Menopause, recovery, and 80lbs to lose. Gah, help!

pluckybanana

Hi all, I signed up two days ago. I’ve read many threads here and I’m feeling a bit hopeful for the first time in a long while. I’d really appreciate friends and motivation.

A brief history: I had a hysterectomy 15 years ago which has recently caused me to go into an early menopause . I gained a bit of weight after the surgery, but not that much, probably around 20 lbs.

Five years ago I was able to get off the painkillers I’d been taking for 10 years. It was a big struggle. It was really easy to deal with my withdrawal with food. I gained another 40 lbs in the following 4 years. When I quit the painkillers, my doctor put me on antidepressants to help with my recovery, and I went off them last year. The withdrawal from the antidepressants was just as bad as (if not worse than) the withdrawal off the opiates.

Gah!! Now I have 80-90 lbs to lose, and it feels so overwhelming. I’m so happy I found this community.

Katina.

sugaraddict4321

Welcome to the MFP community. It's easy to get overwhelmed when we think about how much total we need to lose. To make that less stressful and more manageable, you might consider going with 10-pound increments as mini-goals and aiming for 0.5 to 1 pound per week. Small changes add up!

suerlewis2

Hiya! From one Newbie to another - please don't be overwhelmed, these guys are a great bunch. You must celebrate everything!!! - Step 1: You've regained control of your life / body. Step 2: Finding and signing up for MFP. Step 3 ? Not wasting four hours per day on here like I do. You'll be just fine m'dear, come on in, it's nice and warm.

dnunny70

You got this! Feel free to add me. I have about 80 to lose, but my focus is going to be on exercise and eating for what works for me.