Dee’s Weight Loss Part 1
Read on to find out more about Dee’s Weight Loss in Part 1!
I know this is a sensitive issue for most of us as we head into menopause. On the 6th June 2021, I am still perimenopausal and have been now for 9 years. This basically means that I still have my periods to contend with. I may be a menopause expert, but that does not mean I don’t go through what you go through! I am lucky though, I have not experienced some of the nasty symptoms, but that will be because I ‘walk the talk’, and take my own advice, looking closely at diet and lifestyle. Managing stress is key!
COVID, and the restrictions, has meant weight gain for most of us. Funnily enough, as I discovered that my husband was having an affair in 2019/2020 I lost plenty of weight, after the split – I found an absolutely amazing way of losing 98 kilos of unwanted fat, I am divorcing him!
Why have I put weight back on?
Well, there is an easy answer to weight gain, and I am afraid that there is no clinical evidence that weight gain is linked to menopause. Sorry girls, we can’t blame that! In my case it is that I have spent probably the best part of a year or two, sitting at my computer, working plenty of hours, and grabbing food when I can. My portions have gone out of the window (although had they literally gone out of the window I would be very slim by now!). Perhaps my brain wonders when I will get time to eat next, so tells me to eat more, well there goes yet another excuse!
Stress is a major factor, and like many women my age, we are constantly juggling our lives, and responsibilities. The last couple of years and during the covid crisis, life has been a bit hellish for us all. Over and above running a business, I am also looking after my 91-year-old Mum, whom I think is now immortal! Plus reestablishing a life that had previously been shared for 12 years with someone else. However, I have to tell you that I have found a new love that’s deep, genuine and gorgeous, or maybe it found me! He makes me laugh every single day (so no grumpy menopausal mood swings). I am a firm believer and always have been that when something terrible happens, something great is just around the corner.
There comes a time when we have to say, ‘Right! I feel too heavy’. Regardless of what friends and family say to you, they will never tell you that you’re overweight, they don’t want to hurt your feelings! You have to listen to your inner-self. My motivation is actually that I don’t want to get sick (diabetes is always a threat when we are overweight) and enough is enough.
I have just reached that point, and so I have kicked myself up the proverbial butt, and I am now ready to shed. After all, I have lost several friends to cancer before they even reached my age, I owe it to them to be as healthy as I can be right? Just a few kilos heavier than you need to be is enough to spin your health into a rapid decline. Poor diets and too much wine! Though I am not a drinker, only when friends come to stay. I then might indulge in a few glasses of something dry and fizzy (Like my hair some days – thank you menopause!).
Dee’s Weight Loss Tip: Calories In
I am not a yo-yo dieter, never have been – and have never suffered from weight issues in the past. I know that weight loss has everything to do with calories in, versus calories out. So the 6th of June (today, as I write this) I am going back to using an online food diary, (I use MyFitnessPal) adding everything I consume, even those odd milky decaf coffees I enjoy going into the app. Plus, the squares of dark chocolate that for reasons explained in one of my other blogs, would be silly to give up!
Join me, and make that commitment. Take back control of your weight and health! The long-term effects of obesity far outway the effort involved in taking charge. Just start by reducing the amount of food you consume on a daily basis.
Plus there are other things that start to bother us as we put weight on. I feel sure this will resonate with you. Clothes are too tight and start to pull at the buttons, even bras become an issue, as we notice back fat occurring! Our joints start to ache, especially our knees and hips. We even start to get headaches when previously there were very few. We start becoming much more self-conscious and stop the kids from taking photos at family gatherings. This means that we get left out when we look back at the events with fondness. Photos are so important for our families to cherish long after we are gone.
How am I going to do it?
There are only a few things that really work well for me. Firstly, my son introduced me to intermittent fasting. This basically means that I only eat between certain times of the day. You can decide when that is, I choose to eat between 11 am-7 pm as that suits me. I rarely wake up hungry and looking for breakfast, and it takes me a few hours to think about food. I know for many, an early breakfast might be best. However, for me, 11 am suits my behavior and DNA (and it soon becomes my lunch). I have also changed the plate I am using today, removing the larger dinner plate and using a smaller side plate instead.
Whatever you feel about breakfast – look out for our breakfast shakes coming soon. Our breakfast shakes are designed to help women who don’t really want breakfast. They are a protein boost, and focus on strength, symptom management, as well as hair restoration! You will hear more about these over the next few weeks, and I for one will be using them every morning to kick start my metabolism.
Water, water, everywhere, not a drop to drink!
Water is the elixir of all life, and we should aim to drink around 8 glasses of water per day. I am a bugger for not doing this, so setting a timer alarm on your phone to remind you to drink water. Make sure to drink plenty of it, perhaps at hourly intervals. This is a good way to remember. I know, water is not exactly inspiring, is it? Slice some cucumber, add a sprig of mint, or a slice of lemon. You might even believe it is a mojito!
Out goes the diet drinks. We kid ourselves that diet drinks mean that we can have however much we like. But in reality, diet drinks are still met with plenty of questions by our bodies, one of which is this tastes like sugar! So the body reacts to it as if there is sugar in the drink!
Plus, aspartame really isn’t good for us, so this is something that certainly needs ditching. Otherwise, you will find that ‘sugary tasting drinks’ trick the pancreas, it produces more insulin which is a fat-storage hormone, which is not what we need right now!
Menopause for many women makes them feel pretty grim. So comfort eating is one way to help us stay sane and do something nice for ourselves. But it has the consequence of weight gain, and then we feel bad again! We must learn how to better look after ourselves, drop a few pounds, go for walks, drink more water – we all know this stuff, but we have to put it into practice! It is our psychology that will win us through challenges like weight loss. Get your head in the right space, and you can achieve anything.
If it’s possible to prove to you that menopause does not mean we have to be fat and frumpy, I will do so. Follow my progress, as I update you weekly! You don’t have to be a celebrity, nor live that lifestyle, so no personal trainers for me. I am far too busy living life! If it inspires just a few of you, then that will certainly keep me motivated. We can do this girls! Otherwise, we risk weight-related illness (that could be preventable). Plus weight brings about even worse menopausal symptoms too!
Weigh yourself today, set your goal but no more than 1-2lbs per week. Tell us your story and if we feel inspired we may even publish it in Menopause Life magazine!
Don’t forget to start the menopause training too, it is completely free, we won’t ask you for a penny, and it could just change your life! CLICK HERE
To read ‘Dee’s Weight Loss Part 2’ click the link below:
