05/12/2026
I spent years frustrated by the weight that slowly showed up during perimenopause… especially around my stomach. The kind that makes you avoid mirrors, hide in oversized clothes, and wonder why nothing works anymore.
What finally changed for me was realizing I had to stop treating my 40+ body like it was still 28. The things that used to work? Most of them were actually making things worse.
So if I had to lose 40 pounds again, here’s exactly what I would NOT do:
🚫 I would not cut out entire foods or obsess over restriction.
I’ve done the whole “never eat sugar again” thing. It works… until it doesn’t. The second you feel deprived, the cravings get louder. And if the plan is miserable, you’re not sticking to it long term anyway. I wanted something I could actually live with.
🚫 I would not punish myself with endless cardio trying to “burn off” calories.
Hours of HIIT and exhausting workouts left me inflamed, starving, and frustrated. Strength training completely changed my body composition. Building muscle matters way more than people realize — especially in perimenopause when metabolism starts acting shady.
🚫 I would not wait for the “perfect time” to start.
Life is always going to be busy, stressful, chaotic, emotional, inconvenient… all of it. If you keep waiting until things calm down, you’ll still be waiting next year. Learning how to take care of yourself during the chaos is the real secret.
🚫 I would not try to figure everything out alone.
Having support, guidance, accountability, and people who actually understand what your body is going through makes a massive difference. Weight loss is hard enough without white-knuckling it by yourself.
🚫 I would not just “eat clean” and hope for the best.
Healthy eating and fat loss are not always the same thing. At some point, you do have to pay attention to what you’re eating, how much protein you’re getting, and whether you actually have a plan instead of just vibes and almond flour recipes from Pinterest.
And honestly? The biggest shift was finally learning how to support my hormones and cortisol instead of constantly fighting my body.
If you’re in that season where your body feels completely different and nothing seems to work anymore… I get it.
Comment 🩷 and I’ll send you what helped me.