YOU'RE NOT OVERWEIGHT BECAUSE YOU'RE EATING TOO MUCH

One of the things I hear from almost every women looking to lose weight is, “I really don't eat that much..”

There's usually guilt in their voice, often confusion and almost always frustration.

They've spent years believing that if they only had more willpower, more discipline, or could somehow survive on fewer calories, the weight would finally come off.

My first response is almost always the same, "What if not eating enough is actually the problem...?”

Now to be clear, I'm not saying they should just throw caution to the wind, go crazy and make up for what they've been missing out on all in one day, but for the first time someone is asking a different question.

Instead of asking, "How many calories are you eating?" I'm asking, "What's going on inside your body?" Those are two very different conversations.

For decades, the weight-loss industry has taught women that weight is simply a math equation, calories in versus calories out. Eat fewer calories, do more cardio and you'll lose weight. If you don't, you simply aren't trying hard enough. Fun fact, women were not even included in studies on women's health until the late 90's. No wonder we've had so much bad advice.

It's a message that has generated billions of dollars while leaving millions of women feeling like failures. Because maintaining a diet requires perfection in order to be successful and keep those results. Statistically nine out of 10 women cannot stick to a diet for any meaningful length of time. Numbers are not nutrients and our bodies are not calculators.

Calories are simply a measure of energy. They don't tell us anything about how a particular food affects blood sugar, insulin, cortisol, inflammation, hunger, hormones, muscle, or metabolism. And all calories are not created equally.

A 300 calorie doughnut and a 300 calorie meal made with quality protein, healthy fats, fibre-rich vegetables, may contain the same number of calories, but one contains amost no nutritional value, while the other provides a huge nutrient boost. Each one sends completely different messages to your body.

One spikes blood sugar, leaving you hungry again a short time later. The other helps stabilize blood sugar, supports your hormones, fuels your muscles, and keeps you satisfied for hours.

The calorie count may be identical. The physiological response and how your menopause symptoms are fired up or quieted, is not even close.

This is why so many women become trapped in an endless cycle of dieting. They eat less, weight drops, then energy drops. Their cravings start to increase, metabolism begins to slow down, weight loss stops and starts to come back on. They become frustrated, blame themselves, cut back even more and the cycles continues.

Eventually, many women reach menopause and suddenly discover that the strategies they've relied on for decades no longer work. They think menopause broke their body. Menopause simply shines a spotlight on problems that may have been developing quietly for years.

It's not so much about menopause or your age, but rather the length of time you've been doing things that don't serve your body. One of the biggest is blood sugar dysregulation. I often say that menopause is all BS. Not the kind you're thinking of, but rather Blood Sugar.

When blood sugar is constantly dysregulated, your body produces more insulin to help move that sugar out of your bloodstream. Over time, your cells can become less responsive to insulin, making it more difficult to regulate blood sugar efficiently.

Your body isn't trying to make you gain weight. It's trying to protect you. Weight gain, cravings, afternoon energy craahes, brain fog, poor sleep are all signals that there's something deeper going on inside.

When the check engine light comes on in your car, you don't grab a piece of tape and cover it up. You look under the hood.

That's why the answer isn't simply eating less it's helping the body feel safe enough to function well again. That means eating enough quality protein to preserve muscle. It means choosing foods that stabilize blood sugar instead of constantly spiking it. It means strength training instead of trying to burn off every calorie on the spin bike.

It means prioritizing sleep because poor sleep affects hunger hormones, insulin sensitivity, and stress hormones. It means managing stress, because a body constantly living in survival mode is not focused on thriving. Most importantly, it means recognizing that your body is not your enemy. Your body is your vehicle that drives you throug life. It's time to look under the hood.

If you continually put poor-quality fuel into your vehicle, ignore regular maintenance, and then wonder why it doesn't perform the way it once did, the solution isn't simply to use less fuel. The solution is to improve the quality of what you're putting into it and take better care of the vehicle as a whole. The same is true for your body.

Head over to Tania's website for her video and more information on the next session of the FIT Menopause Method to get your vehicle running in tip top shape.