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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...

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

Apple Podcast - Spotify

I'm not going to change.

I'm not going to change the commitment I've made to myself.

That's exactly what Coach Kelly Rackley told herself all year long.

With one quick, impulsive decision, she committed to eating 100% on the Trim Healthy Mama plan for 365 days. 

The trajectory of her entire year took on a new look as she walked out this commitment day after day. And in the end, she learned more about herself and what eating Trim Healthy Mama really means.

MAKING A "DIET" YOUR LIFESTYLE

The ability to stay on the Trim Healthy plan has much more to do with how you talk to yourself than you might think. Kelly found this out with each passing day. Focusing her energy on solving her problems and pushing through the temptation rather than feeling deprived or sorry for herself took time and effort. 

She had to coach herself. 

"I literally truth...

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I was sick and I didn’t even know it.

I was a mess. My hormones are out of whack, my energy levels were at an all-time low, and my mindset was toxic. I couldn’t get enough sleep. Day in and day out, I would think about how miserable I was. This, combined with the loss of a close friend and two of my teens struggling with other issues, led to a lot of stress. I was also going through perimenopause, which caused many hormonal imbalances in my body.

I tried to fix myself. I’d exercise, but if I overdid it, it would mess with my adrenals. I tried the Whole Raw diet, but that wrecked my gut. It got to the point where I finally threw in the towel and visited my Gynecologist. She gave me two options:

Either go on the pill, or start taking antidepressants.

I left the building furious and in tears. I couldn’t do that. This led me to a time of heavy study and discussion about hormones, food, and...

Why is it so hard to be consistent?

Starting is easy. 

Starting is exciting and new and fresh and so full of hope and possibility.

But doing what it takes to reach the end. Now that can be a real slog.

Starting your Trim Healthy journey is fun! There are so many good recipes to try and new things to learn. 

But then, to see success, you have to keep at these changes until they are a habit. Part of your lifestyle. 

So, I want to share with you what my most successful clients have in common and how they have overcome pitfalls and have learned to be successful on their Trim Healthy journey. 

1. They made a quality commitment to adopt the plan as a lifestyle. Not a perfect commitment, but an “I am in” day in and day out because they were done with dieting. Done with the mental drama. And they also had people in mind that they wanted to show up healthy for. 

2. They had to redefine what...

There is a lot of resistance about this topic of meal prep and menu planning and because I've been coaching women for several years, I know this is a BIG issue.

First, I want to address this with our mindset. Allowing your brain to tell you how hard this process it, or that you don't have enough time or that you don't know what to fix is not helpful. All those negative thoughts will not help you create a plan that you can sustain. 

When you think those negative thoughts, it brings up the feelings of dread, which then makes you procrastinate, when you procrastinate, you really don't get anything done. And you don't really start or give yourself the opportunity to make good choices. 

What you need to have is a good mindset around preparing and prepping. 

So first, I want you to take some time, and really start cultivating some helpful thoughts, some thoughts like - “Wow, even though I don't love prepping and planning, this will set me up...

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They don’t call menopause the big “change” for nothing!

There is truly an astounding amount of change that is happening in your body during this time. Changing hormones necessitates changing lifestyle and diet so let’s look at one of the most important things you can focus on every single day.

What you put on the end of your fork is the best place to start when you want better health, supported hormones, and fat loss. And a key change you can make in your everyday diet is to eat enough protein. This is not the time to limit your protein intake but it is a great season to expand the protein you do consume. First, you will choose animal protein, then fish, then choose plant protein options. A lot of the protein choices in this guide can be used for Energizing meals on the Trim Healthy Mama eating plan as long as your...

What satisfies you? 

When was the last time you paused to reflect and notice if you are satisfied or not? 

If you’re like me, it’s been a while. 

But I’m doing it now. 

Satisfied is a word that reminds me of the children’s story about Goldilocks and the Three Bears. She goes about the bears’ home proclaiming something to be too much of this or not enough of that until she finds the one that is “just right”. That seems to be a good definition of satisfied - just right. 

I love the verse in Matthew 14:20a which says, “And they all ate and were satisfied.” 

Not too much or too little, but just right! 

This is about one of the miraculous times that Jesus fed thousands of people when he only had 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish at his disposal. 

He made sure that they had enough to satisfy their hunger. 

They didn’t lack and they didn’t dip into gluttony. And what about Jesus? Did...

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Did you know that the majority of disease begins with inflammation and hormone imbalance within the body?

A great way to combat that inflammation is by...

Menopause keys to weight loss

Choose foods that are anti-inflammatory to your body. Include foods that boost your gut health and gut microbiome and eat foods that are known to support hormone balance. This is the time of life to choose quality. No more cheap oils and processed, packaged “foods”. Your body is ready and eager to be blessed with nourishing foods. 

Protein is Queen!

Every single meal you consume needs to have a protein source at the center. Begin to diversify your protein choices by including more fish and more plant proteins. 

Find ways to lighten up your meals and use less heavy dairy products. Your body is less efficient at burning through some of the heavier fats, so it is time to make some changes.

An easy way to lighten up your protein-centered meal can be by choosing a protein (think fish), a non-starchy vegetable, and a garnish of fat, roughly about a Tablespoon.

 Instead of a Heavy S meal (animal protein + cheese + mayo...