Menopause, Mindfulness & the Bigger WHY

Rebecca Snow, MS, CNS, LDN, RH
1 hour ago
3 min read

A decorative image that has the term "slow down" written in the sand at a beach with waves.

One of the hardest parts about menopause is that the things that used to work… suddenly don’t.

You may be eating the same way you always have, yet the weight creeps up. You may feel more tired, more stressed, and more disconnected from your body than ever before.

And naturally, many women respond by trying to control food more. More rules. More restriction. More guilt. But what if the answer isn’t controlling food more? What if the answer is changing your relationship with food?

That’s where mindfulness comes in. And the beautiful thing about mindfulness is this:

It’s free.

Mindfulness is not about changing what you eat. It’s about changing how you eat, how you approach food, how you care for yourself.

Let’s Talk About the Bigger WHY

At our practice, we spend a lot of time helping clients identify their bigger WHY.

Because usually the goal isn’t really: “I want to lose 20 pounds.”

The deeper reason is often:

“I want to feel sexy again.”
“I want to walk upstairs without getting winded.”
“I want to feel confident in my clothes.”
“I want more energy.”
“I want to live a long time.”

That bigger WHY matters.

Weight is not something you can directly control. What you can control is your actions, thoughts, and words. So let’s aim for the big WHY and let weight loss be a side effect not the focus. When your motivation is connected to living fully instead of simply shrinking yourself, healthy habits become more sustainable. They become acts of self-care instead of punishment.

Menopause Mindfulness - Mindful Eating Isn’t Another Diet

Mindful eating has nothing to do with perfection. It’s learning to slow down and pay attention.

Are you hungry?
Are you stressed?
Are you eating because you’re tired?
Did you even taste your food?

So many women have spent years eating while carpooling, getting the kids ready, scrolling on their phones, or feeling guilty about every bite.

Mindfulness helps bring awareness back to the experience of eating.

What the Research Shows

A study published in The British Journal of Nutrition looked at women with obesity participating in mindful eating programs ( Pepe et al, 2022)...138 women were randomly assigned between three interventions...

Intervention #1: being a mindful eating program (ME) combined with a moderate energy restriction program (MER)
Intervention #2: focused on moderate energy restriction programs
Intervention #3: focused just on mindful eating

The eligibility requirements for the participants consisted of...

a BMI between 30.0-39.9 kg/m2
between the ages of 18-50 years of age

All programs experienced significant weight loss, there were no weight loss differences found between the three groups. However, the women practicing mindful eating experienced meaningful improvements in emotional eating behaviors along with reductions in stress, anxiety, and depression scores.

In fact research shows that mindfulness based practices, (MBSR) are not more effective than diet/lifestyle changes, but MBSR had psychological co-benefits, impacting depression, reduction in impulsive food choices, reducting in anxiety, body awareness, energy intake and sweet intake

Mindfulness helps us get to the bigger WHY.

This is important because menopause is not just physical. It affects our sleep, mood, stress levels, energy, confidence, and relationship with ourselves. When women feel less stressed, less reactive around food, and more connected to their bodies, healthier choices often follow naturally.

Small Changes Matter

Mindfulness doesn’t have to be complicated. It can look like:

taking a deep breath before eating
sitting down for meals
lighting a candle
slowing down and tasting the food you are eating
being curious
checking in with your hunger cues

These small moments create awareness. And awareness creates change.

The Goal Is Bigger Than Weight Loss

At the end of the day, most women don’t simply want a smaller body. they want to feel good again.

They want energy. Confidence. Strength. Freedom. Longevity. That’s the bigger WHY.

And during menopause, reconnecting to that deeper purpose may be far more powerful than another restrictive diet ever could.

References:

Pepe RB, Coelho GSMA, Miguel FDS, Gualassi AC, Sarvas MM, Cercato C, Mancini MC, de Melo ME. Mindful eating for weight loss in women with obesity: a randomised controlled trial. Br J Nutr. 2023 Sep 14;130(5):911-920. doi: 10.1017/S0007114522003932. Epub 2022 Dec 19. PMID: 36529854.

Rogers JM, Ferrari M, Mosely K, Lang CP, Brennan L. Mindfulness-based interventions for adults who are overweight or obese: a meta-analysis of physical and psychological health outcomes. Obes Rev. 2017 Jan;18(1):51-67. doi: 10.1111/obr.12461. Epub 2016 Nov 11. PMID: 27862826.