Healthy Lifestyle Coaching: My Journey to Wellness

Menopause hit me without warning about five years ago. WHY didn’t somebody tell me what was coming? I had no idea all these changes would happen to my body—I truly thought I was losing my mind! Ladies, we need to do better. Warn your 40-something friends: the days of ‘throw caution to the wind, I’ll eat and drink what I want and stay healthy forever’ are NOT infinite, especially during menopause. 

It was humiliating to look in the mirror. My once-curvy figure had transformed into a rectangle, full around the belly, with a bloated face staring back at me. Inside my head, I didn’t have a single kind thought for myself. 

How could I let myself go? 

I told myself it was just aging. Happens to all of us, right? But honestly, my looks weren’t even the worst part. The real heartbreak was the fear of losing my business. 

I worked so hard to build my beloved dog grooming business from NOTHING. Saying I started on a shoestring budget would be bragging. But I did it. I built something I love. My clients—and their parents—mean the world to me. Dog-it-tude Grooming Studio LLC was named after my precious Yorkie, Spike. He was only 6 pounds but fierce. My protector. My heartbeat. I honored his spirit with the business name. 

Then, three years ago, in year eight of grooming, at age 53, I was 50 pounds overweight (obese), in chronic pain, and diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. And still, I kept eating the same way for two more years. 

My hands would swell so badly I couldn’t open them—let alone use them to work. My arms would go numb, but also ache deep inside. Sometimes I had to stand with my arms hanging loose just to get relief. It was miserable—especially at night when I’d try to sleep standing up with dangling arms. HA! Picture that! My husband watched with sympathy, helpless. 

Then came the prescriptions: steroids, water pills, anti-inflammatories, high blood pressure meds, vitamins for my nervous system, and something for constant heartburn. Seven prescriptions were keeping me functional. 

And still, I wanted one more. I wanted the magic shot—the quick weight-loss injection that would fix everything. But thank heaven, my insurance turned me down, and I couldn’t afford it out-of-pocket. 

Then came my breaking point. 

On September 11, 2024, my husband and I rode his motorcycle in the local 9/11 ride. It lasted about two hours. When we got home—me in jeans that didn’t fit, sweaty, swollen, and throbbing from inflammation—I could barely get off the bike. (Funny story about wedding cake the weekend before… remind me to share it sometime.) 

The next day, I still had to work. Full day of grooming. I loaded up on Tylenol and steroids and pushed through. 

But that was it. 

That was my rock bottom. 

Scrolling through Audible, I came across Breaking Up with Sugar by Molly Carmel. 

Shit, I thought. That’s what I’ve gotta do. Ugh!! 

And so I did. 

I broke up with sugar, flour, and processed foods. 

I did it alone. 

Guilty. 

Depressed. 

Ashamed. 

Humiliated. 

But I did it. And I will NEVER go back. 

Eliminated 5 prescriptions - now just 2. 

I found my “why,” and it had nothing to do with how I look. (Though let’s be real—I do like my “after” look.) 

I wrote a mantra: Food is medicine. When I’m tempted, I remember those three words. 

So now I ask you: Why will you do it? You know you have to, right? Yeah, you know. 

It sucks. But you don’t have to suffer alone. I’m with you. I know how you feel. I’ll help you. And you will get healthy. 

You’ll get your energy back. Your spunk. Your mental clarity. Your body. 

I promise—if I can do it, so can you. Together, we can explore healthy living and effective weight loss solutions that support us through menopause.