Hormonal imbalances

bookw25

I am almost 37, and perimenopause starts early in the women of my family. I also have PCOS. So to make a long post short, losing weight has always been a struggle, and it's about to get worse. Any tips for fitness or nutrition?

AnnPT77

It's not deep, if you ask me. Only cheesy, skeezy internet marketers try to claim there are special secrets. (What are those? Find out for only $49.95, because it's the secrets they're selling, of course.)

Work your way up gradually to at least the recommended minimum for basic good health of 150 minutes per week of moderate cardiovascular exercise (or 75 minutes of more intense cardiovascular exercise or a proportional combination) plus at least 2 days a week of strength exercise. Avoid over-fatigue from over-doing along the way, because that's counter-productive for either fitness or calorie burn. Ideally, find enjoyable exercise, but at least tolerable and practical exercise. More than the minimum is fine, as long as compatible with good overall life balance, and not over-fatiguing for current fitness level.

Get good overall nutrition on average, recognizing that protein and fats contain essential nutrients so we need a certain minimum, but carbs are not essential in that way so are more flexible. Because it tends to be very individual, figure out which foods accomplish that for you while keeping you mostly full and happy at an appropriate calorie level. Find that calorie level by starting with an MFP, calorie calculator or fitness tracker estimate for 4-6 weeks, or at least one whole menstrual cycle if you still have those. Use the average results over that whole time to adjust calorie goal if necessary.

Don't try to lose more than 0.5-1% of current weight per week, with a bias toward the lower end of that range unless severely obese and under close medical monitoring for deficiencies or complications.

That's about it, from my experience as a woman who lost from class 1 obese to a healthy weight, already about 15 years into menopause, while severely hypothyroid (medicated). While I don't have PCOS, my understanding is that some women with PCOS do better with a lower-carb eating style, so that might be a thing to try; and that some with PCOS may have a slightly lower calorie requirement than some without PCOS (which, if it applies to you, that 4-6 weeks experiment will tell you).

Boring advice, but I think it's true.

Best wishes for success: IME, it's worth the effort!

katemcd495

All of the above covers it, truly.

Hang in there! I'm 42 and started having hot flashes the week of my 40th birthday. I'm also hypothyroid. Eating at a deficit is the key.

The biggest thing, in my experience, has been trying to lose too quickly and then feeling "done". I'm never going to be done. If I don't track, I gain.

totameafox

Things are only as bad as you chose to believe them to be. If you perceive yourself as suffering then you will make it so. I eat just as well as I did before I started losing weight. The food is just as tasty. While I don't have pcos, I do have a disability that limits what I can do for exercise. So while I still try some activity it isn't enough to even bother tracking for weight loss. I have still lost weight. I am not miserable. While I wouldn't say this is doing first grade math it isn't 'hard' either. I am getting out what I put in.

You can do it and you don't have to be miserable while you do it.

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/147555-speak-friend-and-enter

bluesheeponahill

Hello! 39 and perimenopausal too with PCOS!

It took a solid 5 weeks on keeping to a deficit before my body decided to agree to let me lose weight. I've been focusing on upping protein at lunch (chicken and vegs, no salt, just pepper or a dash of a spice). and making sure breakfast is filling with fibre. so something like Weetbix. (I'm Australian if anyone isn't sure what weetbix is) The main thing for me has been using protein at lunch, it def helps with making me feel more full and I don't need to snack. I've been keeping dinners to around 350-400 calories per meal.

I'm not really doing additional exercise, I keep doing my usual movements, like walking 2kms dropping kids off at school, and then taking the longest route home, but as I understand it, doing weights will help. I like Apple fitness weights videos, they're always different and ongoing, so you're never watching the same video twice. I chuck in weights if I have time, but as a busy mum, the focus for me is just being more mindful of my eating habits and tracking everything. IMO, I think you need to prepare for this to be a long haul thing. It's not going to move fast like it did when we were younger, even with PCOS. Be patient and be ok with it taking up to 6 weeks to see any changes. I would do one thing at a time, start with food, then gradually add everything else in. going all in, you might crash out too soon.

Good luck!