Near or post menopausal group

Options
debs6
debs6 Posts: 232 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Do we currently have a sub group or thread for women who are peri menopausal or beyond? If not - perhaps it would be great to start one. We all know how hormones impact on our body weight and the ability to lose that weight- perhaps we can help each other out with tips and support. :)
Debbie
«134567…15

Replies

  • vizamy
    vizamy Posts: 60 Member
    Options
    Peri-menopausal. That's me!
  • Janny2011
    Janny2011 Posts: 14
    Options
    Me too - & I agree that we do have our particular weight loss challenge
  • vizamy
    vizamy Posts: 60 Member
    Options
    I don't know what it is yet, as I have some more broad ranging health stuff to deal with. I suppose it just works in there with the rest of it. So I'd be interested to find out what is menopause and what might be other things.
  • vizamy
    vizamy Posts: 60 Member
    Options
    BTW debs your little dog is delightful. Westie?
  • eggmcg
    eggmcg Posts: 40
    Options
    i'm in !
  • debs6
    debs6 Posts: 232 Member
    Options
    Thanks Visamy - he is delightful- albeit scruffy and badly in need of a trim. He is my first ever Westie - indeed my first ever little white dog- but I have forgiven him for that. He is such a character- I love him to bits
    Debbie
  • vizamy
    vizamy Posts: 60 Member
    Options
    He has that inquisitive terrier face. "Wassup?" :D
  • vizamy
    vizamy Posts: 60 Member
    Options
    Soooo, what do people find are their challenges at this time?
  • reneelee
    reneelee Posts: 877 Member
    Options
    bump
  • gmomlyn
    gmomlyn Posts: 134
    Options
    Hi ladies!
    I'm 55 and went though menopause at 46 1/2. Just before my last period ever, I had gone to the doctor for my yearly physical just weeks before and she did blood work and told me I was years away from menopause. Obviously not. Anyway, I have been lucky because I never experienced the mood swings, hot flashes, etc, that so many women get. What I have experienced is the weight gain......in particular, weight gain in the belly. Yuck! Luckily, I have no health issues yet either.

    Prior to menopause, my weight was in the high 140's to low 150's most of my adult life. I was 5' 7 1/4 inches too....but at my last physical the doctor told me I'm 5"6.5" now. Yeah, I guess shrinking is another sign of getting older, lol. Anyway, by the time I went through menopause, my weight had gone up to 170. Not good, but I felt good and tried not to pay too much attention to the extra weight. Then when I hit my 50th birthday, I weighed myself cause my clothes were either extremely tight or I couldn't fit into most of them anymore. Holy moley...200! So, I put myself on a 1200 calorie diet and began doing WATP videos every day. Within 3 1/2 months I was down to 160, but then I stopped counting calories and exercising. It took about 2 years, but the weight came slowly back on and I found myself at 200 again. So....1200 calorie diet again and back to WATP everyday. I lost 40 pounds again. But once again I didn't keep it off because I stopped counting calories and exercising. On 8/31/11, I weighed myself and I was 202.4. Yikes. Here I go again. This time I found MFP, and I'm again sticking to 1200 calories a day and doing WATP everyday. I'm 17 days into this diet, and I'm down 10 pounds already. What I have to do this time around though is not stop when I reach my goal. I have to learn how to maintain. When I was younger, I was fairly active and could eat anything I wanted and not gain. Obviously not so anymore. So.....I'm going to have to work doubly hard this time....to lose the weight and then keep it off for good.

    BTW... I'm married (34+years), I have 3 grown children (1 boy and 2 girls) and I'm a grandmother of 10 (3 girls, 7 boys). Also, I was a preschool teacher, but "retired" at 50 to stay home and help my own children out by watching their children for them.
    I'm a GS leader for 3 troops....that keeps me busy besides watching grandchildren.

    Oh...and I also have a little white dog.....a Bichon. She's a sweetie too, but is in much need of a haircut....and keeping her white is near to impossible, especially with all the rain we have been getting here in NJ during the past 2 months.

    Good luck on your weight loss journey everyone!
  • vizamy
    vizamy Posts: 60 Member
    Options
    Thanks for sharing.

    I've been getting the hot flashes thing but not too drastically, not enough to really disconcert me.

    I've been overweight since I had my son who is ten, and I put on more when I had major health issues several years ago. So I don't know if I'm finding it harder since being peri menopausal.

    What I was doing before was raising my exercise but I wasn't tracking what I was eating. What I found when I got here was that I was simply eating too much. On the whole I was eating healthy food but just too much of it.

    So far I'm down 6kg and much fitter. It's a bit of a struggle ATM as I have a vestibular disorder so I'm trying to get over that.
  • napanda69
    napanda69 Posts: 22
    Options
    I'm way post-menopause. I had a full hysterectomy 6 years ago. It affects my body shape, energy levels, and my difficulty losing weight...I'm in!
  • RagtimeLady
    RagtimeLady Posts: 172 Member
    Options
    Oh, boy, I'm in, too!!! Read my profile for the whole story. Meno is bad enough, but I'm sure many of us also suffer other insults to our metabolism - antidepressants (biggie!), pain killers , arthritis, bad backs, all that stuff. It' horrible! I swear, those who have not experienced it have NO IDEA of how hard it is to lose weight!

    What's finally working for me is 1 to 1.5 hours of SERIOUS CARDIO. I'm out every day I can riding a bike, kayaking, hiking, "wogging" (not ready for real jogging yet), and when I can't get out I either go to the gym or work out on my own elliptical. I have a heart rate monitor. I've had my metabolism tested, so I know exactly how many calories I burn at different heart rate zones. I think I should have that done again - I can tell that things are changing.

    But it took me so long to see any progress - it was quite disheartening. I've been at it now for more than 2 months. I can tell my metabolism is cranking up because I'm getting hot flashes again... :-/

    We old broads just gotta work harder!
  • sandrawmorris
    sandrawmorris Posts: 4 Member
    Options
    I am 51 and menopause blind-sided me about 2 years ago. Have never had a problem with weight until this past year. I can't lose it! It's driving me crazy. I'd like to be in!
  • mkaluzny
    mkaluzny Posts: 508 Member
    Options
    I am 54 years old (55 in October). I experienced my last period over 10 years ago. Yea, I did the night sweats thing and I guess the hot flashes. I really didn't know what to expect; so I ignored it all. Nothing seemed too bad. I must have been awful sweaty at night because my husband, a physician, brought home some hormone concoction for me to take. I ignored that too.

    When I first started menopause my weight jumped about 7-10 pounds. I was in the 140s range. I dropped down to 130-135 after about a year. I am only 5' 4". This past year, I blossomed to 137. That was it. I started MFP in June and am currently at 120lb.

    I do have a gut and extra fat around my hips that I seems to not want to leave. As far as energy levels, I am a morning person and anything done before 2:00 PM I can hit full speed. After that I give it the lazy woman's effort. I still run or walk 3-5 miles a day. I take calcium supplements with vitamin D, per my physician. My blood pressure is 106/70 or so.

    My biggest problem is that after 5 pregnancies, I do not have the bladder control of a younger me. Jumping, running, sneezing, laughing, even walking at times causes me to drip. Disgusting, I know. I keep thinking of the Circle of Life song from the Lion King.. When I was young, I wore diapers. Someday, I may have to again.

    An aside, I have a white dog too. He is a big, strong, strapping, blind in one eye and deaf 17 year old husky. He still pulls a sled and loves to go for walks every night. Talk about motivation for me!
  • kduncan704
    kduncan704 Posts: 5
    Options
    I'm in as well. I'm peri-menopausal and dreading the whole thing--especially the weight gain!
  • AbbyFlower
    AbbyFlower Posts: 4 Member
    Options
    Hello Ladies! Please add me to the list :)

    I've been in full menopause since age 40 (5 years) as a result of treatment for recurrent breast cancer. I would so welcome a support group like this - most of my friends haven't even begun to consider the changes our bodies go through at menopause. It's like getting to know your body all over again.

    Wishing us all the best!
  • Maura5
    Maura5 Posts: 30
    Options
    Hi ALL,
    Please add me as a pal! I'm having challenges daily trying to navigate through this menopausal weight loss (or lack thereof) thing! I need all the encouragement & tips I can get. I'm nice, too, just ask my pals :-)
    Maura5
  • Tiffanydepiano
    Tiffanydepiano Posts: 169 Member
    Options
    I am in without question! I don't know how to create a group however. :blushing:
  • Tiffanydepiano
    Tiffanydepiano Posts: 169 Member
    Options
    I am in without question! I don't know how to create a group however. :blushing:

Categories