Shelly was frustrated her results had stalled

menopauseperimenopauseWeight lossNutrition goalsFemale Strength Training

13 Jun

So we did a deep dive into why she was stuck.

Shelly came to us for personal training with goals of weight loss, dropping a dress size, and increasing strength.

From the beginning, she has been committed. However, the initial weight loss slowed and plateaued despite her commitment to food tracking, attending gym sessions, and taking 3-4 classes each week.

Shelly was frustrated and couldn’t understand why the scales were not her friend.

So we did a deep dive into why she was stuck.

Working Out with friends at the Gym has helped motivation.

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This process is not easy; it involves trial and error, understanding that each person is unique and responds differently. In Shelly's case, I felt she was overtraining and too hyper-focused on tracking, missing the bigger picture.

The scale weight is only one tool among many ways to measure results.

Static weight loss and water weight fluctuations are all normal. We needed to shift the perception of what success truly meant to kickstart results again.

Before

➡️ Eating only 1300 calories a day

➡️ 1 strength session a week

➡️ 4 mainly cardio-based classes a week

➡️ Food and drink tracking every day

➡️ Avoiding going out for meals.

➡️ We maintained at least 2 strength sessions a week, focusing on the BIG compound exercises and progressive overload. However, we dropped from 3 HIIT sessions a week to 1 and concentrated on steady cardio to increase NEAT, ie walking.

➡️ We stopped food tracking altogether for 4 weeks - giving Shelly a diet break!

The stress and frustration of tracking every day and not seeing results was soul-destroying. Instead, I asked her to become mindful and eat intuitively.

➡️ Next, she began tracking again, and because Shelly had previously only been eating 1300 calories a day in the hope of losing weight quickly, it wasn’t effective—these calories are too low. So, despite her reservations, I asked her to increase her daily calorie intake by 100 for four weeks.

After

➡️ Increased to 1600+ calories/day

➡️ 2-3 structured strength sessions/week

➡️ 1 cardio + 1 flexibility/abs class /week

➡️ Took a break from tracking

➡️ Focused on intuitive eating

She continued to eat out and started seeing results—consistent fat loss and muscle preservation.
**Results after 4 weeks: No weight gain, calories increased to 1600 and are still rising.**

The meno years can be challenging, but not impossible to navigate with the right help and support.

As a PT going through this transition, I could totally empathise, and I’m so pleased to be able to help Shelly get the results she deserves.

It’s been a journey to unravel!

But finally, we have success and a happy client. Through sheer grit, determination, perseverance and a process of trust. Shelly is proud of her results, having changed her mindset, body composition, and dropped a dress size. She has lost nearly 5% body fat and 38.5 cm.

Here’s what Shelly had to say after our tweaks