bathtub, Idon't't.
I wish I did.
Sometimes some really nice.
There are some really niceherbal herbs that can help with
sleep.
All of this and look at your ownsleep, maybe even measure that
over a week.
Just track it Like are yougetting to sleep pretty easily?
Are you still awake after halfan hour 45 minutes in bed?
(18:57):
You really should be asleepbetween 10 and 20 minutes after
getting into bed and then areyou waking?
If you're waking, how often isthat happening?
What time is it happening?
How long are you awake for?
Are you finding it difficult toget back to sleep?
When you wake up in the morning, do you feel refreshed or do
you feel sluggish?
All of these things areimportant.
If you're going to go and havea chat to a healthcare
(19:19):
professional about sleep, all ofthese things are important to
note.
My final kind of strategy, Iguess, for managing weight in
peri and post-menopause is tomanage your stress.
Stress isn't just emotional,it's not just, you know, having
a bad day at work or havingfamily issues.
(19:42):
It's also nutritional, it'senvironmental.
I know when I walk into myoffice and my desk is really
untidy because of myself, versusif it's super tidy and clean,
it gives me a different level ofstress.
Even your mindset about thingscan really influence your stress
levels, and some of the kind ofthings from a nutritional point
(20:04):
of view would be under eating,over exercising, skipping meals,
drinking too much coffee, nottaking breaks during the day and
I've definitely been guilty ofthat not taking breaks during
the day.
It was only when I startedworking down at a clinic down in
Burley here a few years agothat the clinic owner mandated
(20:27):
that we all have one hour lunchbreaks, and that was a game
changer for me.
I've never done that, ever as anurse.
It was 30 minutes, if you gotthat when I was working in the
pharmaceutical industry.
If you had lunch, you'd justhave lunch at your desk, or when
I was a rep, out in the field,you you know eating in the car
or having lunch with customers.
(20:48):
So you know I've never reallybeen one to have an hour for
lunch and that just was luxury.
So I really try to do that.
Sometimes I don't do it, but Ireally try and even try and take
my little dogs for a walk orsomething like that, just to
give get me out in the sunshineas well.
And what I invite you to do islearn to listen to your body.
(21:09):
Like with anything that you'redoing, ask yourself is this
nourishing me or is thisdepleting me?
And I often ask this of myclients about exercise.
Right, like, if you go and do,let's say, a run, for example,
do you feel energized after therun?
If so, that's awesome or do youfeel really depleted?
And if that's the case, thenmaybe you need to switch it up
(21:31):
and find something that'sactually going to make you feel
good after you do it.
Now there's one other thing Iwanted to talk about, and that
is the emotional side of weightgain, and what I find is so many
women blame themselves.
They feel like it's their faultthat their body is working
against them because of theirhabits, their behaviors.
(21:54):
But that's not necessarily thecase.
Obviously we have, as women,very complicated relationships
with food.
This food is punishment, foodis comfort, food is reward.
You know you're not broken.
There's nothing wrong with you.
It's just perhaps some habitsneed to be changed a little.
(22:16):
But you also need to understandthe biology, understand your
metabolism.
What's going on?
Because, as I mentioned before,you have hormones that control
your hunger.
You have hormones that tell youwhen you're full.
And if they're not workingproperly and this happens a lot
in obesity then you're reallygoing to be struggling and it's
going to be feeling reallyconfusing when you're looking at
(22:38):
what to eat, because you'rejust always going to feel hungry
.
So if you change your mindset,if you shift your mindset from
one of trying to control yourbody to collaborating with your
body, with your hormones, withyour needs, then everything
changes, because you begin tochoose foods that fuel you, not
punish you.
(22:59):
You move because it feels good,not because you've got to burn
off some calories, because weknow that doesn't work right.
So when you begin to trust yourbody again, that's when the
magic happens and if you're kindof nodding along, going, oh my
gosh, that's me.
That's exactly what I'mexperiencing, I want you to know
you're not alone.
(23:19):
I talk to women every week aboutthis and this is the work I do
every day with women just likeyou, through the perimenopause
path, through the GLOW protocoldig into your symptoms, look at
what your hormones are doing andthat's not necessarily testing.
I can tell a lot just throughyour symptoms.
(23:40):
I create your personalized planand finally getting you feeling
like yourself again.
So if you're ready to take thatnext step, I invite you to book
a free peri-weight lossassessment with me.
The link is in the show notes.
Or you can go on Instagram andDM me at the perimenopause path.
We'll chat about what's goingon, see if we're a right fit to
(24:03):
work together and talk to you alittle bit about what that would
look like.
So thanks so much for listeningtoday.
If this episode resonated withyou, I'd love it.
If you could leave a review.
That always makes me so happy.
Or share the episode with afriend, or screenshot it.
Share it on Instagram.
I'd love you to tag me if youdo that Makes me.
(24:23):
Or screenshot it.
Share it on Instagram.
I'd love you to tag me if youdo that.
It makes me so happy.
Your support really does meanthe world to me and it helps
more women find thislife-changing information.
So enjoy the rest of your week.
I hope it's a good one for you,and if it's not so good, then
you know, just be kind toyourself.
(24:44):
I'll be back next week withsome more fresh content.
Until then, take care.
Thanks so much for joining meon the Ageless and Awesome
podcast.
If you liked this episode,please make sure you click the
little plus button if you're onApple Podcasts, or the follow
button if you're on Spotify, sothat you get each new episode
(25:04):
delivered to you every singleweek.
If you feel like writing me afive-star review, you would
absolutely make my day.
If you found this episoderesonated with you, head over to
my Instagram and DM me attheperimenopausepath.
I would love to connect withyou.
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