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"I hate the belly fat that I have. I'm on bio-identical hormones and can't get rid of the tire. I don't want to go through surgery; I don't know what to do; please don't tell me to start running; I can't do it."

Does anyone else feel the same?

This question came from a member of my Peri/Menopause Trim Healthy Mama Community.

No, I'm not going to tell you to start running, and I'm not going to encourage you to exercise more. Or eat less. 

But there are multiple things that contribute to that spare tire/muffin top you are seeing. And a lot of it has to do with your age and your hormones. 

Extra fat is frustrating and a health risk for women, especially in midlife. 

The fat you see around your middle is most likely visceral...

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Apple Podcast - Spotify

Hitting menopause put me in a bad attitude.

I wasn't prepared.

I wasn't educated.

And I didn't care about mastering menopause since surviving this life change would be enough. Personally, I just wanted to cancel the whole thing.

You too?

I tend to always start things with a lousy attitude only to realize that it could be more helpful. And I miss all the good things in my challenging situation when I allow a bad mood. 

All women experience hormonal shifts, and it's important to understand that what worked in your twenties, thirties, or forties won't be helpful to your lifestyle and eating plan as much now. This is due to a decline in key hormones. 

You may notice this decline as hot flashes, night waking, and depression, or you might experience signs of hormone decline like decreased energy levels. Lower estrogen levels tend to...

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Apple Podcast - Spotify

Is exercise in midlife really all that important?

Would you rather be doing just about anything other than exercising?

After all, the extra time and an open schedule can be challenging.

I get it.

The truth is, yes, exercise is important enough for you to prioritize. But not the exercise you are thinking of.

Getting older has loads of great benefits, but choosing not to include exercise and include daily movement in your schedule may set you up for health issues that are better avoided.

Exercise in midlife is necessary for longevity, health and will help you build strong muscles to maintain your independence as you age. 

And as added benefit doing the proper exercise gets your body in metabolism-boosting & fat-burning mode fast.

STRENGTH TRAINING FOR FAT LOSS

I have great news for you and some myths to bust. 

It's time to hang...

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There are days the constant bombardment of questions has me ready to catch the next ride to crazy town.

I'm not talking about big, scary decisions but the daily ones. The decisions you need to make every single day.

What's for dinner? When should I exercise? How many meals should I eat? When am I going to walk? What should I eat for a snack? Is this enough protein? What trim healthy fuel should I eat next?

The level of panic that starts to set in makes me feel like Lucille Ball in "I Love Lucy" trying to deal with too much candy on the conveyor belt.

It's all too much!

via GIPHY

DECISION FATIGUE & BELLY FAT

When you live in this state of panic and constant decision-making, you are setting yourself up physiologically for increased cortisol levels. Those cortisol levels trigger your body to store fat at your waistline and create an uptick in inflammation.

By leaving multiple decisions...

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Impossible goals are. the. worst. 

And Anne felt like her health and weight loss goals were…impossible. 

She couldn't stick to the Trim Healthy Mama plan long enough to get traction. So…how was she supposed to find success in health and weight loss?

Hopeless and feeling like she was shoveling snow in a blizzard (she would know, she lives in Canada) - Anne kept trying. Eating on plan but falling off as soon as "life" happened. 

"I did not believe I would be able to find success for my health and weight loss. It seemed completely unmanageable." - Anne

One day, she reached out to me after a mutual friend recommended Feminine Freedom Path, my 6-month Coaching program. 

Her hormone and weight loss struggles made her a great candidate for Feminine Freedom Path. Years of blaming and shaming her lack of commitment...

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Are you seeking that ray of hope to finally conquer your weight loss journey and maintain a healthier you?

Ready to leave behind the feeling of hopelessness and embrace the chance to shed those stubborn pounds for good?

Let's take the confusion out of this process and get super simple on what works in menopause to shrink your waistline and regain your vibrant health; what you put on the end of your fork everyday matters. Making choices of good foods, whole foods, healing foods, and hormone-supporting foods will bring positive change in your body, but that's not all. Strength training twice weekly is essential to shrinking fat cells and increasing your metabolic rate. But a few more critical areas in your life are needle movers. Once you have created your fat-loss food plan and have a routine for strength training, you can start working on lifestyle factors. ...

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Wouldn't life be simpler if losing weight was actually a calorie-in/calories-out math equation? But in reality, eating less and exercising more does not guarantee you lose belly fat. And as you get older, it can create the opposite and cause you to increase in weight and inches instead. So, let's get this figured out. In menopause, your body needs supported hormones and strategic exercising to burn fat faster without burning you out.

STOP DOING SO MUCH CARDIO

A few decades ago, cardio was all the rage. Women couldn't get enough of it and thought this was the magic pill to weight loss. We now have the research to prove this is not true, and excessive cardio is not beneficial for women at any age. But in menopause, you for sure do not need more cardio. 

Let's also clear up the confusion around cardiovascular disease and cardio exercise. Doing one doesn't negate the other. The cause of...

Music provided by: https://www.purple-planet.com/ 

Apple Podcast - Spotify

If there's one thing I get asked about by women in the midlife season, it's "How do I get rid of belly fat?" 

I had the same question just a few years ago, and getting the answer was challenging. But thanks to the Trim Healthy eating plan, we have a shortcut to increase belly fat loss without deprivation and dieting.

Today on the podcast, I'll show you a few fundamental changes to make to your meal plan in menopause so you can reduce belly fat and feel better. It's like Trim Healthy Mama 2.0. The same basic principles of protein-centered meals but with a strong focus on your E (energizing) meals over your S (satisfying) meals. Because of declining hormones over 50 and sometimes younger, you need to fuel differently. You need fuel to turn on fat-burning, and as your hormones change, your fueling needs to change too. You can lose the extra belly fat, but you'll need to understand the hormones...

What’s for dinner?

When should I exercise?

How many E meals have I had today?

When am I going to walk?

What should I eat for a snack?

Is this enough protein?

What Trim Healthy fuel should I eat next?

Can you feel your increased heart-rate? Or the sweat beading along your hairline? Maybe you’ve found a nice quiet corner to hide in until all these questions go away.

Has freestyling your Trim Healthy eating plan turned into a recipe for stress?

Do you feel like you might just explode if you have to field one more question or make one more decision?

While we don’t want to live in calorie counting land, living without a plan is a sure recipe for hormonal disaster.

Let’s take a 30,000 foot view to see what is going on in your body when you try freestyling decisions every day.

Estrogen serves as your main hormone to counter cortisol and works as a powerful anti-inflammatory agent. 

Cortisol is your primary stress...

For many of you, the biggest hindrance to following a Trim Healthy Mama fat loss food plan is..the plan?

Not that you don’t know what to eat or how to fuel your body well. 

But the basics of choosing what to eat each meal and then planning it out becomes very complicated and overwhelming.

It doesn’t have to be this way!

Let’s make this easy & brainless. None of us in midlife need to be stressed about feeding our families or ourselves. It is time for you to make a plan for yourself. I know most of you are diligent to make sure your family and work have systems and plans set up, but I bet you don’t always make time to create the plan you need for yourself. 

Your brain might be telling you that this will be hard, or that you don’t need this but we are going to override those unhelpful thoughts. “It’s too hard” limits you, and “I don’t know what I’m going to...