Weight gain can bring up a lot of self-judgment.
Especially in midlife when your body can change in ways you didn't plan for.
You might notice that your clothes fit differently.
Or you see yourself in a photograph that you think is unflattering.
And then the judgment arrives.
I should have more control or I've let myself go.
That leap from my body has changed to I've done something wrong is where I want to focus.
Because those statements are not interchangeable.
I'm Skyler Liberty-Rose,
And I've been working with midlife women for over a decade.
Weight is affected by hormones,
Aging.
Genetics,
Health conditions,
Stress,
So many things.
Our bodies are not machines that produce the same result forever.
Yet many of us were taught to treat body size as a reflection of our character.
Smaller men disciplined.
Weight gain meant you weren't trying hard enough.
And that's a belief that can survive for decades.
So when our weight changes in midlife,
The change itself can become loaded with meaning.
You may start seeing yourself differently.
You may feel embarrassed about buying a larger size.
You may avoid photographs.
You might hear yourself using words about your body that you would never use about another person.
And then there are GLP-1 medications which have made weight loss an even bigger part of the conversation right now.
But the question I think we're sitting with is this.
What do you believe your weight says about you?
Because that belief can stay in place even when the number on the scale changes.
You lose weight and you feel like you're finally doing things right.
You gain weight and you feel like you failed.
The number changes but the judgment stays.
That's where self-compassion comes in for me.
It doesn't mean you have to love every change in your body.
It means you can notice the change without turning it into a verdict about who you are as a person.
My body has changed.
That's a statement.
I have failed.
That's a judgment.
Those are two very different things.
And separating them gives you room to decide what you want to do without having to punish yourself first.
You can care about your health.
You can want to lose weight.
You can decide to use a GLP-1.
You can decide not to.
None of those choices need to determine how you feel about yourself.
So if your weight changes in midlife,
I want you to pay attention to the story you're attaching to it.
Because your body changing is one experience.
Deciding that the change makes you less worthy,
Less disciplined,
Or less successful somehow is another.
You don't have to make the second leap.
Your weight can change in midlife without it becoming a judgment about who you are.
As always,
I'd love to know what this is bringing up for you.
Have you noticed your body changing in midlife?
Have you created a story about those changes?
Please know this is a safe and non-judgmental space.
And I read and reply to all your comments,
So please drop me a line and let me know your experience.
