A woman in her fifties who is often mistaken for being in her late thirties says she has never looked and felt better after going through the menopause.
Tracie Huckerby, 54, wanted to focus on her health after experiencing menopause symptoms that made her feel 'lousy'.
Determined not to 'look and feel frumpy', she changed her diet and upped her exercise regime, and now believes she has 'improved with age'.
For the first time, the mum-of-one now feels confident to wear crop tops on holiday and encourages other middle-aged women to 'not let hormones defeat you'.
Tracie, who says people think she looks 15 years younger, started to feel unwell amid the coronavirus lockdowns when her menopause symptoms worsened.
The mental health nurse, from Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, suffered from headaches regularly and would wake up in the middle of the night dripping with sweat.
She often had a bloated stomach and despite training regularly in the gym, struggled for years to lose a few pounds which she'd hoped for, saying it was "impossible."
Her GP had previously said she was experiencing migraines but after watching Davina McCall's documentary - Sex, Myths and the Menopause - she felt inspired and asked to have blood tests to receive HRT - hormone replacement therapy.
"I never had an issue with being given HRT," Tracie tells the Mirror.
"I started with the patches and there were subtle changes - the night sweats and headaches disappeared.
"But one thing that didn't change was the bloatedness and battling with my weight, I just didn't feel like myself."
Tracie picked up running in lockdown and has since been training for a marathon. She also tried out boxing.
After loving the sport, she signed up to complete a qualification to become a qualified fitness instructor, and now hosts classes to help women struggling with the menopause.
"At the end of the course when they asked us what we were going to do with the qualification, I said 'I'm going to help menopausal ladies,'" Tracie recalls.
"To help people like me to get rid of that stress and frustration, to support women in that group."
But still unhappy with how she looked in pictures from her holiday, Tracie got in touch with a nutritionist.
She'd been eating small meals such as eggs on toast and fish finger sandwiches, but the professional informed her about the importance of macronutrients - eating enough protein, carbs, and fats, and eating at regular intervals.
After being unable to shift 1lb, she lost 1.5 stone, and has now sustained her new weight - arguing it's a lifestyle change and not a quick fix.
"I was gobsmacked because for the last 10 years, I've not been able to shift a pound and I'd go weeks living off pouched eggs on toast thinking less is more but actually, eating the right amount of things and eating every two hours has helped with my weight loss and bloating completely.
"I feel amazing. Following the food plan combined with HRT has been my saving grace."
Tracie now feels more confident than ever, and when she was on holiday last summer, sported crop tops showing off her midriff for the first time and strolled along the beach in a bikini without feeling the need to cover up with a sarong.
"I've never been that body confident but to actually feel comfortable to expose a small amount of midriff is really strange," she says.
"I do feel much more confident in my fifties than in my thirties and forties.
"There's a term for menopausal ladies in Japan, something like 'the second spring,' and that is exactly how I feel. I feel so much better and feel the fittest than I've ever been."
She says she often gets comments about looking younger than she is, which makes her smile.
"Everybody thinks I'm in my late thirties, they do not think I'm 54," she states.
"I think it's down to my activity levels too, this week I've ran 36 miles.
"I'm more confident in the way I look and dress but I feel like I'm the fittest I've ever been too."
Tracie credits the menopause for forcing her to think more about her health and prioritise healthy choices, such as cutting back on alcohol.
She hopes she can inspire other women in their forties and fifties to seek support instead of seeing the menopause as a taboo subject.
"Why should we let menopause beat us?" Tracie asks.
"We go through spots, periods, we have babies, our body shapes change massively and then we have to go through bl**dy menopause, I just thought, I'm not going to give up or give in.
"A lot of ladies frustrate me with the menopause and moan about it, but there is something we can do. The help is out there. There are so many different people out there that could support you - why should we sit at home, feeling frumpy, and moody, why should we?"
Tracie adds: "Personally I think I've improved with age I started to work harder when menopause hit.
"There must be thousands of ladies out there who are embracing ‘the second spring’ in their lives and look hot hot hot."
Do people think you're younger than you really are? If you'd like to share your story, please get in touch at saffron.otter@reachplc.com
