Why weight loss isn’t what you’re actually looking for and is keeping you from what you really want.
When I ask women “why do you want to lose weight”, I often hear things like:
I want to be healthy
I want to feel good in my clothes
I want to stop judging myself when I walk by a mirror
I want to feel normal
I want to fit in
I want to stop feeling like I’m broken.
I want to stop feeling like I’m doing something wrong.
But if that's what they want, weight loss won’t deliver. Because when we say that we “want to lose weight”, what we’re actually after is a feeling that weight loss can never provide.
We want to feel good about ourselves. We want to feel confident that what we’re eating is good for us. We want to feel accepted for who we are. We want to feel ok in the world we live in. We want to stop feeling crazy around food.
We don’t want to feel judged for how we look, left out, or “less than” the smaller version of ourselves we keep aspiring for.
What we’re experiencing is “desire confusion”
It’s not your fault that you’re confused and believe with all your heart that weight loss is what you want. Diet culture and its multi-billion dollar industry promises that amazing things will happen when we “finally” lose weight “for good”. But here’s what they don’t tell you:
In the drive to lose weight, our health (mental, physical, and emotional) often suffers. And sadly, this has become an accepted side-effect of dieting. Can’t sleep and feel anxious because you’ve given up carbs? That’s a small price to pay for a smaller body right? Never mind that your body is reacting to the lack of carbs by pumping out cortisol.
Weight loss doesn’t protect us from feeling bad about ourselves. Even after losing weight, women often engage in more body checking, self-criticism, and self-doubt. The pressure to maintain is often overwhelming.
Normal is a subjective moving target, and can never be found on your bathroom scale. And saying no to birthday cake will never make you feel normal, I promise.
You were never broken in the first place. You haven’t failed at dieting, dieting has failed you.
I get it. It’s so hard to stop trying to lose weight when it’s all you’ve ever known. But if you knew that the only thing guaranteed by dieting was another diet, would you still want it?
What if...
You knew how to manage your midlife body changes without feeling shame, guilt, and frustration?
You knew how to improve your health and nutrition without making weight loss the goal?
You could trust and respect your body instead of always fighting it?
You could thrive in midlife doing things you enjoy, feeling good about yourself, and feeling healthier than you’ve ever been?
You’d find what you’ve actually been looking for, instead of just a number on the scale.
I’d love to help you move Beyond The Scale and rock midlife with confidence. The waiting list for my 12-week group coaching program for women over 40 is open.
Looking for health and nutrition support in perimenopause or menopause? Book a free call to see if working with me 1-1 is right for you or sign up for my newsletter to stay in touch!