Post-Menopausal Weight Loss

Sabine_Stroehm

pvju wrote: »

The testosterone one has immediate effects - within an hour or two you know you've taken it (and it's supposed to help with retaining muscle mass though I have no way of knowing if that's happening). I use an under the tongue gummy-sort of thing. It's by prescription.

I reviewed my most recent blood work, and my testosterone was definitely low. The note from the doc said we should consider supplementing. You said it has immediate effects. What sorts?
thanks

pvju

Immediate in terms of energy and sex drive. I had no sex drive (sorry TMI) prior and very low energy and it kicks right in with the testosterone. They say it helps with retaining muscle mass as well. I can't really say - I've lifted weights my whole life and even though now I go on and off I tend to always retain some - that may be the testosterone, just not sure. I don't take it consistently every day but I'm trying to now - I think going on and off the way I was may have been why it made me break out - now that I'm more regular with it that hasn't happened - so crossing fingers. I think I'm on half the recommended dose - the full dose must be like rocket fuel!

JanetMMcC

@jmrsfaz -- I think that in your place, I'd be looking for a second opinion about the hysterectomy. Maybe a new doctor. And yeah, it doesn't sound as if conception would be an option when you're bleeding forever.

>> I seem to lose when I eat between 1300-1500 calories a day which is doable due to my diet changes. Nutrisystem really helps too. It has those slow digesting carbs which keep the hunger away.

You've got your formula. For those slow-digesting carbs and food less expensive than Nutrisystem, check out cookbooks for low-glycemic diets, such as diabetic diets (loads of free recipes at the American Diabetes Association website) and Sugar Busters. You can go a long way just by going with whole grains rather than white carbs.

I've found good recipes on the blog here, too.
http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/category/eat/recipes/

And in the discussion threads.

I can't recall where I found a sweet potato and cauliflower curry I tried last week. It was right tasty. And, though I added chicken to the recipe and used more (oily) curry paste than the recipe said, only 130 calories per cup.

CharlieBeansmomTracey

callemiramar wrote: »

I'll be 60 this year, and no issue with dropping pounds. The secret? OK, I'll share it with you: I'm realistic. I know I didn't gain all this weight (it took years of uncontrolled eating/drinking). I calculated my BMR and TDEE, and do TDEE-15% and I'm dropping 1-2 pounds a week. This has to be recalculated after every 10 pounds lost. My current calorie intake is about 1700-1800/day. The only exercise I've been doing is walking, once I get under 200 lbs I'll start with lifting (increase muscle mass so skin doesn't sag and increases metabolism so I can eat more).Eating at 1200 or less calories a day and exercising like crazy does 2 things. First, it makes you body think it's starving so it holds on to every fat cell it can (slow weight loss) and the weight you loose will be water, muscle, and fat. Second, it doesn't teach you to eat in the real world (enjoying life, friends, parties) and when you give up (tired of denying yourself pleasure) you gain all you have lost and then some. By the way, the "metabolism is slower after menopause" is a load of crap! Most (not all) people start slowing down their activities after the age of 50 (or so). They buy into the notion "I'm older, I'm supposed to do less", hence the slower metabolism. I still work full time and don't take any medicine. If you want to calculate your TDEE, go to scoobysworkshop.com and click on MENU then select TOOLS then CALORIES BURNED CALCULATOR, fill in the blanks. For the activity level, be real. If you exercise (any activity that has you moving) 1/2 hour daily (or 1 hour 3x week) you're moderate. The last piece of advice I can give you is this: take pictures (start and every 10-20 pounds lost) and measure every 2-4 weeks. Even if you don't see movement on the scale, your body can be changing in definition/shape. Best wishes for your goals!

no if you are eating in a deficit your body does not think its starving and hold onto fat,this is not relevant when it comes to weight loss. if you are in a true deficit you will lose fat. some lose it slower but you wont store it. fat is stored when you eat in a surplus

CharlieBeansmomTracey

also for those not losing weight or its going slow,. some of us lose it slow.Im in peri menopause and its taken me almost 4 years just to lose 45lbs. make sure you input your info into MFP, and eat up to that calorie goal. weigh everything to make sure you are accurate in your calorie counting and that the entries in MFP are accurate(a lot of them are off). weighing gives you an exact amount,packaging for foods can be off my up to 20%,even 2 pieces of fruit the same size can vary in weight which will be a difference in calories.measuring cups for solids and semi solids are not going to be accurate either(trust me this was a real eye opener for me). also NEVER net under 1200 calories(unless under the care of a dr) either.you wont get the nutrition you need if you eat less. MFP is set to eat at least some of your exercise calories back as well. if you do the TDEE method(mfp uses the NEAT method) then of course your exercise is counted so you dont eat those calories back.if you have less than 50lbs to lose .5-1 lb a week loss is fine,over 75lbs to lose is like 1-1.5 a week. and anything over 100 you can safely lose 1.5-2 lbs a week. which of course you may not lose that much every week.some weeks you may not see a loss and some you may gain. weight fluctuates day to day also.the slower you lose it the better. its a lifestyle and not a race.

DylsGrandma

I am 55 years old...I also am post menopausal. I eat between 1200-1300 calories a day. I just started on here two weeks ago and I lost 7 pounds so far. I am not on any hormones. There is a high risk of cancer in my family so I am not taking Estrogen. Once I got past the night sweats my body seems to be responding well. I can't eat what I use to eat and that is why I have changed my diet.

Viable_Me

It's very inspiring reading everyone's stories! I believe weight loss/metabolism is absolutely individualized. You have to find what's best for your body. It's wonderful to read all the different cases to get new ideas to help.
I'm 44 and I also went into menopause early (42). Worst symptoms I've experienced are hot flashes and insomnia and in January I visited my doctor because for the first time in my life I became depressed. She put me on Welbutrin and I started to feel like my old self again. That was when I decided to get back on the proverbial horse and lose weight but most importantly get healthy. I needed to lose 100+ pounds and I started out with 1500 calories a day and walking 10,000 steps in January. That worked well for about a month and a half then my loss nearly stopped. I upped my calories to 1,700 and that did the trick until about 4 weeks ago and I completely halted. So I decided a few days ago to raise my calories to 2,000 for a week then drop back down and see if that helps. It's been 3 days and I've already lost 1 pound - finally!!! I'm thinking after the week is up, I'll be going back to 1,700 calories and every 3 days 2,000 calories to try and balance my metabolism. My job keeps me fairly active. Most days I have no problem meeting my 10,000 step goal. I usually average 15,000 on a work day. To date, I've lost 34 pounds.
I wish you all the best on your journey.

Please feel free to add me!

lexbubbles

JanetMMcC wrote: »

@jmrsfaz -- I think that in your place, I'd be looking for a second opinion about the hysterectomy. Maybe a new doctor. And yeah, it doesn't sound as if conception would be an option when you're bleeding forever.

Wait, was this meant to be @ me instead? Never mind second opinion, I've seen more than 20 OBGYN over the course of a decade. I've seen all of the top ones in the UK and at this point I'm making my way through the dregs.

Sabine_Stroehm

JanetMMcC wrote: »

@jmrsfaz -- I think that in your place, I'd be looking for a second opinion about the hysterectomy. Maybe a new doctor. And yeah, it doesn't sound as if conception would be an option when you're bleeding forever.

>> I seem to lose when I eat between 1300-1500 calories a day which is doable due to my diet changes. Nutrisystem really helps too. It has those slow digesting carbs which keep the hunger away.

You've got your formula. For those slow-digesting carbs and food less expensive than Nutrisystem, check out cookbooks for low-glycemic diets, such as diabetic diets (loads of free recipes at the American Diabetes Association website) and Sugar Busters. You can go a long way just by going with whole grains rather than white carbs.

I've found good recipes on the blog here, too.
http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/category/eat/recipes/

And in the discussion threads.

I can't recall where I found a sweet potato and cauliflower curry I tried last week. It was right tasty. And, though I added chicken to the recipe and used more (oily) curry paste than the recipe said, only 130 calories per cup.

And the South Beach Diet, if you're looking for something formal...

Sabine_Stroehm

DylsGrandma wrote: »

I am 55 years old...I also am post menopausal. I eat between 1200-1300 calories a day. I just started on here two weeks ago and I lost 7 pounds so far. I am not on any hormones. There is a high risk of cancer in my family so I am not taking Estrogen. Once I got past the night sweats my body seems to be responding well. I can't eat what I use to eat and that is why I have changed my diet.

Wonderful! How much are you hoping to lose?