Podcast
Total Health in Midlife with Elizabeth Sherman
Hosted by Elizabeth Sherman · EN
Midlife doesn't have to mean slowing down, feeling out of control, or resigning yourself to being frumpy & invisible. On the Total Health in Midlife Podcast, seasoned health coach Elizabeth Sherman cuts through the noise of fad diets and contradictory wellness advice. In warm, relatable chats, you'll discover straightforward strategies for managing hormonal shifts, optimizing nutrition, and prioritizing emotional wellness—so you can experience genuine energy and comfort in your body.Whether you're juggling an empty nest, a changing career, or simply trying to keep up with everyday demands, each episode offers practical insights that fit into your real life. Tune in to hear expert interviews, personal stories, and encouraging tips designed to help you embrace this stage with confidence. It's time to unlock sustainable habits that support your physical health, nurture your mental well-being, and truly bring you peace of mind in your 40s, 50s, and beyond.Visit https://elizabethsherman.com/habits to download the 8 Basic Habits that Healthy People Do Guide & Checklist to start your journey focusing on the basics of good health for your body today!
36episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
271: Why You Quit Before You Actually Hit a Wall
2w ago00:26:46Tap to summarizeYou started the plan. You were doing well. And then one hard day, one moment of friction, one week where everything felt like too much, and it was over. Not because you failed. Because your brain did a calculation and handed you a verdict before you ever actually hit a wall.This episode started with a run. A slow, hard run on bad sleep, where Elizabeth's brain told her to stop long before her body had any reason to. What she noticed in that moment, and what she's been thinking about ever since, is the same pattern that takes down a good eating plan, derails a packed calendar day before it even starts, and keeps high-achieving women stuck in the start-over cycle.The problem isn't follow-through. It's that we've been asking the wrong question at the wrong time. We project forward into all the discomfort we might feel and respond to that future feeling as if it's happening right now. We call it knowing our limits. It isn't.And when we look back and criticize ourselves for quitting, we do it from a comfortable distance, without accounting for the actual conditions we were in. This episode is about what to do differently, in the moment, before the verdict comes in.WHAT YOU'LL LEARNWhy your brain keeps telling you to quit before you've actually reached your limit, and how to tell the difference between real exhaustion and projected exhaustionThe one question to ask yourself in the moments you want to give up, and why it changes what happens nextWhy all-or-nothing thinking is the most expensive pattern a high-achieving woman can have around her health, and what the third option actually looks likeThe Listener Takeaway: Why This Episode MattersIf you have ever woken up exhausted before a hard day started, abandoned a plan that was working because one moment of restriction felt like too much, or looked back at a goal you quit and thought "I could have kept going", this episode is going to feel like relief. Not because it tells you to try harder. Because it explains exactly what was happening in those moments and gives you a practical way to respond differently the next time.The conversation you have with yourself when you want to quit is the thing that determines whether you build momentum or start over. This episode gives you the words.RESOURCESTotal Health Systems Audit QuizHey! I love hearing from you. Send me a text. Let me know what resonated with you. 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.
Transcribe →270: Cortisol, Insulin, and Why the Scale Won't Move in Midlife
3w ago00:29:11Tap to summarizeYou've been eating reasonably well. You're moving your body. You're trying to get enough sleep. And the scale still won't move. If that sounds familiar, this episode is going to give you something most health advice never does: an actual biological explanation for why your body is responding the way it is right now, in this phase of your life.Elizabeth came across an article recently about cortisol and menopausal weight gain, and it stopped her mid-scroll. Not because it was telling her anything she didn't already know, but because it put into plain language something she sees in her clients constantly and realized she hasn't explained clearly enough on this podcast. This episode is her response to that article, and it's one of the most direct conversations she's had about the science behind her work.This is not another episode about eating less and moving more. It's an honest explanation of what is happening inside your body during perimenopause and menopause, why chronic stress and poor sleep have a direct biological impact on your weight, and why the advice you've been following was never designed for the body you have now.If you've ever felt like you're doing everything right and still going nowhere, this episode is going to make a lot of things make sense.The Listener Takeaway: Why This Episode MattersWhat this episode offers is something the diet and wellness industry rarely provides: a straightforward, non-shame-based explanation for why your body is doing what it's doing. The weight that won't move, the exhaustion, the feeling that you're trying and nothing is working, these are not signs that something is wrong with you. They are signs that your body has changed significantly, and the tools and advice you've been given were never updated to match it. Understanding that distinction is genuinely useful, and it changes everything about how you approach your health from here.WHAT YOU'LL LEARNWhy cortisol behaves differently in menopause and perimenopause, and what that means for your weight, your energy, and your ability to manage stress the way you used toThe real reason sleep deprivation and chronic stress aren't just lifestyle inconveniences: they are direct biological inputs that change how your body stores and burns fatRESOURCESHey! I love hearing from you. Send me a text. Let me know what resonated with you. 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.
Transcribe →269: The 5 Things Quietly Wrecking Your Health Habits in Midlife
4w ago00:29:37Tap to summarizeYou know what to do. You've known for a while. Eat better, move more, sleep enough, stress less. And yet here you are, starting over again on Monday, wondering why you can't just make it stick. If that sounds familiar, this episode is going to feel like a relief.In episode 269, I'm pulling back the curtain on something I see in almost every woman I work with in midlife: the start-over cycle isn't a willpower problem. It isn't a motivation problem. It's a conditions problem. And today I'm going to show you exactly what that means, and what you can actually do about it.I'll also share the stories of two real women, Tammi and Patty, who both came to me convinced they were the problem. Spoiler: they weren't. And chances are, neither are you.And I'm introducing something I've built that I am genuinely proud of: the Total Health Systems Audit. A diagnostic tool that shows you exactly where the friction in your specific life is living, and what to address first. If you've ever thought I know what to do, I just can't seem to make myself do it, this episode was made for you.The Biggest Problem Midlife Women Face Regarding Healthy HabitsMost midlife women who struggle with their health are not struggling because they lack information. They're struggling because the conditions they're operating in, changing hormones, depleted bandwidth, an unsupportive environment, and decades of diet culture messaging, were never designed to support them. In perimenopause and menopause, estrogen shifts disrupt sleep, amplify the stress response, slow recovery, and change how the body manages energy. The strategies that worked at 38 simply don't work the same way at 52. But most women don't know that, so they keep applying the same approaches and blaming themselves when those approaches fail.WHAT YOU'LL LEARNWhy the start-over cycle keeps repeating even when you know exactly what you're doing wrong, and why it has nothing to do with your characterThe five specific areas of your life that are most likely driving your health friction right now, and why most women have never had all five looked at togetherWhat a real diagnosis of your habits actually looks like, and how two women discovered that what they thought were personal failures were completely predictable responses to conditions working against themRESOURCESHey! I love hearing from you. Send me a text. Let me know what resonated with you. 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.
Transcribe →268: What If You're Not Lazy? What If You Just Don't Believe It Yet?
Apr 2800:21:20Tap to summarizeYou've read the books. You've listened to the podcasts. You know what you're supposed to eat, how much you're supposed to move, and roughly how much sleep a human being requires to function like one. So why isn't any of it sticking? This episode is not about giving you more information. It's about asking a question most health content never asks: what if the real problem isn't that you don't know what to do — it's that you don't actually believe it will work for you?Host Elizabeth Sherman opens with a story from her own past: standing in her dining room in workout clothes, surrounded by chocolate wrappers, a certified nutritionist and personal trainer who couldn't follow her own advice. What she eventually learned didn't come from a better plan or stronger willpower. It came from finally learning to listen to her own body — and that changed everything.In this episode, Elizabeth unpacks the difference between having information and having conviction. She explains why following external health rules for years can quietly sever the connection between what you know and what you feel — and why that disconnection, not laziness, is what's breaking your follow-through.If you've ever said "I know exactly what to do, I just can't make myself do it," this episode was built for you.WHAT YOU'LL LEARNWhy having all the right information still isn't enough to change your behavior — and the one thing that actually isHow years of following external health rules can quietly disconnect you from your own body's signals (and what it takes to rebuild that connection)The four specific things that break down when midlife women can't follow through — and why none of them are willpower or disciplineWhat Elizabeth discovered after years of overtraining, overeating, and feeling like a fraud as a certified nutritionist — and the shift that finally changed everythingWhy motivation is the wrong thing to wait for, and what to do instead on the days it doesn't show upRESOURCESTake the free quiz: Why Do Your Healthy Habits Keep Falling Apart? → Free guide: 8 Habits That Healthy People Do and Why They Don't Stick → Hey! I love hearing from you. Send me a text. Let me know what resonated with you. 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.
Transcribe →267: Why Putting Yourself Last Is Making Your Health Worse
Apr 2100:28:45Tap to summarizeYou know what to do. Eat the vegetables. Get to bed earlier. Move your body. You've known it for years. So why does it keep falling apart the second life gets hard — or honestly, even when it doesn't?In this episode, I'm making a case that might surprise you: the reason your healthy habits keep falling apart has almost nothing to do with food, and everything to do with how much you believe your own needs matter. Not in a therapy-speak, abstract kind of way. In a very real, very practical, happens-at-the-dinner-table kind of way.We're talking about the connection between putting yourself last and why your health keeps sliding - and what it actually looks like to start changing that. Not with a bigger, better plan. With something much smaller, and honestly, much more powerful.This one might make you see your health struggles in a completely different light. Give it twenty minutes.Hey! I love hearing from you. Send me a text. Let me know what resonated with you. 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.
Transcribe →266: Is Your Life Making Healthy Habits Impossible?
Apr 1400:26:00Tap to summarizeYou already know what to do. Eat better, move more, get enough sleep, stop picking at food at night. So why does follow-through keep falling apart — even when you're motivated, even when you really mean it this time?In this episode of Total Health in Midlife, health and life coach Elizabeth Sherman makes the case that for most midlife women, the problem has never been discipline. It's been a misdiagnosis. When you keep applying the wrong solution to the wrong problem, trying harder doesn't help — it just adds a layer of shame on top of an already exhausting cycle.Elizabeth walks through the real, concrete barriers that quietly undermine healthy habits in midlife: under-recovery, overloaded capacity, unrealistic expectations, and the perfectionism that makes experimentation feel like failure. She shares the story of a recently divorced client whose nighttime eating looked like a willpower problem on the surface — but whose actual issue started hours earlier, with a skipped lunch and an empty house.If you've ever ended the day standing in the kitchen, exhausted, wondering why you can't just get it together — this episode is going to reframe the whole thing. The reason your habits keep falling apart is not you. And once you see why, you can actually start to fix it.WHAT YOU'LL LEARNWhy "trying harder" keeps making things worse — and what's actually getting in the way of follow-throughThe under-recovery trap that most midlife women don't recognize until they're already running on emptyHow perfectionism disguises itself as high standards and quietly makes healthy habits impossible to sustainWhy knowing exactly what to do isn't enough — and what the real gap between knowledge and action looks like in everyday lifeThe specific pattern that turns one stressful day into a week of derailed habits (and how to interrupt it)RESOURCESTake the Quiz — Why Do Your Healthy Habits Keep Falling Apart?Hey! I love hearing from you. Send me a text. Let me know what resonated with you. 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.
Transcribe →265 - "Just Do It" and Why We Don't
Apr 700:25:39Tap to summarizeYou already know what to do. Eat better. Move your body. Go to bed earlier. So why does it keep falling apart by Tuesday? If you've ever ended the week feeling like you failed at something embarrassingly simple, this episode is going to stop that story in its tracks.In this episode of Total Health in Midlife, health coach Elizabeth Sherman takes on the 'Just Do It' mentality head-on — and makes the case that the real barriers to follow-through for women in midlife have nothing to do with laziness, willpower, or discipline. They have everything to do with the specific conditions women are operating in: changing hormones, years of diet history, chronic capacity depletion, unsupportive environments, and a cultural script that trains women to deny themselves rest until they've earned it.This episode introduces a completely different lens for understanding why health habits break down — one that stops treating the problem as a character flaw and starts asking the right questions. What is actually getting in the way? And what does a system of health that works in your real life — not a calmer, cleaner, more cooperative version of it — actually look like?If you've been stuck in the cycle of knowing what to do and still not doing it, the answer you've been missing might not be more information. It might be a clearer picture of what's actually interfering.WHAT YOU'LL LEARNWhy "Just Do It" backfires for midlife women — and what the real gap is between knowing what to do and actually doing itThe five specific forces that actively work against follow-through in midlife — even in women who are motivated, informed, and genuinely want to feel betterWhy the "good woman" script may be the hidden reason your health keeps falling to the bottom of your listWhat decision fatigue and capacity depletion actually look like in daily life — and why they're so easy to misread as lazinessThe surprising reason overeating at night, late-night scrolling, and revenge bedtime procrastination are not discipline problems — and what they actually areHow to stop solving the wrong problem — and what it looks like to build a health system that works in your actual life, not a calmer, cleaner version of itHey! I love hearing from you. Send me a text. Let me know what resonated with you. 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.
Transcribe →264 - “Why Did I Just Eat That?” The Reason you Eat without Thinking
Mar 3100:40:02Tap to summarizeHave you ever found yourself eating something and realized halfway through… you don’t even remember deciding to eat it?For a lot of midlife women, this moment feels confusing and frustrating. You know what healthy eating looks like. You’ve read the books, tried the diets, and built plenty of discipline in other areas of your life. And yet somehow you still find yourself standing in the kitchen at night thinking, “Why did I just eat that?”In Episode 264 of Total Health in Midlife, we’re unpacking the real reason this happens. It’s not laziness. It’s not lack of willpower. And it’s definitely not a personal failure. There’s a psychological process happening between the moment you see food and the moment you eat it—and most women have never been taught how to recognize it.When you understand what’s actually going on in that split second, you stop making the behavior mean something about who you are. And once that shift happens, you gain something much more powerful than another food rule: options.The Biggest Problem Midlife Women Face Regarding Eating Without ThinkingOne of the most common frustrations midlife women experience is eating without consciously deciding to eat. It feels like the behavior happens automatically. You open the pantry, grab something sweet or salty, and only afterward realize you weren’t even hungry. This pattern—often described as mindless eating or eating on autopilot—can make smart, capable women feel like they have no control around food.The real issue isn’t the food itself. It’s the rapid mental cascade that happens after a small decision. A simple action—like eating one cookie—quickly becomes a story about what that action means. Thoughts like “I blew it,” “I have no discipline,” or “I can’t trust myself around food” create shame and frustration. That emotional reaction then triggers the familiar “might as well” pattern, where one small choice turns into continued overeating.For midlife women already dealing with stress, hormonal shifts, fatigue, and brain fog, this loop can feel especially discouraging. Many women assume the solution is stricter food rules or more discipline. But the real skill is learning to recognize the tiny space between a trigger and a response—the moment where awareness and choice live.WHAT YOU’LL LEARNWhy so many midlife women find themselves eating without consciously deciding toThe difference between physical hunger and soothing hunger—and why that mattersHow a single thought can turn a normal urge into something that feels impossible to resistHey! I love hearing from you. Send me a text. Let me know what resonated with you. 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.
Transcribe →263 - Why Successful Women Still Struggle With Weight After 40
Mar 2400:32:09Tap to summarizeYou’re competent everywhere else in your life.You manage work, relationships, responsibilities, and the endless logistics of adulthood. People rely on you because you figure things out.But when it comes to your health (your weight, your energy, your cravings) it feels like the one area that just won’t cooperate.In this episode, Elizabeth Sherman explores why so many capable, successful women still struggle with weight after 40 even though they know what they’re supposed to do. The problem usually isn’t knowledge. Most women already know they should eat better, move more, sleep more, and manage stress.The real issue is that we’ve been taught to approach health as if it were simple. Follow the plan. Stay disciplined. Try harder. But human behavior (and the midlife female body) is far more complex than a set of rules.If you’ve ever wondered why the same cycle keeps repeating—motivation, effort, burnout, frustration, and starting over—this episode will help you understand what’s actually happening and why it makes sense.The Biggest Problem Midlife Women Face Regarding Weight After 40One of the biggest challenges midlife women face when trying to lose weight or improve their health is the belief that the solution should be simple. Many women have absorbed the idea that weight loss is just a matter of eating less, exercising more, and staying disciplined. When that approach stops working—especially during perimenopause and menopause—it often leads women to believe something is wrong with them.But weight gain after 40, cravings, low energy, brain fog, and inconsistent motivation are rarely caused by a lack of discipline. Health behaviors are influenced by many factors, including sleep quality, stress load, hormonal shifts, emotional coping patterns, and the pressure of managing careers, families, and responsibilities.When midlife women try to solve these complex issues using rigid diet rules or exercise programs, the result is often a frustrating cycle: starting a new plan, staying motivated for a few weeks, falling off when life gets busy, and then blaming themselves for not having enough willpower. The real problem isn’t the woman—it’s that we’ve been trying to solve a complex human problem with overly simplistic tools.Hey! I love hearing from you. Send me a text. Let me know what resonated with you. 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.
Transcribe →262 - 3 Types of Overeating
Mar 1700:39:08Tap to summarizeIf you’ve ever said, “I just need more willpower around food,” this episode will challenge that belief in the best possible way.In this episode of Total Health in Midlife, Elizabeth Sherman breaks down the three types of overeating most common in high-functioning midlife women: end-of-day reward eating, all-day grazing, and weekend or social overeating. While they all feel like the same problem, they’re driven by very different triggers—and that’s why one-size-fits-all solutions keep failing.Instead of offering another set of food rules, Elizabeth explains how to identify the cue behind your overeating pattern. When you can name what’s actually driving the behavior—stress relief, boredom, connection, habit, resentment—you stop fighting food and start rebuilding self-trust.If you’ve been stuck in the cycle of “being good” during the week and “starting over” on Monday, this episode will help you understand why—and what to do instead.The Biggest Problem Midlife Women Face Regarding Overeating in MidlifeThe biggest problem midlife women face with overeating in midlife is misdiagnosis. “Overeating” is often treated as a discipline issue, when in reality it is a symptom of different habit loops driven by specific cues. These cues may include time of day (evening reward eating), environment (restaurant or social triggers), emotional states (stress, boredom, depletion), or habitual sequences (kitchen grazing between tasks).When midlife women experience unexplained weight gain, stubborn belly fat, or inconsistent eating habits, they often respond by tightening control—cutting out foods, tracking calories, restricting during the week, or attempting strict meal plans. However, these approaches fail because they assume that every overeating episode is caused by the same problem. In reality, end-of-day stress eating requires a different intervention than all-day grazing or social overeating.Without understanding the cue and reward behind the behavior, diets and food rules only address the surface. They do not resolve the underlying need for decompression, connection, micro-reward, or emotional regulation. As a result, women feel stuck in an exhausting cycle of restriction, rebellion, and regret—leading to increased stress, shame, and disconnection from their bodies.WHAT YOU’LL LEARNWhy “overeating” is a symptom label—not a diagnosis—and how that changes everythingThe difference between stress eating at night, grazing during the day, and social overeating on weekendsHow to identify the cue behind your eating pattern before it turns into another cycle of regretRESOURCES Download: 82 Reasons You Overeat That Have Nothing to Do with FoodHey! I love hearing from you. Send me a text. Let me know what resonated with you. 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.
Transcribe →