254 - How to Trust Yourself Around Food Again in Perimenopause

If you feel like a smart, capable woman who can handle everything in your life except food, this episode is for you. We’re talking about what it actually looks like to trust yourself around food again in perimenopause – without another strict diet, macro plan, or “never eat sugar again” rule.

In this conversation, I walk you through the hidden reasons you keep ending up in the Sunday night “last supper,” the Monday morning “I’ll be good,” and the 9 pm pantry raid… even though you swore you wouldn’t do it again. You’ll hear why this has nothing to do with you being weak or broken, and everything to do with biology, hormones, stress, and the skills you were never taught.

We’ll look at the specific skills that women who seem “normal” around food actually have – things like not making overeating a moral failure, knowing when they’re truly hungry vs. stressed, and being able to have dessert without it turning into a days-long spiral. 

And if you’ve ever asked yourself, “Why did I eat that when I didn’t even really want it?”, I’ll show you a practical next step to start answering that question with curiosity instead of shame so you can begin building real food freedom in perimenopause.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• Why your perimenopause body reacts so strongly to dieting and restriction (and why it’s not a willpower problem)
• The specific skills women with “normal” eating have that help them stop at enough, even around trigger foods
• How one midlife woman went from secret bingeing on donuts to feeling genuinely calm around dessert – and what you can borrow from her journey

The Listener Takeaway: Why This Episode Matters

If nothing changes, it’s very likely that 10 years from now you’ll still be doing the same food dance—last suppers, Monday restarts, late-night overeating, and constant guilt—just in an older body that’s even more tired of the fight. Understanding that your perimenopause overeating is a skills gap, not a character flaw, opens the door to a completely different future where food is just food again. You don’t have to wake up every day wondering if this is the day you finally “have enough discipline.”

The real relief comes from knowing there is a clear, compassionate way forward: learning to notice your patterns without shame, rebuilding trust with yourself one small decision at a time, and giving

Free Quiz: Still saying "I know what to do, I just don't do it"?  You don't need more information. You need to know why you're not applying the information you already have. This free quiz identifies the exact reason your healthy habits keep breaking down, and it's not willpower. 15 questions. 3 minutes or less. 4 possible patterns. 1 honest answer. 

Go to https://elizabethsherman.com/quiz

If you’re a woman in midlife who wants better health without obsessing over weight, you’re in the right place. I’m Elizabeth Sherman, a life and health coach and host of the Total Health in Midlife Podcast.

After coaching hundreds of women, I know the real problem usually isn’t “not enough information” – it’s too much of it, and not knowing where to start. With close to 300 episodes, this show can feel that way too.

To make it easy, I created a free Listener’s Roadmap that helps you figure out which episodes are right for you right now. Tell me what you’re struggling with – low energy, emotional eating, stress, sleep, exercise, or all of the above – and I’ll point you to a curated path of episodes and resources to get you moving.

Download your free roadmap at https://elizabethsherman.com/roadmap.