early menopause?

RoseJaneNB

Hi all, i'm 42 but had a hysterectomy two years ago and have been on hrt ever since. Despite being aware that weight gain was a possibility and insisting I wouldn't let it happen, it has. I want to lose 18 pounds.
Might not sound like a lot to some but it seems its just not budging like weight did before the surgery. It feels like its impossible.

I do take hrt so only have one foot in menopause. The amount of hormones I take controls - just - the hot flashes and the premature aging of my organs, but not my weight gain it seems. I know I am on a low dose of hrt because if i miss i day by accident I am hot hot hot the next day.

I think portion size must be an issue. I might start eating off a small plate, because my doctor reminded me at the time of my surgery that I will need to eat like an old lady....jeeze...and perhaps my portions arent small enough...its hard.
I eat healthily. Maybe a bit too much wine or cheese here and there but life is for living and laughing right? But on the whole i eat heaps of veges and am not a big carbs eater. Maybe ive had more since lockdown...i must stop that. Anyway, I walk a lot and have started light jogging. 5km every other day or so. I can feel a difference to my fitness but nothing changing on the scales and my belly - its especially my belly - is not changing.

Any ideas ladies? I'm feeling so unmotivated after getting on teh scales this morning and zero change...

Machka9

Are you weighing and logging what you're eating? MFP has a great feature for that.

Cheese, for example, is quite high in calories. I know I was rather upset when I discovered that a mere 28 grams of cheese (like one slice) has 113 calories. When you're on a 1250 calorie diet, you've got to decide if that slice of cheese is worth it or if there is something else you want.

jeanettemahon499

Hello RoseJaneNB..I hear your pain my friend. Your message could have been written by me two years ago. I can only tell you what I think (I'm no doctor or expert). You are correct with some of your assumptions YES the menopause can cause weight gain. I was same weight all my life until this hit me. No difference in diet and lifestyle other than awful physical and emotional symptoms of menopause (night sweats, hot flushes, dry skin, mood changes etc.) I gained weight. I do know, that when a person is sleep deprived they release more of a hormone that increases appetite-did you know that? Leptin and Ghrelin...Leptin tells the brain when we are full and Ghrelin is an appetite stimulant. For the first time in my life, I would wake (very early,as I had been the loo 4-5 times through the night as a consequence of the hot flushes also) and think of food!! I would want huge bowls of porridge for example, and be gutted that it was only mid morning and I would be wanting my lunch-honestly! Does this sound like you? I went back on HRT having weaned off a year earlier after hysterectomy in my thirties, and upped the does slightly. The difference was amazing and fab. I came to MFP and now am back to original weight. Cheese and wine are the enemy!ha! and like you, I love both. I know this is my downfall also, but I agree with you that life is too short, especially with the current anxiety regarding the pandemic.. I tackle it this way....I have treat nights whereby I have 'banked' extra calories for the wine I know I shall have, because my theory is the calorie intake over the week determines my weight. If I put a few pounds on, ( I never go over 4-5 pounds without returning to MFP), I up the moving...there are loads of brilliant you tube home exercises workouts to do. Be strict with your weights and measures when preparing meals and don't give up! Also, don't weigh too often, this can be misleading and disheartening. Good luck my friend, but do not be so hard on yourself, sending you a great big hug and wishing you health and happiness.

RoseJaneNB

Machka9 wrote: »

Are you weighing and logging what you're eating? MFP has a great feature for that.

Cheese, for example, is quite high in calories. I know I was rather upset when I discovered that a mere 28 grams of cheese (like one slice) has 113 calories. When you're on a 1250 calorie diet, you've got to decide if that slice of cheese is worth it or if there is something else you want.

i'm not logging my food, i find it takes too much of my time.. The weighing etc isnt for me. I am too busy keeping up with 3 kids, 2 dogs and a house to run to weigh everything.... I think I'm going to mostly eat vegetables. Cheese can wait but I dont know about the wine lol.
This worked for me once before, lots of oven bakes veges.

RoseJaneNB

jeanettemahon499 wrote: »

Hello RoseJaneNB..I hear your pain my friend. ... I went back on HRT having weaned off a year earlier after hysterectomy in my thirties, and upped the does slightly. The difference was amazing and fab. I came to MFP and now am back to original weight. ....

I think I will write to my doc and see if he is ok with me raising my HR levels a bit. I swear the weight gain is happening at the same time as the extra hot flashes...do we naturally need more hrt over time to stay at the same balance i wonder? Maybe I havent even found my balance yet. i'm going to look into it. Thank you for your support. I agree with what you say about sleep...I know I need more of that!! OK, plans for the coming week...more sleep! More veges, no pasta, potatoes or bread, no cheese and keep moving! I may even swap the odd wine for Gin and zero tonic..thats a brilliant idea right since the sun is shining??

Machka9

RoseJaneNB wrote: »

Machka9 wrote: »

Are you weighing and logging what you're eating? MFP has a great feature for that.

Cheese, for example, is quite high in calories. I know I was rather upset when I discovered that a mere 28 grams of cheese (like one slice) has 113 calories. When you're on a 1250 calorie diet, you've got to decide if that slice of cheese is worth it or if there is something else you want.

i'm not logging my food, i find it takes too much of my time.. The weighing etc isnt for me. I am too busy keeping up with 3 kids, 2 dogs and a house to run to weigh everything.... I think I'm going to mostly eat vegetables. Cheese can wait but I dont know about the wine lol.
This worked for me once before, lots of oven bakes veges.

Can you try it for a month to see if it makes a difference? At the very least, it's informative. You find out how many calories food items have.