The scene that Sally Lindsay describes—being late for work and standing in front of a closet full of clothes with nothing that fits—is one that most women over forty will recognize right away. She realized she needed to lose weight when she realized she couldn’t fit into her old clothes for an acting job. It sounds so normal that it’s almost embarrassing. Even though it wasn’t a big deal, that moment was the turning point in a quiet, years-long health journey that she’s only now started talking about in public.
The 53-year-old star thinks that hormones and the menopause made her gain weight. She decided to take better care of herself after the experience and has since said that she lost two stone. Two stones. Not exciting. Not a “before and after” picture for a tabloid. Not sudden changes, but changes that are safe and last.
The interesting thing about Sally’s story is how normal the method was and how much of it came down to her finally understanding what was going on in her body. She started getting itchy skin, getting very hot, and having terrible anxiety when she was about 48 years old.
She thought she would make people mad, which is not at all like her. It was very painful, and then all of a sudden she couldn’t remember anything or finish her sentences. Her own doctor, a male one, fired her. He told her she was too young and still had her period, so she couldn’t be going through perimenopause.
One can’t help but feel something when reading that—a mix of anger and a creepy sense of déjà vu. They tell women their bodies are fine even though it’s clear they’re not. However, her friend recommended that she see Dr. Naomi Potter, who specializes in menopause. She went to see a doctor and was told she was definitely perimenopausal. Dr. Potter called HRT to her house that night. For four years, Sally has been on HRT and says it’s been great. She said that the fog started to clear up after six weeks.
So, the weight loss wasn’t a separate event from going through menopause. The story was the same. Everything else became a little easier to do once her hormones were under control. Every day, Sally doesn’t eat until noon.
During the day, she only eats a little, and then she eats her big meal at dinner. Her husband did it first, and then she did it too. Now that both of them do it, it’s very simple. That detail, that she wasn’t on a health kick by herself but rather that she was making changes around the house because someone else was already doing them, is quietly convincing.
She takes her dog for walks all over London because she lives there. Not a trainer. Not an app. There is no transformation program. Just moving around during the course of a normal day. This is the kind of exercise that doesn’t require much willpower, just good shoes and a place to go. She won’t be going to the gym at all because, as she put it, she can’t think of anything worse—they stink, and people stare at you. It’s almost refreshing how unbothered she sounds when she says that.
After being asked how she lost weight, Sally told The Telegraph that she doesn’t eat before noon and that her HRT is the reason for it. Some women find that the estrogen in HRT can make them feel less hungry and lessen what is sometimes called “food noise.” This is the sound of cravings that makes it hard to stick to a routine. Some people think that HRT did a lot of the work for Sally before the intermittent fasting even had a chance to start to work.
She also pays attention to her supplements. In the morning, she takes a lot of vitamins. She says she’s on everything, including Benecol and collagen. There are a lot of women in their fifties who have quietly built up this kind of routine, partly through trial and error and partly through recommendations from friends who already knew some of it.
It’s interesting to see how Sally has changed while still being the same person when she works on projects like Number One Fan with Jill Halfpenny. She doesn’t look thin. It does matter that there is a difference. She says there would be a menopause doctor for every man if men went through the menopause. She sees her private menopause doctor every four months because she wants to make it through the menopause and keep her job, her marriage, and her kids from going crazy.
It’s likely the most honest thing anyone has said about menopause in a long time. Do not aim for. This is not inspiring. Just being useful and a little tired. It’s still not clear how long Sally’s perimenopause will last—she says she’s 53 and still going through it—but what she’s done to deal with it seems to be working for now. A show on Channel 5 called “Two Stone Lost” and an MBE given in June. That’s pretty good for someone who just wanted her clothes to fit right again.
FAQs
Q1: How much weight did Sally Lindsay lose?
Sally Lindsay lost approximately two stone, around 28 pounds.
Q2: How did Sally Lindsay lose weight?
Through intermittent fasting, daily walking, and HRT hormone treatment.
Q3: Does Sally Lindsay go to the gym?
No — she calls gyms smelly and says people stare.
Q4: What role did HRT play in Sally Lindsay’s weight loss?
HRT helped regulate her hormones and reduced her food cravings.
Q5: What triggered Sally Lindsay’s decision to lose weight?
She couldn’t fit into her clothes before an acting job.