Perimenopause Symptoms

💥 Your brain doesn't seem to operate as quickly, it takes you longer to think of things, and you can’t stay focused

💥 Your sleep is shitty, you can’t fall asleep, or you wake up constantly throughout the night

💥 You are always exhausted, no matter how much sleep you get

💥 You feel like you can’t do anything well, or as though you are struggling with everything from parenting, to being a good partner, to work, and more

💥 Your libido is long gone, and vagina is getting dryer by the day

💥 Your clothes fit differently especially around the waist, and you can’t seem to lose weight no matter what you try

💥 Your tolerance for alcohol has plummeted and leads to headaches or night sweats no matter how little you drink

💥 Your period are all over the place, no longer predictable, scant, or heavier than they ever used to be

💥 Your anxiety is through the roof and even the littlest things can completely set you on edge

Perimenopause is the TRANSITION between your fertile years and menopause.  And menopause is marked by 365 days without a bleed - meaning that perimenopause can last anywhere from 1-12 years leading up to that point in time. 

As you can imagine, that means supporting you in this transition might look drastically different from person to person and even for you depending on where you are in the transition.  

There is no single test to verify if you are in this transition or how close you are to menopause. So because of that we rely heavily on age and symptoms.  If you are a woman between the ages of 35 and 50 and struggling with some of these symptoms it’s very likely that you are in perimenopause. 

And, you have to remember, this is a natural transition. Our goal isn't to prevent it, it’s simply to help you feel your best THROUGH the transition and not have to walk it alone.  We don't ever use a one size fits all approach but especially for our women in perimenopause.  Sure, there are universal themes, tools and resources, but knowing what is going on with YOUR body and where you are in that transition is a HUGE part of our approach.  

We are Nutritionists that want you to stop worrying about what you're eatint too much of and start focusing on what you're missing

One of our favorite reminders is that Instead of focusing on what you need to remove from your diet, we want to encourage you to switch your mindset to what can you ADD to build a balanced plate...

Stop focusing on what you feel like you are eating too much of and instead consider (for the very same meal)

What did I not get ENOUGH OF to help me stay full and feel great until my next meal ?

Maybe it's

1. more of a certain macronutrient (like Protein, Fat, or Carbs)

2. more variety (think different types of fats, proteins, and colors)

3. more flavor or flair (try adding new sauces or fresh herbs)

4. or, more fun in your meal (try not to make your meals so healthy you want to rebel at the end of the week)

Practice asking yourself this: "next time I have this meal what could I ADD that would leave me feeling better?" And remember, the answer might look different for each meal.

Suffering is NOT a right of Passage during Perimenopause

I am TIRED of women believing that fatigue, constant cravings, bloating and constipation, terrible periods, a missing libido, and brain fog  are just ‘normal’ and to be expected in this phase of life. While these symptoms might be typical they DO NOT have to be the norm for you. 

Many of our perimenopause women don’t even realize what is going on until things get bad, when those little signs and symptoms likely started in your late 30s. 

You do not have to wait until 

1. You can’t sleep through the night

2. You are falling asleep every afternoon

3. You start skipping cycles

4. You are  bleeding through your leggings every month 

5. You are perpetually bloated

6. You have NO sex drive

7. Your clothes no longer fit

8. You don’t feel like yourself anymore

Our goal is to help you prevent these symptoms from getting to a place that feels unbearable.  And do it in a way that doesnt exhaust you even more in the process.  What’s more, we use an ABUNDANCE focus, helping you ADD and BUILD to your diet rather than restrict.  So you don't have to worry about giving up your favorite foods or feeling restricted.  

We design our programs around helping you understand 

1. what is going on in your body and brain 

2. What steps make the most sense for you to see quick change 

3. And how to create habits and patterns that help you stay successful 

The sooner you get started, the sooner you get your LIFE BACK. 

Nutritionists View on Why you aren't seeing results

We know it can be frustrating to feel like you’re putting in the work and not seeing progress. In fact, most of the peri women we work with ARE DOING SO MUCH right. You’re focusing on eating ‘clean’, working out regularly, and going to bed, but still feel stuck. There are some major transitions happening in your body which might mean that what used to ‘work’ before is not what will help you see progress now.  

Here are 5 reasons we often see clients not making progress in perimenopause:

1. You’re nibbling too often in the day and not taking the time to sit down for real meals.  We know you think this one doesn’t matter, or that it’s impossible to find time to eat in your day, but it might be the MOST important one to focus on first. 

2. You’re drinking too often or too much alcohol. We know, this is our least favorite too.  And we’re not saying you have to give up alcohol altogether but it might be time to reconsider that witching hour glass of wine and limit alcohol consumption to the weekends as a start. 

3. You’re not dealing with underlying gut or hormone concerns.  Sometimes the best intentions might not be enough if you are not supporting hormone and gut changes that are going on in this phase of life.   

4. You’re trying to do it alone!  Let’s face it, no plan is going to work on willpower alone anymore. An effective peri plan should be focused on building habits and finding the tools that help you make sustainable changes - and finding someone that can help support you in this process can be huge.  

5. You’re overdoing the cardio and not focusing on weight training in a way that actually helps you build muscle. After age 35, we naturally start to lose muscle which is a HUGE driver of negative health outcomes. And often, focusing on more cardio is just adding to your stress load and breaking down muscle.  Finding a workout routine that prioritizes pushing muscles to fatigue and in a way that doesn’t overwhelm your nervous system is key. 

Protein, Fat & Fiber

As Registered Dietitians, one of the first things we address with patients is building their meals with a balance of macronutrients. Why? Because when we eat a balance of macronutrients, we help stabilize blood sugar, lower stress response, improve gut microbiome & absorption, stabilize moods, and more! 

But before you get overwhelmed, we have a pretty simple recipe to help you balance your meals that we call “PFF,” which stands for Protein, Fiber and Fat.  By focusing on getting a solid source of each of those any time you eat, and ideally in that order, you will be well on your way to eating balanced & nourishing meals.

Protein stimulates our satiety hormone, suppresses our hunger hormone, and increases satiety between meals because it takes the body more time to break down and digest, helping stabilize glucose levels and minimize cravings. 

Dietary fiber is the portion of plant-derived food that cannot be completely broken down by human digestive enzymes, which in turn means that it slows down digestion and feeds gut microbes, both of which help stabilize blood sugar and keep you full longer. 

Fats are superstars when it comes to satiety because they are absorbed extremely slowly, suppress hunger hormones, and of course taste delicious. 

Ready for some ideas?  Head to Instagram to see more content

Getting Back into a Routine

Life can feel overwhelming. Stop waiting for willpower and just choose 1-2 new habits you can focus on RIGHT NOW.

1) Start moving your body 🏃🏻‍♀️- but keep it short and sweet! I recommend picking a consistent time that you can move every day, but allow yourself to vary what you do. Some days it might be a slow walk, others a strength workout. Find a time that will work most or all days of the week, schedule, with reminders, and start to prioritize moving in that window - even just for 15 minutes. Rather than waiting to have a full & elaborate plan, start by moving for short periods of time each day, and then build from there. ☀️ Bonus points for getting outside and getting sunlight during your movement.

2) Meal Planning 🍽️- everyone’s least favorite topic in busy seasons. But here’s the thing, it can be simple and flexible and it can include take out! I like to call it meal mapping so you don’t feel like you have to have a detailed plan, nor that you have to cook every night. Choose a recurring time each week when you can look at your calendar for the following week and identify what meals you are going to prepare, and which you need to outsource. I recommend doing this on a Thursday or Friday so you can think about the coming weekend and week to come. 🗓️ During extra busy seasons of life, keep the meals simple and no new recipes! Having a plan for the week will make you feel so much more in control.

3) Turn off screens 30 minutes earlier than you have been.📱Ideally we all stop the screens around sunset, but I know that’s pretty hard for most of us. Set a time (with alarm) each night that you set your phone aside and minimize screen time as your bedtime is approaching. Remember nothing you are doing at that hour is probably more important than sleep!💤

4) Hit autopilot when it comes to meals. 🥗 Pick 1-2 lunch options that focus on protein & non starchy veggies, and that you enjoy. Then, stock your fridge with the parts to make those meals quickly and easily, and repeat. Boring is helpful sometimes. Don’t try to be creative during chaotic times; save that for another season!

Blood Sugar Balance

Blood Sugar - Why it matters 

I’m sure by now you’ve heard the buzz about blood sugar.  🐝 Maybe you’ve been sucked in by a CGM ad, or maybe you assumed the conversation doesn't apply to you because you don't have diabetes. 🤷‍♀️

While I am not going to tell you that blood sugar is the only thing that matters, there is tremendous value in understanding more about how to keep your blood sugar stable, and why it even matters. ⭐️  And, sneak peak, it doesn’t have to involve removing all sugar from your life! 🙌

Let’s start with why you should even care about balancing your blood sugar. 👇

• When we talk about blood sugar we are referring to circulating glucose in your bloodstream. It is the primary source of fuel for your body’s cells - which means we want some glucose in our blood stream at all times! 🕓

•  When our blood sugar goes too high or too low, it essentially triggers an alarm system in our body. 🚨 When blood sugar is too high, the pancreas is signaled to release insulin, which helps get glucose back into the cells where it should be. When blood sugar is too low, the pancreas and adrenal glands play a big role in helping to increase glucose in the bloodstream. 🎟️

•  In the moment, this alarm system is helpful for re-establishing balance. 🧘‍♀️ However, when the alarm goes off too often, your blood sugar can be on a bit of a rollercoaster, affecting a number of systems. 🎢 Sex hormones, thyroid hormones, hormones that regulate appetite, lipid metabolism, and organ function can all be affected by fluctuating blood sugar.  

•  The more your blood sugar varies in a day, the more insulin resistant you become. 📈 This means that your insulin doesn't respond as quickly or as efficiently as it should. And this is where we really see issues. In addition to diabetes, insulin resistance is linked to a number of health conditions. Check out the slides for how it develops.  

 In practice, insulin resistance and repeated blood sugar swings leads to these symptoms:  

• Mood swings

• Excess androgen production, PCOS, Irritability, Acne 

• Delayed ovulation, missing periods, irregular cycles 

• Weight loss resistance 

• Increased or insatiable cravings, Hanger 

• Fatigue, Headaches, or Brain Fog after eating 

• Poor or Disrupted sleep

• Shakiness

• Excessive thirst

Blood Sugar - what affects it 

The first thing to know is that food is far from the only thing that will spike your blood sugar.❗️Remember that alarm system from last week?  Glucose is increased in your bloodstream to help you deal with threats (internal or external) - many of which have nothing to do with what you are eating. 🍽️ I think this is particularly important because as soon as we start talking about blood sugar people get a little crazy and start pulling all sugar, including natural glucose, from their diet.  And that does not have to be the answer! 🙅‍♀️

There are a number of ‘alarms’ for your body that might cause your body to increase blood glucose, independent of food, including: 

• 🚨Stress - triggers the adrenals to release hormones cortisol and adrenaline, both of which increase glucose in the bloodstream and inhibit insulin’s effects 

• 🚨Exercise - blood glucose increases in order to help your brain and limbs function during exercise (exercise can also lower blood sugar by increasing uptake into muscle) 

• 🚨Poor sleep - research has shown blood glucose is much more variable after a night of poor sleep 

• 🚨Infection or illness - particularly those driven by fever and inflammation 

• 🚨Time of day - this is hugely variable from person to person, but often you will find the same foods will affect you differently at different points in the day, largely due to natural changes in cortisol and hormones 

Additionally, these physical factors affect how quickly your body takes up glucose and moves it into the cells and muscles where it belongs: 

• ⚡️Amount of lean body tissues, or skeletal muscle which is particularly effective at utilizing glucose even when you are not moving 

• ⚡️Sex hormone production, where you are in your cycle (females), and hormone imbalances (such as PCOS)

• ⚡️Amount of adipose tissue (body fat) which can interfere with insulin signaling 

• ⚡️Liver & digestive health which affects glucose absorption and processing

And yes, food too. All carbohydrates will spike your blood sugar to some extent but there a few things that can affect how intense the spike is, including 

• 🌱Which carbs you consume (which is different for each of us) 

• 🌱The order in which you eat the food groups / types of food in your meal 

• 🌱How much protein and fat you have with the carb

• 🌱How much fiber is in the carb 

• 🌱How processed the carb is (more refined typically means faster glucose spike) 

 Hopefully now you can see that there are so many avenues you can take to support balanced blood sugar. 💪

Blood Sugar - How to support it?

Now that we know there are quite a few things that affect blood sugar, let’s talk about how to keep it stable and minimize insulin resistance. 📉

As you saw from my last post, there are THREE main categories that are worth paying attention to in order to help your body better stabilize blood glucose: 

• Physical & Physiological Factors 🧘‍♀️

• Environment & Behavioral Factors 💤

• Food Factors 🍎

Physical and Physiological Factors

• ⚡️Amount of lean body tissues, or skeletal muscle  

• ⚡️Hormones 

• ⚡️Amount of adipose tissue

• ⚡️Liver & digestive health

• ⚡️Infection 

So what to do about it?  

Physical Factors

• ⚡️Lift heavy things!  Muscle has more insulin receptors than other tissue and is one of the most efficient organs at utilizing glucose. What’s more, having more muscle means less adipose tissue, which can release cytokines that interfere with insulin signaling.  Find a program (I’m an @evlofittness fan) or a trainer and start incorporating more resistance training in your routine. I find more resistance training and less cardio is the ticket for improved health markers. 

• ⚡️Know your cycle & get hormone support.  SOOO many women are walking around with NO clue about how their body works, where they are in their menstrual cycle, and how their hormones work.  It’s sad that most of us were never taught about this incredibly amazing system. Most women are more insulin sensitive (meaning our blood sugar is naturally more stable) in our follicular phase - which is the first half of your cycle, and less so in our luteal phase (which is the last half of your cycle). What’s more, conditions like PCOS make you naturally more insulin resistant so it can be incredibly helpful to work with a practitioner for managing both blood sugar and hormones. 

• ⚡️Address gut issues & support your digestive health.  Digestion plays a critical role in blood sugar because it is so intimately involved in both the breakdown and absorption of glucose.  What’s more, we know that certain gut bacteria affect blood sugar balance differently and both pancreatic and liver health play a role in managing blood sugar. Digestive health isn’t always obvious so it’s worth working with someone to understand your digestive system better and how you can support it. And until then, start by taking a few deep breaths before you eat and chewing your food more than you think to better support your digestive health.  It can be helpful to minimize alcohol and highly processed foods as two starting points for better digestive health. 

Behavioral Factors

• ⚡️Support your nervous system.   Your autonomic nervous system (ANS) is the part of your body that interprets and responds to possible stressors, triggering a cascade of events.  One of the main ways your ANS supports you is by increasing blood glucose so that you can think and move.  This means that sometimes your blood sugar might go up (or down) because of the way your brain perceives the world!  No, the goal is not to remove stress altogether, but to find ways that you can support your ANS in feeling less overwhelmed. This could include creating more margins in your day, saying “no” more often, doing breathwork, spending more time outside, or even physical support, like massage.  

• ⚡️Move your body - but not too much!  I talked last week about the value of muscle mass for BS balance. It’s huge.  Strength & resistance training can help build muscle which will naturally make you more insulin sensitive. However, overtraining is a huge stressor for many of you and will cause more fluctuations in BS. Make sure you are doing more strength than cardio, and incorporating rest days in your week. Bonus points for moving your body after a meal which can make a huge difference in how efficiently you use that glucose!  

• ⚡️Go to bed.  That’s right, get off your phone and go to sleep. I know some of you don’t have as much control over this, and life happens. But the more often you can get good quality sleep, the better your body will respond to BS.  There are lots of studies to show that a poor night of sleep will automatically set you up on a BS rollercoaster, independent of food!  

• ⚡️Drink water. No, you don’t have to guzzle 100+oz, but aim for 1/2 your body weight in ounces. Use fruit or herbs for more flavor if that helps. And sparkling water counts! 

• ⚡️Eat during daylight hours. Our bodies don't necessarily treat food any differently at 10pm than they do 10am. But, because of circadian rhythm hormones (things like melatonin, cortisol, glucagon and insulin), our bodies will respond differently to blood glucose at different points in the day.  This is hugely variable from person to person, but most of us are more insulin sensitive during the middle of the day and less so after the sun has gone down.

Food Factors

• 🌱Which carbs you consume (which is different for each of us) 

• 🌱The order in which you eat the food groups / types of food in your meal 

• 🌱How much protein and fat you have with the carb

• 🌱How much fiber is in the carb 

• 🌱How processed the carb is (more refined typically means faster glucose spike) 

• ⚡️Focus on Fiber.  Prioritize starchy vegetables, fruit, and legumes over grains and sweets.  This doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy all foods, but when possible choose fruit, legumes, and starchy veggies like sweet potatoes, white potatoes, winter squash, and beets as your primary carbs. Because of their rich fiber content, these typically are digested more slowly, minimizing the glucose spike.  

• ⚡️Never have a naked carb!  That’s right, whether it’s fruit, a glass of wine, crackers, dessert, or candy, Always have your carbohydrates with fat and/or protein. Ideally both and more than the amount of carb you are eating, but any bit will help. 

• ⚡️Did you know the order in which you eat can affect blood glucose?! Start your meal with your protein (or non starchy veggie if you prefer) and this will help slow down the absorption of glucose causing less of a spike.  No, you don’t have to eat like a toddler and finish one part of your meal at a time but try to have a few bites of the protein before digging into your carb.

• ⚡️Minimize processed carbs, as much as possible. Typically processed carbs have less fiber and more simple sugars - this means that they will be digested and converted into glucose faster than whole food forms of carbohydrates. 

Now that you’ve learned what affects blood sugar, why it matters, and how to support balanced blood sugar, what is one way you will focus on improving your blood sugar this week?  

Are You Eating Enough?

One of the MOST important steps towards better health, and yet, the ONE that my clients like the least , is to make sure you are eating enough.

I know, YOU DON’T THINK THIS IS YOU.🫣 

Because you can down a bag of chips in one sitting, have an insatiable sweet tooth, or can eat more than your husband at dinner. Yes, EVEN YOU 🫵 might be under-nourishing yourself on an average day, often leading to the urge to over consume when you have no energy left to control yourself.            

You come to me complaining about low energy in the afternoons, wonky periods, constipation, weight gain, and no control around food, despite fasting and exercise.

THIS is a picture of undereating.  

Many of you have been eating in a deficit for so long that you don’t even know what it feels like to consistently eat enough. And, it’s terrifying for you to consider that you might need to eat more, because your focus until now has always been on what you are over consuming. I hear it every day.

Nourishment means eating enough to cover your body's basic needs, as well as physical activity, stress, and movement. Nourishment also means getting enough rest, joy, sunlight, movement, and so much more. Eating below your needs for too long can impair both thyroid and sex hormone production, slowing down metabolism, muscle repair, and digestion, and making it harder for you to see changes.  In short, it makes your body feel unsafe.

Don’t get me wrong, deficits can be super helpful at times, but only when used intentionally.  And, ONLY AFTER you’ve started from a place of nourishment.

Knowing what symptoms to watch for and understanding your body needs are important steps towards health. I’ll be breaking down how to know what you need, and how to truly eat to nourishment in my new virtual group program. 

Make sure to sign up for my newsletter to get exciting program updates!👀

Signs you may not be eating enough include: 

• Feeling Cold Frequently 

• Struggling to Gain Muscle or Lose weight 

• Irregular or Missed periods 

• Low Sex Drive 

• Particularly Low Heart Rate or Low Blood Pressure 

• Frequently Feeling Fatigued 

• No Motivation to Move or Exercise

• Poor Muscle Recovery

• Frequent Blood Sugar Swings 

• Including Struggling to Fall asleep or Stay Asleep through the Night 

• Constipation, Slow Gastric Motility 

• Irritability; Frequent Mood Swings 

• Brittle Nails, Hair loss 

• Frequent Mouth Sores or Cracks on the Corners of Your Mouth 

• A Lack of Interest in Food or Lack of Hunger

Your Symptoms are Messengers, Listen!

I’m here to remind you that your body is incredibly wise. While you might not like the symptoms you are experiencing, they are usually your body’s only way of communicating. I think of it like dealing with kids (or people in general)- typically a bad attitude or tantrum often means that they are upset about something completely unrelated to what is going on in the given moment, right? Similarly, your body will likely sound off some alarms, but it isn’t always in a direct way.  

In my upcoming program I will challenge you to be curious, to explore, and even record what your body is saying with any of these systems. And then we can use that list to evaluate change that is personalized for you. 

If you are pursuing whole body health, it can be helpful to be curious about the messages your body is sending.💭 Yes, labs and numbers might be part of that larger picture, but nothing is more important than noticing what is going on in your body.

Sure, you might not know why your body is sending certain symptoms, but you can pay attention to whether they change as you make changes. Labs and numbers can take a long time to budge; sometimes the more obvious symptoms are the first to adjust when you start to nourish yourself appropriately.

 -Energy, Focus, Brain fog, Memory

-Sleep - Duration & Quality

-Digestion - Constipation, Diarrhea, Bloating, Gas, Heartburn, Reflux, Stool frequency & consistency

-Hormones - Sex drive, Period duration, flow, & frequency, Headaches, Cramping, Breast tenderness, Mucus changes

-Weight or Muscle changes, Body composition

-Rashes, Acne, Rosacea, Oily, Dry or Itchy skin

-Joint pain, Stiffness, Swelling

-Moods, Mood swings

-Body Temperature, Heart rate

-Eyes - Twitching, Dark circles, Redness, Blurred vision

-Mouth - Sores, Cracking, Swollen or White tongue

-Hair & Nails - Brittle, Dry, Ridges, Falling out

Mindset Shifts

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

I talked a bit last week about how to identify long lasting sustainable habits rather than short term goals. As you are doing this work, there are a few key pieces that are important to keep in mind. I will cover these at length in my upcoming online program, so make sure you are signed up for the newsletter for updates on that. Especially those of you who have been hoping to get in with me but can’t! 

1. CURIOSITY.  HOW you approach that change matters - even on a cellular level.  I encourage you to be CURIOUS & consider that your body has something smart to tell you.

2. AWARENESS. Learning how to tune in your own symptoms and messaging, connect with yourself, and create your own rules and supports is critical. What helps you connect with your body better? 

3. PERSONALIZATION. There is NO SINGLE answer or protocol that works for everyone. When we believe that there is only one way to do things, we set up a terrible cycle of shame and guilt. Move towards the mindset that your journey is going to look different from anyone else's. 

4. CONSISTENCY. Gentle consistency over intensity will always be a more effective way to see change. Rather than cutting everything out or taking on too much at once, what baby steps can you make and STICK to consistently? 

5. PATIENCE. We all know that the fast shortcuts never work. Instead of focusing on results, focus on the process as the GOAL of change instead and note small changes in how you operate so that you can stay motivated.

6. ABUNDANCE. I challenge you to think about GAINING HEALTH instead of losing whatever it is that you've been trying to fight. Similarly, rather than thinking about what you are not doing, or eating too much of,  consider focusing on what you could ADD to your diet or your routine that you might be missing?