Menopause nutrition is something I think about constantly — not as restriction, but as choosing myself. I love enjoying myself when I travel. And the thought I didn’t say out loud.
I’ve had variations of this conversation many times over the years. With women my age. Smart. Educated. Active. Often training regularly.
At some point it’s said very casually: “When I travel, I don’t really take care. I love good food and drinks. That’s just how it is.”
Nothing extreme. Nothing shocking. In fact, it sounds completely normal.
And yet, I felt something very specific, a Spanish / Argentinian concept: vergüenza ajena.
There isn’t a perfect English translation. It’s something like second-hand discomfort, that uneasy feeling when someone says something that doesn’t quite align with the bigger picture.
In my head, my response was immediate and very clear: I enjoy those things too. But I love myself, and my future self, more.
That’s the part we rarely say out loud. This isn’t about food. Or drinks. Or travel. It’s about the quiet negotiations we have with ourselves.
The Stories Women in Menopause Tell Themselves About Food
Most of them sound reasonable: I’ll take care of it later. Now isn’t the right moment. First I need to build a foundation. I deserve this.
They are well-worded. Thoughtful. Intelligent. And they are incredibly effective at keeping things exactly as they are.
For years, I told myself similar stories. Not because I lacked knowledge. Not because I didn’t care. But because real change asks for honesty and honesty is uncomfortable.
At some point, something shifted.
What Choosing Yourself Actually Looks Like
Not because I learned more. Not because I found a better plan. But because I stopped negotiating with myself. I realised that self-care isn’t about perfection or restriction. It’s about alignment.
You can enjoy food. You can enjoy travel. You can enjoy life.
But when “enjoyment” consistently comes at the expense of your health, your energy, your sleep, your confidence, it’s worth asking a harder question: What am I actually choosing here?
For me, the answer became simpler than expected. I can enjoy life. And I can still choose myself.
Not out of discipline. Not out of guilt. Out of self-respect.
That choice doesn’t require extremes. It requires clarity.
And clarity often arrives the moment we stop telling ourselves stories that sound good, but keep us stuck.
You already know if this is you. The question is what you do with that.
Programs — see exactly what choosing yourself looks like in practice.
Book a call via https://calendly.com/deb-debsway. We cut straight to it.
Or just write me Contact. You don’t need a long intro.
