Women deserve to thrive in their 40s and 50s. Work with an experienced menopause nutritionist to find your own magic formula (not someone else's)

Menopause Era

Your

Redefined

You have more power over how you feel in midlife than you realise.

Menopause isn’t happening to you. You get to shape it.

I know it feels like your body’s letting you down. You catch your reflection and wonder what the hell happened to your waistline, your energy, your motivation (and maybe all of them at once). And what’s with the hot flushes, brain fog, anxiety, random rage or the bloating that seems to have moved in permanently? Anywhichway, you just don’t feel like you anymore.

You’ve built a life that works - career, family, the whole juggle - and yet suddenly your body’s breaking all the rules. You tell yourself you should be able to fix it on your own, but honestly? Most women can’t. Because this isn’t about willpower.

Because this isn’t about willpower. It’s about hormones, habits, and finding a way of eating and living that actually supports this stage of life.

That’s where I come in. As an experienced nutritionist who specialises in all stages of menopause, I help you navigate these choppy waters with science-backed strategies and sustainable habits that work in real life so you can feel energised, confident and consistent again (and yes, get your glow back too).

Feel better in your body again - with steady energy and fewer symptoms.
Work with a menopause nutritionist who helps midlife women thrive.

WORK WITH ME

Hi, I'm Ailsa

I’m on a mission to help midlife women get the health they deserve and a life they love.

Menopause Nutritionist & Nutrigenomics Practitioner for all midlife women

I’m an award-winning Registered Nutritionist & Nutrigenomics Expert with over 10 years clinical experience working in women’s health. I’m also the author of the new book Everything they told you about menopause weight loss is wrong - a nutrition and lifestyle guide to help you fix your midlife metabolism.

Based in Chelmsford, Essex, I work with women across the UK and online who want to feel more like themselves again. Lighter. Calmer. Energised. Back in control. Whether you’re dealing with stubborn weight gain, bloating, hot flushes, poor sleep or that nagging sense your body isn’t playing fair anymore, I’ll help you understand what’s really going on and what to do about it.

My approach is practical, empathetic and rooted in real life - no restriction, no overwhelm, just evidence-based strategies that fit around your world. Because this season of life doesn’t have to feel like survival mode. With the right support, you can feel well, confident and at home in your body again.

What if you really could

lose weight EVEN WHEN you're in perimenopause without fad diets or deprivation?

A decade ago, you could shift half a stone in 10 days if you really put your mind to it. Those those old tricks don't work even when you give it a few months. Am I right? I'm lifting the lid on he exact framework I use with clients to help you reach your happy weight, and regaining your energy and confidence without eating weird food or descending into a life of misery. But... you do need to do things a bit differently, and I'm lifting the lid on exactly what that looks like.

GET INSTANT ACCESS

Start feeling fabulous today

DISCOVER

Consultations

I offer one-to-one support through a 60-minute Midlife Audit or my signature 12-week Midlife Method programme.

DISCOVER

Online Courses

Why wait? Stop trying to work it out for yourself. Start now with an online course designed for all perimenopausal/ menopausal women.

DISCOVER

Workplace Wellness

Inspirational webinars and workshops (on all nutrition and lifestyle topics), drop-in clinics and other events to keep your team healthy.

Buy the Amazon #1 book

Everything they told you about menopause weight loss is wrong

From peri to post, every woman with menopause symptoms, low energy, low mood needs to read this - not just those who want to lose weight. Grab your copy today!

BUY THE BOOK

Everything they told you about menopause weight loss is wrong book

All your biggest perimenopause/ menopause questions answered in one place

From menopause symptoms, to diagnosis, diet, weight gain and bloating, get the lowdown on how to handle your health so you can thrive

Ailsa Hichens

2026 Wellness trends every woman in menopause should know about

The internet has already started whispering, “New Year, New You”. Except… if you’re in midlife or menopause, you probably don’t want a new you. You just want a healthier, steadier, more energised version of the real you. One who sleeps better. Thinks clearer. Is less reactive. And maybe doesn’t feel like she’s carrying the combined emotional load of three households. So instead of shouting at you about resolutions, I want to talk about something much more useful: the wellness

Ailsa Hichens

Menopause sugar cravings: how to survive Halloween without the crash

Some years I’m all in on Halloween.Black outfit, cat ears, £100 worth of seasonal cushions, knitted pumpkins and outdoor deco shenanigans. Oh and the pumpkins. So many pumpkins. All carved and looking jaunty outside the house (until they rot or get eaten by slugs). Other years I cannot be arsed.Do not let anyone know we care. Lights off, curtains drawn, “nobody’s home” energy. Because what’s the point of buying bags of sweets only to: Run out in the first hour and apologis

Ailsa Hichens

Notes from Midlife: menopause nutrition & lifestyle inso

@foodfabulousnutrition

You can keep tweaking.

More supplements.
Different workouts.
Another plan.
Less wine.
More steps.
Less carbs.
More protein.

And none of those things are wrong.

But when you only fix symptom by symptom, you end up with a never-ending to-do list.

Hot flushes.
Sleep.
Weight.
Mood.
Energy.

It becomes a full-time job.

The real cost is not the belly fat.

It’s the mental load.

It’s the quiet frustration of thinking, “Why does this feel so hard now?”

Menopause is a huge hormonal transition. Your body is adapting. If you treat each symptom in isolation, you never deal with the root shifts underneath it all - insulin sensitivity, stress load, muscle loss, sleep disruption, nervous system strain.

When you work on the foundations instead, everything starts to move together.

Less chaos.
More clarity.
More confidence.

Reply READY if you’re done firefighting and ready to actually reset the foundations.

#menopausewellness #menopausesymptoms #menopausesolutions

Menopause isn’t a collection of broken symptoms to fix one at a time. It’s a whole-life nudge. Sometimes a shove.
Yes, HRT can help. Yes, food might need to change. Yes, movement and stress matter.
But when you try to fix everything in isolation, the list never ends. There’s always another thing to optimise. Another rule to follow. Another symptom to chase.
My approach looks at you as a whole human. Your body. Your life. Your capacity. Your goals.
That’s where things actually shift.
Reply FIX if you want to see how I do it.

#menopauseweightloss #menopausesupport #midlifewomen

Midlife weight gain. Low energy. Broken sleep. You’re doing all the right things… and getting nowhere.
Eat less. Move more. Be more disciplined.
Cool cool cool. And yet here you are. Still tired. Still frustrated. Still wondering what the hell changed.
This is exactly why I created The Midlife Method.
Because perimenopause and menopause are not a minor software update.
They’re a full system reboot.
And using 30-year-old rules on a midlife body just creates more stress. And stress loves to wreck your hormones.
The Midlife Method works differently.
• It helps you understand what YOUR body actually needs now
• It stops the stress-on-stress cycle that keeps weight stuck
• It often involves eating more, not less (yes, really)
• It supports hormones, metabolism, sleep and energy together
• It replaces white-knuckling with clarity and confidence
This is how women go from
“Why is nothing working anymore?”
to
“Oh. THIS is how my body works now.”
Better sleep. More energy. Weight shifting without obsession.
And finally feeling like yourself again.
If eat less, move more was going to work for you, it would have done by now.
There is a better way for midlife bodies.
And it’s the work I do every day.
Want the details?
Comment FIX and I’ll send everything straight to your inbox.

You thought PMS was bad?

Welcome to perimenopause — where the mood swings have sequels, your rage has a rhythm, and your hormones now have a mind of their own.

🔥 Crying because someone said “what’s for dinner?”
🔥 Yelling at your partner for breathing too loud
🔥 Wondering if you’re losing your mind — or just your progesterone

This isn’t just “a bad week.”

This is the extended cut — bloating, burnout, insomnia, and a libido that’s gone completely AWOL.

No one warned you. But that’s changing now.

🧠 Save this for your next hormonal apocalypse
📤 Tag the woman who thinks her PMS is evolving (it is)
👣 Follow @foodfabulousnutrition for no-fluff perimenopause support that actually makes sense

#perimenopause #menopausesupport #midlifewomen

Perimenopause is work. You just didn’t apply for the job.

Perimenopause is a full-time job.
You’re just doing it unpaid — without training, without benefits, and without a lunch break.

Let’s recap your new roles:

👩‍💼 Symptom tracker
🧠 Hormone researcher
🧘‍♀️ Rage regulator
🧑‍🍳 Nutrition detective
💊 Supplement coordinator
🛏 Sleep negotiator
…and somehow still Head of Literally Everything Else

And what do you get in return?
Mood swings, night sweats, cravings, exhaustion — and a culture that keeps telling you to “just manage your stress.”

Right. Cool.

🧠 Save this if you’re doing all of it and still wondering why you feel wrecked
📤 Send this to the woman carrying the invisible workload plus the hormones
👣 Follow @foodfabulousnutrition for perimenopause support that gets what you’re really dealing with

#perimenopause #mentalload #hormoneoverload

Eat less. Move more.
I call bullsh1t You’ve done it. Properly. Repeatedly. Religiously.
If that advice actually worked in your menopause era, you wouldn’t still be here Googling why your jeans hate you. And neither would millions of other smart women having the same argument with themselves every single day.

Here’s the bit that rarely gets said out loud.
Movement is good for you. Calories do matter. (You don’t want to overeat. You definitely don’t want to under-eat.)

BUT…
But in perimenopause and menopause, that advice on its own is wildly incomplete.
Because when hormones shift, your metabolism changes how it responds to food, stress, sleep and exercise. Blood sugar becomes twitchy, cortisol gets louder, recovery gets slower. And doing more while eating less often backfires spectacularly.

The result is, you end up tired, hungry, inflamed and blaming yourself for something that is not a motivation problem.
The question isn’t why can’t you stick to eat less move more. It’s what would happen if you tried something different…

1 Fuel properly. 2 Build meals that steady blood sugar. 3 Move in ways that support your hormones instead of punishing them. And that you love so you can stay consistent
4 Eat enough so your body feels safe again.

That’s when weight, energy and mood start to shift. Not because you tried harder. But because you finally changed the strategy.

If eat less move more was the answer, this conversation would be over by now.

What would it take for you to give this a go?

Oh, btw, I wrote a free guide for you about perimenopause weight loss. Want me to send it over? Comment 40 and it’s yours.

You’re not fine.
You’re filtered.

✨ Caffeine for energy
✨ SPF for damage control
✨ Vibes for public consumption

Meanwhile your brain’s buffering, your patience is evaporating, and your body’s writing complaint emails in cortisol.

But sure, let’s “have it all.”

Midlife isn’t the problem.
Bullsh*t advice is.

🧠 Save this if you’re doing the most + feeling the worst
📤 Send to the friend who’s spiralling under the highlight reel
👣 Follow @foodfabulousnutrition for no-BS midlife support that gets it

#midlifewomen #perimenopausehelp #maskingfatigue #hormonechaos

Most women who come to me have already tried everything.

Intermittent fasting. Keto. Clean eating. ALL THE THINGS.
And I see you - you’re giving it everything. But it’s still not working.

Here’s why: you’re adding stress on top of stress.

When you skip breakfast, your cortisol is already high (that’s normal for everyone in the morning). But midlife women don’t cope as well with stress on stress.

So what starts as “this is easy, I’ll keep in my calorie deficit” actually backfires. More stress. More cortisol. A hormonal situation that goes directly AGAINST weight loss.

And then you’re eating way more later in the day anyway. The body keeps the score.

The keto, the clean eating - it’s not sustainable long term. Which keeps you trapped in this cycle of being “good” then “falling off the wagon.”

When we stopped adding stress to stress and started working WITH your body instead of against it? Everything shifted.

After all, your body was already telling you it was time to do something different.

If you’ve been looping in the same pattern, there’s a better way.

I talk about it in my free guide - what DOES work (and what to avoid) if you want to lose weight from perimenopause onwards.

Comment 40 and I’ll send it straight to you.

#Perimenopause #WeightLossOver40 #SustainableWeightLoss

From the outside, you’ve got it together.
Inside? You’re one passive-aggressive email away from full detonation.

Midlife isn’t a breakdown.
It’s holding it together with under-eye concealer, caffeine and three alarms for the same task.

But hey — you look good, right?

This isn’t about willpower.
It’s about biology. And no one gave you the manual.

🧠 Save this for when you’re about to snap over nothing
📤 Share with the woman holding her whole life together on fumes
👣 Follow @foodfabulousnutrition for smart hormone support without the fluff

#perimenopause #midlifewomen #burnoutdisguised #hormonehavoc #midlifecoach

Feeling lazy? Unmotivated? Like your body’s glitching and no one warned you?

This isn’t your fault — and it’s not in your head either.

👉 Brain fog, zero libido, dry skin, ragey mood swings, jeans that won’t zip, and a sex drive that ghosted you?

Welcome to the unspoken chaos of midlife hormones.

Most women think they’re just “not trying hard enough.”
Truth is: your biology changed. And no one gave you the memo.

💡 If you’re tired of pushing through, blaming yourself, and Googling your symptoms at 3am — you’re not alone.

Midlife is a full-time job. Let’s stop pretending it’s not.

🔖 Save this for the next time you think you’re “just being lazy”
📤 Send to the woman in your life who needs to hear this
👣 Follow @yourhandle for more no-BS midlife truths that actually make sense

#perimenopause #midlifewomen #menopauseweightgain

Evening cravings in midlife aren’t a lack of discipline. They’re a delayed reaction.

In perimenopause and menopause, your hormones don’t buffer stress and under-fuelled days the way they used to. Science fact and lived experience for many.
 So skipping breakfast. Eating “light” at lunch. Living on coffee and good intentions.
It all comes back to bite you at night.
Cue the snack spiral. Cue the “why am I like this?” chat in your head. Cue eating things you didn’t even want.

The solution doesn’t necessarily include eating less. It’s about eating earlier and eating properly.

When you build meals around protein, carbs, and blood sugar stability earlier in the day, evenings get quieter. Food noise drops. Sleep improves. And you stop feeling like your body has been hijacked.

Important things to know:
Midlife needs a different strategy. Meals designed for the hormonal earthquake that is menopause, not your 30-year-old body.

If this landed, follow for food and lifestyle that actually work in midlife.
 And if evening cravings are running the show, reply HELP and I’ll send you next steps.

“I’ve never been so heavy and it’s really depressing despite exercising at least an hour a day.”

This is what Lauren told me when we first spoke.

Years of restriction. Years of cardio. Years of doing everything she thought she was supposed to do.

And her body? Wasn’t having any of it.

Fast forward 8 weeks, and she’s lost 8 pounds while eating MORE, moving LESS, and actually enjoying her food again.

“I’m consciously eating more. It’s really enlightening! It’s blowing my mind.”

Here’s the thing: your body in perimenopause and menopause doesn’t respond to the same old ‘eat less, move more’ advice. It needs something different. Something smarter. Something personalised.

That’s exactly what The Midlife Method does.

If you’re exhausted from trying everything and seeing nothing change, let’s talk.

👉 Comment FIX for the details or to book a complimentary coaching call.

#MenopauseWeightLoss #PerimenopauseSupport #MidlifeWomen

Midlife or demonic possession?
Hard to say.

Is this midlife… or a slow, itchy possession?

Because honestly:
🔹 You’re overheating like a broken laptop
🔹 You can’t remember what you walked into the room for
🔹 Your skin’s dry, your fuse is shorter than ever, and your sex drive’s filed a missing persons report

And now your knees make that weird crunchy noise too?

Midlife isn’t a vibe.
It’s a hormonal haunting.

🧠 Save this for your next “WTF is happening to my body” moment
📤 Share with the woman who’s Googled “perimenopause or cursed?”
👣 Follow @foodfabulousnutrition for smart, funny, actually useful perimenopause support

#perimenopause #midlifewomen #hormonesarewild

Former glowing goddess. Current creaky nap goblin.

You used to glow.
Now you creak.
And flake.
And need naps at inappropriate times.

✨ Your skin’s dry
✨ Your knees are loud
✨ Your energy is MIA
✨ And your vibe? Somewhere between “hot mess” and “can’t be arsed”

Welcome to perimenopause, where the beauty industry tells you to exfoliate…
and your body tells you to lie down with a snack and a grudge.

🧠 Save this for your next 3pm crash
📤 Tag your fellow creaky queens
👣 Follow @foodfabulousnutrition for perimenopause support that’s actually built for you

#perimenopause #midlifewomen #glowdowngirl

This isn’t falling apart.
This is masking — with caffeine, SPF and vibes.

Because midlife doesn’t look like crisis anymore.
It looks like flawless skin, productivity porn, and a 10-step skincare routine hiding a hormone meltdown.

👏 You’re still performing.
👏 You’re still showing up.
👏 You’re still getting sh*t done.

But behind the scenes?
Your sleep’s broken.
Your brain’s buffering.
And your fuse is paper-thin.

You don’t need more willpower.
You need a strategy that works with your biology — not against it.

🧠 Save this for the days you’re “fine”
📤 Share with the one whose highlighter is doing too much heavy lifting
👣 Follow @foodfabulousnutrition for smart, sanity-saving midlife support

#perimenopause #highfunctioninganxiety #midlifewomen

Your body can’t say “my oestrogen is dropping” or “my cortisol is through the roof”.
So it speaks in symptoms.

If you don’t understand the language, you keep treating the wrong problem.
Here’s the translation guide most women never get.

Belly fat that won’t budge 🔒
Lower oestrogen increases insulin resistance, meaning food is more likely to be stored as fat, especially around your middle. Add chronic stress, poor sleep or skipped meals and your body shifts into protection mode.
Translation: this isn’t willpower. It’s hormones, blood sugar and stress.

Rage and mood swings 😤 Progesterone has a calming effect. When it drops, stress hits harder. Layer in blood sugar crashes from under-eating and irritability ramps up fast.
Translation: your nervous system is under-fuelled.

Insomnia and 3am wake-ups 🌙 Low progesterone plus night-time blood sugar dips trigger cortisol release, which jolts you awake.
Translation: your sleep issues aren’t random.

Brain fog and memory slips 🧠 Oestrogen supports focus and memory. When it declines, clarity goes with it. Inflammation, blood sugar swings and low key nutrients make it worse.
Translation: your brain needs different support now.

Hot flushes and night sweats 🥵 Oestrogen helps regulate your temperature control system. Fluctuations, blood sugar crashes, caffeine and alcohol all add fuel.
Translation: these are signals you can influence.

Weight gain despite eating less 📉 Undereating raises cortisol and accelerates muscle loss. Less muscle means a slower metabolism and easier fat storage.
Translation: eating less is often the problem.

What your body is asking for:

✅ Protein-rich meals
✅ Stable blood sugar
✅ Strength training
✅ Sleep ✅ Lower stress ✅ Enough food to support your metabolism

Menopause isn’t the issue. Not understanding the signals is.
Save this if it clicked. Follow for more menopause symptom translations and what actually helps.
Which symptom do you want translated next?

 #menopausesymptoms #midlifemetabolism #menopausesupport

You’re not lazy. Your hormones are out here staging a full-blown coup.

But hey — keep pretending everything’s fine, right?

🔥 Brain fog
🔥 No libido
🔥 Weight gain for no reason
🔥 Dry skin and disappearing sleep?

This isn’t a lack of effort. It’s a midlife bio-plot twist no one prepared you for.

And I’m done watching women blame themselves for not “holding it together.”

🧠 Save this for your next 3am Google spiral
📤 Share with the woman who needs to hear this
👣 Follow @foodfabulousnutrition for hormone truths that actually help

#perimenopause #menopauseweightgain #hormonesupport

The truth is… your hormones changed the game.
You’re just still playing by the old rules.

💥 If you’re exhausted, snappy, sexless and slathering on night cream wondering why nothing’s working…

It’s not because you “let yourself go.”
It’s because midlife is a hormonal minefield — and no one told you where to step.

🧠 Save this. You’ll need it.
📤 Share it with the one who thinks she’s “just tired.”
👣 Follow @foodfabulousnutrition for smart, BS-free midlife support

#hormonebalance #midlifewomen #perimenopausehelp

Menopause doesn’t mean giving up on energy, jeans that fit, or feeling like yourself. But it does mean the old rules don’t work anymore - and that’s actually okay. These 20 silly little rules aren’t about perfection or restriction. They’re about what actually works when your hormones have other plans. Blood sugar balance, consistent protein, sleep that’s non-negotiable, and giving yourself permission to stop punishing your body for doing something completely natural.

Save this for when you need it.
Who else needs to know this?

If you’re tired of fighting your body and ready to work with it instead, save this for later. And if you want my full framework, comment THRIVE below and I’ll send you my free guide: 7 Secrets to a Happy, Healthy Menopause.

#MenopauseNutrition #MidlifeEnergy #HormoneBalance

Capacity shrinks before collapse.

Many women first experience this as IDFLM.
They don’t feel like themselves anymore.

Menopause reduces your buffer.
Stress lands harder.
Recovery takes longer.

Nothing is wrong with you.
The system has changed.

One thing you can do today
Do less.

Not better.
Just less.

Midlife rewards restraint, not hustle.

Share this with a woman who needs permission to slow down.

#midlifewomen #menopauseweightloss #menopausesupport

Caffeine often replaces real energy support.

Many women notice they don’t feel like themselves long before they notice dependence.

That IDFLM phase often masks underlying fatigue.

In perimenopause, caffeine can worsen anxiety and sleep, even if it helps short term.

One thing you can do today
Stop caffeine after midday.

Sleep quality becomes non-negotiable in menopause.

Follow @foodfabulousnutrition for menopause sleep and energy support and share this.

#menopausesupport #menopauseweightloss #midlifemetabolism

She usually starts by saying the same thing.

“I just don’t feel like myself anymore.”

That IDFLM stage often comes before exhaustion is fully recognised.

Most women are under-fuelled, over-stimulated and pushing through.

Energy isn’t fixed with caffeine.
It’s built through support.

One thing you can do today
Eat more during the day, not late at night.

Daytime fuel supports hormones and sleep in menopause.

Follow @foodfabulousnutrition for menopause energy strategies and share this.

#menopauseweightloss #menopauseempowerment nergy

If you’re constantly grazing, thinking about your next snack, or feeling unsatisfied after meals, your plate is missing the magic trio that keeps midlife women full and fuelled.

Here’s what actually works:

🍽️ Protein first – 25-35g per meal to stabilise blood sugar and boost satiety hormones (think eggs, Greek yoghurt, chicken, fish, tofu)

🥑 Healthy fats – olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds to slow digestion and keep you satisfied longer

🥦 Fibre-rich veg – fills your plate, fills your belly, feeds your gut, and keeps blood sugar steady

When these three work together, your hunger hormones finally get the memo. No more prowling the kitchen 90 minutes after eating.

The bonus? When you’re actually satisfied, the snack obsession fades. Your brain stops planning your next meal whilst you’re still eating this one.

This is how you eat in perimenopause and menopause without restriction, without hunger, and without the constant food noise.

Want my exact formula for building balanced plates that keep you full? Comment START and I’ll send you my step-by-step weight loss roadmap 👇

#menopauseweightloss #balancedmeals #midlifewomen

Not because they’re careless.
Because they keep following rules that used to work.

Many women say they feel unlike themselves first.
Doctors even recognise this as IDFLM.

That’s often when women start tightening control.
Eating less.
Doing more.
Sleeping less.

In menopause, that approach backfires.

One thing you can do today
Stop skipping meals to be “good”.

Fuel lowers stress hormones.
Restriction raises them.

Midlife needs a new rulebook.

Follow @foodfabulousnutrition and share this with someone stuck doing what used to work.

#perimenopausehealth #perimenopausesupport #idflm

Before weight changes, many women say the same thing.

“I don’t feel like myself.”

That IDFLM feeling often shows up first in perimenopause.
Your body feels unfamiliar long before the scales change.

Midlife weight gain usually follows a predictable pattern.
Loss of muscle.
Higher stress hormones.
Poor sleep.
Blood sugar instability.

None of this is random.

One thing you can do today
Add strength training twice a week.

Muscle improves insulin sensitivity and metabolic health in menopause more than cutting calories ever will.

This isn’t about eating less.
It’s about supporting a changing body.

Follow @foodfabulousnutrition and share this with someone confused by midlife weight changes.

One of the earliest signs of menopause isn’t a hot flush.

Many women notice something else first.
They just don’t feel like themselves.

Doctors even have an acronym for it.
IDFLM.
I don’t feel like myself.

In perimenopause, hormonal shifts affect how your body handles stress, blood sugar and recovery.
So fatigue builds quietly, even when nothing obvious has changed.

This isn’t ageing.
It’s physiology.

One thing you can do today
Eat regularly.
Long gaps between meals increase cortisol and worsen fatigue in midlife.

Energy doesn’t disappear randomly in menopause.
It becomes harder to access.

Follow @foodfabulousnutrition for realistic menopause energy support and share this with someone who’s exhausted.

Skipping meals.
Late nights.
Constant busyness.

They worked before - like a decade ago. They don’t now, and now is your era of giving yourself permission to listen to what your body is saying.

Perimenopause brings many ‘gifts’ and one of them is that experience of ‘I don’t feel like myself’ (without necessarily being able to put your finger on what’s wrong).

Many women notice IDFLM first - before the beginning g menopause symptoms everyone talks about like hot flushes and night sweats.
The sense of disconnection from their own body.

That’s the cue to change your approach.

One thing you can do today:
Eat before you’re starving.

Extreme hunger stresses the system in menopause.

Just that for now can make a big difference.

Follow @foodfabulousnutrition if you’re seeing this and I’m not regularly in your feed, and share this with someone running on empty.

#menopauseweightloss #midlifewomen #menopausenutritionist

That “off” feeling so many women describe has a name.

IDFLM.
I don’t feel like myself.

It’s often one of the first signs of perimenopause.
Before hot flushes.
Before sleep issues.
Before weight changes.

Hormonal shifts affect brain chemistry, mood and resilience.

One thing you can do today
Eat omega-3 rich foods.

They support mood and inflammation during menopause.

You’re not losing yourself.
Your body is changing how it functions.

Follow @foodfabulousnutrition and share this with a woman who can’t quite explain what feels wrong.

#menopauseweightloss #menopausesupport #midlifewomen

Perfection creates stress.
Stress blocks results.

One thing to try this week
Eat the same breakfast most days.

Why it works
Hormones love rhythm.
Less decision fatigue. More stable energy.

Follow for calm, repeatable menopause habits.
Share with someone overcomplicating everything.

#menopauseweightloss #menopausenutritionist #menopausesymptoms

Eating less raises cortisol in midlife.
Cortisol tells your body to hold onto fat and burn you out.

One thing to try today
Eat breakfast within an hour of waking.
Protein included.

Why it works
Morning fuel stabilises cortisol and sets the tone for the whole day.

Follow for midlife metabolism truth.
Share with the chronic breakfast skipper.
#menopauseweightloss #menopausenutrition

Less food. More cardio.
Worked once. Backfires now.

That approach pushes stress hormones up and metabolic flexibility down.

One thing to try today
Add strength work twice a week.
Then fuel it properly.

Why it works
Muscle improves insulin sensitivity and keeps metabolism responsive in midlife.

Follow for smart menopause strategy.
Share if cardio-only is no longer cutting it.
5. I’m a menopause nutritionist and “the midlife switch” often shows up at night.

The 3am wake-up.
Heart racing. Brain spiralling.

That’s often blood sugar crashing, not anxiety appearing out of nowhere.

One thing to try tonight
Add a protein-rich evening snack.

Why it works
Stable overnight glucose means fewer cortisol spikes and deeper sleep.

Follow for menopause sleep and energy support.
Share with someone staring at the ceiling.

Menopause rewrites the rules without telling you.
Rude.

The answer isn’t trying harder.
It’s trying differently.

One thing to try today
Eat within an hour of waking.
Protein included.

Why it helps
Morning fuel sets the tone for blood sugar, cortisol and energy all day.

Follow for menopause-aware nutrition.
Share this with someone who needs the reminder.

When women start feeling off in midlife, the instinct is to do more.

More exercise.
More restriction.
More pushing through.

But many women notice they don’t feel like themselves first.
That IDFLM phase is your early warning.

Perimenopause lowers stress tolerance.
So pushing harder raises cortisol and drains energy faster.

One thing you can do today
Schedule recovery like it matters.

Because in menopause, it does.

Rest isn’t laziness.
It’s hormone support.

Follow @foodfabulousnutrition for midlife advice that works with your body and share this.

#menopauseweightloss #menopausenutritionist #midlifemetabolism

Women come in saying
“I haven’t changed anything… but my body has.”

That switch is often blood sugar tolerance dropping as oestrogen falls.
Food you once handled easily now hits harder.

One thing to try today
Build lunch like this
Protein the size of your palm.
Two colours of veg.
Carbs last.

Why it works
This order steadies blood sugar and reduces the afternoon slump and snack hunt.

Follow for practical midlife fixes.
Send this to your lunch-skipping mate.

#menopausesupport #menopauseweightloss #menopausenutritionist

The body changes.
But the habits don’t.

Many women first notice IDFLM.
They don’t feel like themselves, even though they’re doing everything “right”.

Hormonal shifts change how your body responds to stress, food and exercise.

What once worked can now drain you.

One thing you can do today
Simplify.

Regular meals.
Earlier nights.
Less intensity.

In menopause, basics beat optimisation.

Follow @foodfabulousnutrition and share this with someone frustrated by midlife changes.

#menopauseweightloss #menopausesupport #midlifemetabolism

Tracking everything often raises stress.
Stress blocks results.
Fun times.

One thing to try today
Zoom out.
Ask “did I eat enough protein and fibre today?”

Why it helps
Less obsession. More regulation.
Your body responds better to calm consistency.

Follow for food freedom with structure.
Share with the serial tracker.

This phase demands a smarter approach.
Not a harsher one.

Muscle becomes non-negotiable.
Protein becomes essential.
Recovery becomes sacred.

One thing to try today
Add protein after strength training.
Not just coffee and vibes.

Why it helps
Protein supports muscle, metabolism and blood sugar.
All three matter more now.

Follow for strong, steady midlife energy.
Share if you’re done shrinking yourself.
#menopauseweightloss #menopausesupport #midlifewomen

Cravings aren’t a personality flaw. They’re chemistry.

As oestrogen drops, your stress response shifts. Cortisol hits harder, blood sugar becomes less forgiving, and the old “just eat less and be good” approach starts to backfire. What used to feel manageable suddenly feels exhausting.

That afternoon snack hunt, the evening loss of control, the wired-but-tired nights… none of it means you’re failing. It means your physiology has changed.

One thing to try today is eating enough at lunch. Not a token salad or something you’ll “make up for later”, but a proper meal with protein, fibre and fat that actually satisfies you.

This matters because under-eating earlier in the day drives evening cravings and messes with sleep. Fuel yourself well when your body needs it, and a lot of the chaos later on starts to settle.

This is what eating with your hormones looks like in midlife.

If this landed, follow me if you’re not already. And share it with someone who’s still blaming herself.

Yes, things change quickly.
No, it doesn’t have to be complicated.

Consistency beats perfection in menopause.
Always.

One thing to try this week
Pick one habit.
Same breakfast. Same walk time. Same bedtime.

Why it helps
Your hormones love rhythm.
Predictability lowers stress and stabilises energy.

Follow for simple, repeatable menopause habits.
Share with someone who’s overcomplicating everything.

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Apply to work with me today

Want to reach your happy weight, rebalance your midlife hormones and get your energy back? We should talk. Book a 30-minute Zoom consultation where we’ll explore what’s not working in your health right now, how you want to feel, and what’s been getting in the way. You don’t need to have the answers. That’s my job.

I’m based in Chelmsford, Essex, and work with women online across the UK and beyond.

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Women deserve to thrive in their 40s and 50s. Work with an experienced menopause nutritionist to find your own magic formula (not someone else's)

Menopause Era

Your

Redefined

You have more power over how you feel in midlife than you realise.

Menopause isn’t happening to you. You get to shape it.

Feel better in your body again - with steady energy and fewer symptoms. Work with a menopause nutritionist who helps midlife women thrive.

Hi, I'm Ailsa

Menopause Nutritionist & Nutrigenomics Practitioner for all midlife women

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Feel better in your body again - with steady energy and fewer symptoms.
Work with a menopause nutritionist who helps midlife women thrive.