Thinner Peace in Menopause

Have you spent years thinking about food, your weight, and what you should or shouldn't be eating?

Maybe you've tried diet after diet, but the constant food thoughts and emotional eating never really went away.

That's where my client Debra found herself. She had been thinking about food, weight, and her body since she was 12. After decades of dieting and food obsession, she was simply sick of it.

In this episode, Debra shares how she began to change her relationship with food and lose weight in menopause by looking beyond what she was eating and understanding the thoughts and emotions driving her eating.

We changed how she used food journals. Instead of tracking whether she was "winning or losing," we used them to understand emotional hunger, emotional eating, and the patterns behind her food choices. Debra learned to recognize emotional hunger, feel difficult emotions instead of eating or drinking them away, and question thoughts she had carried for decades.

And perhaps the biggest transformation came down to one simple sentence:

"I'm calm around food."

She no longer obsesses about food, has more space in her brain, and feels calmer in other areas of her life too.

If you're a woman in menopause who wants to lose weight without being controlled by food thoughts and emotional eating, I think you'll really connect with Debra's story.

Enjoy the show!

Free Guide: Download the Jumpstart Your Weight Loss in Menopause Guide at drdebbutler.com/podcast-companion-guide

Mini Session: Ready to master your mind? Book a free mini session at drdebbutler.com/workwithme

What You'll Learn From This Episode

-Why years of dieting can lead to constant food thoughts and food obsession -How Debra used food journaling to recognize emotional hunger and emotional eating -The difference between tracking what you eat and understanding why you eat -Why learning to feel difficult emotions can change your relationship with food -How thoughts from the past can continue to influence your emotions and eating habits -Why you don't have to eliminate negative emotions to feel better around food -How Debra went from feeling desperate about food to feeling calm around food -Why addressing the emotional side of weight loss became an important part of Debra's journey -How finding calm around food gave Debra more mental space for the rest of her life

Do you ever wake up and immediately feel like you're already behind?

For years, I rushed into my days without giving my brain any time to catch up. I learned that getting your body ready for the day isn't enough. Your brain needs preparation, too.

In this episode, I share the simple morning routine I've been practicing for years: Morning Pages. It's a practice inspired by Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way that gives you time to sit quietly, let your thoughts come out, and clear some of the mental clutter before you begin your day.

You don't have to start with an hour or even three full pages. I encourage you to start with what feels ridiculously easy, even if that's just 10 minutes. When something feels easy to your brain, you're much more likely to actually do it.

I also share a beautiful piece from my friend Janet Archer about the rush we create in our own lives and the practice of remembering, "there is no better there than here."

Because sometimes we're so busy trying to get somewhere else that we miss where we actually are.

If you're feeling rushed, overwhelmed, or disconnected from yourself, I hope this episode gives you permission to slow down and begin your day differently.

Enjoy the show!

Free Guide: Download the Jumpstart Your Weight Loss in Menopause Guide at drdebbutler.com/podcast-companion-guide

What You'll Learn From This Episode

• Why your brain may need preparation before you begin your day

• How Morning Pages can help clear mental clutter

• Why starting with a ridiculously easy habit makes it easier to follow through

• How slowing down can change the way you experience your day

• Why rushing can keep you from being fully present

• How inspirational reading can support a calmer, more intentional morning

• Why "there is no better there than here" can help you practice being present

• How slowing down can be an act of kindness toward yourself

What if losing weight isn't the only thing you need to change before you can finally feel better about your life?

Kristine came to me wanting to lose weight. She had spent years thinking about food, worrying about her weight, and wondering why she couldn't seem to make the changes she knew she should be able to make.

She had lost 20 pounds before, only to regain it. She was tired of the constant churning in her brain about food, calories, carbs, her appearance, and what life would be like if she were thinner.

But something unexpected happened when we started working together.

Kristine began to feel relief before she had lost the weight.

She started recognizing when she was actually hungry instead of eating because of external cues or assumptions about what she should be doing. She learned to let herself get hungry, pay attention to fullness, and question the stories she had created about what other people expected from her.

And as that mental noise quieted down, she became more present in her own life.

In this episode, Kristine shares what changed for her, why she realized she didn't need to keep waiting until she lost weight to feel better, and how changing the way she thought about food, hunger, and herself gave her a completely different perspective on weight loss.

If you've been working hard to lose weight but feel exhausted by how much mental space food and your body take up, I think you'll recognize yourself in Kristine's story.

Enjoy the show!

Free Guide: Download the Jumpstart Your Weight Loss in Menopause Guide at drdebbutler.com/podcast-companion-guide

Mini Session: Ready to master your mind? Book a free mini session at drdebbutler.com/workwithme

What You'll Learn From This Episode -Why Kristine believed losing weight would finally make her life better. -How years of thinking about food and weight created constant mental churn. -Why she experienced relief and greater freedom before losing the weight. -How learning to recognize physical hunger changed the way she approached eating. -Why eating when she wasn't hungry was connected to external cues and stories she had created in her own mind. -How she learned to question what she thought other people expected from her. -Why allowing herself to get hungry felt like a completely new experience. -How becoming more present changed the way she experienced her life. -Why changing your perspective can be an important part of your weight loss journey in menopause.

If you've ever eaten when you weren't hungry and then immediately been hard on yourself about it, this bonus recording is for you.

In this recording, I coach women through what happens when an urge to eat shows up, how to recognize the difference between physical hunger and an emotional urge, and why simply becoming aware of what is happening in your brain can be such an important first step.

We talk about the thoughts that can create urges, why being tired or stressed can make it harder to recognize emotional hunger, and how you can begin managing those thoughts instead of automatically acting on them.

But one of the biggest things I want you to take away from this conversation is this: you have to be nicer to yourself.

Being hard on yourself doesn't make change easier. Learning to treat yourself like your own best friend can change how you feel, how you respond to urges, and ultimately how you relate to food.

I also teach the three-minute process for calming a craving: feel the urge, notice and measure it, and then manage the thought creating it.

This is a coaching-focused bonus recording, so you'll hear real questions and examples from women working through these patterns in real time.

Enjoy the show!

What You'll Learn From This Episode

● Why an urge to eat is different from physical hunger

● How thoughts create feelings and urges

● Why tiredness and stress can be confused with physical hunger

● Why rewarding an urge can make it stronger

● How to notice an urge before automatically acting on it

● Why being hard on yourself can make eating harder

● How changing an unmanaged thought can change an urge

● How to begin treating yourself like your own best friend

● The three steps for calming a craving in three minutes

● Why lasting change is about more than losing weight

Let's work together to help you make peace with food… finally! Click here for more info on the ThiNNER Peace Laser Coaching https://drdebbutler.com/start

If you're struggling to lose weight in menopause, you may have asked yourself this question more times than you can count.

You know you're not physically hungry. You know you'll probably regret eating it. And yet, the urge is still there.

What if that urge isn't a failure of willpower?

On Day 1 of my live master class, I want to help you understand what may actually be happening when you feel driven to eat.

We'll look at the difference between physical hunger and emotional hunger, how thoughts can create urges to eat, and why food noise can feel so powerful even when your body doesn't need food.

I'll also introduce the hunger and fullness scale and show you why I encourage women to learn what it feels like to eat between the "twos" instead of waiting until they are extremely hungry or extremely full.

And there's one question I want you to start asking yourself: Why do you eat when you are not hungry?

That question changed my life 20 years ago, and it can change the way you think about your relationship with food, too.

This isn't about judging yourself for overeating. It's about becoming curious about what is happening in your brain and learning that an urge doesn't have to control what you do next.

The food doesn't cause the urge. The thought you're thinking creates the urge. And once you begin noticing those thoughts, you can begin to respond to them differently.

This is Day 1 of the Master Class, in Day 2, I will take this one step further and teach you a simple technique for calming a craving in three minutes.

So if you've ever felt like you should be able to control yourself around food but just can't, don't stop with Day 1, join me for Day 2.

Enjoy the show!

Join the FREE Train Your Brain With or Without a GLP-1 Master Class drdebbutler.com/train-your-brain-glp1

What You'll Learn From This Episode

• Why you may want to eat even when you're not physically hungry • The difference between physical hunger and emotional hunger • How your thoughts can create urges to eat • Why food noise can feel so powerful • How to recognize your hunger and fullness signals • What the "twos" mean on the hunger and fullness scale • How mindfulness can help you notice your thoughts without judgment • Why learning to understand your brain can change your relationship with food

Let's work together to help you make peace with food… finally! Click here for more info on the ThiNNER Peace Laser Coaching https://drdebbutler.com/start

If you've been struggling with food urges and wondering whether a GLP-1 is the answer, this episode is for you.

The more I learn about GLP-1s, the more I see how closely some of what they address connects with the ThINNER Peace process I created almost 20 years ago. The difference is in how we get to the brain.

I share the story of a client who put a polished stone into a jar every time she experienced an urge to eat when she wasn't hungry and managed that urge without eating. As the jar filled, she had visible proof that she was learning something she once believed she couldn't do.

That is the kind of brain training I want to teach you.

I'm also inviting you to my free masterclass, Train Your Brain With or Without a GLP-1, where I'll help you understand what may be driving food noise and introduce you to a new technique for calming a craving.

Whether you're considering a GLP-1, have decided you don't want one, or are already taking one and want to understand more about what is happening with your urges, I want you to know there is a way forward.

Enjoy the show!

What You'll Learn From This Episode

● Why managing the urge itself matters more than simply focusing on weight loss

● How to teach yourself to manage your urges

● The difference between targeting the brain with medication and training your brain

● What the Food Noise Workbook is designed to help you understand

● What you'll learn in the new Calm a Craving in Three Minutes workbook

● Why there can be a way forward whether you choose to use a GLP-1 or not

Join the Free Train Your Brain with or Without a GLP-1 https://drdebbutler.com/train-your-brain-glp1

If you've ever told yourself that a birthday, holiday, vacation, or celebration is a reason to overeat, this special birthday episode is for you.

I love birthdays, and I love being intentional about what I want for the year ahead. This year, one of my intentions is to feel my own value, worth, and beauty without question.

That got me thinking about how we treat ourselves on the very days that are supposed to be about celebrating us.

I share a birthday story involving my grandchildren and a birthday cake, along with two client stories that made me look more closely at the reasons we make certain food choices. Sometimes we call overeating a gift. Sometimes we eat something because we don't want to disappoint someone else.

I want you to ask yourself a simple question: Do you actually like your reason for choosing this food?

You can choose a treat and enjoy it. But I don't want you to plan to overeat or use food to disconnect from your body. Especially when you're celebrating yourself, I want you to honor your body, your decisions, and your own worth.

Enjoy this special birthday episode!

Free Guide: Download the Jumpstart Your Weight Loss in Menopause Guide at drdebbutler.com/podcast-companion-guide

Mini Session: Ready to master your mind? Book a free mini session at drdebbutler.com/workwithme

What You'll Learn From This Episode

● Why celebrations can trigger overeating

● Why planning a joy eat is different from planning to overeat

● How people-pleasing can influence your food choices

● How to question the reasons behind your eating decisions

● Why honoring your body is part of honoring yourself

If you've spent years trying to lose weight, only to find yourself going up and down within the same range, this episode is for you.

I talk about a game many women have been playing with their weight for years without even realizing it. You have a number you don't want to go above, a number you want to reach, and a range in between where your brain decides it's okay to relax.

I share how I played this game myself for 30 years and why menopause can make it harder to keep playing. Instead of focusing on losing weight, I challenge you to accept where you are and start paying more attention to what's happening in your body.

Eat when you're hungry, stop when you're full, understand emotional hunger, pay attention and become more connected to your body.

What if the answer isn't trying harder to lose weight, but learning to understand what's keeping you stuck?

Enjoy the show!

Free Guide: Download the Jumpstart Your Weight Loss in Menopause Guide at drdebbutler.com/podcast-companion-guide

Mini Session: Ready to master your mind? Book a free mini session at drdebbutler.com/workwithme

Thinner Peace Quiz: Take the quiz at drdebbutler.com/quiz to identify your obstacles to eating when hungry and stopping when full

Peace with Food 30-Day Course - Available at www.drdebbutler.com/joy

Now, go listen to the podcast. Click here to listen to the 1st episode. It's the best place to start!

If you've been loving my podcast, please subscribe and review the show. The only way it will pop up to others is when people review it, so if you're loving it – pass on the good word!

What You'll Learn From This Episode

● Why you may be stuck in a weight range without realizing it

● How your brain can keep you focused on losing weight

● Why accepting where you are can change the way you approach weight loss

● How to become more connected to your body

● Why understanding hunger, fullness, and emotional hunger matters

● What can happen when you stop making weight loss the goal

Weight loss in menopause can feel frustrating when the things that worked before suddenly stop working. But what if the answer isn't simply changing what you eat?

I joined Linda Bjork on Linda's Corner to talk about what I believe is at the heart of menopause weight loss. Learning why you eat when you're not hungry.

We talked about physical hunger, emotional hunger, and my simple negative 10 to plus 10 hunger and fullness scale. I also shared my own experience with menopause, Weight Watchers, emotional eating, and realizing that having the right information wasn't enough.

We also talked about listening to your body when it whispers instead of waiting until it screams, learning to manage your mind, trusting yourself, and practicing self-compassion. Enjoy the show!

Linda's resources mentioned in the episode:

Hope for Healing Foundation

Healing Breathwork Detox Sessions

Use code URLOVED for the free Healing Breathwork Detox session.

Free Guide: Download the Jumpstart Your Weight Loss in Menopause Guide at drdebbutler.com/podcast-companion-guide

Mini Session: Ready to master your mind? Book a free mini session at drdebbutler.com/workwithme

Thinner Peace Quiz: Take the quiz at drdebbutler.com/quiz to identify your obstacles to eating when hungry and stopping when full

Peace with Food 30-Day Course - Available at www.drdebbutler.com/joy

Now, go listen to the podcast. Click here to listen to the 1st episode. It's the best place to start!

If you've been loving my podcast, please subscribe and review the show. The only way it will pop up to others is when people review it, so if you're loving it – pass on the good word!

What You'll Learn From This Episode

• Why menopause can be a powerful time to rethink your relationship with food.

• Why knowing your physical hunger and fullness can change the way you eat.

• How emotional hunger can feel like physical hunger.

• The goal is to understand why you eat, not simply what you eat.

• How learning to listen to your body when it is "whispering" can change how you care for yourself.

If you've been wondering whether GLP-1 medication is right for you, staying stuck in "maybe" may be causing more stress than either decision itself.

In this episode, I reflect on celebrating my 74th birthday and the freedom I've created around food after years of doing this work. I share why trusting yourself around food matters whether you decide to use GLP-1 medication or learn brain-based tools through the ThINNER Peace Process.

I also explain why so many women tell me they can finally eat what they want on GLP-1s, and why I believe your brain can learn many of those same skills. Most importantly, I challenge you to stop living in "maybe." A clear yes or a clear no both move you forward. Staying undecided keeps you stuck. Enjoy the show!

Free Guide: Download the Jumpstart Your Weight Loss in Menopause Guide at drdebbutler.com/podcast-companion-guide

Mini Session: Ready to master your mind? Book a free mini session at drdebbutler.com/workwithme

Thinner Peace Quiz: Take the quiz at drdebbutler.com/quiz to identify your obstacles to eating when hungry and stopping when full

Peace with Food 30-Day Course - Available at www.drdebbutler.com/joy

Now, go listen to the podcast. Click here to listen to the 1st episode. It's the best place to start!

If you've been loving my podcast, please subscribe and review the show. The only way it will pop up to others is when people review it, so if you're loving it – pass on the good word!

What You'll Learn From This Episode

• Why "maybe" keeps you stuck around GLP-1 decisions

• What women on GLP-1s consistently tell me

• Why learning to trust yourself around food matters with or without medication

• How the ThINNER Peace Process teaches your brain what medication helps support

• Why making a decision creates progress, even if it's not perfect