Free advice for younger people

mywayroche

The irony is, any "younger people" that are able to read this post are already trying to do something about their weight. You could try giving out free advice at McDonalds if that's really your thing.

ShellyMacchi

workinonit1956 wrote: »

I’m in my early 60’s and actually find it easier now that I really understand how it works. Went through surgical menopause 13 years ago.
I’m not wanting to argue, but I would hate to discourage others who are middle age or older.

absolutely this (except menopause was a natural occurence).

I am now 61, and with age (speaking only for myself) came patience, focus, determination and it is just plain easier for me NOW than it ever was when I was younger.
Note, I've been actively trying to get a handle on weight literally all my life, it's only been since I hit 54 I finally found the right path for me.
Do I wish I'd found it earlier in life?. OF COURSE.., but in hindsight I don't think I would ever have felt the 'click' of finding the right path back then, even if it had hit me over the head with a 2x4 to get my attention. Too many things going on back then.

Good luck to everyone... we all have such varying needs and circumstances, what works for one may not work for another, just don't give up because feeling healthy and alive at any age is a very good thing.

psychod787

mywayroche wrote: »

The irony is, any "younger people" that are able to read this post are already trying to do something about their weight. You could try giving out free advice at McDonalds if that's really your thing.

Nothing wrong with mc. D's just moderate it. I knew no moderation when I was younger.

AnnPT77

lauragreenbaum wrote: »

With all due respect, menopause isn't nonsense. For me it was quite a dramatic change.

Menopause isn't nonsense, of course. But it also isn't universal weight loss doom. No one should be encouraged to believe it is, or to feel that we're powerless on its account. When we give it too much power, it can become - sadly - an all-too-convenient excuse not to engage in the effort.

I went into menopause at age 45, suddenly, right around the start of 6 months of chemotherapy (the drugs caused the abrupt menopause). After the ovaries stop producing estrogen, fat cells and adrenal glands (among others) continue to be a source of estrogen. For 5 years, I took drugs to suppress that estrogen. Some people call this "menopause times 2", though I find that melodramatic.

Menopause has different effects on different women. But if menopause universally doomed or even severely hindered weight loss, I'd still be fat.

I'm not trying to diminish your personal experience. Everyone, female or male, will need to figure out what their own particular weight-loss challenges are, and find ways to deal with them. Unfortunately, I've see many women my age (now 62) say "it's impossible to lose weight at our age" or "it's harder for us" and things of that nature, and talk about menopause as if it were an insurmountable obstacle. IMO, it's really important for each of us not to take these points of "received wisdom" too much to heart. The things we think are insurmountable, are insurmountable. Our power lies in dropping self-defeating assumptions, finding the factors we can influence and control, and making the changes we need to progress.

Just my opinion.

GOT_Obsessed

lauragreenbaum wrote: »

With all due respect, menopause isn't nonsense. For me it was quite a dramatic change.

I am sorry. I worded that poorly. Menopause is a terrible thing to go through. And for several years. I should maybe have said an annoyance rather than nonsense. Please forgive me.

ryenday

I just find it nonsensical and problematic to deny that weight maintenance is much for difficult for many women post menopause because it isn’t ‘universal’. Such attitude probably discouraged as many older women who are having difficulty managing weight as it ‘inspires’ others to just do it.

Of course it isn’t universal that women will have weight management difficulties post menopause. But based on what I see/hear observe and personally experience it is common.

I don’t believe in denying reality for ‘positive thinking’ or motivational posters. I find those attitudes soul killing an demotivating because inevitably most of the time they are pie in the sky untruths.

I prefer a realistic assessment of the difficulties and obstacles I might face and then doing the hard work and planning to try get where I want to be. If is is easier than expected I relish and appreciate my good luck. If that happens, I don’t then turn around and tell others to expect the same lucky outcome I had and deny they might face difficulties that I luckily did not.

I’d certainly rather be happily surprised than have false expectations. Menopause for me means huge weight management challenges (no excuses here, I’m down to vanity weight loss) and reportedly means the same to many women. YMMV.

Dnarules

mywayroche wrote: »

The irony is, any "younger people" that are able to read this post are already trying to do something about their weight. You could try giving out free advice at McDonalds if that's really your thing.

Not true, actually. I read the forums for 4 years while I was gaining back the weight I had lost. There are all kinds of people reading these forums.

psychod787

For the person who woo's me about fast food. Watch this video. https://youtu.be/VKCr8Umbb-E

CarvedTones

I didn't need advice to stay skinny in my 20s or even in my early 30s. I did have one brief period of gaining in my mid 20s when I moved halfway across the country for a job, but it was about 3 months of gaining and 3 months of losing and didn't happen again for almost 15 years. That was probably the only time I had a BMI above 25 (which wasn't really a thing back then) until I was 35 or so. It was only in my late 40s and a few times in my 50s that I had my BMI over 30. I got up to 35 once, but spent a lot of time at ~33.5. So advice to younger me would have fallen on deaf ears because it wasn't relevant.

workinonit1956

FWIW, I was only relating my own experience which I can assure you is the truth and a “realistic assessment” of how I found using CICO to lose. I would never make a blanket statement about whether or not menopause makes weigh loss more difficult. I’m sure that for some it does, and that would be their story to tell, and I wouldn’t dream of accusing someone of an “untruth” when they were simply telling of their personal experience. I’m honestly confused here, and if I upset anyone I apologize.

CarvedTones

psychod787 wrote: »

For the person who woo's me about fast food.

It's not me; I think "clean eating"is woo, largely because what it is vague and so is what it does.

psychod787

CarvedTones wrote: »

psychod787 wrote: »

For the person who woo's me about fast food.

It's not me; I think "clean eating"is woo, largely because what it is vague and so is what it does.

I wash my fork and plates. Is that clean eating?

lauragreenbaum

GOT_Obsessed wrote: »

lauragreenbaum wrote: »

With all due respect, menopause isn't nonsense. For me it was quite a dramatic change.

I am sorry. I worded that poorly. Menopause is a terrible thing to go through. And for several years. I should maybe have said an annoyance rather than nonsense. Please forgive me.

No problem. Everyone is different. For me the hot flashes, mood swings, unusual bleeding and weight gain were hard to go through. I ended up having to have a D&C. Other women slide right through it with few symptoms. And I'm truly happy for them. :-)

lucerorojo

Menopause for me was not that bad. I'm 52 and haven't had a period in over a year, so I assume I'm done with it. The mood swings were the worst. I was evil for several years and never really connected it. The waking up at 3:00 a.m. did not help. I gained about 60 lbs. but I don't consider that due to menopause directly, but the poor sleep and the stress I experienced at my job of the time, that threw self care out the window. I've lost 50 lbs. since July 2017, which has got me almost back to my weight before perimenopause. I was about 30 lbs. overweight then, so I have another 50 to go on my weight loss journey. For me it has been relatively easy to lose weight since I started MFP because I know now how much I need to eat in calories. For more than half my life I was thin or normal (until about 35) never having to lose more than 10 lbs.

7elizamae

ryenday wrote: »

lauragreenbaum wrote: »

With all due respect, menopause isn't nonsense. For me it was quite a dramatic change.

I agree and I experienced a huge decrease in how much I can eat without gaining weight post menopause. Some women don’t seem to have the same experience and like to denigrate those of us who do. (“You just move less, don’t have as much muscle etc”). I don’t understand why they do this. Just because it is simple and easy for them they insist we are ‘doing it wrong’ (not counting correctly, not moving as much etc.). Then they use their personal experience as proof that they know our bodies better than we do. “It was easy or simple for me post menopause so your experience is wrong”

At 53 I am moving more than ever and for the first time in my life am actively strength training to increase muscle. But in order to not gain weight I have to eat about 1/3 less than I could eat in my 20’s, 30’s or 40’s. Did my ‘metabolism slow’, hormones get out of whack (well my chronic hot flashes confirm that one) or ...? Menopause wasn’t my ‘excuse’ - but it was the reason that I lost the extra pounds very agonizingly and slowly.

Some women do not seem to have problems losing weight post menopause. Some find it very hard. Some women experience debilitating hot flashes with menopause, some women none or mild ones. Anyone who were to say, I didn’t have hot flashes with menopause so you are just imagining it’ would be laughed at, rightfully so.

Likewise the people here who like to ridicule me for my unfortunate experience of menopause causing changes in how many calories I can consume without weight gain “Menopause didn’t affect my weight loss so it was your poor logging or sedentary ways that MUST be your problem” are simply laughable people with no sympathy or empathy for others.

OP: Great advice, menopause or not - weight loss is rarely reported to get easier as we age and is often reported to get harder. So whatever your age, if you are overweight- the best time to start getting control of it is: NOW!

I completely agree with this post. Anyone who has been a woman for any length of time has likely noticed that different women have different experiences with all sorts of things related to hormones. Some of us have terrible menstrual cramps/ hot flashes/mood swings/sleeplessness/fill-in-the-blank, some none at all. Heck, I had very fast labors with minimal pain! That certainly doesn't mean I think the rest of you are pansies. I know I just got lucky.

If menopause has been a walk in the park for you --super! That should mean you're in a great mood and have lots of love and grace for the rest of us.