Menopause and weight gain

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con5202
con5202 Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Can anyone help me, I'm going through menopause and I've gained 20 lbs in 7 months..!! I exercise and count my calories during the day but at night I'm eating everything in sight...Please give me some suggestions, I need to get this weight off!!
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Replies

  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    It's tricky - your body is going through a lot of changes already, so it resents being asked to do anything else, such as losing weight!

    Be extra careful about the quantities you eat - you will need less than before, so if you snack in the evenings, make it on low calorie things like celery sticks and carrots.
  • gidgeclev
    gidgeclev Posts: 103 Member
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    Been there - early menopause in my mid thirties and I put on 3 stone which I found impossible to lose until everything had settled down 15 years later. That's not very encouraging is it? But I have now lost almost all that weight over the last 3 years. Low carb is the only way that I could do it. Nothing else seemed to work.
  • con5202
    con5202 Posts: 3 Member
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    Thanks for the advise...I appreciate it....!!!
  • Gail3260
    Gail3260 Posts: 354 Member
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    It's tough but it can be done. Keep counting the calories and like the other poster said, watch the portion sizes. It's surprising how little a couple of ounces something actually is. I have lost 27lbs since August and I don't have much time for exercise. It's not been easy but it wasn't as difficult as I'd expected either. You CAN do it!
  • Goal4Good
    Goal4Good Posts: 115
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    You are singing my sad song. I had to have ovaries removed last year which threw me immediately into menopause. I could not believe how quickly I started gaining weight (especially around my middle) and I exercise heavily and eat "healthy". I have watched the scale inch up slowly and have upped the exercise and cut back more on the food and only have managed to stay pretty much the same. Until very recently......

    My husband asked me a few days ago if we could do a "wheat free" diet. He too has developed the "belly weight" thing even though he doesn't eat much at all and had read something about wheat being the problem for people our age who are active. So despite my reservations, I tried it. Had to change the way I eat (which was formerly HIGH on whole wheat type items). Surprisingly enough, in one day of a wheat free diet I dropped 4 lbs! Its too soon to see if this particular diet is the reason why but it sure motivated me to explore this further.

    Only time will tell.

    I'll send you a friend request. I can always use another friend who is struggling with the same issues I am! Anybody else dealing with menopause is welcome to friend me too! There is no doubt that OUR struggle is different!!
  • prism6
    prism6 Posts: 484 Member
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    I am just heading into that part of my life and I am glad that right now I seem to have a grip on weight loss...hopefully I can get off what I need to before that pesky old menopause kicks in hard!
  • mushie
    mushie Posts: 9 Member
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    bump (Wheat Free)
  • mnichol
    mnichol Posts: 642
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    You are singing my sad song. I had to have ovaries removed last year which threw me immediately into menopause. I could not believe how quickly I started gaining weight (especially around my middle) and I exercise heavily and eat "healthy". I have watched the scale inch up slowly and have upped the exercise and cut back more on the food and only have managed to stay pretty much the same. Until very recently......

    My husband asked me a few days ago if we could do a "wheat free" diet. He too has developed the "belly weight" thing even though he doesn't eat much at all and had read something about wheat being the problem for people our age who are active. So despite my reservations, I tried it. Had to change the way I eat (which was formerly HIGH on whole wheat type items). Surprisingly enough, in one day of a wheat free diet I dropped 4 lbs! Its too soon to see if this particular diet is the reason why but it sure motivated me to explore this further.



    Only time will tell.

    I'll send you a friend request. I can always use another friend who is struggling with the same issues I am! Anybody else dealing with menopause is welcome to friend me too! There is no doubt that OUR struggle is different!!



    Please let me know how it goes for you, and any tricks to giving up the bread.
  • sabinecbauer
    sabinecbauer Posts: 250 Member
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    It's tough and you need a heck of a lot of patience, but yes, it's entirely possible to lose weight during perimenopause and menopause. Basically what happens during that time--and that's what causes the weight gain/body's reluctance to shed weight--is that you produce less and less estrogen. Noting the deficit, your body tries to store estrogen, and wouldn't you know it? The preferred storage facilites are your belly, hips, and thighs. The storage 'crate' are fat cells, which means that your body's latching on to every last one of them like an octopus on steroids... :sad:

    The good news is, as difficult as losing weight has become, it's doable. Just don't expect rapid results. And no, it ain't fair! I mean, night sweats, needing to pee every five minutes, your menstrual cycle going nuts... all that AND muffin tops! Wow! :grumble:
  • nickyrobinson
    nickyrobinson Posts: 161 Member
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    I'm right in the middle of the night-sweats thing myself...

    Anyway, my 2 big takeaways so far have been:

    1) Drink your water. While it may not make the overall process any faster, it does keep it more consistent. I I don't drink my water, I gain as much as 5 pounds, which hides the good part I am doing.

    2) Don't try to push too fast. Sticking with 1 lb a week works great. If it's a day when you don't eat much or exercise a lot, you have a buffer for not eating too few calories. If it's an overeat day, you have a a buffer for still being under maintenance calories, so you are still making progress. There's a lot to be said for slow and steady wins the race, you know!

    Good luck.. And sabinecbauer, "an octopus on steroids" is my new favorite image - thank you!
  • chunk1691
    chunk1691 Posts: 90 Member
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    hi im 50 and in the menopause, ive struggled to lose weight, but thankfully iy has started to come off slowly, about a pound a week, im just sticking to 1200 calories and doing as much exercise as i can, ive managed to lose 12 pound in 13 weeks and i feel fantastic, still got about another 14 to go but im getting there. good luck. feel free to add me.
  • thedudetteusa
    thedudetteusa Posts: 15 Member
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    Wow..so glad I clicked on this thread! I just started MFP almost one week ago and have not been on the scale yet. The docs say I am too young for menopause but I am definitely in the peri part then! Belly fat..so glad I got an exlpanation for that one..ugh. I also have thyroid problems. While I don't want to use these things as an excuse, understanding them sure helps. So glad I found people like me!
  • Goal4Good
    Goal4Good Posts: 115
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    For those that expressed interest---- Day two of the wheat free diet produced another 2 lb weight loss. That's 6 lbs in 3 days! That's insane isn't it? I'm sure it will level off in another day or two but still.....6 lbs in less than half a week!??? Hmmmm........my husband might be on to something. Hasn't been that hard to adapt either. I noticed within two days that I no longer had "cravings". You know....the cravings that live with most women day and night and you never get rid of, only WILL yourself not to give in and munch on something? Gone. I think this might be the first time in my entire life that I have not been plaqued by cravings 24/7 and constantly thought about food. This is........weird.
    Going to continue to explore this. Could this be the magic bullet?
  • amammaa4
    amammaa4 Posts: 187 Member
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    I had to have a total hysterectomy 3 years ago after problems delivering my fourth baby. I was in the hospital for almost 2 weeks. When I first came home I had lost all my pregnacy weight and loads more. But it ALL found me...and then some. The belly fat is horrible. I have been doing MFP for 55 days and while I have lost 14 pounds most of the pal friends I have on here are losing so much more. I am greatful the scale is going down yet at this point thinking of a pound a week could make me cry. I want bigger results. Im glad I found this thread because I havent been able to find any "Menopausal Groups". Anyone intersted in a great cheerleader and motivator feel free to add me!
  • sabinecbauer
    sabinecbauer Posts: 250 Member
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    14 lbs in 55 days is terrific! Don't make the mistake of comparing yourself and your numbers to people around you. Everybody (and every body) is different, and chances are the other guys won't have the same problems to contend with (yet :wink:).

    I usually hang on the 17DD Facebook page and there are quite a few people over there who are dropping huge numbers. Slightly frustrating, to say the least, until I really digested the fact that a) those folks had a lot further to go than I do, and b) they were about 20 years younger.
  • OnceAndFutureAthlete
    OnceAndFutureAthlete Posts: 192 Member
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    50 here. Nothing has worked for me except LOW carb. <50g/day.
    My diet is almost wheat-free, so maybe that's the key???


    ETA carb grams.
  • sabinecbauer
    sabinecbauer Posts: 250 Member
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    Lowering carbs definitely works. It has for me, too, although I don't go as low as you do. I'm generally between 100 and 130, but that's largely from fruit and veg. Refined carbs I've eliminated completely, and I eat a maximum of two servings of grains or starchy vegetables per day.

    I think the most noticable effect of doing this wasn't the loss so much as an almost complete absence of cravings. I've also drastically increased the amount of lean protein I'm eating. Not quite a gram per pound (goal weight), but it's not far off. Beauty of that is, I'm never hungry, and of course protein assists in burning body fat.
  • yesthistime
    yesthistime Posts: 2,051 Member
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    Menopause groups if you're interested:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/search?phrase=menopause&order=0
  • twinmomtwice4
    twinmomtwice4 Posts: 1,069 Member
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    I'm 42 and already completely menopausal. I definitely notice I store fat differently than I did in my 20's (and even my 30's).

    I've given up refined carbs and usually stick with whole grains, fruits and veggies (although sometimes on the weekends, I'll splurge).

    Haven't found the perfect equation as of yet but it's nice to find a group of women who struggle with the same challenges as I do.
  • shakybabe
    shakybabe Posts: 1,578 Member
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    I'm starting peri-menopause and have under active thyroid. I dropped wheat and went low carb and lost 7 lb in first week and 18lbs in first month it slowed down recently and down to a few pounds a month but I'm only 3lb off my goal now and should make it by end of next month.

    I am worried about gaining it back though when my menopause kicks in fully.. so I'm interested in replies!

    p. s I was told fibroids were caused by too much estrogen so if you have too much to start with does that mean you won't put as much weight on from estrogen levels dropping too fast?.. I never thought but maybe thats why my fibroid had started shrinking as my peri-menopause symptoms have been kicking in?

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