Is it possible to not gain weight during Peri-Menopause/Menopause?

LivingtheLeanDream

Hi ladies,

(I didn't know which category was the best to post this topic in!)

I'm 48 and as yet have no symptoms but a friend lately has told me how she recently gained a stone (14lbs) in a few months because of Peri-Menopause. She maintains her diet has not changed in any way. She was probably slightly underweight before so 14lbs isn't very noticeable on her but I know personally I wouldn't want to gain at all. (I've been at my happy goal range now for close to 5 years). This friend isn't someone I'm close enough to for me to ask more about her eating habits. Personally I would have loved to have heard exactly what she ate in a day to guage what her calorie intake was like. (most people around me don't know that I'm really into counting calories and that's the way I prefer it). I'd like to think her gain has only come because she might be less active or eating a bit more than she had been previously.

I would love feedback on those who are going through or have been through menopause on your experiences.

I'm wondering will counting calories and exercising as I do now be enough to keep me maintaining my weight throughout the change of life.

Thanks in advance

Ruth

cmriverside

Just do you, boo.


You have a handle on it, apparently she didn't.

LZMiner

I haven't gained. In fact I'm in better shape now than I was 5 years ago! I'm 51, and am just starting perimenopause. I've lost wait since January 2017, through tracking and making good choices---about 16 pounds, or just over a stone. :-)

SummerSkier

I am 59. I think just like everything else the answer is sadly - everyone is different. You are so active and keep an eye on everything I doubt you will have any issues, but once you start you might have different meds or something or stop being so active or not sleep as well so there are just too many parameters to worry about before it happens. For me except for bone loss, night sweats and aging skin there aren't a lot of symptoms. Peri is odd because you become so irregular that it's hard to track scale weight accurately. You might have one period in 4 months but it's a doozy. I have noticed that most of the meds to help have a possible side effect of "weight gain or FLU like symptoms"

nowine4me

Ive lost 97# while going through the “change” — honestly, I didn’t even know I was in the middle of it (still on BC). Please, please, please talk to your Doctor if you experience symptoms that impact your health (including sleep and mental). Hormones are a *kitten*.

LivingtheLeanDream

Thanks ladies, hearing these few replies already gives me heart

I know it's senseless fretting about what may happen I know I'll be determined to keep my normal routine and see a doc if I need meds (I hear the patches are really good.)

becky10rp

I've maintained. Yes, it's work - but it's always been work - I honestly don't see that it's any harder. I'm in menopause now - been in maintenance for about 5 years - started on MFP when I was in peri-menopause. Not a fun time. Still getting some hot flashes, but they've greatly diminished. Keep up with counting calories, logging, and working out, and you should be just fine.

Dnarules

I've lost weight pretty easy, both in perimenopause and menopause. So yes, I would have been able to maintain my weight. Unfortunately I didn't LOL. But that was on me.

mitch16

Keep up with your tracking and you'll know for sure if any weight gain is due to a change in eating habits or a decrease in your metabolism. 14 pounds won't just show up overnight!

rhtexasgal

I am 46 and currently in perimenopause. It is tough but not impossible to maintain weight loss. I have been working on building some more muscle definition so at first a few additional pounds (came on gradually over the course of a year) scared me a bit BUT my clothes still fit the same (ok, not capris because my calf muscles are a little bigger!) ...

After a while, you can tell when your body is in one of those valleys or mountains (as your hormones ebb and flow) ... I know when I am ramped up and have irregular periods and hot flashes and night sweats, my body tends to stay bloated a bit and I have to work harder to maintain and even get through a workout. However, when things chill out, I experience that "whoosh" that others talk about and I lose 2-4 pounds literally overnight, getting rid of the bloating feeling, not unlike regular menstrual cycles.

As someone else said, I am in better shape during perimenopause than I was before. While I may feel my aches and pains a little more, I also feel better with the workout as opposed to skipping. I just keep counting those calories and still able to eat my beloved donuts or chips and queso ...

LivingtheLeanDream

mitch16 wrote: »

Keep up with your tracking and you'll know for sure if any weight gain is due to a change in eating habits or a decrease in your metabolism. 14 pounds won't just show up overnight!

Thanks, and thats true, a gain like that won't be quick. I'm still a daily weigher and know my body's fluctuations well so I'd be first to spot something.

spiriteagle99

Everyone is different. I lost a lot of weight while I was in perimenopause. For about four years I would only bleed one day a year, or about a half hour so it was a non-issue. At 52 I was done. Menopause was easy for me, no night sweats, only an occasional warm flash. I gained some weight, but that was because of lifestyle changes (moves, travel), so I was exercising a lot less. When I went back to exercising consistently and being more careful with my food intake, the weight came off easily.

A lot of the weight gain at menopause is simply that most women do less activity as they get older. It can also be a stressful time, with a lot of changes to home, finances, family, health, etc. so if there is a tendency to emotionally eat, weight will increase. Sometimes thyroid issues can make it hard to lose weight until the meds are adjusted properly. Some meds can cause weight gain.

CoachJen71

Lost 150lbs while going through the change. Keeping it off will be the bigger challenge for me as my arthritis worsens and calories bought with exercise stop being available, but for now I'm ok.

krael65

I'm 53 and in peri-menopause. I have not found weight loss to be more difficult, and pretty much maintain as expected. I will say that water weight can be more of a b!tch. It's less predictable now that my periods stop for a couple/few months, then start back up again.

I believe if you keep your good habits, loss or maintenance is totally achievable throughout peri and menopause. Of course I'll know better once I get to the other side! But I have faith.

LivingtheLeanDream

I'm so glad to get all this positive feedback!

@coachJen71 you went through the change early if 71 in your name is anything to go by. Huge congrats on losing a huge amount of weight, I was 150lbs when I started my weight loss journey for one thing so you lost a whole person! Sorry to hear about your arthritis

lois1231

I just started full menopause this year at 55 years of age and though it is harder it is possible to lose weight. I have lost 25 pounds already. If I can do it, you can too. It is not as easy as when I was 27 and lost over 100 and something pounds but it is very much doable.

msmith404040

I'm 54 and had a hysterectomy last year. I've lost 40 pounds easily since then just by making sure I don't go over my calories and no exercise. Don't worry

CoachJen71

LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »

I'm so glad to get all this positive feedback!

@coachJen71 you went through the change early if 71 in your name is anything to go by. Huge congrats on losing a huge amount of weight, I was 150lbs when I started my weight loss journey for one thing so you lost a whole person! Sorry to hear about your arthritis

Thanks, Ruthee! Yes, I didn't know it at the time but I started going through the change in my mid-30s and finished in the last year or two. (Thought it was mostly just unstable bipolar issues.)

Need2Exerc1se

I lost 30+ lbs during peri-menopause. I had a LOT of water weight fluctuations which made knowing whether I was losing fat a little hard to determine, but I just stuck with it even if the scale wasn't showing a loss.

ladyhusker39

I've lost all of my weight while battling hot flashes. It can sometimes be tough to continue exercising when it's sometimes a trigger for me. So I guess in that regard it can be more difficult. However, it doesn't directly cause you to gain or fail to lose weight.

nxd10

I gained weight during perimenopause. I'd always been pretty thin - well into the normal range. I moved into overweight (BMI 26?) when I started perimenopause. But honestly it was because I ate more and not because of anything metabolic. I started MFP six years ago and took all the weight off and got back to where I was at 21. I've maintained since then and I've been in menopause four years I think. I feel great. I wish I had done it earlier.

LivingtheLeanDream

Thanks for your reply @nxd10 The consensus to most of the replies has been its not the menopause itself that causes the gain but different circumstances in life. Hearing all the feedback makes me feel confident that all will be well with me when its my turn.



I apologise for not taking the time to refer to each reply but thanks everyone for your contribution

Cheers Ruth

eminater

What the heck is peri-menopause. OMG. *kitten*

MegaMooseEsq

eminater wrote: »

What the heck is peri-menopause. OMG. *kitten*

I've been resisting googling it myself. Sigh.

MostlyWater

Weight gain isn't a death wish. I actually fill out my bra now.

LivingtheLeanDream

MostlyWater wrote: »

Weight gain isn't a death wish. I actually fill out my bra now.

I fill out my bra too much as it is, weight loss didn't really impact the boobs for me.

Need2Exerc1se

MegaMooseEsq wrote: »

eminater wrote: »

What the heck is peri-menopause. OMG. *kitten*

I've been resisting googling it myself. Sigh.

Perimenopause is the period (no pun intended) between regular menstruation cycles and menopause. It's the worst of it usually. During perimenopause periods becoming increasing irregular in frequency and how heavy they are. Often this is also the worst for hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, water weight fluctuations, etc., those these vary from person to person and may continue into menopause. It can also be the cause of many "oops!" pregnancies since women some mistakenly think they no longer need to birth control because they haven't had a period for several months. Generally menopause starts after you have no periods for one full year.

icemom011

I'm 46 and approaching my one year mark to be officially in menopause. I didn't get irregular periods, they just stopped. But, i have other symptoms, like occasional night sweats, mood swings big time, sleeping problems. I don't think it's impacting my maintaining in any way, i am thinner than i have ever been, i feel fit and strong, i keep active for health benefits and for fun. I don't have health issues and don't take any medication other than very few supplements.

brig220

Most people gain weight because they’re less active and don’t care about their weight and looks as they get older. Metabolism slows down a bit but not that much if you stay active. You can control time but you can control a lot of other things in life, like diet and exercise.