All about energy levels.

Emma Powell, 44, lives in Stockbridge with her husband and three children. She's a successful entrepreneur and owns her own e-commerce agency, Rebel 360.

"I'm perimenopausal and lacking in energy. I've stopped exercising, I'm working hard and I'm not looking after myself. I'm too busy looking after everybody else!" - Emma

Gabriela: Tell me, what’s the first thing you eat when you wake up?

Emma: I can’t stomach breakfast – just a flat white coffee with semi-skimmed milk. I might have a piece of toast with butter at 11 am, and I won’t eat lunch. Around 3 pm or 4 pm, I often have something sugary, such as a biscuit – a custard cream – or some crackers and cheese if I’m really dropping.

Gabriela: I didn’t know custard creams still exist! How many do you have?

Emma: I’d like to say I stop at one, but on average I have three or four! It’s not great.

Gabriela: Can I just clarify, between the toast and this snack, you have nothing? Do you have coffee?

Emma: Yes, another three coffees, though I don’t drink it after 3 pm.

Gabriela: What time do you have your next meal?

Emma: Around 8 pm. We might have a tuna niçoise salad, spaghetti bolognese, chicken breast with new potatoes and vegetables, or risotto. I have a handful of rocket with every evening meal.

Gabriela: What sort of vegetables might you have?

Emma: Mostly salad, though I love sprouts. After that, I might have an orange or a natural yoghurt at around 9 pm. If there’s chocolate in the house, we sometimes have it in the evening.

Gabriela: Describe your energy levels throughout the day. Do you wake up with low energy, or are you fine in the morning and dip after lunch or mid-afternoon?

"In the morning, if you don’t feel you want to sit down and have a proper breakfast, that’s fine – but you need to have something" - Gabriela

Emma: I roll out of bed and have a coffee, and my energy levels are fine. They dip in the afternoon and the evening. I used to run or go to the gym in the evening, but now I put on my PJs and feel tired.

Gabriela: How is your sleep? Do you have an undisturbed night?

Emma: I sleep pretty well. I go to bed around 11.30 pm and fall asleep as my head hits the pillow. Then I wake up at about 7.30 am. I’m firmly perimenopausal, so I’ve had a couple of really weird occasions when I’ve woken in the middle of the night with night sweats.

Gabriela: Have you had your hormone levels measured or monitored by a doctor?

Emma: Yes. They crash down to the floor and then go through the ceiling! I’m keen to even them out.

Gabriela: Do you have any other perimenopause symptoms?

Emma: Some mood swings and there are conversations I’ve apparently had that I don’t remember. I’m not sure whether that’s a symptom or if I’m just ignoring my husband and children!

Gabriela: You said you’re doing no exercise at the moment? How long has that been?

Emma: About 12 months. I walk the dogs, and sometimes I put on a wet suit and pretend I’m going surfing, but I don’t go to the gym and take classes. I used to be regimented, but now I just can’t be bothered and I’m too tired.

Gabriela: How are your stress levels from one to ten?

Emma: Three or four, but only because nobody picks their dirty clothes off the floor, cleans the bathroom or runs the hoover around!

Gabriela’s Recommendation

Your energy levels are extremely imbalanced. And you shouldn’t be this tired, but it’s because of what you’re eating. You need a steady supply of energy during the day. Without it your body can’t function.

I recommend that you take Gold, which comprises both the Gold Essential Trio (GP Gold multivitamin, turmeric and omega oil capsules) and the Gold Super Blend. You aren’t getting enough nutrients and you need supplements to help balance your hormones.

You’re drinking coffee on an empty stomach, so your liver is releasing stored sugar into the bloodstream, and you have a spike in your blood sugar levels. You then have massive gaps between your meals – you need to eat every three or four hours, and have protein with every meal.

In the morning, if you don’t feel you want to sit down and have a proper breakfast, that’s fine. But you need to have something, preferably some protein with your first coffee. A high-quality protein shake would be ideal, as it contains a combination of protein and carbs.

It would be good to start having breakfast at around 11 am – muesli, eggs or yoghurt. Have lunch between 2.30 pm and 4 pm; perhaps vegetable soup with some protein or rye bread heaped with toppings such as eggs, cold meats and cheese.

Your main meal is pretty well balanced, but I’d like to increase your vegetables. If you feel like a snack, have vegetable sticks, which are fantastic with hummus, cheese or cottage cheese.