Fourteen years ago I was 43 years old. I had an 18 month old on my hip and was nudging the scale to 200 pounds in a body I barely recognized. And no, it wasn’t baby weight. The truth is that I actually lost about 5 pounds of muscle during the latter part of my pregnancy, because I was having issues with blood sugar regulation, bloating, and fatigue. Nope, this weight was all new mom weight! It was weight that I put on because of the necessary lifestyle changes that had to happen with our new family and with other changes that were happening for us back then too.

Pre-baby I was always on the move; guiding sea kayaking trips, coaching group fitness classes, and always hiking on the trails around my home.  But after my daughter was born, we moved to a new city and I threw myself into being a Mom. If you’re a Mom, I know you know what that means. You don’t leave much time or energy for yourself, which leads to you slowly unraveling around the edges.

Sadly, when I got on the scale 18 months later, the number read 195 pounds! I was dangerously approaching my personal NO GO number. That was my wake-up call to start investing in myself again and to get that needle moving in the other direction.

So I relied on what had always worked when I stuck to a program: strength training and cardio. But I wanted to shed a considerable amount of fat without sacrificing muscle, so I tracked macronutrients and calorie intake for the first time. With that strategy, I shed nearly 50 pounds slowly and intentionally over two years. Yes, I know it can be done way faster, but I wasn’t racing toward a finish line; I was creating a sustainable way to feel better in my skin. I periodized my fat burning in phases by taking breaks from calorie restriction when I felt I needed it and jumping back in when I was ready.

And that strategy helped me maintain a fitness level that I was more or less content with, until it didn’t anymore.

Enter My Late 40’s

I was going through a lot of seemingly unrelated physical bs; like aches and pains, bursitis, insomnia, mood swings, hot flushes, but unbeknownst to me at the time, it was all related to my perimenopause.

Amongst all the symptoms, I gained weight—and a stubborn, bloated belly. I went back to what I knew: strength training, cardio, clean eating, and even tried running and multisport endurance training, but my body didn’t respond very well. I was getting more injuries than usual. I couldn’t regulate my temperature on hot days and didn’t have the same energy or recovery ability. I simply couldn’t keep up the exercise pace needed to lose or maintain my weight.

Then, at 53, I crossed into postmenopause. A month later, I was in the ER with my first rheumatoid arthritis flare-up.

Suddenly, everything changed.

My go-to coping strategies—especially exercise—weren’t available anymore. Even the gentlest workouts triggered exhaustion and joint pain. My old food choices didn’t make me feel good. In fact, they were making me feel worse. I had to stop, reassess, and ask a deeper question:

What does my body really need now?

The Refined Carbs Connection

Even before RA, I ate pretty clean most of the time. My husband has long-term food intolerances, so we make most meals at home, but I do have a sweet tooth! Chocolate, ice cream, cookies, are my comfort foods and I used to think as long as I stayed active, I could manage my occasional indulgences.

But when RA stole my ability to move and de-stress with exercise, those cravings got harder to ignore. The problem was that if I gave in, the excess blood sugar made my joints feel worse, I couldn’t exercise to burn it off, and the more demoralized I became. The worse I felt, the more I craved comfort, creating a negative cycle.

to turn things around, I knew I needed to make radical changes in both my mindset and diet.

I worked with a coach who helped me through a 3-week elimination diet. We stripped away sugar, starches, dairy, and grains while focusing on protein, fibrous vegetables, and healthy fats. It wasn’t easy, but it worked. My belly deflated. The swelling in my legs disappeared, I could see the details in my feet again! And best of all, my knees stopped hurting and I could bend them again. I could move!

As I kept digging into how food impacted my inflammation, energy, and mood, I saw a pattern:

• Sugar was aggravating my joint pain
• Bloating my belly
• Causing swelling in my legs and feet
• Making my sleep worse
• Tanking my energy and triggering cravings

What I didn’t understand at the start of this journey is that sugar, whether it’s eaten as refined carbohydrates as in bread or pasta, or as sugar in sweets, hits differently in midlife.

When estrogen and progesterone start to decline, insulin sensitivity declines too. That means your body doesn’t handle blood sugar spikes as well.

The result?

More inflammation, uncomfortable bloating, stubborn belly fat, cravings, mood swings, hot flashes, restless nights, and sugar loving microbes in your gut biome.

And yet…

in moments of fatigue or frustration, we reach for refined carbohydrates and sugar for comfort, the exact thing that fuels the fire.

What Sugar Does at Menopause

Here’s what science (and personal experience) tells us sugar does in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women:

1. Increases systemic inflammation – This makes joint pain, autoimmune symptoms, and even brain fog worse.
2. Disrupts hormones – Sugar interferes with cortisol, insulin, and serotonin—the very things we need to keep stable in midlife.
3. Destabilizes blood sugar – The spikes and crashes lead to more cravings, irritability, and that “hangry” feeling.
4. Stores visceral fat – The stubborn pro-inflammatory belly fat stored around your organs.
5. Feeds fatigue – Sugar gives quick energy and then leaves you more depleted.
6. Feeds sugar loving microbes – They displace good microbes and trigger sugar cravings.

It also rewires your brain to keep wanting more—making it harder to trust your hunger and fullness cues.

Over time, a chronically high-sugar diet can increase the risk of developing serious health conditions. These include metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions including high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, and excess abdominal fat, as well as type 2 diabetes, tendinopathies, and cardiovascular disease.

Research has also linked elevated sugar intake to increased risk for dementia and cognitive decline, especially in postmenopausal women.

So What Can We Do?

Approach any change from a place of curiosity and exploration to see what might really work for you.  Is there a way that you can more easily take care of yourself without using the tired old tools of restriction or shame?  Can you take back control and truly give yourself what your body needs?

This isn’t about restriction or shame. It’s about self-awareness and support.

I had to admit to myself that I was using exercise to escape stress. It wasn’t healing, it was avoiding and numbing. When that tool disappeared, I had to face what was actually going on and give my body real support.

Here’s what helped me start to break the cycle:

1. Curiosity Over Criticism

Instead of beating myself up for cravings, I started asking, “What is my body asking for right now?”  Food? Sleep? Comfort? Routine?

I also had to realize that sometimes it was microbes in my gut biome trying to tell me what to eat.

2. Protein, Fiber + Healthy Fats First

Prioritizing protein, fiber and the right kinds of fats at every meal helped stabilize my blood sugar and keep cravings in check. When I ate meals that were actually satisfying, I didn’t need to snack constantly.

3. Better Boundaries With Sugar

I didn’t eliminate sugar completely. I just became more intentional. If I was going to enjoy something sweet, I wanted it to be worth it and not something I reached for on autopilot.

4. Reset With a Detox

Sometimes you need a clean break to reset your signals. That’s why I created my 5-Day Sugar Detox. It’s not about deprivation. It’s about clarity—giving your body a chance to come back to balance.

5. Support Your Serotonin

Sunlight, protein-rich meals, restful sleep, joyful movement, and connection all boosted my serotonin, and helped reduce emotional cravings.

Final Thoughts:

You Are Strong. You Got This.

If you’re feeling like sugar has more control than you’d like, you’re not failing. You’re just navigating a new hormonal landscape with an old rulebook.

But you can rewrite the rules and it doesn’t have to be perfect. You just need to start paying attention, showing yourself compassion, and taking aligned action.

And I’m here to help.

FREE 5-Day Sugar Detox

Ready to find out how sugar might be impacting your body right now?

Take the Free Sugar Quiz and get your FREE 5-Day Sugar Detox to feel the difference in just a few days.

Make today incredible,

Tammy