Never Diet Again with Max Lowery
Tired of losing weight only to gain it back? Sick of feeling out of control around food? Welcome to The Never Diet Again Podcast Weight Loss Coach - Max Lowery. If you’re a woman over 40 who’s tried every diet, struggled with cravings, or felt stuck in an endless cycle of overeating and guilt—this podcast is for you. Max shares real, no-BS strategies to help you lose weight without restrictive diets, punishing workouts, or obsessing over every bite.
Each episode dives deep into what actually works for lasting fat loss—so you can stop dieting for good, regain control, and feel confident in your body again.
Ready to break free? Hit play and let’s get started.
Never Diet Again with Max Lowery
12 Mindset Traps Keeping You Fat (After Helping 1,000+ Women)
If you’ve ever felt stuck—losing weight only to gain it back, starting over every Monday, or falling into the same self-sabotaging habits—this episode is for you.
Max Lowery reveals the 12 hidden mindset traps that keep women over 40 stuck in a cycle of dieting, emotional eating, perfectionism, and guilt. From all-or-nothing thinking to the victim mindset, Max unpacks how your beliefs—not your willpower—are the real reason weight loss feels impossible.
No fluff. No shame. Just straight talk on how to rewire your thinking, rebuild trust with yourself, and finally create lasting change.
Topics include:
- Why mindset—not macros—is the missing link
- How emotional eating and self-blame keep you stuck
- Perfectionism, learned helplessness & over-attachment to results
- How to shift from “I always mess up” to “I’ve got this”
This is the mindset reset you've been missing.
Watch my The Cravings & Fat-Burning Masterclass: https://www.neverdietagain.uk/register-podcast
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/max.lowery/
Book a Food Freedom Breakthrough Call: https://calendly.com/maxlowerycoaching/food-freedom-breakthrough-call
When I was a personal trainer in London, most of my clients were women over 40 who wanted to lose weight, and I would do the typical things that personal trainers do. I'd push them hard in workout sessions and give them strict macro and calorie targets, and a lot of them would lose weight. But what I noticed is that the weight would nearly always come back on, and initially I would blame them. I thought they just didn't want it badly enough. I thought they lacked the discipline, the motivation and the willpower to achieve long-term success. But when this kept happening over and over again, I realized there must be more to it, and that's when I discovered how much your mindset shapes consistency, self-sabotage and long-term behavioral change. So in this video I'm going to outline the 12 biggest mindset issues I see in my clients, and this is having been a coach for 11 years and working with over 1000 women over 40. If you find yourself losing weight only to gain it back, or if you're stuck in a cycle of starting over and over again, then these are likely the real reasons you're struggling. So let's dive in. How do you create a life that allows you to lose weight, eat the foods that you love and sustain the results. Over the last 10 years I've helped thousands of people do exactly that. I'm max lowry. I'm an author, personal trainer and weight loss coach. In this podcast, I'm going to share my top tips and tricks from within my one-on-one coaching program. It's my goal to give you the tools and understanding so that you never diet again.
Max Lowery:Before we get into these issues, let's talk about what mindset is. Your mindset is the collection of beliefs you have about yourself, your abilities and what's possible for you. It's the lens you see everything through your health, your body and your success. These mindset issues often start way back in childhood. They come from your parents, caregivers and the experience that shaped how you see yourself. But it doesn't end there, because fad diets, diet culture and the media perpetuate and exacerbate these mindset issues. So, even if you know what to do, you're fighting against years and maybe decades of negative conditioning from diets and diet culture. That's why weight loss feels so hard. It's not just about the food. It's about changing the way that you think, because ultimately, your mindset drives your behavior and your habits. It shapes whether you keep going or quit when it gets tough. And until you tackle these mindset traps, no diet or workout plan will work in the long term, and I know many of you listening to this right now don't really want to hear this. You just want to be told. It's about your food and exercise, and I want to stress here these mindset issues are not your fault. Remember, they are learned from your parents, caregivers, teachers, and they're made worse by diet culture and fad diets. So, whilst they are not your fault, they are your responsibility to do something about. So, as I go through these 12 mindset issues, I want you to listen up and notice which ones show up for you, because awareness is that first step to breaking three.
Max Lowery:It's where the real change begins. Number one you wake up Monday and say this is it. This time I'm going to be good. You plan the meals, you commit to no sugar, you push yourself through the workouts, you're strict, disciplined, perfect. But then life happens. You eat something unplanned, you skip a workout, you feel tired or stressed or emotional and instantly your brain flips to I failed, I've ruined it, I might as well start again next week. So you go off the rails, you eat everything you've been avoiding. You feel ashamed, guilty and frustrated. You promise yourself you'll be even stricter next time. But that's the trap, and this is known as all or nothing thinking, and it's an incredibly draining cycle to live in because you're setting yourself up to fail before you even begin. You've created a version of success that's impossible to maintain, and every time you fail to meet that perfect standard, you reinforce the belief that you are the problem, when in reality, the problem is the mindset. You don't need perfect, you need consistency. You need to learn how to keep going when life isn't perfect, because it never will be. Until you let go of all or nothing thinking, you're likely to stay very, very stuck.
Max Lowery:Number two you sit down after a long day. You're wiped out, work was chaos, the house is a mess, you feel unappreciated, overwhelmed and drained and before you even realize it, you're in the kitchen. You're not even thinking, you're not even hungry, you just want to feel better. You reach for chocolate or wine or bread. Whatever takes the edge off. It gives you relief for about five minutes. Then comes the guilt, the shame, the voice on your head saying why did I do that again?
Max Lowery:So this isn't just emotional eating. It starts with something deeper and it's known as emotional reasoning. This is when you believe something is true because you feel it. I feel like a failure, so I must be a failure. I feel stressed, so I must need food to cope. It's like your feelings become facts and they start making your decisions for you. So instead of checking in with yourself and asking you if you are actually hungry or do you need something else, you eat Because your brain tells you that how you feel must mean something is wrong, and food becomes the fix. But over time, this wrecks your relationship with food and yourself. You stop trusting your body. You start seeing food as the enemy and yourself as the problem, and the longer it goes on, the more you feel stuck, ashamed and out of control.
Max Lowery:Number three you mess up. You eat something you didn't plan, you skip a workout, you have a bad day and find yourself standing in the kitchen eating out of a packet again, and instead of brushing off and moving forward, you go straight into attack mode. What's wrong with me? I always do this. I don't have any willpower. I'm such a failure.
Max Lowery:You punish yourself with guilt and shame and harsh words you would never use to someone else. It's like you think if you're hard enough on yourself, you'll finally change. But this never works, because what you're stuck in is known as self-blame. Self-blame is when you turn every mistake into a personal flaw. Instead of seeing a slip up of something normal, you see it as proof that you're weak, broken or not good enough. And here's the problem. Shame doesn't create change. It creates more self-sabotage. When you feel like a failure, you act like one. You say screw it, I've already ruined everything. So you eat more, move less and spiral Over time. Self-blame destroys your self-esteem. It teaches you to see yourself as the problem instead of seeing the real issue, which is unrealistic pressure you've put on yourself to be perfect. You don't need more discipline, you need more self-compassion, because lasting change doesn't come from beating yourself up. It comes from having. That's not failure, that's being human Number four.
Max Lowery:You start the day with good intentions, but the scale hasn't moved. You feel tired, your joints ache, you're stressed out, pulled in a million different direction, and that voice creeps in. It's my hormones, it's the menopause, it's my genetics, it's my circumstances. There's no point trying because all of this is out of my control. You don't say it out loud, but deep down you feel defeated before you even started.
Max Lowery:That's the invisible mindset track, called the victim mindset. It's when you believe that everything is happening to you and you have no power to change it. So, look, your challenges are real. Hormones, stress, age, trauma they absolutely impact your body. But when you give all the power to those things, you stop focusing on what you can control and and instead you're just focusing on what you can't control. You wait for your life to calm down, you wait to feel motivated, you wait for your body to magically fix itself, but that day never comes. The victim mindset quietly convinces you that the effort is pointless, so you stop trying. Or if you do, it's half-hearted, and when it doesn't work, you say see, I told you I can't do this, when in reality you are not powerless, you are not broken and you're not stuck, unless you believe you are.
Max Lowery:Somewhere out there there's a woman with less time, less support and more on her plate, and she's still showing up for herself. She's not waiting for the perfect moment, she's making it happen. And when you shift from why is this happening to me? Into what can I do about it, everything changes. It's not about blaming yourself, it's about taking back control. So if you're resonating with these mindset traps and you're starting to see why nothing's worked long-term, I've created a free masterclass that goes even deeper into this. It's called the Cravings and Fat Loss Masterclass and it's designed specifically for women over 40 who feel stuck. Struggle with consistency and constantly fight cravings. I'll show you exactly why your body and brain are working against you and how to reset your metabolism, stop emotional eating and finally start seeing results at last. Click the link below to get access. It's 100% free.
Max Lowery:Number five you've tried to stop emotional eating, try to be consistent, but deep down, you keep telling yourself I can't learn how to eat normally. I've always struggled with food. This is just who I am. Other people can change, but not me. You want things to be different, but you don't actually believe you're capable of changing.
Max Lowery:This is known as a fixed mindset. It's the belief that your habits, your body, your identity, your intelligence, they are permanent. It tells you that people who lose weight and keep it off must have something that you don't, whether it's more discipline, more motivation or a better metabolism. So you stop giving full effort. You half try, you self-sabotage, you quit early, because what's the point in trying if it's not going to work anyway? But a fixed mindset is just a story and, like any story, it can be rewritten, because weight loss isn't about being perfect. It's about being willing to keep going even when it's hard. You're not stuck because of your body. You're stuck because of what you believe about yourself. And if you don't believe change is possible, you'll never take the actions to make that change real.
Max Lowery:The most powerful thing you can do is start saying I can learn, I can improve, I can figure this out. That's the difference between staying stuck and finally making progress that lasts Really quick one for me. Guys, I don't run ads on this podcast and I do aim to give you as many high value tips and tricks as I can for free. All I ask in return is that you help me spread the word that way I can help as many high value tips and tricks as I can for free. All I ask in return is that you help me spread the word that way I can help as many people as I can to never diet again. The way to do that is to rate, review and share this podcast. A review will only take 30 seconds, but it would mean the world to me. But, more importantly, it could help change the life of someone else. It could help change the life of someone else.
Max Lowery:Number six you tell yourself this time I'm going to do it right. You make the perfect plan clean meals, no sugar, no snacks, four workouts a week, no excuses, and for a few days you stick to it. But then real life kicks in. You get tired, something unexpected happen, you eat something off plan and that voice shows up. You've blown. It might as well start over. So you quit and plan to try again when you can be perfect.
Max Lowery:This is the hidden trap of perfectionism. It sounds like high standards, but really it's fear in disguise. You create rules so rigid you're guaranteed to break them and when you do, you see it as failure. Perfect does not exist. It is impossible, and chasing it kills your progress, your confidence and your consistency. Perfectionism tells you that anything less than 100% isn't good enough. But guess what? 80% consistency will always be 100% perfection for three days, followed by a binge Over time. Perfectionism keeps you in the start-stop cycle. You never build momentum because you're constantly resetting. You don't need to be perfect, you just need to be consistent. The people who get the results you want. They mess up, but the difference is they don't quit when they do. Perfectionism might work quite well for you in other areas of your life, but when it comes to fitness and health and your mindset, it's a very different story.
Max Lowery:Number seven you step on the scale and the number hasn't moved, even though you've been eating better, walking more and doing all the right things. Instantly your mood crashes. You feel deflated, frustrated and even angry. But before you know it, you're questioning everything. What's the point? Why bother if it's not working? I'll never get there. So you stop, you eat the thing, you skip the walk, all because of the number on the scale.
Max Lowery:This is known as over-attachment to the outcome. It's when you focus so hard on the end goal, usually the scale, that you ignore everything else, and when that result doesn't show up fast enough, you lose motivation. You feel like it's not working. Even when it is, the number on the scale is a terrible measure of progress. It tells you nothing about your body composition, but it also doesn't tell you about any of the other shifts that are happening in your life. When you only care about that one outcome, you miss the process, and the process is what actually leads to long-term change.
Max Lowery:This mindset keeps you stuck in a fragile relationship with progress, because every small fluctuation feels like a failure and failure leads to quitting. But when you shift your focus, your daily wins, your habits and how you feel. As a consequence of prioritizing yourself, you take your power back. Progress isn't just what shows up on the scale, it's what shows up in your actions, especially when the results aren't instant. Overcoming this mindset will mean that you can lose the weight that you want, get to your goal weight, but you will keep going anyway because you have other motivation aside from the number on the scale Number eight.
Max Lowery:You tell yourself I'll just have one because I'll be strict tomorrow. I better eat it now because I won't get another chance. You're not even that hungry, but something kicks in. It's like a kind of panic. You start eating fast, you finish the bag, you grab something else after and even while it's happening, there's a voice in your head saying get it in now, before it's gone. This is known as the scarcity mindset. It's the belief that food is limited, that your willpower is limited, that your good days are limited. So you stock up, you binge, you panic eat because you don't trust yourself to make good choices tomorrow.
Max Lowery:A scarcity mindset is usually rooted in years of restriction. You spent so long being on a diet or off a diet that food doesn't feel neutral. It feels like a threat. So even when you're not dieting, your brain is still operating like you are, and that means that you swing from control to chaos. You eat like this is your last chance. But that belief is the thing that's keeping you stuck. It creates binging, it creates guilt and it creates fear. But when you stop labeling foods as good or bad, when you stop telling yourself that one meal will ruin everything, you stop reacting from panic and start eating from peace. There is always another meal. There's always another chance. You don't need to earn food, you just need to learn to trust yourself around it.
Max Lowery:Number nine you've tried everything. You've done the diets, the calorie counting, the fitness plan. Maybe you've even lost weight before, but it always comes back. And now, when someone suggests trying again, you shrug. What's the point? Nothing ever works. I'm just meant to be this way. You're tired. You feel worn down, defeated before you've even.
Max Lowery:This is something deeper and it's known as learned helplessness. It's what happens when you've failed so many times that your brain starts to believe there's no point in even trying. You've been knocked down so many times you stop getting back up. You lower your standards, you convince yourself that this is just who you are. And here's the scary part when you believe change is impossible, you unconsciously act in ways that prove it true. You stop giving full effort, you sabotage progress. You quit early, not because giving full effort. You sabotage progress. You quit early Not because you're weak, but because your past has trained you to expect failure. But here's what I want you to hear Just because it hasn't worked before doesn't mean that it can't work now. If you're listening to this podcast and you're still struggling, you've likely been using the wrong method to lose weight. But every failed attempt has taught you it is not your fault. It's like trying to pass your driving test by going to a motorbike instructor. The tools you've been learning don't match the outcome that you're trying to achieve, and that is long-term weight loss. You are not helpless. You are not a lost cause, but if you keep believing you are, you'll stay stuck, no matter how capable you really are.
Max Lowery:Number 10, you have one bad day. You skip a workout, you eat something off plan, you finish the ice cream and suddenly your brain goes into meltdown. I've ruined everything. This always happens. I'm never going to lose weight. What started as a small slip turns into a full blown crisis and the next thought screw it, I'll just start again next week.
Max Lowery:This is what catastrophizing looks like. It's when you take one small mistake and blow it up into a total disaster. You act like one moment defines your entire journey, but it doesn't. Catastrophizing makes you believe that damage is far worse than it really is. So, instead of course, correcting you spiral, you give up and that turns a tiny mistake into quitting and giving up. This mindset is dangerous because it disconnects you from reality. You stop seeing progress as a series of ups and downs and start expecting perfection. You can't ruin your progress with one bad day. What ruins it is quitting because of that one bad day. Progress isn't lost in a moment. It's lost in your reaction to that moment, and this is a very important distinction. When you stop catastrophizing, you'll actually give yourself permission to keep going, no matter what. Number 11, you tell yourself. It's just one treat. I've had a hard day, I deserve this. One won't hurt. This is good enough.
Max Lowery:This is known as permissive thinking. It's a little voice that justifies every decision in the moment without thinking about the long-term impact. It sounds reasonable, harmless, kind even, but it's sneaky because it gives you the short-term comfort in exchange for long-term frustration. And the more often you give into it, the more you reinforce the habit of not following through. Over time, this mindset chips away at your confidence. You start thinking you have no willpower. You stop trusting yourself to be consistent. But this isn't about willpower. It's about recognizing the difference between a kind voice and a sabotaging voice. This isn't about restriction and deprivation. You can eat the foods you enjoy, but if you are regularly giving into that voice that tells you you deserve this and you need this and this is good enough, guess what? You are never going to get the results that you want. Because, remember, discipline isn't about punishment. It's about self-respect and self-love. And when you learn to pause and choose what serves you now and later, that's when things shift.
Max Lowery:And finally, number 12, you scroll through Instagram. Someone your age just ran half a marathon. Someone else has dropped two stone and looks amazing in a bikini. Meanwhile you're sitting there in leggings, feeling bloated, tired and wondering why it's so much harder for you, and suddenly all your progress feels meaningless. This is known as social comparison. It's when you measure your journey against someone else's highlight reel, you forget their context, you ignore your own and you convince yourself that you're behind, that you're not doing enough and that you're failing. Comparison is one of the fastest ways to kill motivation, because no matter how far you've come, there's always someone who looks like they're doing better. So you stop seeing your own wins, you start recognizing your effort and eventually you stop trying when, in reality, you don't know their story. You don't know if they're happy, healthy or even being honest, and even if they are, it doesn't matter, because this isn't their journey, it's yours.
Max Lowery:Progress isn't about being better than someone else. It's about being better than who you were yesterday. When you focus on your own lane, everything gets easier more clarity, more momentum and more peace. So if you saw yourself in any of these mindset traps, good, because awareness is the first step, but awareness alone isn't enough. You need to shift the beliefs, the behaviors and the habits that are keeping you stuck, and that's exactly what we can help you do. If you're ready to stop starting over, if you're done with emotional eating, self-sabotage and diet rules, then I suggest to book in for a food freedom breakthrough call by clicking that link below. On that call, we'll help you uncover exactly what's holding you back and show you the step-by-step process we use to help women over 40 finally feel in control about food and their weight. So just click that link below, because this is where the change really starts.
Max Lowery:If you keep doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, you're setting yourself up to stay stuck, and you know exactly what I'm talking about the endless cycle of starting diets, feeling motivated, then falling back into old habits, the promises you make to yourself that never stick. You've tried cutting carbs, counting calories, skipping meals and maybe even brutal workouts, and yet here you are feeling frustrated and stuck watching another video about weight loss. I see you. You're not lazy or weak. You don't lack willpower or motivation. You're just doing what you've been taught to do and it's not working. So if you want different results, you have to do something different. It's time to stop blaming yourself and start changing the system, the mindset, the habits and the environment that's holding you back. Accepting you can't do this by yourself could be one of the most empowering and liberating things that you ever do.
Max Lowery:99% of you watching this video won't book a call, and that's absolutely fine, because real change isn't for everyone. You have to be ready for it. But for the 1% who are ready to take action. Click that link below and I look forward to meeting you. For everyone else, make sure you check out this video. In it I break down exactly how to maintain dieting after weight loss. I'll teach you the exact same system I use with my coaching clients so they never diet again. Click here to watch the video. I'll see you there.