Elle Lipedema Fit

I made a commitment to myself to be the most authentic version of me that I could. Things I stopped doing along the way:

No longer people pleasing

No longer thinking everyone disliked me

No more instant reactions

No more shrinking myself to try to fit in

No more letting people use me

People look at this physical transformation that took me 12 months and go WOW but they do not see the true mental gymnastics it took to get there and how much I had to shift my mindset to make it happen.

A key interest of mine is the brain’s ability to adapt. in science we call this neuroplasticity.

It’s the nervous system’s capacity to change and rewire itself based on experience, environment, and repeated patterns over time. In chronic conditions, this becomes especially relevant because the brain isn’t just processing signals it’s actually actively shaping how those signals are interpreted.

Did you ever wonder how tools like breathwork, mindfulness, cognitive behavioural therapy worked? They help rewire your nervous system over time.

In conditions like Lipedema and other chronic condition’s this doesn’t replace medical or physical management, but it can support how the nervous system responds to pain, stress, and daily load.

The brain is always learning.. though the question remains; What is it learning to expect?

References:

Tracey, I. & Bushnell, M. C. (2009). How neuroimaging studies have challenged us to rethink: is chronic pain a disease of the brain? Journal of Pain.

Woolf, C. J. (2011). Central sensitization:implications for the diagnosis and treatment of pain. Pain.

Morley, S. et al. (2013). Cognitive behavioural therapy for chronic pain in adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

McEwen, B. S. (2007). Physiology and neurobiology of stress and adaptation. Physiological Reviews.

This Lipedema Awareness Month I am honoring some of the first women who were brave enough to talk about lipedema publicly when hardly anyone was listening all those years ago.

Back when the hashtags had only a few thousand shares, they showed up anyway. They shared their stories, their bodies, their struggles, and their experiences in a world that often dismissed, questioned, or misunderstood them.

They faced trolls, cruel comments, disbelief, and constant negativity, yet they kept speaking. They created community when there wasn’t one. They gave women language for symptoms they had been told were “just obesity” or “all in their head.” They helped many of us realise we weren’t alone.

Because of their courage, awareness grew. Because of their advocacy, more women found answers. Because they walked first, the rest of us have been able to run.

These women who helped build this community from the ground up. This is not an exhaustive list, and it isn’t ranked by importance—it’s simply the order in which I discovered them all those years ago.

The original community. The pioneers. The women who helped change lives.

Thank you for everything you have done and continue to do. So please.. if you don’t already give them a follow and show them some love 🤍💜

Tell me who helped you discover you had Lipedema?
positivevibes .lipediva

Carrying on my series of ‘Surviving to Thriving’ with Lipedema. One of the biggest things I see as women experience as a coach is overwhelm.

Women with lipedema are trying anti-inflammatory diets, supplements, fasting, lymphatic drainage, compression, cold plunges, hormone protocols, detoxes, and multiple workout programs all at the same time.

And they’re exhausted.

The truth is, 9 times out of 10, I take my clients back to the basics. Because as a coach, my job isn’t to give you 15 fancy routines or a cupboard full of supplements. My job is to identify what YOUR body needs most right now and help you implement it consistently.

The biggest improvements I see come from improving protein intake, managing stress, sleeping better, moving your body regularly, staying hydrated, and creating a sustainable routine that actually fits your life.

You don’t need a magic supplement.
You don’t need another extreme protocol.
You don’t need to spend hours every day trying to manage your lipedema.

If you’re tired of information overload and want a personalised plan that focuses on what will make the biggest difference for you, my coaching applications are open.

💜 Lipedema Nutrition & Lifestyle Coaching
💜 Personalised training and nutrition
💜 Sustainable strategies for real life
💜 Ongoing support and accountability

DM “COACHING” or hit the link in my bio to apply.

Tell me ‘You won’t ever’ again… I triple dare you.

This Lipedema Awareness Month my key message is about going from ‘surviving to thriving’.

But how do we do that and what does that look like with lipedema and it’s comorbidities?

Sometimes thriving is actually getting outside our comfort and doing something new. This can look like:

Starting a new hobby
Finally putting yourself first
Taking the photo even if you think it is unflattering
Speaking up for yourself if your doctor dismisses you
Reaching out the lipedema community if you are feeling down.

One thing I have learned on this journey is we cannot do this alone — we need people 💜

Elle



What are you doing this month to go from surviving to thriving?

Skipping breakfast with lipedema? Here’s why you might be sabotaging yourself and your goals!

• Lipedema tissue is highly sensitive to stress hormones, especially cortisol. Skipping breakfast can delay and prolong cortisol release, keeping your body in a higher stress state later in the day.
• Elevated or mistimed cortisol can worsen inflammation, fluid retention, and pain in women with lipedema
• Missing the morning meal often destabilises blood sugar, increasing cravings, fatigue, and energy crashes that make movement and consistency harder.
• For a body already managing connective tissue dysfunction, poor nutrient timing adds another layer of metabolic stress.
• With lipedema, when you eat can be just as important as what you eat for hormone balance and nervous system regulation.

References

Ogata S, et al. Effect of breakfast skipping on diurnal variation of energy metabolism and blood glucose. Findings show skipping breakfast increases 24-hour average blood glucose levels compared to eating breakfast. (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition)

Female breakfast skippers display a disrupted cortisol rhythm and elevated blood pressure. Habitual breakfast skipping in women was associated with altered cortisol patterns and stress-axis activity. (Physiology & Behavior)