Monique, a mother of two daughters, works as an administrative assistant at a construction company. She has never been particularly slim; as a child, she was already on the chubbier side, and during her youth, she often faced comments about her weight. Her parents led an unhealthy lifestyle, with the deep fryer in frequent use and meals cooked begrudgingly. Years later, Monique taught herself to cook and found a balance between healthy eating and exercise. She managed to maintain a stable weight for years, but everything changed when she reached 45.
My energy vanished, my mood was all over the place, and the number on the scale kept creeping up. No matter what I tried, the weight just kept piling on.
“Looking back, it probably started around my 45th birthday,” Monique explains. “I wasn’t sleeping well and found myself getting irritated more easily. My body constantly craved sweets, which was something I’d never experienced before. Because I was so exhausted, I started skipping the gym more often. I thought it would pass, but within a few months, I noticed my clothes were becoming tighter.”
Monique recalls the shame she felt in the fitting room. “Dresses that once made me feel feminine suddenly highlighted all my insecurities. I couldn’t even meet my own gaze in the mirror.”
One day, Monique had a wake-up call. “I’d just devoured leftover cheesecake from my daughter’s birthday. I felt weak and angry with myself at the same time. And suddenly, I thought: this can’t go on. I started exercising again, carefully monitored my diet, and put the scales away. I gave myself three months to see some progress.”
But after those three months, her clothes only felt tighter. “I brought the scales back out and saw I’d gained three kilos. It felt like all my hard work had been for nothing.”
On the advice of her daughter, who is a nurse, Monique had her blood levels checked. “I thought: it must be my thyroid. But everything came back normal.”
Her GP suggested reducing her carbohydrate intake and referred her to a Combined Lifestyle Intervention (GLI) programme. “I started with high hopes, thinking: this will be the turning point. But despite all my efforts and the support I received, I kept gaining weight. Over the course of the programme, I gained about 20 kilos.”
I was doing everything right, but my body seemed to be working against me.
When Monique read about medications like GLP-1 injections (semaglutide), she decided to consult her GP again. “She listened without judgement and worked with me to see if I was eligible. Because my BMI was over 30, I had already completed a GLI programme, and menopause was likely playing a significant role, I was approved to start.”
The first few weeks took some adjustment. “I had less of an appetite and occasionally felt nauseous. But for the first time in years, the number on the scales started going down. It was exactly what I needed.”
Gradually, Monique began to lose weight. “After months of hard work, medication, and the support of my GP, I started to recognise myself in the mirror again. My energy came back, I felt excited to do fun things again, and I even felt like being intimate with my husband. Not because I wanted to look good for him, but because I finally felt good about myself again.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself, and don’t hesitate to seek help if you’re struggling. You don’t have to go through this alone.”
If, like Monique, you want to find out if you qualify for a Combined Lifestyle Intervention (GLI) programme, you can check here.
Does the GLI programme not suit your situation? You can also explore other treatment options with your GP, such as weight-loss medication. Read more about weight-loss medication here.
