Managing Director of Graduate Student Programs and Services at Duke University Bridget Fletcher has always led an active, healthy lifestyle. So, she was surprised when a doctor's visit revealed her prediabetic A1C levels. Despite following all the usual advice, she struggled to manage her levels as well as the confusing symptoms of perimenopause. Read her story to see how the Nutrisense program and 1:1 video calls with her personal nutritionist gave Bridget the personalized, data-driven insights she needed to adjust her lifestyle and diet for better results. Hi Bridget! Tell us a little about your health journey—what led you to that initial diagnosis that started it all? I’ve been quite active and healthy my entire life. And then, about five years ago, right around the time I turned 40, I started experiencing new symptoms that seemed odd—unexplained headaches, lethargy, sudden weight gain, and a lot of anxiety that I hadn’t had before. And it was all accompanied by this strange dizziness. I went to several doctors, who then sent me to various specialists and neurologists, and everyone just told me I was fine. I was probably just anxious; I needed to stress less, all the generic things you’d expect. They suggested SSRIs, which I did try. But it didn’t help; I felt worse. It was incredibly frustrating because I felt dismissed and invalidated. Out of all this testing, even though I didn’t get real clarity on all of my symptoms, I did find out that I had prediabetes. It was something I had to start addressing, but I wasn’t getting a ton of help about how to actually do that. That must have been a lot to have to deal with suddenly. I was pretty upset about it. It was a shock, and I felt like I didn’t understand why. I’m not overweight. I’m active, and I eat all the ‘right’ things. I was confused. After a conversation with my mum, I found out that there was a genetic link. That helped, but it didn't seem to explain all my symptoms, and I still didn’t really know what was impacting me or what to do about it. The doctors told me to cut down on carbs, eat healthy, and stay active, but despite following all their advice, my A1C levels barely moved. I then started seeing an integrative medicine doctor who was more thoughtful about what I was feeling and did some more tests. And that’s when I learned I was also perimenopausal, which helped me connect the dots a bit more. And this crept up on you as you entered your forties… Right! And I had no idea for a while. Because I was still getting my period, people would say, ‘You’re too young for menopause,’ and that was it. And that’s not true; there’s so much more to it. So, I was finally starting to feel a little more validated, learning that a lot of how I was feeling was likely part of perimenopause, that there were links with that and with prediabetes, and that I had to think about each of those symptoms a little bit differently. It was all connected: the weight gain, the lethargy. I worked with a great integrative nutritionist for a few years, and I was trying to adjust my diet and lifestyle accordingly. Some of it got easier, and I started losing a little weight, but then it would return. How did all of this lead you to your journey with Nutrisense? I was trying everything. I went low carb, almost on a keto diet; I tried going vegan. I thought intermittent fasting might help because my symptoms were hormone-related. Even though I lost some weight, I also stopped having my period, and my body didn’t feel good. I also just kept getting sick. Clearly, my system was not happy! With the perimenopause, things changed even more. I was always active and could eat whatever I wanted; nothing was a big deal for my health, energy, or weight. And then, suddenly, I woke up one day, and it was. So that was all new and disconcerting for me. I felt different; my body didn’t move in the same ways it used to. This year, I thought it was time to start investing in my health and taking control of it. Along my journey, I had seen mentions of tools like this from the Glucose Goddess or through reading Mindy Pelz… so I was already glucose-monitor-curious. I then saw Nutrisense on Instagram. I signed up for three months, started monitoring, and worked 1:1 with my nutritionist, and right from the start, I was so impressed! What was it like during the initial weeks with the program? When I first put the monitor on, it was surprising to see in the app how consistently high my glucose was. Combined with everything I had been trying, I felt like a failure—I kept wondering, ‘Why can’t I make this work?’ But then I started working with Lucas, my nutritionist, and he was so supportive. I was getting this real-time data, which was a game changer. Lucas could actually give me targeted feedback based on this data. He helped me unpack why it was like that and what I could do to change it. Because of his expertise, I was learning so much more about everything I thought I had been doing that wasn’t giving me the expected results. He encouraged me to lift more and eat more protein, contrary to the lower-protein vegan diet I was trying. I realized my body wasn’t responding well to that, and increasing my protein intake made a significant difference. I was able to start making meaningful changes and get my numbers to shift. Pretty quickly, my glucose levels started to stabilize, and my energy levels improved. It sounds like Nutrisense offered the personalized care for you that had been missing on your journey. Absolutely. Traditional healthcare didn’t validate my experiences, especially with perimenopause. I felt like my symptoms were dismissed, or I was getting generic advice to reduce stress or getting offered antidepressants, which didn’t help my symptoms. It was incredibly frustrating. Nutrisense was different; I could see what was going on in my body, and Lucas’s insights helped me understand what was impacting my A1C and glucose levels and how this new perimenopausal stage was changing how things affected my body. Even though I’d worked with nutritionists before, Lucas’s guidance was so specific to my data that it was unlike anything I’d experienced with others. It wasn’t just general advice; it was tailored to my body’s reactions in real time. What made that difference in support stand out for you with your nutritionist at Nutrisense? Lucas's access to my data and being trained specifically in how to interpret them, as well as his ability to help me shift my lifestyle and goals based on my responses, made it a completely different experience. He could give me some very targeted feedback that other nutritionists couldn’t because they didn't have that data in front of them. He identified so much about different foods and things I was trying that were not making me feel better, including my lack of protein, which I did not get anywhere else. And how to adjust my amounts so I not only got enough but also it left me more satiated. And that's been a real game changer. He also helped me think differently about the practicality of eating, which can sometimes be the biggest hurdle. I don’t want to rely on convenience food, but life is busy. He worked with me to help me find easy foods to meal prep that included things I would enjoy, whether making a Greek yogurt ranch dip with pre-cut veggies, boiling eggs ahead of time, or helping me learn to shift my snacking hour. And was that helpful with the perimenopause and prediabetes you were trying to manage? With the perimenopause, I experienced rapid weight gain, particularly around my midsection, and I felt like I was going through puberty again with all the mood swings and anxiety. It was incredibly validating to work with Lucas and see the data that proved my symptoms were real and how all of it was connected to my glucose levels, prediabetes, and those A1C numbers, too. He helped me understand how different foods and lifestyle choices impacted my glucose levels and, consequently, my perimenopausal symptoms. And how my nutrient balance impacted all of it, too. One of my biggest takeaways is learning that I was eating maybe a quarter of the amount of protein I should be eating. Making that shift has had a huge impact on my glucose levels, energy levels, and even my activity! I just would not know any of this if I had not been on this Nutrisense journey. Were there any surprises as you started to dig into and experiment with these food responses? Chickpeas! I ate so many because I thought they were a good protein source. But some of my highest spikes were with these dishes—like hummus. There were these moments of learning that something you thought was really healthy for you wasn’t, or you needed to eat it differently. And I thought popcorn would be really bad for me, but it’s not! Oh, and Indian food. Which is my favorite, but my body was not responding well to what I was picking. I was so upset when I saw the responses! Through some experimentation in the app and with Lucas’s help I learned that if I leave out the rice and the naan and focus on the mains more, with the chicken tikka and the saag paneer I’m fine. Or, with a burrito, I can just have a burrito bowl instead of avoiding it altogether. I was also seeing changes in how my body was responding to alcohol. My husband is in the craft beer business, and I occasionally enjoy a few beers! But I don’t tolerate them well anymore. Lucas and I had a great talk about navigating being with people who are drinking socially and still enjoying myself. We looked up non-alcoholic beers and ones with the lowest carbs so I could experiment with what I had a slightly better response to when I did want to indulge. So, the support has been functional in a way that I appreciate because my previous experiences with nutritionists involved getting a hundred different ideas for what you can do, which all sound amazing. But then, two seconds later, life gets busy, and it's not happening. The regularity of the check-ins helps a lot. How did the video calls with your nutritionist enhance that support for you? They definitely made the experience feel much more personal and supportive. Lucas could instantly answer my questions, give me feedback on my food logs, and help me tweak my diet on the fly The regular face-to-face check-ins provided the accountability and motivation that felt crucial for my progress. Knowing that I had a scheduled call kept me on track and focused. We also continue to build a little more rapport each time, so that support just keeps getting better. You mention being pretty active in the past and starting to have trouble with that as well. How did working with Nutrisense help there? The perimenopause also impacted my workouts and performance, and as you get older, things also take longer to heal. So, if I was running and tweaked my knee, where I could have just gotten right back up earlier, now I needed to recover and rest longer, too. Just trying to be in shape got more challenging. When I started my Nutrisense journey, I also started weightlifting, and Lucas helped so much here. He helped me understand how it helps with insulin, builds up the muscles, prevents osteoporosis and injury, and how to fuel before and after. And just with the support and encouragement that kept me going! He was also really helpful in helping me think about fueling my runs. Tell us a little more about that. As they got longer and harder, I struggled to figure out how to fuel them. After all the diagnoses, I had a lot of guilt about having the energy gels and such because I thought of them as just another sugar-laden thing that I couldn’t have. Lucas helped me overcome that hurdle and told me to just go ahead and have the and see if they could bring about better glucose balance during the runs. And it worked! So, instead of avoiding everything outright, I’m learning to factor it in and experiment with what is good for me. It helped me get over a lot of the mental blocks that left me thinking I’m older and weaker—that’s all just in my mind! And it’s changed the game. I feel like I can run further and more consistently now than I've ever been able to in my life. That’s amazing! So, how would you sum up what’s changed for you through the Nutrisense program and working with your nutritionist? I love that I don’t have to give everything up. If I’m having friends over and I want to eat macarons, even though I know my response won’t be ideal. Or I have a PMS craving or a business lunch… I just plan to build all of that into my routine instead of denying myself everything, feeling shame about any of it, or falling into a binge and purge cycle. I’ve been exercising more and starting to train for actual races. I feel more in control of my weight and more mood-stable, which is all related to glucose and perimenopause. And I feel more sustained with energy throughout the day. Nutrisense has been invaluable for the accountability, guidance, and shift in how I think about things. It’s so easy to think you’ve blown it every time you indulge in something. Now, I know I have the support, I can plan, and I can experiment. I’m not worried about it anymore. Instead, I feel better equipped to get back on track even if something goes wrong, which is important to me and, I think, for sustainability along this journey. It's super helpful, and it’s been life-changing.
