Yasmin: “I needed to do more than just change my diet”

Yasmin is a 45-year-old vivacious woman brimming with energy and passion for life. She’s always busy, active and looking for a good time. As an interim communications consultant, she helps companies with major communication issues. In her spare time, she enjoys meeting up with friends, preferably over drinks and nibbles. “My weight had never been an issue. I’d been slender most of my life, but all that changed with menopause. Suddenly, I started packing on pounds without any clear reason. My lifestyle and eating habits hadn’t changed.”

Exercise wasn’t enough

It’s not always easy to accept changes to your body, especially if you’re gaining weight even though you're eating the same. Like many women in menopause, Yasmin struggled with her weight. “I didn’t want to be counting calories and portions, but I didn’t want to gain more weight either. So I decided to focus on exercising more.”

Despite her efforts the pounds kept piling on. “It was frustrating to say the least. All my clothes felt tight and uncomfortable. To be honest, it was starting to affect my self-esteem.”

“The amount of information online was overwhelming”

Yasmin scoured the Internet for tips and stories about weight loss. “I started trying one diet after another. I followed a low-carb diet, I avoided fats for a while, I tried fasting, and I even did a juice cleanse.”

Dieting helped a little, but nothing seemed to stick. Yasmin always fell back into old habits. “When I meet up with friends, we always go out for drinks or a bite to eat. We enjoy going on lunch dates or having dinner in a fancy restaurant. When I come home from work, I spend my evenings on the sofa reading and nibbling chocolate or watching a movie with takeaway. These habits are really hard to break. I enjoy doing those things and they are a major part of my social life.”

The culprit? Insulin!

After trying everything, Yasmin decided to consult a menopause specialist. “I wanted clarity and a solution. During the consultation, the menopause specialist informed me that I had insulin resistance, which apparently is quite common among menopausal women.”

Insulin is a hormone that enables cells to break down sugars (carbohydrates) from food to be used for energy. So insulin is super important for metabolism. When you’re resistant to insulin, your cells stop responding well to insulin. “My body was struggling to process sugar, causing me to gain weight,” Yasmin says. “But that wasn't the only thing. I also had a stool examination. Turns out I had a gut bacteria imbalance. This was also a reason why I was putting on weight all of a sudden.”

When I found out I was insulin resistant, the puzzle pieces clicked into place.

Weight loss goes beyond counting calories

The weight management advice Yasmin got went beyond dieting alone. “The menopause specialist explained my body had to get back into balance,” Yasmin continues. “I quickly found out that fixing an imbalance is not as simple as popping a pill. It requires motivation and effort. Getting support from a specialist helped me a lot.”

Yasmin followed a personalised plan that was specifically designed for her to address these issues. “It felt good that it wasn’t a one-size-fits-all plan, but that it was fully tailored to my needs in terms of nutrition, exercise and supplements. I felt very confident that I was getting the best care.”

My ever-present sugar cravings vanished.

Yasmin’s hard work paid off. She soon noticed a difference. “Only a couple of weeks into the programme, I noticed I was finding it easier to resist chocolate. My sugar cravings almost went away completely. This boosted my energy and confidence.”

Find positive inspiration

To inspire herself to keep going, Yasmin hung a pair of jeans that stopped fitting on the door of her closet. “I tried them on regularly to see if they would fit again. It took a while, but after three weeks I noticed a small change. And after two months, they fit perfectly! I can’t tell you how happy I was.”

The jeans were Yasmin’s way of keeping track of her weight loss progress. “The menopause specialist said that I should avoid standing on a scale. She wanted to stop me from over-obsessing about my weight and it fluctuating up and down. Those jeans were my way to still keep track of progress.”

What about other menopausal symptoms?

Besides losing weight, Yasmin also noticed that her hot flashes were less frequent and less severe. “This wasn't the primary objective but definitely an added bonus,” she smiles. “Honestly, there were times where I felt old and over the hill. Thankfully those feelings are gone.”

Yasmin’s last appointment with the menopause specialist is coming up soon. “I'm so happy I took this step. I now feel more prepared and confident to continue my journey. Are you going through menopause and struggling to lose weight? Talk to a specialist to find out what may be causing your struggles. Gaining clarity can help you move forward. I'm in a really good place right now. I'm as happy as a kid in a candy store.” Then she starts laughing. “Well, perhaps a candy store that only sells sugar-free gum.”

Are you menopausal and struggling to lose weight? Get weight management advice from a menopause specialist