Category Archives: Diet

Weight Loss During Menopause: My Personal Journey

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Back in 2011, I had a hysterectomy to bid farewell to those troublesome fibroids. As a bonus, I finally got that flat stomach I had always wanted. It was a major achievement, considering I’ve battled with my weight for as long as I can consciously remember. Finally, the scale went below 200 pounds.

Fast forward to January 2016. My weight had ballooned up to about 228 pounds and I decided to start weight training with Champion Body Builder Damion Daniel.

That year, I worked out at an intensity that I did not know I was capable of. That, coupled with mindful eating, resulted in me getting again to under 200 pounds, but this time, with a lot of muscles so I looked smaller. Alongside my workouts, I paid more attention to what I ate. Damion had this rule: no carbs after 6 p.m. So, for lunch, I focused on protein, veggies, and sometimes indulged in a delicious complex carb like sweet potato or black beans…or both.

Since late 2022, my weight has again crept up. Apparently, I am not alone. Sigh. Turns out, weight gain during menopause is a common thing. Our bodies go through all sorts of changes – lean body mass decreases, body fat increases, and it becomes tougher to shed those pounds during menopause. However, I am told that weight gain during menopause is not inevitable and can be managed with the right lifestyle choices, including a healthy diet and regular physical activity. The physical activity it not an issue for me as I work out regularly. And my diet is healthy during the day and up to the salad that I usually have for dinner.

A typical breakfast – Sardines with special low carb bread
A typical lunch – protein with salad
A typical dinner

So even though in 2016 I used to eat carbs at lunch and lose weight, 7 years later, I can’t lose weight even though I have been eating lower carbs. But if I really analyze what has happened, I can identify two differences. In 2016, I used to get a lot more sleep than I am getting now. Also, since 2020, I’ve been working longer hours, and it’s taken a toll on my evening food choices, after the usual salad. Stress and fatigue make it all too easy to reach for some nuts, a spoon of peanut butter, a pack of plantain chips (why do I even buy them? Ugh, the struggle is real.) I wrote about these challenges in more detail in this post in March 2023.

One thing is real…..during menopause, I cannot slack off and take my foot off the weight loss gas. In 2016, a typical breakfast was steel cut oats, with ripe banana, and I lost weight effortlessly. I just have to get over that what worked for me in 2016, will not lead to weight loss during menopause.

I won’t be starting another “What I ate today” series because, let’s face it, I can’t keep up with that. Instead, I’ll keep experimenting with different approaches. It’s all about finding what works for me, whether it’s tweaking my diet, trying new workouts, or finding creative ways to manage stress and get some quality sleep. I am aiming to be a healthy weight in 2026. Can I do it? Can I stop disappointing myself, by prioritizing me instead of others? Check back to read how I am doing on my weight loss journey during menopause.

Seon 180 podcast on Dementia, with Dr Kester Nedd

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If you have ever found your car keys in the fridge, or driven back home because you swore you left your coffee mug on the counter but later found it on your desk, could you be presenting with symptoms of early onset Alzheimer’s disease?

Alzheimer’s is just one form of Dementia. Listen to this Seon 180 podcast featuring Grenadian Dr Kester Nedd. The topic is personal for host Leslie-Ann Seon, as her mother had Vascular Dementia. It’s also relevant to me because my maternal grandmother had Alzheimer’s.

https://fb.watch/hlTCNlZQTH/?mibextid=6IxyOt

Shaking off my Friday Night Funk

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“And so what if I just remain fat?”

This was the message which set off alarm bells and caused some to ask “what’s wrong?”

What led me to feel this way and resulted in me turning into the KFC drive-thru?

Work. More specifically, continuously feeling like I am hitting my head against a brick wall for initiatives which will make the employees better.

So I left work Friday pissed, so pissed that the only thing I felt could help me blow off steam was junk. (I paid dearly next day for having eaten the crappy food.). And I felt like I wanted to detach from the world.

After a few messages and calls Friday and Saturday, I did the self talk, dusted myself off and decided not to wallow. The other thing which shifted my perspective was overhearing a conversation between two ladies on Saturday night. 

“[Name of man friend] is always drunk. Drunk every day. He is verbally abusive to me.” 😔

Well, life is not so bad for me then.

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#IntermittentFasting

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Can’t recall how I came across this eating concept. Perhaps it was the “The 8 hour diet” by David Zinczenko, or maybe while surfing.

The first time I tried it a few years ago, I had a headache for the first day. I was a “eat breakfast within 30 minutes of waking” kinda person, from ever since. Back then, I had to have coffee at least, and not black, in order to last out the fasting period after waking. Nowadays, I just have warm water and some green tea without sugar, and I am good until it is time to eat. It is a quick way to get a flat (ish) stomach.

Here is an infographic detailing the benefits and also the schedule one might follow. Give it a try. Intermittent Fasting has been in the news lately. It’s called IF for short.

Gym stories 19/03: In the home stretch

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I’d jumped on the scale at physio on Friday so knew that I’d lost some more. Would it be enough? Will I meet my target for the 40 days? These two final days had to count.

Not sure I was up for the hard workout today.

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Gym episode 13/03: I want to make magic

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The heat was being turned up. We were coming into the final stretch of the 40 day weight loss challenge. One week from today, to be exact. Normally my Sunday workouts consist of calming yoga and tai chi. But when the Trainer is available for a rare Sunday session, you ditch those, but in favour of what? Continue reading →

My 4 day lay off

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I looked on with envy last Friday as Bambi took my colleagues through a Zumba class. :|😭😭 But it served me right…..don’t?

On Saturday, I enjoyed being able to sleep in a little bit later, since I didn’t have to rush to the 9 a.m. Pilates class. When I finally got out of the house, I headed straight to a fundraising fair which was featuring food from various countries……with an empty stomach. Why? Continue reading →

Gym episode 03/03: Grounded!

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Isn’t that what happens when you misbehave? You’re grounded? Pleasure activities are taken away from you? Here’s the story of Thursday and how it turned out.

Yet another late night Wednesday, this time because I had work deadlines to meet. In this job, the concept of ‘homework’ is real. So I went to bed upset….and got up in the same mood. In my mind, I steupsed all the way on the drive to the gym. But sometimes along the way, positive thoughts crept in. ‘Miss Foot, what you complaining for? You have a job. You can get around with ease. You have a great Trainer. You know how many people got up this morning, wondering how they’re going to make it?” Ok mind. Be quiet!

Aye. Arrived late, so did 5 mins warm up. Upper body work today with some new exercises. Yay! I like that Damion mixes things up. Mi get bored very easily. 😐

In between the weights, he took me into the exercise room. The task? Run up and down the length of the room 5 times while he timed me. The first time was 45 seconds. The second was 43. After both times I was out of breath! Happily too. Heart working. Fat loss happening. And most importantly, I did not crash into the mirrors!

Completed the weight training then quite unusually, we had a long chat. His discipline is incredibly inspiring. Between now and his first show next month, I will be able to witness first hand, how he trains and how he eats. We spent a lot of time talking about the latter. I was again urged to read labels and had to send this to him for vetting. It passed the test.

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Thursday afternoon is where things took a turn for the worse. Continue reading →

Gym Episode 22/02: “Every rep counts”

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I went through Monday’s lunchtime gym session with Damion Daniel thinking “be careful what you wish for Ms Yamfoot” :?. I’d told him on the weekend that I wanted to do more exercises for the butt. That meant squats and lunges were included.

My knees are getting accustomed to these exercises and I’ve actually not been bothered by them so much, since stepping up my quantity of exercise.

I had to abandon the 10lb dumbells the Trainer had given me to use while doing the lunges. A few times too, I was about to topple over. Ever watchful, he was there to ensure that didn’t happen. Mek mi tell yuh……my thighs certainly felt the burn!

The key to maximizing that move is to keep upright and also get your knee touching the floor when you go down, and drive up using your glutes. I’d watched him last week executing those in perfect form so I knew what it looked like. Heart was willing but thighs and butt were weak. I kept reminding him that I had to go back to work, when I tried to pause during a set. “Every rep counts,” he said, followed by some encouragement. 

To finish up, did 10 minutes of the elliptical. It gets easier each day.

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#Gym Episode 16/02: A walk in the park

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Eating food is so easy. But getting rid of the effects of overeating is no walk in the park. A park is where some of my workout took place on Tuesday in my quest to burn fat and arrive at 50 with less of me.

A planned session with the Trainer had to be cancelled due to his last minute committments. I was trying to weasel out of the work out. He was not having it and instructed me to do cardio. I didn’t feel like. My leg was burning. I had work to go home and do. The excuses came fast and furious. Try as I might….no luck. I didn’t want to defy him and in turn disappoint myself. I had to act as my own motivator. I suggested that I could go to the park and he said yes.

Off I skipped, avoiding the vagrant by KFC. Stopped beside the coconut man to stretch on a nearby wall. “Mind yuh push down the wall,” he quipped. Doh worry…ah not dat strong…..yet.

Walked two laps, then jogged one, then back to walking half a lap then did some sprints like I was Usain Bolt. 😁:)😂☺

That was 30 minutes and I had worked up a nice sweat. See?
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