The Rachel Hollis Podcast 861: My Perimenopause Weight Loss Journey | What Actually Worked
Weight Gain Despite No Habit Change
- Rachel Hollis highlights that many women don't change their habits but still gain weight during perimenopause.
- This underscores the significant impact of hormonal changes on body weight independent of lifestyle.
Why Perimenopause Requires a Whole New Approach to Weight Loss
The key to managing weight in perimenopause is recognizing that your body is changing and old diets may no longer work. Rachel Hollis shares how, despite not changing her eating or exercise habits, she steadily gained weight during perimenopause, specifically in her belly. She emphasizes that what worked for her body in the past — like high protein diets or intermittent fasting — stopped producing results, leading to frustration.
Rachel's breakthrough came by treating her nutrition as an ongoing experiment tailored to her changing needs, focusing on an anti-inflammatory diet with strict control on white carbs and calories, plus eating protein within 30 minutes of waking to boost metabolism. She also uses a "feast day" once a week to allow indulgences, which makes the strict weekdays sustainable.
Her key insight: You must find 10 or fewer meals that consistently make your body feel good and understand that "food is fuel, not a coping mechanism." This mindset shift, combined with consistency and calorie awareness, is critical in perimenopause where hormonal shifts slow metabolism and change how calories affect your body.
Motivation Needs Tangible Wins
- Motivation hinges on seeing tangible results from effort.
- Without wins, diet or exercise routines are hard to sustain.