From Striving to Surrender: A New Way to Approach Weight Loss After 40

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Have You Been Striving in Your Weight Loss Journey?

Let’s just get honest, friend.

You’re eating on plan. You’re trying to move your body. You’re skipping sugar (most days). But that stubborn belly fat in menopause won’t budge. You keep thinking, “I should be further along by now.”

I see it all the time as a Trim Healthy coach for midlife women. And I’ve lived it myself. That’s why I had to share this with you—because I’ve discovered a whole new way to approach weight loss in perimenopause and menopause.

It’s not about pushing harder.
It’s about surrender.

Yep. That big ol’ faith word we like to use in church, but don’t always know how to apply when the scale won’t move or we’re crying over jeans that don’t fit.

This blog post is a heart-to-heart from one midlife woman to another. It’s what I wish someone would have told me sooner.

Why Striving Isn’t Serving You Anymore

In our younger years, striving often worked.
We could cut carbs for a few days, sweat it out in a bootcamp class, and watch five pounds melt off.

But in perimenopause? Striving starts to backfire.

Here’s why:

• Your hormones are shifting. Estrogen, progesterone, and cortisol are doing their own dance.

• Cortisol spikes keep you stuck. Constant pressure and mental stress (even from trying to eat “perfectly”) raise cortisol, which stores belly fat.

• Your metabolism isn’t broken—but it needs support, not stress.

When you’re always trying to force results, your nervous system never relaxes. And guess what? A stressed-out body is not going to let go of weight.

What Surrender Looks Like in Your Health Journey

Now I’m not talking about “giving up” or saying, “Well, I guess this is just menopause weight and I have to live with it.”
No ma’am.
I’m talking about laying down the pressure to perform, and letting God take the lead.

Here’s what surrender has looked like in my journey (and what it can look like for you too):

1. Praying Over Your Plan

Before I plan my meals, before I coach a client, before I grab something to eat—I’m asking,
“God, what do you want for my body today?”

Surrender means inviting the Lord into your health journey. Asking Him to lead you to the right plan, the right pace, and the right people.

2. Releasing Scale Obsession

Yes, you can weigh yourself. But when the number becomes your worth?
It’s time to lay it down.

Your progress isn’t only measured in pounds. It’s in:

• Energy returning

• Fewer hot flashes

• Clearer thinking

• Strength and peace in your body

3. Partnering Instead of Pushing

When I surrendered my results to God, He started aligning the right coaching, the right steps, and the right mindset shifts.
It didn’t mean I stopped taking action. But I stopped doing it alone.

Are You Trying to Control the Outcome?

This part stung when I realized it:

I had been treating weight loss like a math equation: eat this, do that, get this result.
But God doesn’t work in formulas.
He works in relationship.

When I started praying, “Lord, I surrender this body to you—this belly fat, this scale, these goals”—I felt lighter… before the weight even changed.

Ask yourself:
 ✔️ Am I trusting God for my results?
 ✔️ Do I believe He cares about my health?
 ✔️ Have I surrendered this area, or am I still white-knuckling it?

If those questions stirred something in you, that’s not guilt. That’s invitation.

What Happens When You Surrender

When you surrender, here’s what starts to shift:

• You breathe again.
  No more waking up in a panic over “starting over.”

• You hear the Lord more clearly.
  You start noticing the nudges—what to eat, how to rest, who to ask for help.

• You take action from peace.
  Not pressure. Not punishment. Just a steady walk in grace.

You also stop striving for someone else’s results. You walk your unique journey with the Lord, one step at a time.

How to Begin Surrendering in Your Midlife Weight Loss

Not sure where to begin? Here’s a simple place to start.

5 Ways to Practice Surrender This Week:

• Start your day with this prayer: “Lord, I surrender my health, my body, and my goals to You today.”

• Journal 3 areas where you’re holding tight to control.

• Ask God to help you see food and movement through His eyes—not diet culture.

• Speak life over your body. Say out loud: “God made my body, and I trust Him to lead me.”

• Pause before meals and ask: “What does my body need right now?”

This isn’t about doing less.
It’s about trusting more.

Friend, if you’re in that place of frustration—know this:
You’re not failing. You’re just being invited to approach this differently.

Weight loss after 40 is possible. Healing your hormones is possible. Feeling good in your skin again is possible.

But not without surrender.
Because apart from Him, we can do nothing.

I’m here to walk with you in this season. And I promise, you don’t have to figure this out alone.

True transformation in perimenopause and menopause isn’t about controlling your way to a better body. It’s about surrendering your goals to the God who created your body—and trusting Him to lead the way.

Struggling with belly fat, fatigue, or hormone havoc after 40?
The Midlife Fat Loss Formula is your step-by-step plan to lose weight, balance your hormones, and feel confident again—without fasting, counting, or cutting out real food.

Learn more and join here → JOIN FAT LOSS FORMULA