My menopause MAKEOVER

After decades of hormone-related weight battles, Claire Robinson, 58, finally cracked the code to lasting health

- ELAINE HAYWARD

My weight has always been ruled by my hormones. Every major change in my body – from puberty, to pregnancy to menopause – brought on extra pounds that became harder to shift no matter how hard I tried.

After first piling on weight in my early teens, I joined a slimming club at 17 and lost 4st. I felt great and kept the weight off until I started having children in my late 20s. Then the yo-yoing began. I'd gain and lose around 3-4st with each of my three pregnancies – Sarah in 1994, Ryan in 1997 and Liam in 2001. It was like déjà vu each time and after that, I hovered between a size 14-16.

When Liam was four, I separated from their dad and brought the children up on my own. Between motherhood and running my home-help franchise, I was constantly on the go, but I ate reasonably well and swam regularly.

I've never had a sweet tooth, but by my mid 40s, I'd slipped into the habit of 'rewarding' myself with a glass of wine or two most evenings after work. Then came the menopause at age 55 and over two years, I gained 3st and my clothes size jumped to an 18-20. I tried going back to my old methods of losing weight, but this time the scales refused to budge.

Then in March 2023, I caught the train to Exeter for a business meeting and as I climbed the stairs at the station, I suddenly felt out of breath with a sharp pain in my shoulder. I had to stop halfway up to get my breath back and the moment gave me a fright. When I got home to Plymouth, I phoned my GP and at my appointment a few days later, a test revealed my blood pressure was high and I was prescribed medication.

That was my turning point. I thought, 'I don't want to be heading into my late 50s like this.' I wanted to live my best life, to feel strong, and healthy again.