menopause losers Team

melodieRN

Anybody in menopause and trying to lose. I lost weight in the past relatively easy but it seems once I hit 40 it is so much harder. If you would are in perimenopause or menopause and have been trying to lose join me here. Post how you are losing and your success and what you are doing.

amdb73

I agree fully! I'm 37 and have surgical menopause. I'm trying to lose about 20 more pounds. I have tried everything and not having any luck. I lowered my calorie intake and try to exercise at least 2 hours a day. I feel there's no hope for me. So glad you made this post. Nice to know I'm not the only one!

one for every two pounds losted

jliz513

Thanks for posting! I'm 47 and have had the worse 6 months... despite exercise, calorie control I'm gaining!! I've gained 20 pounds in a year and its driving me crazy! My hair is falling out and I have heavy, long periods! Its so frustrating and getting no help from my doctor. Any suggestions?

vickiele1

It is much much more difficult to lose weight during/after menopause. I am 56 - still experiencing menopause - don't think it will ever end, really. 10 years ago I weighed 125 - today 178 - that is down 20 pounds from where I waRes 2 months ago. It is really difficult. Keep working out (the exercise is very important both for weight loss as well as bone density, mental acuity, emotional regulation, etc.). Keep tracking your food intake - a little bit of advice - sodium can be a real problem for those of us in menopause - our bodies already have a tendency to retain fluids, and the additional sodium that is found in many of the prepackaged foods is only going to make that worse - I was astonished at the sodium levels in one of the breakfast meals I have been eating. Try to be gentle with yourself. Your body has given you 40 plus really good years - and you owe it to yourself to honor that.

sissytx

I am also in surgical memopause. I asked my doctor if any of my meds were hindering my weight loss and she told me my hormone replacement therapy. So I tried to go off it and that lasted a week. I am losing inches from working out and watching my calorie intake but not losing much weight!!

vickiele1

@ JLZ I would definitely get a different doctor. You might need to be on a birth control pill to help with the perimenopause symptoms you are describing. Wow - I feel for you - it is really tough to be where you are right now.

dhd4238

i think that it is REMARKABLE that you have lost anything... 'coming from someone who is 56 and just last year entered the (pre) menopause phase of my life... (my mom was later going thru menopause, and I think the fact that I was 35, 37 when I had my kids... and then stayed on the minipill until last June... kept me virtually fertile until I was certainly past that)... I basically jumped off a cliff into menopause when I stopped the pill, without having anything to counter-balance...
ANYWAY... I have decided to give "watching calories and exercize" the chance it deserves...
I have been on the program for almost two weeks and have so far lost two lbs...(woo-hoo)... but I think I've discovered a lot in these two weeks...like where those calories are coming from, and how much exercise i will need to exert in order to see a difference... not like all the "herbalife, weight-watchers, jenny craig, nutri-systems, etc." programs which found quicker results, but required counting points and drinking smoothies and taking - what kind of chemical pills???)... SOOOOOOO....
I'll let you know... but I think all of us who have discovered this "myfitnesspal" have a possibly WONDERFUL SOLUTION to our problem.... if we're just willing to "walk the walk"...

LotusF1ower

Hi, I am 49 and have just gone through the menopause.

Just wanted to let you all know, that there is light at the end of the tunnel. When six months into the menopause, I would desperately try to lose weight, only to find just 3 ounces would have been lost, it was disheartening and I gave up more times than I cared to remember.

The crunch came when, at 179lbs, I could barely fit into any of my clothes and was just about to move on up into the next size.

I joined this site just under 12 weeks ago and have now lost 26lbs, by sticking to 1200 calories per day and exercising between three and four times per week (treadmill and long walks).

I have just 16lbs to go to my goal weight and then it is on to maintenance.

Just because we are all going through or have gone through the menopause, does not mean that it is the end of slimness as we know it. Weight loss slows down during this time, but it will not remain static as long as we stick to our calorie allowance and exercise.

Just do not give up! x

MzBug

I am in that wonderful stage of TOM stopping by when ever it feels like it. I nudge TOM out the door and 2 weeks later it comes back! Then I don't see TOM for a couple months..... and WHAM. Gotta love TOM. Thank god the hot flashes and night sweats quit over a year ago. I gained 35 pounds over the last 18 months. It's gotta go, and all the other pounds that have been hanging around for years. I have a long history of going into starvation mode by skipping meals, sometimes fasting while not meaning to.

I am using a 30/40/30 (C/P/F) at 1100 cals as suggested by my doctor. On my own I have bumped up my calories up to 1400 this week and will drop them back to 1100 next week. My primary focus for right now is to get my metabolism working right. I am eatting every 4 hours, some protein at every meal and snack. I am eatting more at 1100 cals than I was before MFP. I will do the 1100 for 2-3 weeks and then toss in a week at a higher intake just to keep the metabolism (I hope) from hitting a long plateau. I am walking and using resistance bands for my exercise so far.

I have just finished week 4 and according to the doctors scale this afternoon I have lost 16 lbs (mine said 15). I'll take it.

Good luck everyone!

MzBug

Interesting read:

http://www.caring.com/articles/10-make-slow-realistic-changes-in-tune-with-your-lifestyle

pegsue50

60 years old need to lose 30lbs count me in

ThaiKaren

Hi there I'm 53 and went through the menopause at 50, periods just stopped and that was that. But I did suffer from hot flushes and anxiety attacks. I was recommended a thing called Lady Care because I did not want to take HRT ( Mum died of breast cancer), brilliant, whether it was in the mind or not, it worked. It is a magnet you place in your underwear near your pelvic area. It's got a web site, it definitely worked for me.
As for losing weight I find that I can if I eat less and exercise more, simple really, but hard to put into practise.

LotusF1ower

Hi there I'm 53 and went through the menopause at 50, periods just stopped and that was that. But I did suffer from hot flushes and anxiety attacks. I was recommended a thing called Lady Care because I did not want to take HRT ( Mum died of breast cancer), brilliant, whether it was in the mind or not, it worked. It is a magnet you place in your underwear near your pelvic area. It's got a web site, it definitely worked for me.
As for losing weight I find that I can if I eat less and exercise more, simple really, but hard to put into practise.

I had that too! It certainly helped me with the "demented" feeling I used to get. Do you know, I could handle most things, but that feeling that I was demented and felt so angry all the time just about nearly finished me off.

Ironically, that has gone now, thank God! I am astounded how I had forgot what it feels like to have a "normal" mood.

Happylady1

To LotusF1ower: Wow! You described what i'm going thru! Except that I'm having the period that never ends!! Ugh!! I realize that I've been using that as an excuse not to exercise. I have a treadmill and all kinds of exercise tools right here at home and every day I come up with a lame excuse not to use them. Thank you for opening up my eyes that with just walking, if that is the only thing you can do, will help you to reach your goal. It sometimes takes hearing it from someone who has been there to kick you into gear!! Congrats on you weight loss and continued success!! I will soon be posting my success story - THANK YOU LOTUSF1LOWER!!

bella56

I'm 53 and I stopped my periods 2 1/2 years ago. Since then I've gained 7 kgs (15 lbs) and about 7 lbs just before and around my actual menopause. There is no way I CAN"T lose weight following the steps on this website. I've tried many times before but given up at the first whiff of temptation. For example, I'd eat a whole packet of something sinful and then think :"What the hell, it's over for today, I'll start again tomorrow" then eat a bar of chocolate, but of course, tomorrow NEVER comes! Now I add whatever it is into my calories for the day and most of the time I find I haven't been as sinful as I thought, and I can limit my calories or the rest of the day to make up. Even if I have been, I write myself a note, forgive myself, and do an extra 15 minutes on the treadmill tomorrow. There is NOTHING you can't do if you want to!

mmtiernan

I began getting hot flashes at 45, waking up with night seats every single night, periods that were absolute gushers (sorry for any guys lurking on this thread) - I didn't have the anxiety attacks but there were days where if you just looked at me funny I'd be prone to burst into tears. A friend recommended a product called EstroLogic, which was created by a female gynecologist and a medical herbalist which helped even me out emotionally, cut down on the severity of the hot flashes (still got them, but they weren't as bad) and allowed me to sleep through night without night sweats. My metabolism felt like it was crawling. I have always been the same size 8 since high school and had no trouble maintaining it with simple diet and exercise, but that stopped working and my fat to lean muscle ratio began to shift in the wrong direction. I've since gone back to strength training, cleaned up my eating (only the very occasional ice cream any more!) and still get in at least three sessions of cardio per week. My fat to lean ratio has now begun to move back in the right direction - it's not quite back where I need it to be, but I'm finally feeling like I've got it back under control.

I'd have to say that clean eating is the single most important factor. I read the Abs Diet and Tosca Reno's The Eat Clean Diet. Both advocate eating non-processed, natural foods and lean proteins in five to six small meals a day as well as strength training to boost metabolism. I also make sure that I get no less than 7 hours of sleep every night.

The added bonus is that my 15 year old daughter has taken up strength training with me, along with ensuring that we both eat cleanly. She discovered Clean Eating magazine in a grocery store, which has many excellent recipes, so we spend a lot of quality time preparing weekly menus and making meals together.

This is what is working for me - so I thought I'd pass it along in case it helps anyone else. If you ware interested in trying EstroLogic, you can find it at some health food stores - I found it cheapest online from Swanson Vitamins. I can't say that it works for everyone, but just getting a good night's sleep was enough for me! Menopause sucks!

blackbyrd61

This sounds like the group for me! I'm 49 and have been perimenopausal for the last 2 yrs, with night sweats on and off, heavy periods and such. Well now I've moved on to night sweats almost every night, some daytime "private summers" (hot flashes) and a period that leaves for 6 months & then returns... I plan to ride it out without any hormones or such and I can honestly say it hasn't gotten to the point where I'm thinking of changing my mind & hopefully it won't! I have gained and lost 25 lbs over the last 3 years and am starting this journey again. I have found it's much harder now then anytime before and from all I've read I guess menopause has something to do with it. I appreciate all the posts and am anticipating going on this journey with others.


Current weight: 206
Goal weight: 160
mini goals: 7-10 lbs per month

melodieRN

Halleluah! Another pound! To be truthfull not sure how it happened I have been working crazy this week but have totally stayed away from processed foods. I started a clean eating challenge to myself, maybe it's working. Exercise has taken a backseat only because I've been busy at work but I know it is important so going to get to the gym tonight.

MzBug

Good Job! Work it girl! Work it!