POST MENOPAUSE AND WEIGHT GAIN-HELP!

jaxluvthebeach
jaxluvthebeach Posts: 14 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Good morning! I am 52 years old, 3 years post menopause and besides having a vast array of symptoms over the years, I was able to maintain my weight till last year. All of a sudden I gained 20 pounds within the last year and I have a fat on my abdomen/stomach area and my back. I was exercising 6-7 days a week just cardio for one hour which I have done for many years and eating healthy and the weight still went on! I changed my workout to 5 days a week as I thought at this point I could be overdoing it and 3 of those I added a strength training and lowered the amount of cardio I doing. I now have two rest days where I try to take just light walks. I also try to get between 15,000-20,000 steps a day (that includes the exercise) I believe I eat healthy although I guess I could eat less of it and lower my carb intake somewhat. I also eat gluten free. I don't know what to do at this point to lose this weight, its so frustrating to see the scale keep going up when you are trying your hardest! I just started back on this app today logging in my food and exercise, I am thinking at this point it has to be something with my diet. Thank you for listening to me and for any imput and/or just sharing your own menopause story!

Replies

  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    I'm going to quote you from the other thread:
    jaxluvthebeach wrote: »
    Thank you, I haven't been on here in a few years so I forgot how everything works! I am not weighing things on a scale but today I started to measure my food and started to log it in here on the app. I am not sure if I am in a calorie deficit but I am thinking I am not as the weight keeps going on. Thanks for your response and I will try to figure out how to do my own post. Have a good day!

    Do get a food scale, weigh everything, and report back in a month.

    Not being a calorie deficit is the most common scenario and should be looked at first.

    Noting for others that you said on the other thread that your thyroid had been checked and was fine.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    On the other thread, you mentioned wanting to get your hormones tested. Low estrogen only causes weight gain indirectly. This article discusses that, but its focus is that post-menopausal women should exercise more than they tend to. You're already doing that. Great job on the steps! :smiley:

    By all means, get your hormones tested if you wish, but I do think the answer is going to be discovered by using a food scale.

    https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/womens-health/in-depth/menopause-weight-gain/art-20046058
  • jaxluvthebeach
    jaxluvthebeach Posts: 14 Member
    Thank you so much to both of you! I was thinking that it had to be my diet at this point too. I will need to get myself a scale LOL I am sure I will be shocked when I actually start weighing things. I appreciate the article too! Thank you! :)
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,620 Member
    I'd point out that gaining 20 pounds in a year implies eating about 200 calories above maintenance calories on average daily. That's the calorie equivalent of one serving of peanut butter or a generous serving of ranch dressing: Not much!

    It's easy to eat that much more (maybe with hormone-related appetite increase) or move that much less (maybe with hormone-related fatigue, such as from lower sleep quality), or some combination of slightly more eating and slightly less activity.

    Surprisingly major weight gain can come from fairly minor cumulative changes in routine.

    There's recent research suggesting that our metabolism stays pretty consistent from our 20s to around age 60 or so.*1* After that, the age-triggered decline in metabolic rate is quite gradual.

    It's also common to gradually and subtly move less in daily life as we age. I don't know about you, but my job, leisure activities, home improvement/maintenance projects, etc., tended to be more physically active in my 20s than now. It changed slowly, though!

    That decreased movement contributes to gradual weight gain over the life course, for a lot of people.

    On top of that, as we age, we will gradually lose muscle mass unless we work seriously at keeping or increasing it. That makes a tiny difference in calorie needs at rest, but I suspect that as we have less muscularity, it becomes less easy and less fun to be active in daily life and exercise, so we move less without even thinking about it. (Your addition of strength training is a good move, in this light. Of course, cardio is also a good way to be more fit and active, plus burn some extra calories.)

    Though I don't have a cite, I've seen some research suggesting that strength training may counter that tendency for aging women to store fat more centrally, though I don't think that's a fully proven thing. Even if it doesn't, it should tighten things up a bit, maybe improve posture (which affects how prominent central fat will look) . . . and strength is useful for its own sake, besides.

    Complicating muscle maintenance/gain, many people eat less than ideal amounts of protein as we age. That can be a particular risk, it seems to me, when "dieting", maybe especially among us women, because it's common to turn to veggies and salads and avoid fats and meats when reducing calories. As we age, research suggests it becomes more important to spread it though the day. That's because a typical person metabolizes protein less efficiently at older ages than when younger. *2*

    I think you'll get some useful insights from logging what you eat as accurately as is practical for you. Eating a couple of hundred calories above needs adds around 20 pounds in a year . . . and eating around 200 calories below needs would drop around 20 pounds in a year, too, roughly. (Faster than that is fine, but too fast isn't ideal.)

    You can figure this out, and make practice, if you apply persistence and patience. I'm cheering for you!

    Yeah, it's a post with footnotes. Crazy, huh? ;)

    *1* https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34385400/
    *2* https://www.jamda.com/article/S1525-8610(13)00326-5/fulltext

    P.S. Increasing daily life (non-exercise) movement can make a useful contribution to progress. Many MFP-ers share their diverse ideas about that in this thread:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss/p1
  • Catewillow
    Catewillow Posts: 5 Member
    edited November 2023
    I’ve been exactly where you are! Except I’ll be 55 next year. All great advice given so far. See your doctor and get tested. I started intermittent fasting in June 30th this year, and since then I’ve lost 22 kg - that’s almost 50 pounds! A combination of intermittent fasting and watching what I eat has completely changed my life. I’m almost at my goal - I just want to let you know it can be done and you can see results quickly!
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,986 Member
    To give you another perspective: I'm likely in menopause (not sure, still on the contraceptive with hardly any break) and lose weight just fine with about 0.35kg per week. Which is a bit faster than I'd like as I set my goal to 1kg per month. Which means: MOAR FOOD! :D
  • jaxluvthebeach
    jaxluvthebeach Posts: 14 Member
    Awesome to both of you! :) Thanks for responding and great that you are able to lose the weight and are healthy! Have a good weekend!
  • jaxluvthebeach
    jaxluvthebeach Posts: 14 Member
    Just an update, I am sure its just water weight right now but I have lost 3 pounds since starting this on November 1, 2023. So I am guessing that food was the culprit here but time will tell! :)
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,620 Member
    jaxluvthebeach wrote: »
    Just an update, I am sure its just water weight right now but I have lost 3 pounds since starting this on November 1, 2023. So I am guessing that food was the culprit here but time will tell! :)

    It usually is. ;):D
  • wefts
    wefts Posts: 183 Member
    You can do this , I am also returning to logging my foods as the weight I lost was creeping back . Sticking to my cal goal of around 1300 I am back down 8 lbs after about 6 weeks effort .I am 64 and have hypothyroid but am medicated. Be sure to keep up with your healthy fats and proteins they help you absorb your nutrients and keep you satisfied.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,304 Member
    edited November 2023
    N=1

    I was logging and lost weight in 2013 age 50.

    Kept logging in maitenance for several more years, in that time I had last menstrual period age 54

    Continued logging.

    I did not find I gained weight with the same calorie intake pre or post menopause.

    *qualifies by saying my lifestyle or activity level did not change i n that time either and I did not have any real menopause issues other than some minor hot flush issues, not affecting activity level or calorie intake.

    Incidentally I also had thyroid surgery in middle of those years (2016) and half my thyroid removed due to a tumour (non cancerous it fortunately turned out )
    That made no difference to weight either - of course with correct replacement medication.
  • jaxluvthebeach
    jaxluvthebeach Posts: 14 Member
    Hi and thank you all for reaching out! I hope you continue to have good health and much success in your health journey! It’s been one week now since logging food and it’s been an eye opener for me! I want to keep doing it as I think it’s helping but I know I need to work on sleep and stress as well

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