In this episode of Love Life and Lose Weight, learn how to enjoy holiday meals without stress or guilt. You'll discover strategies to release restrictive thinking and fully embrace your favorite holiday foods while staying aligned with your wellness goals.

Key Topics Covered

• Food Guilt Origins: Understand how cultural messages label foods as "good" or "bad," leading to overeating and feeling out of control. Learn to replace this with a more empowering mindset that keeps you in control.
• Mindful, Integrative Eating: Shift from rigid rules to listening to your body’s hunger and fullness cues. Tips include slowing down, savoring each bite, and noticing your satisfaction to enjoy holiday meals fully.
• Freedom in Food Choices: Plan your eating so you can confidently enjoy favorite holiday treats without feeling you need to "make up for it" later.

Homework for This Episode

1. Practice Mindful Eating: Notice hunger before your next holiday meal, check fullness throughout, and replace any negative thoughts with positive ones.
2. Plan with Hunger Cues: Make a plan to follow your hunger and satiety signals, enjoying foods that may have previously felt "off-limits."

Stay Updated for 2025 Planning
Join Heather for a special 2025 planning call—sign up on her email list for all the details!

Support the show

Visit me @thriveinmidlife on Instagram and comment SUBSCRIBE to get your FREE gift and join the VIP list. Or, comment with your ah-ha's, takeaways, homework, and/or questions from this episode, and let’s keep the conversation going.

Want to work with me? CLICK HERE to find out how.

Audio engineering by Young Cub Audio.

In this episode, Advanced Certified Weight and Life Coach Heather Beardsley helps you set up for a holiday season that feels calm, controlled, and aligned with your goals. Perfect for anyone who wants to avoid the holiday overwhelm and end the year on a high note, this episode provides tools to help you stay intentional and meet your December weight goals without stress. Grab a pen, paper, or open a digital note for this one!

Why You Should Listen:

• Craft a Holiday that Fits You: Heather guides you to identify what you value most in December, so your month is filled with meaningful moments rather than overcommitment.
• Achieve Your December Weight Goals: Whether you aim to maintain, lose, or simply stay mindful, Heather’s method shows you how to set realistic weekly overeats and create a simple holiday eating protocol.
• Stay One Step Ahead of Overwhelm: Plan your events, eating, and self-care on your calendar, so you’re prepared and empowered, even during busy weeks.
• Reduce Burnout by Focusing on What Matters: Heather’s tips for prioritizing traditions using the Eisenhower matrix help you spend energy only on what truly brings you joy.

Homework:
Take some time to reflect and journal on what’s most meaningful to you this December, noting your top three priorities. Next, set a weight goal for the month and use Heather’s table method to create your holiday eating protocol, ensuring it aligns with both your commitments and your goals.

Stay Updated for 2025 Planning:
Join Heather for an upcoming special planning call for 2025. Join my email list for updates. 

Join the Conversation:
Connect with Heather on Instagram to share your goals and planning progress for December. She’d love to hear how you’re making December a month of meaningful choices and mindful enjoyment.

Don’t forget to share this episode with friends or family who could use a more peaceful, intentional holiday season.

Support the show

Visit me @thriveinmidlife on Instagram and comment SUBSCRIBE to get your FREE gift and join the VIP list. Or, comment with your ah-ha's, takeaways, homework, and/or questions from this episode, and let’s keep the conversation going.

Want to work with me? CLICK HERE to find out how.

Audio engineering by Young Cub Audio.

In Episode 65, I’m talking about embracing change—a fitting theme as we head into the end of the year and think about a new year of possibilities. Here’s what's covered:

• Why We Resist Change: Our brains are wired for safety and routine, so when faced with change, the amygdala (our fear center) often triggers anxiety. This is a natural response, and understanding it can help us navigate transitions without judgment.
• Reframing Change as Growth: Resisting change is normal, but growth often comes from discomfort. Looking back, we usually see that the challenging moments brought us the most progress. I reference Carol Dweck’s "Growth Mindset" to illustrate how embracing uncertainty can foster resilience.
• Strategies for Managing Change: To support a growth mindset, I suggest:
  • Becoming aware of your thoughts around change
  • Practicing self-forgiveness and forgiveness of others
  • Using mindfulness to stay present
  • Setting intentional goals and using smart time management to focus on what you can control
• Homework:
  • Identify and reframe any negative thoughts around change.
  • Set personal intentions for the future and make actionable plans.
  • Try a self-forgiveness exercise to let go of lingering guilt.

Support the show

Visit me @thriveinmidlife on Instagram and comment SUBSCRIBE to get your FREE gift and join the VIP list. Or, comment with your ah-ha's, takeaways, homework, and/or questions from this episode, and let’s keep the conversation going.

Want to work with me? CLICK HERE to find out how.

Audio engineering by Young Cub Audio.

In this episode, I introduce three powerful tools to help you overcome overwhelm, overplanning, and overdoing. These tools are designed to make it easier for you to prioritize what truly matters to you including weight loss. There more you can do that, the better chance you have to reach ALL your goals.

In this episode you'll learn:

•How overwhelm affects your weight loss journey and why addressing it is critical
•How to use the Eisenhower Matrix to prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance
•Strategies to shift your mindset around time scarcity and regain control over your schedule and tasks
•Practical tips for time blocking and restraining your to-do list to 3 items daily.

Coach Homework:
1. Download the Eisenhower Matrix worksheet by visiting my instagram account @ThriveInMidlife and comment MATRIX on any of my posts, and I'll DM you the link to download. 
2. Practice leveling up your thinking about time and agency to experiment with decreasing overwhelm. Find 10 power thoughts about your time and practice thinking them every day for at least two weeks. 
3. Classify your current to-do list tasks into each of the four quadrants using the Eisenhower Matrix: urgent/important, important/not urgent, urgent/not important, and neither urgent nor important. 
3. Schedule out the days and times of your Quadrant 1 and 2 tasks into your digital calendar. Practice following through and give yourself the gift of completion. 
4. Time block recurring tasks into your calendar so you can take those tasks off your to-do list forever. 
5. Use this system for 4-6 weeks to organize your tasks, prioritize what’s essential, and delegate or delete tasks that don’t move you toward your goals. 

Support the show

Visit me @thriveinmidlife on Instagram and comment SUBSCRIBE to get your FREE gift and join the VIP list. Or, comment with your ah-ha's, takeaways, homework, and/or questions from this episode, and let’s keep the conversation going.

Want to work with me? CLICK HERE to find out how.

Audio engineering by Young Cub Audio.

In this episode, Advanced Certified Weight and Life Coach, Heather Beardsley revisits the concept of anti-fragile weight loss and delves into the "fuck-it/distracted cycle"—a common pattern where life's disruptions cause you to lose focus on the new habits. This episode focuses on how to shrink that cycle and regain your sense of agency when life gets messy.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• What the "fuck it distracted cycle" is and why it happens
• Why these cycles are completely normal and how to recognize when you're in one
• How to avoid using these cycles as evidence of failure and instead see them as growth opportunities
• Simple strategies to regain control, even during chaotic times, like jotting down a quick food plan or drinking water
• How small intentional actions can help you refocus and stay committed to your weight loss goals
• The power of asking yourself, “How do I win the moment I’m in?” to shift your mindset in challenging times

Key Takeaways:

• Everyone experiences cycles of distraction and chaos—it's part of life.
• The key to success is minimizing the time spent in the "fuck it distracted cycle" and refocusing with small, doable actions.
• These cycles do not signal failure; they are a chance to practice resilience and self-compassion.
• Heather encourages listeners to let go of self-judgment and focus on what they can control in the present moment.

Homework:
Create a list of small, simple ways to make the next best decision when you're in the "fuck it distracted cycle." Start with things like making a quick food plan or hydrating. Focus on what you can do right now, rather than worrying about what went wrong before.

Join the Conversation:

Support the show

Visit me @thriveinmidlife on Instagram and comment SUBSCRIBE to get your FREE gift and join the VIP list. Or, comment with your ah-ha's, takeaways, homework, and/or questions from this episode, and let’s keep the conversation going.

Want to work with me? CLICK HERE to find out how.

Audio engineering by Young Cub Audio.

In episode 62, you'll explore the concept of "should" thinking—those thoughts that stem from societal expectations and external pressures—and how they impact not just your food choices but other areas of your life, like relationships and self-care. By recognizing and reframing these "should" thoughts, you'll be able to move away from outside ideas of how you 'should' live your life that can create chronic feelings of guilt and frustration toward a mindset that allows for more freedom and the self-fulfillment that comes from living a self-directed life.

The episode equips you with tools to become more aware of how "should" thinking affects your behavior and provides strategies to shift toward more empowering, self-directed thoughts. By the end of this episode, you'll gain clarity on how to let go of restrictive internal dialogue and replace it with affirming thoughts that support your values and internal preferences. You CAN feel confident about building a lifestyle that aligns with your values, free from external pressures and expectations, ugrade your internal world, and live a more meaningful life.

The episode includes homework to help you put these concepts into action. This week, you'll track your "should" thoughts by keeping a journal for a week, reflecting on where these thoughts come from, and identifying whether they are driven by external or internal sources. Next, you'll change up the 'shoulds' by practicing reframing these thoughts into empowering statements, such as "I choose to" or "I'm curious about," you'll start to build more self-directed intuitive habits of thinking and doing. 

Support the show

Visit me @thriveinmidlife on Instagram and comment SUBSCRIBE to get your FREE gift and join the VIP list. Or, comment with your ah-ha's, takeaways, homework, and/or questions from this episode, and let’s keep the conversation going.

Want to work with me? CLICK HERE to find out how.

Audio engineering by Young Cub Audio.

A common recurring theme I see with my clients is a struggle to break free from diet mentality. Restrictive diet mentality is the belief that there are "right" and "wrong" foods you 'should' eat in order to lose weight or maintain your weight. 

When use restrictive diet mentality to lose/maintain weight, what happens is you prioritize choosing those virtuous foods above your own internal tastes and preferences. When we ask ourselves to consistently eat virtuous foods over what we prefer to eat, we experience scarcity thinking. There is manager you telling you all of the things you should be eating and then there is the part of you wants what she wants. This pits inner and outer selves against each other; and what we see is the dynamic of 'being good' for a while, which is always followed by 'being bad, overeating, feeling out of control, and self judging. We can participate in restrictive deit mentality for decades, even though we all know this approach is flawed, as evidenced by people we know who eat "unvirtuous" foods yet maintain a healthy weight.

How do I know when my clients are grappling with diet mentality? One sign is that they make a food plan, but then don't end up following it consistently. Another sign is a resistance/fear of putting the bad/unvirtuous foods on their plan; even though they might be eating those foods daily without permission. A third sign is using shaming/judging self talk to increase compliance with virtuous choices. This disconnect between planned and actual eating is a key indicator you might be  stuck in restrictive diet mentality.

Your coach homework for this week is to take a look at your food planning from the previous seven days and identify any foods they overate. Plan for those foods intentionally this week, by practicing enjoying them with permission and following your hunger and fullness cues. The goal is to create emotional satisfaction in the experience of eating those foods with permission and safety; which tells the brain the way to lose weight sustainably, for life, is to tune into your own choices internal cues for answering the questions of what, when, and how much to eat.

Support the show

Visit me @thriveinmidlife on Instagram and comment SUBSCRIBE to get your FREE gift and join the VIP list. Or, comment with your ah-ha's, takeaways, homework, and/or questions from this episode, and let’s keep the conversation going.

Want to work with me? CLICK HERE to find out how.

Audio engineering by Young Cub Audio.

Success in changing habits around food relies on having tools ready to respond when you have an urge to eat outside of being hungry or already having eaten enough food. In today's episode, I give you fifteen good responses to practice and have at the ready when you find yourself having an urge to overeat. 

Using these will help you redirect how you think in those moments to help you respond differently AND help it feel easier to choose to not overeat. 

Here is the list of fifteen good responses for when you have an urge to overeat. 

1. This will taste even better when I'm hungry again.
2. It tastes so good AND overeating won't allow me to enjoy this any more than I already have. 
3. If I stop at enough, I'll be able to have it again the next time I'm hungry, which will be sooner than if I overeat now...PLUS I'll be proud of myself. 
4. I’ve already decided on this issue. 
5. If I say yes to eating more right now what am I saying no to? 
6. This is my chance to practice a new habit. 
7. I want it, but I also want to (lose weight this week). 
8. I will meet the discomfort of stopping now, or I will meet the discomfort of my overeat when I fill out a discovery sheet tomorrow. Either way, it’s uncomfortable. 
9. Of course, it tastes good. If I put it away now I get to enjoy it again tomorrow.
10. Yes, it tastes good, but so does going to bed knowing I've had my own back today. 
11. Food can’t make me feel better, only my thoughts can do that. 
12. What do I really need right now to feel better? Am I tired, stressed, overworked, or need to give myself a break? 
13. Can I acknowledge my needs beyond what food can give me right now? 
14. The price of learning how to change habits is my willingness to be uncomfortable for a while. 
15. I won’t always feel this way about stopping the more I practice this skill. 

Your Coach homework this week is to PRACTICE and REHEARSE thinking these so they are fresh in your mind when the urge to overeat happens. Then, practice using them, and see how your typical responses to urges to overeat might change. 

For a downloadable PDF copy of these responses, comment 'LIST' this episode 60 instagram post and I'll DM you the link. 

Support the show

Visit me @thriveinmidlife on Instagram and comment SUBSCRIBE to get your FREE gift and join the VIP list. Or, comment with your ah-ha's, takeaways, homework, and/or questions from this episode, and let’s keep the conversation going.

Want to work with me? CLICK HERE to find out how.

Audio engineering by Young Cub Audio.

In this episode I introduce a strategy that you can use to help you be more intentional AND feel better during times whenvoyu notice you tend to overeat. 

Emotional time blocking is deciding how you WANT to feel ahead of time instead of reacting to or resisting to how you feel when you are in automatic mode. 

Time blocking your day can encompass more than just identifying when you focus on what tasks you want to accomplish that day. Time blocking can also take into comsideration how you want to feel intentionally during each segment or section of your day. When you both plan for how you spend your time AND how you want to feel during that time, you are practicing emotional time blocking. 

Emotional time blocking can be used to be more intentional any time you notice you tend to overeat. Successful emotional time blocking will depend on your ability to identify the core need underlying the problematic desire or want, and I give you examples of how to do that inside the episode. 

Your coach homework this week is to try emotional time blocking, not just for overeating patterns, but also as a way to level up your overall experience in any challenging times where you'd like to feel better and get different results. Doing so will allow you to feel more in control and with a plan for how you want to show up and feel in the process rather than feeling like you are always reacting to emotions you typically eat over like feeling tired, overwhelmed, or stressed. 

Support the show

Visit me @thriveinmidlife on Instagram and comment SUBSCRIBE to get your FREE gift and join the VIP list. Or, comment with your ah-ha's, takeaways, homework, and/or questions from this episode, and let’s keep the conversation going.

Want to work with me? CLICK HERE to find out how.

Audio engineering by Young Cub Audio.

Today I answer three questions from the VIPs on my email list: 

1. Allison has recently lost 40 lbs over 15 months with the help of Wegovy.  Her question is what happens when the meds go away? How does a person deal with the brain chatter they've had for 30 plus years when the meds are gone? 

2. Kay Ann is very judgmental of her body shape. She needs to loose 30lbs, does strength training, and core. She says she has nice arms, not bad shaped legs, but her middle torments her. 

 3. Julie has lost 123 pounds and is thrilled to now be at 135 pounds. She has been taking Ozempic and is now stretching out the number of days between shots and prioritizing movement and weight-bearing exercise.  She is asking for any advice that I think would be beneficial for her at this part in her journey.

Thank you everyone for submitting your questions I hope my feedback was helpful. To get your question answered; join the VIP email list by visiting https://hbeardsley.com/subscibe. 

Support the show

Visit me @thriveinmidlife on Instagram and comment SUBSCRIBE to get your FREE gift and join the VIP list. Or, comment with your ah-ha's, takeaways, homework, and/or questions from this episode, and let’s keep the conversation going.

Want to work with me? CLICK HERE to find out how.

Audio engineering by Young Cub Audio.