Reducing cholesterol – bringing it back into a healthy range – and losing weight in perimenopause, are two huge wins that can both feel pretty challenging to do.
One of my wonderful online coaching clients recently achieved both these goals, and made my day by sending me the whatsapp message above.
When we started together 5 months ago, this lady had been feeling stuck with weight loss for quite some time. She was also dealing with the challenges of perimenopause, and had been diagnosed with high cholesterol.
As you can see from her message, she’s made some fantastic progress since then. She’s over 20lbs down, stronger and healthier, and with cholesterol significantly improved, meaning she doesn’t need to go on medication.
Her efforts and consistency have been brilliant and I’m super proud of her.
I wanted to outline what we did, because it could help a lot of people in a similar situation.
So, these are a few points we focused on that can help if you’re struggling with weight loss, perimenopause, high cholesterol, or a combination of the 3.
What to eat to lose weight and lower cholesterol
There’s no getting around the fact that for losing weight in perimenopause, and at any time of life, we need to be in a calorie deficit. You don’t necessarily need to track calories to lose weight, but it is an incredibly helpful tool, and my client was happy to use it.
For a simple way find what amount of calories you might need to aim for to create a sustainable deficit, your goal bodyweight in lbs x 12 is a good place to start. As an example, if your goal weight is 150lbs, 150 x 12 = 1800 calories. Start there, and gradually reduce if you’re not seeing progress after a few weeks.
Protein
Including plenty of protein is so important for any weight loss goal, to keep full and maintain (or rebuild) muscle.
For my client, we aimed for 100-130g daily, which is a good range for the majority of women.
Why do we want more muscle? So many reasons!
More muscle means:
- a stronger, more capable body
- better bone density
- reduced risk of various diseases
- better blood sugar regulation
- reduced risk of aches, pains, falls and injuries
- an improved chance of living a longer healthier life
To name just a few of the benefits.
And, when you have a weight loss goal, more muscle also means a higher metabolism and better fat loss.
Check out the graphic above for ideas on high protein foods.
Fibre for gut health, weight loss and heart health
We also focused on eating more fibre. As well as supporting a healthy gut, fibre is particularly important for heart health and reducing cholesterol.
As an added bonus, it supports weight loss by keeping you fuller for longer.
30g daily is the recommended amount, and the average adult intake is around half this amount.
So how do we hit our 30g daily? Adding more fruit and veg is one of the best ways to do it. Half a plate of veg at dinner is great to aim for, with as many different colours as you can find. Sprinkle in foods like nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, and wholegrains across the week, and you’ll be at a very good level.
No foods off limits
Something important to mention is that my client also still included her favourite less nutritious foods when they were most worth it to her, and enjoyed them guilt-free.
There were birthdays and other special occasions with some tasty indulgent food, and that’s an important (and wonderful) part of life. The key principle that led to success is keeping consistent – enjoying those fun times, getting back to normal routines straight after, and carrying on.
You don’t need to cut out anything you love in order to lose weight.
Balance, moderation and consistency lead to success.
Exercise for weight loss, muscle tone and health
You’ve probably heard by now that strength training is incredibly beneficial for women, and it is.
At any age, but ESPECIALLY when in perimenopause.
Strength training has been shown to improve cholesterol levels, as well as bone density, physical and mental health, blood sugar regulation, and our ability to live a longer more independent and active life.
It’s also very beneficial for fat loss – helping you lose fat while maintaining muscle. This keeps your metabolism higher, and helps create the toned appearance that many women are looking for.
My client had some gym equipment in her house, and wanted to lift weights 3-4 times a week.
To do this, we had a whole body routine, and an upper/lower split routine. This meant she could either do 3 whole body workouts, spread out over the week, or lift weights 2 days in a row if she wanted to via the upper/lower split.
An upper/lower split is a great way to train consecutive days if that suits your schedule better – then you can work hard in both sessions, and work a different set of muscles on the second day while the other set of muscles recovers.
Getting the most out of Strength Training
Something my client embraced (and very much enjoyed) which helps a A LOT, is actually trying to get stronger.
I.e. lift more weight or do an extra repetition compared to your previous session.
It’s very easy to get stuck doing the same 10 repetitions on the same weight for months on end, OR be mixing things up so much you have no idea if you’re actually progressing.
Sticking to the same key exercises for at least 4 weeks (often 8-12 weeks or longer) and trying to improve at them regularly is the most effective way to train for strength and fat loss.
Here are some ideas for training in the gym or at home:
And here’s a summary of what to aim for:
You can read more in this Instagram post HERE.
Step goals for health and weight loss
Tracking your daily step count is a very useful tool for weight loss. In addition, the more walk, the better chance we have of improving our general health and our heart health.
10,000 steps is a good target for many, but what’s most important is doing a bit more than you’re doing now (if you can). Adding 1000 steps per day to whatever you currently do will take about 10 minutes of extra walking. Over time, this can add up to make an incredible difference.
For my client, averaging 10k steps daily felt like a doable target and a bit more than she’d been getting. As weather and daylight hours improved and weight loss slowed down (very normal when approaching goal weight) we increased this target to 12k steps on average.
She’s done a great job of building habits to help achieve this, including getting up earlier to go for a walk before work. Even better, that early walk has proven to be an enjoyable start to the day that boosts her mood and productivity later on.
Mindset
And finally, mindset.
The key mantra I drum into all of my clients is consistency, not perfection.
Don’t be disheartened by the scales – they will fluctuate, especially in perimenopause.
My client had a number of weeks where she felt frustrated at slow progress on the scales, but she didn’t let that turn into an excuse to self sabotage.
She kept plugging away with her nutrition, strength training and steps, and now she’s over 20lbs down, feeling fantastic, and back to a healthy cholesterol.
So each week, whether the scales have dropped or not, find the wins and things to be proud of.
Keep tracking your habits and looking for one thing you could improve on next week.
And most importantly, keep going.
Online Coaching for Health and Weight Loss Support
Many women get to the point where they’ve tried various diets and are left feeling lost, frustrated and confused.
If that’s you, seeking professional guidance from a nutritionist, personal trainer, or weight loss coach (I am all three) can make a huge difference.
Through online coaching, my goal is to help you reach YOUR goals in a way that’s both enjoyable and sustainable. We work together to simplify the process, focus on what really works, and support you in creating a lifestyle that works for you.
There is a ton of free information and advice on both my instagram page – @hayleyplummerpt – and my podcast:
Think Healthy with Hayley
And if you’re interested in having personalised support, find out more about Online Weight Loss Coaching here:
Benefits of Having an Online Weight Loss Coach
