Part 1 of the Defying Physics series
After stepping on the scale at my doctor's office, it was suggested that I might want to consider dropping a good 20 pounds.
I nodded with a strained smile, as though this was a new realization for me and totally not something I have actively been try to achieve for the past five years!
Here's the thing. I'm not sedentary; I'm averaging a decent 9,000 steps a day just keeping up with family life and errands. I go on 5km lunchtime walks three to four times a week with my partner. I am a healthy eater and don't have the capacity to eat as much as I used to. So it's not like I've been sitting on the couch surrounded by chips and chocolate wondering why my jeans don't fit. I have been doing the right things, and yet my body has been doing the exact opposite of what it's supposed to do in response.
If you know that feeling - of doing everything right and watching the scale climb regardless - this series is for you!
This is perimenopause. And apparently perimenopausal bodies defy all the rules of physics that our younger bodies once embraced.
Where I'm Starting From
I want to document this honestly, so here's where I actually am right now:
Current weight: Classified as being in the "overweight" range, and steadily climbing despite my efforts.
Activity level: Around 9,000 steps daily, with 5km walks three to four times a week. I have also been trying to ease back into running 5k's a couple of times a week as well.
Iron status: I've been supplementing with Thorne iron bisglycinate for several months now after the Feramax 150 became a bit too strong for my stomach. Currently awaiting blood test results to see where my levels are at. Iron deficiency has been a significant part of my fatigue, lightheadedness, and fitness struggles, and I need to know whether the supplementing is actually working before I push my activity level higher
How I feel: Tired in a way that sleep doesn't fully fix. Frustrated but not defeated. Genuinely curious about what's actually going on in this body of mine, and determined to figure it out without doing anything extreme or unsustainable
I'm not starting from zero, but I'm also clearly not doing enough of the right things. Or perhaps my body has simply changed the rules on me. Possibly both?
What I'm Going to Do About It
This is not going to be a "I tried this diet for 30 days and lost 15 pounds" series. I don't have time for approaches that I can't sustain as a permanent part of my healthy lifestyle, nor do I trust results that appear too fast to last.
What I'm going to do is experiment. Thoughtfully, sustainably, and with full transparency about what works and what absolutely does not.
Over the coming weeks and months I'll be looking at:
- What nutrition approaches actually make sense for a perimenopausal, anemic body
- How to build fitness back up in a way that works with my lower energy levels rather than against them
- What the research actually says about weight and hormones in perimenopause (filtered through a psychology degree and a healthy skepticism of influencer culture)
- What it feels like to do all of this as a neurodivergent person who finds rigid meal plans and intense workout schedules genuinely destabilizing
I'll document what I try, what happens, and what I learn. No miracle results promised! And no pretending it's easier than it is.
Why I'm Doing This Publicly
When I went looking for honest accounts of navigating a perimenopausal body that wasn't responding to the usual advice, I found very little. Lots of "just eat less and don't stop moving," and lots of supplement ads. What I'd like to see more of is simple: here is what I actually tried, and here is what actually happened.
So, that's what I'm going to do!
If you're in a similar place - body changing in ways that feel confusing and unfair; doing the right things and getting the wrong results - come along! We'll figure it out together.
Iron test results coming soon. Follow along by subscribing at ninaryanwrites.substack.com.