My story

florabora

Hi this is my first day to join this website and looking forward to meeing other women struggling with menopause symptoms. It has been more then 5 years since I had a hystermectomy which I then began full menopausal. I take no estrogen since cancer is strong in my family. I take no hormones because it causes severe depression. Through the years I had racked up over 45lb! I did not realize how fat I gotten till I saw a picture of me on the beach. I wanted to cry that day because i was only in my mid 30s! Today I am 39 years old and want to lose 40 lbs by april when i turn 40! In three weeks I have lost 10lbs through walking and extreme portions. I researched and found out that menopause women can only have 1000 to 1200 calories a day! It has been so hard to lose any weight after 10lbs so im holding my breathe. i tried Phentermine but that made me crazy. each week i take a b12 shot with lipolite so far it has been 3 weeks. I hav emade sure during the 3 weeks to start porioning food and walking 30 minutes a day. exercise is hard for me since i work full time 5 days a week and have three kids. Portioning food is worse. do you know how depressing a one cup serving of pasta looks like! OK no more whining I am ready to get fit and fab!

bimpski

I feel your pain :-) I started peri-menopause about 4 years ago and I have gained about 40 lbs since. I am utterly disgusted by how I look and I get so discouraged by how difficult it is to take the weight off. I've had some additional stress the past few weeks that has set me back and I'm trying to desperately to get back on track. I find when I eat right I feel a lot better. I'm trying to get back there.

maryshanahan

Don't give up florabora! You are still a young woman. Keep doing portion control, myfitnesspal is perfect, try to at least walk, even if you have to get up very early to do so. Once all of this becomes a habit you won't think about how small a 1 cup portion of pasta is. You'll eat it and feel too full! You can do it.

Discoden

I turned 40 in November. I am in full blown Menopause as well, ( 8 years now).I have been cursed with Fibromyalgia. I am 4 years Smoke Free..... I AM OBESE AND TIRED OF IT !!!!

Ruqui04

I was always the "skinny b" the one who could eat anything and still have a flat stomach. Personally, I have always exercised and knew the importance of staying healthy! But something happened just when menopause started...I gained 15pounds! Regardless of all the running and working out I was still doing, somehow the weight kept coming on..and in the wrong places..the flat stomach has some rolls:)! Most of my friends and family would say they don't notice what am talking about and that finally I have some curves, but I don't feel like myself. I realized after visiting with my wonderful and honest daughter (she admitted that I had put on some weight) that exercise was not the only answer anymore, that I had to watch my caloric intake as well. I am an exercise physiologist and the focus has always been move the body, but in menopause we have to realize that our metabolism is playing havoc and what we fuel the body with is just as important. So for the very first time am focusing on the amount of calories that I consume as well as the amount of calories that I burn!

My goal is a healthy one pound per week with an incentive of at least 10 pounds in 10 weeks:). I really will feel happy if my jeans fit properly again! I don't want to be the "skinny b" at this point and age in my life (personally I think when woman age they need a little fat and being overly thin makes one look older and unhealthy).

The best thing we can do for the symptoms of menopause is to exercise! The hot flashes and mood swings are less for me when I stick to my exercise routine, but the weight this is where I need to focus on how much or how little I eat.