Menopause and weight loss

krkavanagh

I am relatively new to this site and extremely new at writing on any site about myself. I am 45 and been dealing with menopause symptoms for about a year now. I went from about 155lbs in January to 180lbs this morning. I have tried, off and on, for the last 10 months to diet and exercise, only to give up after about a week with no results. In my head I know that this is going to take longer than a week to see results, but it just sucks! So now I am trying again, albeit with a better attitude, I think. I would like to hear from others who have lost weight during this time in their life, just to know it's possible. My goal is 130lbs. I am about 5'4", so I don't think this weight is out of the question. Actually, my high was 183lbs yesterday. But I have a feeling most of what I have lost is water. I have been exercising, walking and jogging in place for 30 minutes and some push ups and sit ups.
Thanks for the support,
KRKavanagh

dmoses

Best of luck to you. There is a group called 'Women of a Certain Age" that you may want to check out. I haven't been through any of the symptoms yet, but I know it's coming. I was fortunate enough to lose the weight before any of that stuff starts.

We're here if you need us!!

juicygurl1

KrKavanagh, I am struggling with the similar issues. I finally approached menopause with all the bells and whistles, slow metabolism and all. Oh well, we just have to deal with it, and be happy that every women either has, is going thru it or will some day. I am pushing my self to stay active with cardio for my heart's sake. hopefully the pounds will melt off if i can maintain my over eating splurges. you can freind me if you like...we can support each other! happy night sweats!!!

vsyates

I am 56, 5'5". and was able to reach my goal weight of 125. I'm menopausal and am taking hormones. It IS possible to lose weight Good luck!

lindalou0703

I am in perimenopause, I think...lol.... I had gained alot of weight. I have been on here about 5 months and have lost 37 pounds. I am almost to my goal weight of 127. I am only 5' but that is the weight I am most comfortable at. You can do it. Just take one day at a time

dsc32209

Good for you for trying again! I am 60 and have been on this site for a few weeks. I have 80 lbs to lose and have lost 16 so far. For me, I had to come to the realization that I cannot eat like I used to and have to exercise. Logging your food accurately has been the key for me.

Best of luck!

LisaMariaCallow

I'm 49 (50 next month!) and un-officially done with menopause (last TOM was 11/9/10 :laugh: ) I joined MyFitnessPal in March and lost 30 lbs in 6 months!! :bigsmile: I've been in maintainance for last 6-7 weeks and I feel AMAZING!! :happy: I'm also in the best shape, both physically & mentally, than I've ever been in!!

You can do this-don't let menopause be your excuse!! Friend me if you need someone in your corner!!

BLaurieJ

I have been having the same issues - since I started tracking my food and exercise here I have seen results - but much slower than I would have hoped and sometimes huge fluctuations day to day - I can't make any sense of it because my period has started to come at random times (sometimes 3 weeks sometimes 6 weeks) - but it is at least now a downward trend instead of upward (-: Try sticking with it for a month. I count my wins my maintaining or losing. Most weeks I win. Some weeks I lose. But as I said at least I moving downward!! I started at 186 and am down to 180, so there is hope (and I still have a long way to go).

dqualls1234

I've had the same issues with a thyroid problem on top of it. At 53, I've been struggling for years with my weight. Hit my high at 199.1 last week & just can't believe it. If you are excercising and watching your intake, you are doing just as you should. Keep up the good work. For us 'old' gals, it just takes consistency and perseverence. I kept falling off the wagon & weight just comes back quicker than it takes to lose. You just have to make it a life long commitment.

ninelives58

I went through the very same thing over the last few years. I was desperate to lose the pounds I had put on after going through menopause, but was really clueless as to how to go about it properly. If you follow the diet and exercise plan on this site and are completely honest about all your diary entries, you will succeed. You can do it!

MartiJJohnston

I am relatively new to this site and extremely new at writing on any site about myself. I am 45 and been dealing with menopause symptoms for about a year now. I went from about 155lbs in January to 180lbs this morning. I have tried, off and on, for the last 10 months to diet and exercise, only to give up after about a week with no results. In my head I know that this is going to take longer than a week to see results, but it just sucks! So now I am trying again, albeit with a better attitude, I think. I would like to hear from others who have lost weight during this time in their life, just to know it's possible. My goal is 130lbs. I am about 5'4", so I don't think this weight is out of the question. Actually, my high was 183lbs yesterday. But I have a feeling most of what I have lost is water. I have been exercising, walking and jogging in place for 30 minutes and some push ups and sit ups.
Thanks for the support,
KRKavanagh

I am 43 1/2, 5'4", and have the same goal weight (and about 40 pounds to lose to get there). I also have hypothyroid (underactive). I've been slowly gaining weight for the last year. Finally joined this site, then made an appointment with the Endocrinologist. Couldn't get in until Dec 9th, but I've been patiently trying to "maintain" without gaining more. You should make an appointment ASAP! Good luck!

zooflute

I'm 43 and I don't think I've started menopause yet, but I've dealt with endometriosis until I had a supracervical hysterectomy last year. I'm also 5' 4" and my highest weight was 183 lbs. I tried all sorts of kinds of exercise before my surgery, signed up on MFP in April, started jogging again in July and still with no success and was really fed up this August. I finally mentioned to my doctor that I had been feeling down, and he suggested prozac. Since then I've lost 30 pounds and can jog for about an hour 3x a week. I've just started adding gym workouts 2x a week.

I'm not saying you need prozac or any anti-depressant, but I can't help but wonder if it was the perfect storm of hormonal balance + consistently increasing cardio (I did Couch to 5K) + logging calories + prozac, but something finally clicked. You might ask your doctor to do a complete hormone level check.

The prozac helped me not worry about the results of my exercising and quelled my anxiety enough I could control my portions much better. Now the jogging has become a reward in and of itself.

sewedo1

I'm 47 and metabolism does slow down with age. I've lost 23 pounds in the last 3.5 months. I focus on eating sensible, healthy meals, moderate cardio exercise (mostly walking), occasional lite weight lifting (should do more as I hear this is most beneficial at our stage of life), and paying close attention to my body for hunger signs (i.e. eating 4 or 5 times a day and staying in my calorie range instead of focusing on 3 or 6 meals as a standard). Good luck and add me as friend if you like.

m_wilh

I am 45 also, but haven't started menopause. I do have a very low metabolism as well as a few other health issues that have caused me to struggle with weightloss. However, it can be done! I started my journey 12-30-10 and have lost 34 pounds. There were months that I've seen no weightloss but I never gave up. Feel free to friend me if you'd like and good luck on this journey. You'll find MFP friends very helpful and encouraging.

rachel41

WOW! That's sounds like me,I am 45 an dealing with menopause to.I wish I could give you advice ,I am the same as you.Off and on dieting but recently,I found out that I have pre diabetes.I don,t want to get the full blown diabetes so that is encouraging me to stick with my cals and exercise.All I can say ..is stick with it.

Bonita_Lynne_58

I'm 53 and started peri menopause about 8 years ago. Although I was already overweight it seemed like I gained easier from that time on. I have been on here since Sept. 9th. Starting weight was 208.5 Current weight is 189.4 (I haven't entered it yet as I'm trying to wait til my regular weigh in day to do that). It may be harder to lose at this time in our lives but it is possible.

I am a member of the Near or post-menopausal Group. I haven't checked out the other group yet, But I'm sure they are as wonderful and supportive as the one I've joined.

Feel free to send a friend request if you'd like.

skinnyme47

Welcome to My Fitness Pal.

krkavanagh

Thank you all for your great words of support. I really hadn't thought of all the other women out there going through the same things. It also doesn't help that my husband is 3 years younger than me and can eat everything in the house, sleep on the couch and practically lose weight, *kitten*! LOL

Thanks again, and I will be back!

kctypes

I understand where you are. And, as much as I hate to admit it, menopause has really thrown me for a loop. I'm 50, and just recently went through it. Everything, and I mean everything, they said about hitting my 40s and 50s and lower metabolism is true. It takes a lot of effort to burn calories. I don't have much advice. One thing I've seemed to learn is that it is more the food you eat than the exercise. It's all about calories in - calories out. The exercise can give you a few more calories a day, but food can really make a difference. You're going to do it, you know you are. I've also found (and read this quite a few times) that if you try to eat the same things for breakfast and lunch that are low calorie, you usually are a little more successful. For example, I eat a hard boiled egg and toast with some type of protein (slice of cheese or peanut butter on the toast) every morning. I just started that this week and lost a pound. However, tomorrow I will not have a hard boiled egg. After 4 days of hard boiled eggs, I'm tired of them. You're going to do it! KC

kctypes

I liked your comment, and just had to share this. One time, my older sister told me after loosing a great deal of weight, "It is just as hard to keep the weight off as it is to lose it." I know I used to think it, "if I could just lose it........." But, the truth is, you have to always eat in moderation -rather it is to lose it, or to maintain it.

bethgarzonie

I am 46, 5'5", and currently 180 lbs. Chemotherapy caused my early menopause about a year and a half ago. I gained about 18 lbs. Since I have been eating right and exercising I am losing on average 1.5 lbs. per week. Unless, of course, I screw up my good habits. You can do it! I have found that eating the same stuff for breakfast and lunch keeps me on track. Dinner is usually something different and yummy! Good luck!

grandmatbigsky

Kudos to you for getting started again! I'm a 52 yr old mother of 13 kiddos, (Yes, 13! and wonderful blessings, everyone!) I'm definitely in the midst of all the "menopausal-funnies" too. Take comfort: There is some evidence that your natural tendency to retain a few extra lbs during this phases provides you your own mini HRT supply! Though it is VERY frustrsting to try so hard to lose, count every day that you just maintain as a victory. Your needs will change, this phase WILL pass, and your weight come off a bit easier later on. Have you had your thyroid checked? It's pretty common to be low thyroid about this stage... Find a buddy to walk with: the outdoor time, the gab-time, and the sense of obligation to one another has really given me a boost in the arm to start in afresh too. Interspersing moderate eating with 2-3 week stretches of a more vegetarian regimen, and really avoiding the milled wheat and refined sweets has finally made a "whopping" 1.5 lbs budge... (but only after 3 weeks of walking 11/2 -3 miles daily!) But Hey! it's a start! and I truly feel better and am finally getting realistic about being CONTENT with good health over surface appearance. Count your blessings, and pass on the potatoes n' gravy! :flowerforyou:

Bonita_Lynne_58

Thank you all for your great words of support. I really hadn't thought of all the other women out there going through the same things. It also doesn't help that my husband is 3 years younger than me and can eat everything in the house, sleep on the couch and practically lose weight, *kitten*! LOL

Thanks again, and I will be back!

My husband is 2 years older than me. He's a skinny guy and eats all kinds of junk. Never gains an ounce! I look at his food and gain! Have wanted to smack him when he's eating brownies or whatever. Lol

misty8parker

Well, I may not be having menopause issues yet (only 35) but we have the exact same highest weight, Im 5'3", and we have similar weight loss goals....we should be friends!

LaVerneHarvey

Hi KR,
I'm also dealing with menopause. It so sucks, because unlike PMS the symptoms come whenever. I'd like to tell you what made the difference for me in weight loss. I cannot strenuously exercise, I have a medical condition and it's impossible, and so I walk. I found that even though I was walking up to 45 min. a day, and walking pretty fast too, I didn't lose much if anything even on the diet. Then one evening while watching The Biggest Loser, one of the trainers said that you have to exercise at least one hour a day just to maintain your weight when in menopause. So I upped my walking to 90 minutes a day. Truthfully, I had previously lost 40 pounds doing this, I haven't been able to get much more loss after that, so I've upped it to 100 mins. I have lost a little since but not as much as I would like. I hope this helps.
LaVerne Harvey

LaVerneHarvey

I read that by checking to see if you have hair from your eye brows that don't come all the way down beside your eyes that's a sign of low thyroid. Dr. Oz btw lol. I don't think I explained it very well. But I think I'm watching too much TV.

Cg66

Hi , you sound just like I did 3 1/2 months ago. I started doing my TreadClimber for 30 min a day and eating right not light, right. Lots of veggies and lean meats. And yes I have snacks to.. I have lost 24 pds! I started at 187 and felt like S---. I feel wonderful today! You can do it you know you can but, ya your right it sucks not to be able to eat the bad stuff that we love so much. You will be so happy with your self and you can even go shopping for new clothes in your own closit. Keep in touch!
Colleen,

ejtell

I've been told that "changing up" the exercise routine every 3 weeks is critical and that your body gets "used to" whatever you are doing so "more of the same" just isn't going to help. I went from 45 min to 90 min on treadmill and after losing my origianl 17 pounds lost nothing for weeks. I changed the incline from 0 to 4.5 and then started to lose a little bit more but i'm "stuck" again so getting a trainer's help to identify new routines I can do at home that don't overstress my aging joints and such. Menopause definitely makes it harder to lose weight and harder to know if a pre-menopause weight goal from only 10 years ago is feasible. Any thoughts?

esthersheridan

Hi I am new to the site and frustrated with trying to loose. How are you coming? This menopause era just sucks!