The Psychology of Weight Loss: How to Stop Starting Over

The Monday “restart” spiral ends here. In this week's episode I dig into the real reasons consistency feels harder after 40 and why motivation alone won’t carry you through perimenopause and menopause. From shifting hormones and sleep disruptions to higher cortisol and years of diet fatigue, I unpack the biology and psychology that make old methods fail - and the practical changes that finally stick.

You’ll learn why perfection is the enemy of progress and how black-and-white thinking quietly derails results. I break down the comfort zone loop that fuels self-sabotage, especially when big goals feel overwhelming or your identity is tied to a number on the scale. Then, of course, some solutions you can use today: regulate your nervous system with simple daily habits, fuel your body so hunger stops driving cravings, and use small, sustainable goals that hold on busy, low-energy days. I also talk about the power of accountability - the kind that guides, supports and keeps you on track when life gets 'lifey'.

If you’re ready to trade willpower for systems and build a plan that works with your hormones, this conversation offers a grounded path forward. Subscribe, share with a friend who keeps starting over, and leave a review to help more women find practical support. Want personalised help? Book the free Peri Weight loss assessment via the link below and start January with your plan locked in.

Are you a woman feeling stressed, flat and experiencing the challenges of perimenopause or menopause?

It’s time to reclaim your youthful energy, radiance and self-assurance (and your ideal weight).

I’m here to help with my proven method.

Here's how I can support you -

1. Hit your health and wellbeing goals this year, balance your hormones and lose weight with your own personalised protocol, based on your body's biochemistry. Sounds awesome right!! Book a free 30 minute Peri Weight Loss Assessment with me so we can discuss your health and wellbeing goals and also see how I might be able to support you. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Book your call here. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

2. Follow me on Instagram and Facebook - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@the.perimenopause.path

3. Join the waitlist for my innovative NEW 8 week group program, In Your Skin™️, for women in perimenopause and post-menopause who want effective solutions to manage skin changes at this time of life.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Mission
• 0:36 Why Motivation Feels Different After 40
• 2:24 Diet Fatigue And Outdated Tools
• 4:48 The All Or Nothing Trap
• 6:05 Understanding Self Sabotage
• 8:18 Structure Beats Willpower
• 9:06 Five Practical Steps For Consistency
• 15:27 Personalised Support And Free Assessment
• 16:12 You’re Not The Problem, The Approach Is
• 17:39 Closing And Ways To Connect

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Hi, I'm Susie Garden and this is the Ageless and Autumn Podcast. I'm an age-defying naturopath and clinical nutritionist and I'm here to bust myths around women's health and ageing so that you can be ageless and autumn in your 40s, 50s, and beyond. The Ageless and Awesome Podcast is dedicated to helping women through perimenopause and menopause with great health, a positive mindset, and outrageous confidence. Hit subscribe or follow now and let's get started. Hello, gorgeous one, and welcome to this week's episode of the Ageless and Awesome Podcast. I'm Susie Garden, Perimenopause naturopath, weight loss nutritionist, and just helping women reclaim their energy, confidence, metabolism, and sense of self is my absolute joy in life, in my work. And today I'm diving into a topic that I know so many women struggle with. And it's, I like to call it the psychology, I guess, of weight loss and how to stop starting over. If you've ever said things like, why do I keep falling off the wagon? Why can't I stay consistent? Why do I do well for a few days and then bang, I sabotage myself, particularly at this time of year. Why do I always end up starting again next Monday? If you're one of those people, then this episode is absolutely for you. Because here's the truth weight loss is not just about food. It's not just about calories, and it's definitely not about willpower. It is about your patterns, your beliefs, your nervous system, your hormones, your relationship with yourself, and many other things. And today I'm gonna unpack the real reasons you find yourself having to start over and start over. And I'm gonna teach you how to break the cycle for good. So let's get into it. So, firstly, I want to talk about why women over 40 in particular can struggle with consistency. So, before we get into mindset, let's acknowledge something important. Your biology changes after 40. We know this, our hormones change, and so does your relationship with motivation. One of the most common things I hear on periweight loss assessment calls with people looking to uh learn more about the GLOBE protocol, looking to sort of get started on a health journey, is that they say they're so unmotivated. They lack energy, but they're also so unmotivated. And this they're two separate things. And this is the thing women in perimenopause and postmenopause can experience fluctuating energy, mood shifts, sleep disruption, increased sensitivity to stress. You're just not able to cope with it as well anymore for some women, changes in dopamine and motivation, higher cortisol, and lower resilience. In particular, that can sometimes be to, I'm gonna say, dieting in inverted commas. You guys, if you're a long-term listener, you know I hate that word. Um uh, because you know, really what I'm all about is change and lifestyle change and long-term solutions rather than doing a diet for a particular period of time. So if you've been judging yourself and being unkind to yourself because you're not motivated, beating yourself up, please stop. Please stop because what you think is a lack of discipline can be a stressed nervous system, unstable blood sugar, hormonal fluctuations, emotional overwhelm, exhaustion, and years of dieting fatigue. Most of the women that come and uh have a chat to me about my program have tried all of the things. Some of them have worked well, some of them have not. But then there's this absolute fatigue about thinking and overthinking about what you're eating and how much to eat, and when should you eat, and should you do fasting, should you do keto? Should you do paleo? Should you do carnivore? You know, um, these old tools that perhaps you used in your 20s and 30s no longer work. Your brain chemistry is different, your life load is different, your hormones are different, and here's the kicker. Trying harder is not the solution. Trying differently, doing something differently and personalized is. So let's talk about the all or nothing trap. This is one of the biggest psychological patterns keeping women stuck. It's called black and white thinking or all or nothing thinking. It sounds like, oh, well, I blew it today, so I'll start again tomorrow. Um, I wasn't perfect today, so what's the point? If I can't do it 100%, I won't do it at all. And this is diet culture conditioning. For decades, we've been taught that success is perfection, when in reality, perfection is the enemy of consistency. I'm gonna say that again. Perfection is the enemy of consistency. And here's a truth bomb: it's not the bad days, and again, bad days in inverted commas that derail you. It's the belief that you failed. It's the belief. Women in my programs don't get perfect results because they're perfect. They get results because they learn how to keep going even when things aren't perfect. A bad meal doesn't ruin your progress. A bad week doesn't ruin your progress. Stopping is what ruins progress. I want to talk about the sabotage cycle. So self-sabotage, the pattern of doing well and then undermining your own progress. And this can happen when your goals feel too big. And I see this a lot in women that have bigger weight loss goals. So generally, women uh that are over 100 kilos can really struggle to when they start getting close to that 100 kilo mark and can start self-sabotaging because they're so, I guess, identified in a way with the the being over 100 that they feel like, oh, who am I if I'm under that? Who am I if I reach my goal weight? Um, so if the goal feels too big or you're identifying a lot with with your weight, uh that can really uh develop a self-sabotage pattern. If you feel overwhelmed, if you've created rules that are just too rigid, if you're exhausted, if you don't feel supported, if you're using willpower instead of structure, that's a really important one. If you don't trust yourself to succeed, if you don't trust the process. The thing is, your brain loves familiarity. Remember, the brain is wired for survival and safety. The brain loves familiarity, it makes us feel safe. Even if it's a habit you don't like, um, if it's a habit that's built in, your brain loves that familiarity. And this is called the comfort zone loop. Success feels unfamiliar. Unfamiliar feels unsafe. So your brain nudges you back to old habits. This is not personal failure. This is not necessarily something you have control over. This is just simply how our nervous system works. Okay. So what breaks this sabotage? It's not shame, it's not guilt, it's not beating yourself up, not the negative self-talk, it's not starting over on Monday. What breaks the sabotage is structure, is safety, self-compassion, a plan you can actually follow, accountability, community, coaching. In other words, you need support, not more willpower. So many women tell me I just need to get motivated again. But here's the truth motivation is a feeling. Feelings generally tend to be temporary. You cannot build a long-term result on a short-term feeling. And we see this a lot at New Year. The New Year's resolution is a classic example of this. What you actually need rather than a feeling, what you actually need is a system. You need habits, you need structure, accountability, clear expectations, and a personalized plan is ideal. Motivation might get you started again. New year, might get you started, but only systems keep you going. And that's exactly why women inside the Globe Protocol get such incredible results. They stop relying on motivation and learn to rely on a structure and a system that is personalized to them as an individual. So, how do we stop this? How do we stop this starting over? Let's get into some practical steps. Here's how you can break the cycle for good. Let's look at the goal for a start. I mentioned before some people, if they have a big, say, weight loss goal, it can feel overwhelming. It can feel scary. So let's shrink the goal. Let's shrink the goal so small that you can't fail. Most women, if left to their own devices, will set goals that require perfect energy, perfect hormones, perfect mood, perfect everything, being the good girl, right? But you're a human and let's you know, a sustainable goal is one that you can hit on busy days. It's a goal that you can hit on low energy days, on stressful days, those days where your hormones are all over the place. That roller coaster. Consistency beats intensity. Small wins compound. So that's probably my number one piece of advice. Number two, regulate your nervous system. You cannot make good food decisions when your body is in fight or flight mode. So simple daily habits help, and that's why I focus a lot. Stress resilience is one of the key pillars in the GLO protocol, and it's just simple daily habits like slow breathing. A five-minute body scan, for example, could be a good form of a meditation just to ground you. Walking, not needing to flog yourself, just going for a short walk or a long walk. Um, grounding yourself, saying no more often, and reducing perhaps some of the chaos, like even having a clean desk. I'm looking at my desk at the moment, it is really, really busy. Um, and yeah, having a clean and uh tidy, organized environment, even if you're not consciously noticing it, it definitely calms you down if there is order. A regulated nervous system gives you consistent behavior. Number three, fuel your body, don't starve it. Like I say all the time, women need to be fed. Most women who are falling off the wagon when it comes to food choices, they're not weak, they're hungry. Undereating can lead to cravings, can lead to overeating, then it leads to guilt, and then you get that black and white thinking of, oh, well, I've screwed it up, I might as well just keep going. I'll start again next week. Whereas realistically, when we're looking at food for particularly if we're looking at weight loss specifically, or actually anything, you you can get back on board the very next meal. The very next meal you can start to get back towards your goals. And you can break the cycle of getting hungry by eating enough protein. And that's particularly awesome when you know the exact amount of protein that's appropriate for you and your goals. Eating regular meals, balancing out blood sugar, and not skipping breakfast. That's a big one. When your body feels safe and fed, your brain stops chasing quick fixes. Number four, and this is, I think, one of the more important ones, is using accountability. Research shows that having a coach or support system significantly improves follow-through. And I see this all the time, both in the work I do with my clients, but also I have my own coach for uh my business. And having a coach versus not having a coach vastly improves my follow-through. Vastly when I've got someone going, um, excuse me, you said this was going to be done by now. Uh, that makes a huge difference to my motivation, my ability to get something done. And accountability doesn't mean someone judging you, it means someone that's guiding you, it's supporting you, helping you adjust, celebrating your wins, keeping you on track when life gets lifey. Women are not meant to do hard things alone, and there is plenty of support out there for you if you want it. Number five, swap perfection for consistency. You don't need to be perfect, you just need to keep going. And a great question to ask yourself is what is the next best choice I can make? This single mindset shift alone will stop the constant start again tomorrow. Don't start again tomorrow. It's what is the next best choice I can make. So I guess to sum up, if you've been stuck in a cycle of starting, stopping, starting again, stopping, I'll start again next Monday. Oh, I've screwed it up today, so I might as well screw it up tomorrow and start next week or wait till the new year or whatever. And that's fine. That you can do that, you'll get the same result you've always got. But you know, if you've been stuck in that cycle, just hear me. You are not weak, you are not broken, you are not undisciplined, you're a woman trying to navigate hormonal changes, you're trying to navigate stress, exhaustion, responsibilities, and outdated weight loss advice. The problem is not you. It really isn't. It's the approach. When you have a clear plan that's personalized, personalized support, nervous system strategies, accountability, and nutrition that works with your hormones, then you don't need to start over anymore because you never really stop. And if you're ready to break the cycle for good, I would love to support you. You can book a free period loss assessment. I'll explore your symptoms, your triggers, your patterns, and exactly what's holding you back. And I'll show you how we can fix it. Uh, the link is in the show notes. I'm still taking uh appointments for those all the way up until the 19th of December. This is in 2025, in case you're um listening to this at another time. But yeah, if you're wanting to start something in January, then now is the time to start planning that so that you're starting January with that plan, that personalized approach. You've got your accountability locked in, you've got your nervous system strategies mapped out for you. So book your free periweight loss assessment. Link is in the show notes. Um, and I would love to chat with you. There's no pressure to sign up to anything on the call. I simply want to have that discussion. And I always send you a link afterwards so you can have got some time to really think about it. I don't want people on my program that are not ready for it, that are not right for it. I have an incredible success rate and I want to maintain that. So please don't hold back because you think, oh, I'm gonna get all this pressure. It's not like that at all. So thanks so much for listening today. If this episode resonated with you, please share it with a friend. Perhaps a friend that keeps starting again on Monday. She'll feel so seen. Um, and if you haven't already, hit follow so you never miss an episode. So until next time, take care, particularly at this time of year where there is so much going on. We're on the home stretch now till the festive season, the holidays kind of start. Um so yeah, take incredible care of you. Thanks so much for joining me on the Ageless and Awesome podcast. If you would like this episode, please make sure you click the little plus button if you're on Apple Podcasts, or the follow button if you're on Spotify, so that you get each new episode delivered to you every single week. If you feel like writing me a five star review, you would absolutely make my day. If you found this episode resonated with you, head over to my Instagram and DM me at the Perimetopause Park. I would love to connect with you.