How to lose weight post menopause

marlycehampton

I've on weight loss journey for the year and half and successful lost 70 lbs. I went to the nutritionist a month ago and she said I gained 12 lbs since the last time I saw her last year. Which confirms me gaining weight within the last 3-4 months, my modes and energy level is changing.
I haven't been to the doctors to confirm the menopause systems. I been doing research and it align with it.
Can anyone give me advice or motivation, I have about 40-45 lbs to go.

Lietchi

Menopause doesn't do anything dramatic with your metabolism, however...
Hormonal fluctuations can cause water retention and also influence cravings/appetite, and make you feel generally '*kitten*' (which can influence how active you are). Are your monitoring your food intake and, if so, has there been a change? Do you track your activity level, for example via a fitness tracker and, if so, have you noticed a change in activity?

Aside from menopause, thyroid problems could also be a potential cause of weight gain and low energy, I'd certainly get you blood checked to be sure.

AnnPT77

Good advice from lietchi up there.

Mostly, weight gain during menopause (if it happens) is from appetite increase, reduced daily life movement, fatigue, loss of muscle mass . . . things we have control over, if we're honest with ourselves.

If you track your food, you'll know about calorie intake.

If you feel fatigued - since some women have sleep issues coincident with menopause - do what you can to improve sleep quality/quantity and reduce stress. Don't overdo exercise, just keep it a manageable challenge. Also, don't cut calories to an aggressive degree, because that in itself can cause fatigue. (Fatigue can be subtle, yet still have an impact!)

You can take steps to increase daily life activity. Other MFP-ers share their ideas here:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss/p1

To slow or reverse muscle mass loss - important for long term health and good daily functioning as well as calorie expenditure - strength training is a good idea. You don't need to lift giant weights, just do something that challenges your personal current strength a manageable bit. As you get stronger, keep increasing resistance or some other aspect to keep a manageable challenge to strength, and you'll keep making progress.

I went into menopause abruptly in my mid-40s, triggered by chemotherapy for locally advanced breast cancer. At the same time, I took anti-estrogen drugs for 7.5 years (weight gain is a documented side effect), and was diagnosed as severely hypothyroid. Semi-coincidentally, I got really active post-treatment (to regain strength and vitality), so was lucky not to gain any significant amount of weight. But I stayed overweight/obese for another dozen years or so, until I started calorie counting. For me, managing my eating was the piece I needed to reach a healthy weight and stay there (for 7+ years so far, now age 67).

Weight management isn't easy every minute for anyone. For each of us, the challenges will differ, and it's possible that menopause may present some. That doesn't mean success is impossible, and it doesn't mean that we have it harder than anyone else . . . it's just different hard, mostly.

There are a bunch of marketers nowadays claiming that we need their special ($$$) program, supplements, or other "hacks" or "secrets" to lose weight in menopause. Personally, I don't think that's true. I think that the tools that work for others - changing our eating and exercise habits - will work for us, and that we can figure it out without paying $$$ for the "secrets".

There are also a few women - maybe even a few who come here - who seem to be more about commiserating as a bonding ritual ("it's so hard, can't lose in menopause" etc.) than about seeking strategies to overcome the challenges. Please don't fall into that mindset. The only reason to spend brainpower on challenges is to figure out how to get over, around, through or otherwise past them.

Weight management in menopause is possible. You can do it, with patience, persistence, and some canny analysis of the challenges that present themselves. I'm cheering for you to succeed, because it's so, so worth the effort.

Best wishes!