Women Only - 48yo Needing to Lose 100lbs: Post-Menopause/Widow

TexasTallchick

Hi Ladies!

I have been struggling with consistent weight gain since my 47yo husband died unexpectedly in 2017. It was the shock of my life and completely changed everything in a way I didn't want it to change.

I didn't think I would last 6 minutes, but here I am 6 years later. I'm at my highest weight ever because I'm an emotional eater and I've been in so much pain. I also spend the majority of my time alone with my dog.

I found out a few weeks ago that I've been menopausal for almost a year! My gyno doc said they left me a VM, but it seems like that something they would speak to me in person about. 🤷‍♀️

Anyway, I would love to add some friends if you are going through any of these ordeals, or, you just want someone who is active and supportive.

I'm originally from Detroit, but I've lived in central Texas since 1996.

Let's figure out how to do this together! 💜

AnnPT77

Hey, @TexasTallchick!

I think I'm not the MFP friend you're looking for (because I'm kind of a flake in MFP friend world, realistically). But I did want to chime in on your thread, and wish you success.

I empathize with your situation. I haven't been through the same, but some stuff in the near neighborhood.

I was widowed fairly young, too. (He was 45, I was 43.) It is very . . . dislocating. A huge change in daily life, a huge change in social role, an impact on self-image, and lots more. For a long time, I felt like I was just going through the motions (empty inside), but I kind of forced myself to keep making the motions - in part because I needed to keep making a living. Eventually, some of the feeling seeped back into daily life, but it was gradual and slow.

I am menopausal, but that was different for me: At about 45, chemotherapy (for stage III breast cancer) put me into menopause almost instantly, and I was put on anti-estrogen drugs that tend to aggravate menopause symptoms.

For me, all of that was quite a while back. (I'm now 67, so more than 20 years.)

Coincidentally, I'm about 90 minutes from Detroit (in the palm of the mitten), a lifelong Michigan gal.

I think the path out of acute widowhood (for lack of a better term), and the path toward weight management - two different things, of course! - are both very individual things. The right actions and tactics need to be personalized, workable at each step, leading someplace in the long run.

I'm cheering for you on both fronts, because the results will be worth it, IME. Hang in there, and best wishes!