The reason long-term change feels like such a struggle has less to do with knowledge and more to do with being able to stay present in their body. Often, they experience the same “trigger” that causes them to revert back to an old way of operating.
Most women think “but I don’t eat X (candy, wine, chips, etc) anymore” not realizing that’s not what they’re actually “addicted” to. They are “addicted” to the feeling of relief they experience when they start thinking of ways to restrict themselves more to make their body change shape. They’re addicted to the sense of control they feel when they have a plan to follow.
The problem is, when they’re in this heightened state of dysregulation, the actions they think would help, don’t. (It doesn't matter how large her calorie deficit or how long she spent at the gym)
What they need to understand is how their nervous system is reacting to the situation at hand so they can turn down the signals of threat and shift into a receptive “rest and digest” state.
Research is showing that calorie restriction (over-exertion or under-eating) puts a female body into this state of heightened awareness. Because she’s so used to this level of focus, it doesn’t rationally make sense that she may be too focused and thereby maintaining a higher-than-needed level of cortisol. When cortisol is high, the thyroid (responsible for metabolism, among other things) gets overworked and begins to slow down.
In order to support a female body, she has to be willing to step into a new paradigm, one where she feels safe in her body.
This ability to create safety for herself is what allows her to continue taking actions that support her well-being (as opposed to checking the boxes of a diet or exercise routine). To do this she needs to activate her own masculine energy on her behalf. This looks like turning (at least part) the way she shows up for others toward herself to make sure she has what she needs.
This will gradually help her feel safe as she begins trusting herself to build a nourishing routine for herself.
The real benefit isn’t simply in the actions (that she logically knows to support her health) get done, but, deeper than that, it validates the quieted voice within that has been asking for attention.
This is when she begins to care for her body in a way that feels less scripted and more intuitive. The more a woman is able to hear and respond to her own needs, the more information she will receive.
This is what releases her focus on external measures of success (how well she can follow a diet, how much of a calorie deficit she can create through restriction or exercise, or how the scale is responding, etc) and puts her own sense of power back in her hands.
