How to Play the Weight Loss Game During Perimenopause
And what I eat in a day to lower and maintain my weight.
The answer to losing weight is simple. It’s not Easy. I said it is simple. 🤭
Slow and steady is the name of the game, ladies! Slow and steady!
Hello, dear Self-Love readers. Welcome to Self Love Bites if you’re new here.
Weight loss is something I’ve observed myself struggle with for the past three years. I’m perimenopausal. It’s been an educational journey. I’ve learned that for as long as women are menstruating, their body will want carbohydrates during the luteal phase.
Therefore, weight loss shouldn’t come from going on diets, but rather from a lifestyle of healthy eating habits.
To clarify, the menstrual cycle may be divided into two phases: (1) follicular or proliferative phase, and (2) the luteal or secretory phase. The follicular phase begins from the first day of menses until ovulation. (Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ )
I’m mainly a vegetarian. I also eat eggs and dairy. I’m about 167 cm, which is 5’ 5”. My adult weight has hovered around 60 kilos, more or less. My menstrual cycle has been pretty consistent most of my life. I have never used contraceptive pills. I get my menstruation every 26 days like clockwork.
I’ve never been a gym person. I enjoy walking, biking and infrequent running during my follicular phase. I also stretch on my yoga mat three to four times a week. I’m a religious couch potato on during my period. My body has become smart and knows when to menstruate based on my work schedule, too 🤣. I work part-time at two kindergartens, four days a week.
Bread was a breakfast staple for over two years. But after noticing my lower belly bloat and expand 😲, and not fit in my new jumpsuit 😱, I thought it was time to do something about it. I don’t mind being shapely like a woman, but not being able to wear my cute new jumpsuit?? That would be a crime! 💔
I’ve never resorted to any diets. When I had gained weight as a young adult, I had a low carb dinner or a glass of milk. A couple years ago, I tried intermittent fasting (IF) and it worked at the time. Now I do what I can to incorporate IF in my life. Meaning I finish eating at say 5 pm and then I break my fast at 10 am the next day.
That’s about 17 hours of fasting. On an average I go between 14 to 18 hours of fasting. I listen to my body. I eat when I’m hungry. There are times I must eat when I’m at work so I’ll have breakfast at 8:30 am or 9:30 am depending on which kindergarten I’m at.
Breakfast: Either of the below two.
A boiled potato or two with chai.
2 scrambled eggs with 1/3rd of an avocado sprinkled with copious amounts of roasted white sesame seeds. And chai.
I scramble my eggs in butter. I can eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch until I find something new I don’t get bored of eating the same thing over and over. I keep my dinners early and light.
Lunch: I have one of the following four.
Baked grated potato in eggs, garnished with cheese. I add two chopped cherry tomatoes, salt, and spring onions to flavor my dish.
Pressure cooked potatoes and peas in a tomato-cumin stew. Garnished with dring onions.
Pressure cooked mixed or garbanzo beans in cumin, tomato and salt. I’ll have that with basmati rice.
Boiled rice noodles with lettuce, spring onion, a boiled egg and copious amount of sprinkled sesame seeds.
Dessert: Passionfruit + Strawberry/Pomegranate with plain/Greek/lightly sweetened yoghurt. Dark chocolate when nearing my period.
Sometimes, #4 👆 is dinner. Sometimes I’ll have a decaf tea with crackers or half a croissant. Sometimes homemade organic popcorn. Sometimes a handful of salted pistachio, or a 1/4 of a pomegranate.
I notice that my body avoids cold and sour foods during my period.
So this has been my diet over the past two to three months.
THE VERDICT: The verdict of this diet is that now I fit in my new jumpsuit! Yay! And I don’t crave bread like I used to. So I can do without bread for days. My tummy isn’t bloated.
My Colleague’s Weight Loss Journey
I have a lovely colleague at one of my kindergartens with whom I enjoy having meaningful and thoughtful conversations. She’s a great listening and a keen observer, too. We both have much to appreciate about each other. Our sons are of similar ages, so that’s also something we talk about. She’s has a pleasant demeanor and has a healthy weight and mindset. However, she told me she can’t resist the smell of McDonald’s whenever she walks past one.
Recently she worked with a weight loss coach for a month. Every day, she would send photos of her prepped meals to her coach. For lunch, she ate a big portion of salad, half a bowl of rice, plenty of veggies and meat. She ate pomegranate and Greek yogurt for dessert.
She weighed 60 kilos. Her goal was to reach 54 kilos. She was able to bring her weight down to 57! That’s not bad, losing three kilos in a month from changing her diet.
But after that month passed and she was no longer working with that coach, I have a feeling that the accountability factor went missing from her life. She’s back to her old diet, although she’s not eating McDonald’s. She has gained back the weight she had lost.
She plans to join a gym and try working out. Let’s hope she achieves her physical health goals this time around.
However, hope is not a strategy. And weight loss or gain depends on what goes on your plate. You may gain muscle tone from training at the gym. But losing weight = what’s on your plate.
What I’ve learned from my weight loss and maintenance journey in my perimenopausal stage of life is that nutrition is simple. Keep your food whole. Avoid junk.
Accountability is the Key to Consistency for Some
Some people can hold themselves accountable while others need someone to hold them accountable. There’s nothing wrong with either. It’s okay to ask for help. We all need help in the areas of our lives where we are inexperienced. I worked with a 17x self-published author when I wrote my first book, for instance.
If you or a loved one are looking to change your diet and want some accountability, you may reach out to me by replying to this newsletter.
Here’s my offer. Work with me over 12 weeks.
You’re invited to a weight loss accountability over email once a week for 10 weeks (guaranteed) + 2 weeks support (if needed).
YOUR PART
You provide me with your age, diet and menstrual cycle information.
You tell me your weight loss / health goals.
YOUR ACCOUNTABILITY: You send me photos of what you eat on a regular basis - breakfast, lunch, dinner and any snacks in between.
MY PART
I will ask you clarifying questions when and where needed. (This is to train you to be accountable longer after we’ve worked together. 🤭)
I will learn about your dietary habits to get to core issues.
I will provide you with feedback and recommendations.
DISCLAIMER: I provide no guarantees. If you put in the work, you will achieve the results. You will be asked to sign a 12 week contract in order to work with me.
TOTAL FEES: HKD 1215 (Approx. USD156) for 12 weeks accountability over email.