15: Creating Perimenopause Weight Loss Goals Part 1: The Strategy

How would you like to build your exact strategy for losing weight in perimenopause, and know that it was going to work for YOU?! Wouldn't that be great?

Losing weight in perimenopause is really a two-part project. First, you have to nail the strategy - the nutrition, the workouts, the timing. Then, you have to make sure you have the right mindset for weight loss, so that you can reach your goals no matter what obstacles get in your way.

In this episode you get the chance to build your weight loss strategy, so that it actually fits into your life! We'll talk through building nutrition and fitness plans that are realistic, achievable, and sustainable.

Then, in the next episode we'll unlock the secrets to managing your brain, so that you don't get derailed along the way.

Listen to this episode, then remember to subscribe, so that you get notified when Part 2 is available!

• Curious about the workouts I used to lose 65 lbs in my late 40s? Check them out here (and let me know if you need a recommendation specific to your needs)
• To get meal plans that are family-friendly, and have you cooking just 3 nights a week, click here.
• For more details on an anti-inflammatory diet, listen to this.

Ashley Malik is a women's health and wellness coach, helping busy moms lose weight in perimenopause. You can learn more, and discover how to work with Ashley, by clicking here!

*** Ready to lose 15 lbs in 10 weeks? The Method gives you all the tools to make it happen! We start April 2nd. To learn more about The Method, click here!

Transcript

Ashley Malik (00:10)

Hello there, my friend. Welcome back. I am so glad to have you here. I cannot believe that we are on episode 15 of The Family Fork. I knew I wanted to put together a podcast and I have had so much fun doing this. I really hope that you are finding value out of every episode that you listen to. Thank you for being here today. I'm super excited to just dig into today's topic.

If you are listening on the day that this episode airs, we're actually weeks away from the new year. And many of you may be thinking about those New Year's resolutions, and I'm guessing that that probably includes weight loss. Did you know that around 48 % of Americans make a New Year's resolution to lose weight? That's a lot.

And in December and early January, most people start making plans like, I'm signing up for a gym membership, or I'm going to sign up for that meal delivery service.

But those same people don't typically take a realistic approach to what you can actually achieve because we're driven by what we want. And unfortunately, we don't really explore if our goals are even possible. And we know this because 80 % of people who make a resolution to lose weight fall off by mid-February.

Can you believe that? 80 % of people. And really, it's just because the goals that they've created are too unrealistic, or maybe the plans are too unrealistic to their lives, or they just haven't really made a plan. You can go get a gym membership, but that doesn't mean that you're actually gonna go to the gym, right? So let's change that for you this year, okay?

The topic of weight loss goals in perimenopause really, in my opinion, needs two different episodes. And here's why. First of all, there's the strategy of losing weight. And this really includes things like the right nutrition for your goals, workouts, planning with your schedule in mind. It's basically the strategy of losing weight. But in my opinion, the more important part is understanding how to work with your

brain to reach your goals. If you are one of those women who always says, know exactly what I'm supposed to be doing, but I don't do it and I can't figure out why, learning to work with your brain is going to be the secret solution that you have been looking for. I promise.

So in today's episode, we are going to map out your strategy for all of your weight loss goals. I'm going to give you really actionable steps to get yourself ready so that you can actually lose weight in perimenopause. And then next week, you're going to get part two, where we will focus on how you create the mindset that's needed for actually losing weight. Because again, you can have all of the tools and resources

but if you can't figure out how to manage your brain, you're going to struggle to reach your goals.

Now, whether you're listening to this right before the new year or in the middle of the summer, everything in these two episodes is designed to help you actually hit your weight loss goals and you need both parts. So for today, let's get right to it.

When we look at the strategy for weight loss, there are really two very basic parts, fitness and nutrition. Seems simple enough, right? You need to move enough to create a caloric deficit, and you need to fuel your body with the right balance of anti-inflammatory nutrition. So let's go deep into each of these categories, the fitness and the nutrition, so you can set yourself up to really hit your weight loss goals.

Now, when it comes to fitness, hands down, the best workouts for perimenopause are weightlifting. Weightlifting is going to be so much easier on your joints compared to cardio.

Weightlifting doesn't raise cortisol as much as intense cardio or HIIT training. And here's why that matters. When you are in perimenopause, you're losing estrogen. And one of the roles of estrogen is to decrease inflammation.

But when you have excess cortisol from a really intense cardio or HIIT session, that excess cortisol actually increases your inflammation. And since we're struggling because we don't have enough estrogen anyway in perimenopause to reduce the inflammation, we don't want to create more. So weightlifting is going to be a great option for you.

If you already have, like if you already do cardio or you have a base of fitness that includes cardio, you can of course keep doing what feels comfortable to you. But if you find that it's taking you a lot longer to recover or maybe your joints are more sore than usual, it's probably time to reevaluate your fitness routine.

Now, what if you are new to weightlifting, which I think you might be? Where do even start? As a coach, I really recommend that women start lifting weights at home. Cool, right? Why not the gym? So I think when you get a gym membership, you actually will come up with a million excuses for why you can't get there. Maybe you had a meeting that ran late at work, or you didn't sleep well the night before and you couldn't get there in the morning.

Maybe you have a sick kid at home and you can't really leave for the day. So there's a lot of excuses. Just because you have a gym membership doesn't mean that you're going to get yourself there. I also think there's some other situations that women run into where they might feel shy or embarrassed about.

what you can actually do with the weights. Maybe you can't lift very heavy, which is okay. Or maybe you don't know how to use the machines. And it's entirely possible, I know I have been there before, that you just kind of feel inadequate next to the other women that are there, that clearly they've been working out at that gym for a long time. So we'll get more into this part of it in part two, because feeling embarrassed or...

comparing yourself to other women there, that is really an element of mindset. But for now, with a few dumbbells and access to a streaming library of workout videos, you can get started at home and make huge progress.

I've said this before, I have lost 65 pounds in my late 40s and I've built muscle and I've done it all by lifting weights at home. So I know that this approach works. I will link to my favorite streaming workouts in the show notes because honestly, I swear by them, it's what I use every single day. So I'll put a link there for you in case you're curious. Now, if you're going to work out at home,

there are a few things that are just essential. First of all, you need to have a set of dumbbells. And if you are just getting started, it really sort of depends on what your budget allows and space and that kind of thing. But I really recommend the standalone dumbbells in 5, 8, 10, 12, and 15 pounds.

the adjustable ones where you can like add things, you know, add weights and take away weights. I think those work okay, but I prefer just the standalone weights on their own. I think you'll be able to learn how to lift weights quicker without having to have that struggle of changing weights in between the different workouts. And as you get stronger, you can also add on the types of dumbbells that you have. So if you need a 20 pound or a 35 pound,

And I really, I encourage you to check Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist or Nextdoor, any of those for use dumbbells. You don't have to match, they don't have to look fancy. Simple and basic is really best. So if you can have five, eight, 10, 12 and 15 pounds, you're going to be really well set up to get started.

The other thing is streaming workouts that are going to teach you the basics of weightlifting and where the instructors are consistently calling out form cues.

I really don't encourage you to grab free workouts from YouTube or to follow the latest fitness influencer who might be like 25 years old. I remember I once bought an online program that had a really comprehensive workout plan, but the instructors were definitely half my age and there was so much jumping and bouncing. I really, died in the workouts.

And unfortunately, the result was that I felt less motivated to keep going just because I felt inadequate. And again, we're going to talk about feeling inadequate in part two, but just be smart about what you're choosing in terms of streaming workouts and online workouts that they definitely are teaching you how to work out, how to lift, and calling out form cues consistently. If you want to really make progress,

If you're going to make progress, you really need your workouts to be built in such a way that they start you with the basics of like form and posture. And then you get that encouragement to lift heavier as you improve.

Now let's talk about what is not essential. I'm sure you can guess, but things like a new water bottle, a new outfit, a new yoga mat, inspiring art or posters for your wall, a dedicated workout space, a fitness watch or fitness tracker, none of these things are required to help you start working out.

Unfortunately, these are all your brain's way of, one, making you think you're doing something towards your weight loss goal, and two, these things actually take away from doing the work, like actually doing a workout. Because if you're out shopping for a new water bottle or trying on new clothes, just so you feel like you can look good, you could actually be spending that time doing a workout.

So when you are planning your workouts, just watch for these sneaky things to pop into your brain and stick with the basics, your dumbbells and an online library of workouts. That's it. One more thing that you need to plan for when it comes to your fitness is what is actually realistic. Think about how much time you have for each workout and how many days a week you will work out.

I mean, if you're not working out at all right now, 60 minute workouts every day of the week, it's just not going to happen. And I really want you to consider your calendar too. This is an area that I see a lot of women forgetting. If you are busy running kids to sports or dance practice in the evenings, or if you regularly have an 8 a.m. meeting every Tuesday morning, you've got to plan around these things.

You can create a very realistic workout plan by looking at your calendar one month at a time.

And what I want you to do is I want you to block out the times that you're busy with work, volunteering, chauffeuring your kids around. And then I want you to time block your workout sessions. You have to be really honest about what's going to work for you. For me, it's working out in the morning before anyone else in the house is up. Sometimes my husband gets up and works out with me, but I can get it done. I can get my shower and then I am almost ready as

Suraya is starting to wake up. If I saved my workout until the end of the day, I guarantee you it would never happen. There's just too many things that don't go according to plan during my day. And I'm sure you feel the same way. Like you get to the end of the day and you're like, well, that didn't go as planned. But at 5 a.m., it is so much easier to get my workout in and then just move on with my day. But again, you have to be honest with yourself as to when your workouts will fit in best.

it has to fit with all of the other things that you already have going on. That's why it's important to do it like plan your workouts alongside of your calendar, your work calendar, your personal life calendar.

Okay, let's move into nutrition because I think you'll see many of the same themes apply here that we saw in the fitness category. Simplicity, basics, being honest about what's realistic to your life. When it comes to losing weight and perimenopause, an anti-inflammatory diet is the only way to go.

Again, remember, when we're in perimenopause, have less estrogen. Estrogen decreases inflammation, and since it's missing, we actually need to give our body some extra support. You can actually listen to episode two to learn a bit more about the benefits of an anti-inflammatory diet. That is a really great episode for you, so I'll make sure to link to that in the show notes.

But here's where things get tricky. If you are eating an anti-inflammatory diet, is your family going to want to eat the same thing? Or are they going to beg for something different?

To change up your nutrition, you need to have recipes that are anti-inflammatory for you, but that also include a family-friendly variation. This is exactly why I created the meal plans in the Supper Club. Each recipe includes a version that works for you, and then it has variations that will really appeal to your family. This way, you don't have to cook one meal for yourself and a separate meal for your family.

I'll link to the Supper Club in the show notes because I believe it's the best way to get started with an anti-inflammatory diet and it's designed to help you stick to it for the long term.

Now when it comes to nutrition, one of the biggest pitfalls I see is when women want to change everything at once. I'm going to reduce calories and cut out gluten and sugar and eat more veggies and have more protein. But if you try to do all of that at once, you're going to fail. Learning how to eat without gluten is a big hurdle all by itself. Figuring out how to cut out added sugars, it takes a minute.

understanding how much protein your body really wants, honestly it takes some trial and error. So you have to start slow.

And I want you to listen next week for sure to understand why your brain doesn't want to start slow because there is a reason. And that's why it tricks you into thinking that you can do all of those things at once. But for now, just know that slow, simple, and well-planned changes to your nutrition are going to help you reach your goal much faster. Trust me on this. Even if it feels like it's going slower, you will reach your goals much faster.

When I work with women who want to lose weight and perimenopause, I recommend that they start by changing up their breakfast first. Interesting, right? Breakfast can actually give you the biggest bang for your buck. If you start your day with a savory breakfast bowl, which is like protein, veggies, slow burning carbs,

What this is gonna do is it's gonna regulate your blood sugar in the early part of the day, which sets you up for an entire day of feeling amazing.

And when you do that, you're going to have fewer cravings and you're going to have more consistent energy throughout the day. Plus, you can comfortably eat, I think, the same thing for breakfast a few days in a row. So it's fewer new recipes that you're trying and that less new in your life is actually going to help you stay on track for longer.

Okay, so once you've mastered breakfast, you should pick one other area to focus on for at least 30 days. We need to set the right expectation that you are changing your nutrition and it's going to take time.

You're building a new way of eating for life. So often we get into this cycle of thinking, well, I'm just going to eat this way until I hit my weight loss goal, then I'm going to go back to what I was eating before. Or we don't even think about it. We just think, well, I'm just going to eat this way until I hit my goal. In order to make changes to your nutrition that are going to be permanent, it takes time. So

If you decide to decrease your added sugars next, I want you to do that for at least 30 days or more before you start doing something else like decreasing your calories or going gluten free. It takes a little bit of extra time, but this is how we make those changes more permanent and more really a lifestyle as opposed to just a diet.

Now, when it comes to cooking, we have to ask the same question that we did with our workouts. How much time do you have to put into cooking and meal prep? When will you put it into your calendar? I know I literally have cook dinner on my Google calendar so that I know it fits in with the rest of the things in my life.

This is also why I developed a method called component cooking. This really awesome method lets you cook three times a week, that's it, with absolutely zero meal prep on the weekends. Because I don't know about you, but for me, weekends are about family. And the last thing I want to do is cook for hours on the weekend just to get ready for a busy week. That just seems like a waste of time. All of the meal plans that I give you in the supper club,

use this method called component cooking. So you can plan three nights of cooking on your calendar and then schedule all the other things on the other nights of the week. Pretty cool, right? I like to call it meal plan magic.

Okay, we have covered a lot of ground here. Did you take some notes? I hope so. And I'd love to know what your biggest takeaways were. Will you do me a favor and just send me a message on Instagram and tell me what about today's episode has been most helpful for you. I'd love to know what's resonating and I'd really just love to connect with you and hear what you're loving about the family fork.

When it comes to losing weight, it's easiest to start with a strategy because really it's the most tangible part. But you have to make sure your strategy is realistic and built for your life, your calendar, and what is truly going to work for you. Otherwise, it just won't work and you will really struggle to reach your weight loss goals.

For both fitness and nutrition strategy, you need to think about the basics. Keep it very simple and put everything into your calendar. And if there's a part of you thinking, this is great, Ashley, thanks, it's been helpful, but I know most of this, then you absolutely cannot miss next week's episode because you can have all of the tools, the dumbbells, the online workouts, the meal plans, the shopping list.

But if your brain is not completely on board with this new plan for weight loss, you're not going to succeed. I am going to show you next week how to fix that. So plan to come right back here to learn about how to rewire your brain to finally be successful with your weight loss journey. I cannot wait to see you back here next week.