How can I lose weight in peri-menopause, when nothing I´ve ever done before is working?

JAT74
JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have always struggled with losing weight and maintaining a lower weight as I´m very small framed with a low TDEE and have always had to make a real if I want to stay slim and fit.

A few years ago I hired a nutritionist and found a healthy, easy way of eating I could follow, and an exercise plan that was working really well for me, allowing me to get to a much lower weight (114lbs) with a healthy body fat % (22%).

I maintained it for over a year, but old habits crept in due to stress in my personal life and my weight was back up again a couple of years ago.

I now almost 50 and since last year have been trying to get the weight off using a combination of exercise, calorie counting, eating plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, protein, and reasonably low carbohydrates. I also tried intermittent fasting again (for about 5 months at the end of last year/early this year), but nothing is working.

I have now stopped weighing myself because it was so upsetting to be continuously disappointed, but I´m stuck at around 68kg / 149.5lbs and 36% body fat and don´t know what else I can do.

Has anyone else experienced this and is so, what did you do to get things moving? I currently walk for around an hour 7 days a week, do cardio workouts 3 times a week, and weight training 3 times a week too.

Replies

  • lisakatz2
    lisakatz2 Posts: 507 Member
    Are you logging your food? This is a must if you want to measure/track your calorie intake. If you're "stuck" at a certain weight than you've hit your maintenance. I don't know how much you're consuming on a daily basis, but you might need to drop 100-200 calories.
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
    Thanks but I was logging my foods for months, and being very careful with my calorie and fat consumption, but other than the initial water weight I lost nothing after the first 2-3 weeks.

    I have now stopped logging, counting etc. but I know that I eat more or less the same thing every day, which doesn´t exceed 1200 calories. I also eat quite a high fiber diet as I eat friuit and vegetables at every meal, and I have now also cut out added sugar so I only have a little fruit with 2% fat yogurt with my breakfast.

    I´ve also cut out diet drinks, and only have a little rice, pasta, or potoatoes with one of my daily meals, and I eat bread no more than once a week. I rarely drink alcohol (I have one or two drinks once or twice a month).

    It´s so frustrating but I can only put it down to my age, and where I live it´s not possible for me to get a test of my hormone levels until I stop getting my monthly periods unfortunately. I just wish there was something I could do to change the situation, but I haven´t found an answer so far.
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,726 Member
    Have you had your thyroid levels checked?
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 33,783 Member
    A realistic calorie goal doesn't come from MFP, a TDEE calculator, or even a fitness tracker. It comes from experience.

    MFP, calorie calculators or fitness trackers provide a starting point, but the initial numbers need to be tested. If a person follows that initial goal pretty closely for 4-6 weeks, they will usually have enough personal experience data to adjust based on that experience. (A person who has menstrual cycles should go for at least one full cycle, to compare body weight at the same relative point in at least two different cycles. Two full cycles would be even better.)

    The starting estimates are likely to be close for most people, high or low for a few, and possibly dramatically high or low for a very rare few. That's the nature of statistical estimates.

    There are things that can reduce calorie needs below the statistical estimates. Some of them can be countered. Some can't. It's not necessarily simple to figure out, either: Human bodies are dynamic, i.e., calorie intake affects calorie expenditure in subtle (possibly completely unconscious) ways. That's only one of many issues.

    But it's pretty much an inescapable conclusion that someone who's staying at the same body weight for many months at a time (i.e., up and down within the same few pounds) is eating maintenance calories. Ruling out medical or nutritional issues is a good plan. Beyond that, cutting calories lower (or increasing activity gradually) is probably necessary.

    I'm sorry to say that, but I think it's true, unfortunately.

  • SherryRueter
    SherryRueter Posts: 3,180 Member
    After 4-6 weeks lf no loss then you aren't in a weekly calorie deficit. At that point lower weekly calories become necessary.

    There is no way around this, unfortunately.

    Exactly at Tom said. even if you think you are in a calorie deficit, if you are not losing weight, you are not in a deficit. You will need to lower calories further.
  • KareninCanada
    KareninCanada Posts: 959 Member
    You are walking for an hour 7 days a week and working out 6 days a week, and eating less than 1200 calories a day, cut out added sugar and most bread, you weigh about 150 lb, and you aren't losing?

    Please see a doctor. If that is all accurate, then something isn't right. Maybe thyroid? (Though you didn't give your height - it's also possible that 114 was really too low for you.)

    What I would try in the meantime is measuring and logging everything including the oil you cook with, extra bites here and there, how much cream is in your coffee, etc. It's very easy to add an extra 300 calories a day without even noticing.

    Also maybe consider giving your body a day off once a week where you don't work out and you eat moderatelyhigher calories. Not a binge, but a rest day to lower the cortisol level in your body. You're putting some serious stress on every part of yourself and intentional rest may help.
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
    Thanks for all the replies. I've been here many times before so I know I'm not underestimating my calorie intake.

    I've had my thyroid checked and all was OK, but what I was told by the nutritionist I worked with a few years back was that calorie burn through exercise is often overestimates. That, in addition to the fact I'm sedentary outside of walks/workouts, perhaps means that, as a very small framed person, I really can't eat very much. I'm 5'4" and was a US size 2 at my smallest and even now at 150lbs I'm a size 6-8 (UK 10-12).

    I also think that my body is becoming more resistant to carbohydrates perhaps, so I any need to reduce them further to see results?

    It seems that it's much harder in my late 40s to reduce body fat and keep the pounds off, and maybe 114lbs was too low for me, but I'd be more than happy if I could get back to around 125lbs. It's my body fat and future health which concerns me more than anything else.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,333 Member
    So...you're going to continue to argue that you are eating 1200, have been to the doctor for a checkup, and you're 5'4" 150, exercising, and are not losing weight?

    I'm afraid this is out of the realm of myfitnesspal. Something is not right, but you are continuing to argue that it's not your estimations/food.

    I don't know what else it could be. You're not logging food in your FOOD diary, so we can't help you.

    Good luck. :flowerforyou:
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,333 Member
    edited August 3
    It's not peri-menopause, go back to the basics.

    From the stickies: "You're probably eating more than you think." https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10012907/logging-accuracy-consistency-and-youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think/p1

    HOW TO LOG: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1
  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 2,133 Member
    edited August 3
    JAT74 wrote: »
    Thanks for all the replies. I've been here many times before so I know I'm not underestimating my calorie intake.
    .
    You are under estimating WEEKLY caloies. If you count everything properly, every day you will find you're off on your numbers and this can be due to several factors so you need to review your data log choices, count everything that goes in your mouth accurately and don't forget liquid calories
  • KareninCanada
    KareninCanada Posts: 959 Member
    Have you been checked for PCOS and had all your bloodwork done to check for prediabetes/insulin resistance, etc?

    If you can, I'd try keeping a super detailed log of every sip, nibble, and ingredient, every workout, your sleep patterns, and your daily step count. For two or three weeks. And see if you can meet with your dietitian again to go over the whole picture. It sounds like you are dealing with something more complex than we can help with here being just fellow travelers.
  • FibroHiker
    FibroHiker Posts: 398 Member
    I am 49 and was having difficulty with losing weight in perimenopause too. Here are the things that I find are working for me:

    Good gut health. I can't stress enough that poor gut health at this stage of our lives can really derail your goals. If you are not currently experiencing any of the awful symptoms of GI issues, just make sure that you are getting good fiber intake every day and eat yogurt a few times a week.

    Weights over cardio. I never thought in my lifetime I would give up cardio. I was a cardio queen for a long time. I know that throughout my regular day I move around enough to burn calories without added cardio. Now I focus on getting three whole body weight training sessions each week. Muscles win every time.

    You must meet your protein needs: at least one gram of protein for every pound. I have seen that when I do the weight training combined with adequate protein intake, I start losing inches. It works every time.

    Here's the one that's hard to accept, especially for us women, your calorie deficit can't be super huge. If we see ourselves losing weight at a certain rate under a specific number of calories we think we should drop our calorie intake to lose more weight or to lose more quickly. Or, if our weight loss stalls we should drop our calories again to get it going. This will only sabotage your efforts. Stick to a plan of a mild calorie deficit daily, getting your protein, and doing the weight training. It will work in the long run. If you don't believe that, you can read all the posts from women on here that have plateaued at very small calorie intakes and don't understand why their weight loss has stalled.
  • Seffell
    Seffell Posts: 2,242 Member
    I don't quite understand your problem (genuinely, not passive aggressively). If you are not losing weight you need to either eat less than you currently are or move more than you currently are or both.

    Very straightforward in terms of "what".

    "How" to achieve it is a matter of preference. If you don't have time to move more - eat less. If you don't want to eat less - find time to move more.

  • Mithridites
    Mithridites Posts: 600 Member
    Portion creep is a real thing. It's especially easy with calorie dense foods like Peanut butter or mayo. If I don't weigh them out I inevitably use more than I mean to. I'm an imperfect human being. That's why I use a kitchen scale for all my meals when trying to lose weight. Now, you can grasp at straws and all the click bait excuses, OP, or you can try tight, to-the-gram logging for a few weeks. It costs nothing but time.

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