Menopause and weight gain

mt_nest

I've been holding on to some of my business suits that are 2 sizes too big. My concern is that when I hit menopause (I'm already "pre-menopausal") that I will gain some of the weight back. I've spent considerable money on those suits and I've lost too much weight to have them taken in. I lost about 12 pounds and have kept it off for over a year. I would be willing to part with them if I knew that I can stay this weight.

I work out 5 days a week and I've noticed that many of the "older" ladies who are also there 5 days a week seem to struggle with their weight.

I need some feedback from ladies who have gone through menopause. Have you been successful at keeping your weight stable?

jchrisman717

I just posted a similar post - would be interested to hear other's successes.

devonette

Before menopause, the highest weight I ever hit with "normal" eating was in the mid-150's. During and post-menopause, unless I was actively dieting and exercising, my weight skyrocketed to 190, and it was and is a real struggle to get back down. I don't normally eat fried foods, rarely eat fast foods, don't drink soda or coffee, and have always been a big fruit and veggie eater, and have always been a huge water drinker. I have found that since menopause 10 years ago, unless I constantly track what I eat and exercise daily, my weight goes up very quickly. I don't know if it's purely because of menopause, or partly because of genetics (all of my female blood relatives over 45 have packed on the pounds), but I think it's something to be very aware of and to watch. I think unless you've got a family history of females who have been slim after menopause without working at it, it's something that you will have to constantly watch to keep your weight stable. I had no success at keeping my weight stable, but I did not constantly monitor and correct. If you have the proper mindset, and stay on top of it, you should be able to do it. The problem is, if you don't stay on top of it, it just sneaks up much more quickly than expected. Most of my slippage has been caused by health issues (injuries & operations that prevented maintaining exercise for months at a time), medications, and trying to feed my husband and two tall teenage boys without cooking separate meals for me.

As far as your business suits that are too big currently, don't be surprised if they don't fit right if you do hit that weight again. I found that menopause caused the weight to distribute differently, and sleeves and waist became an issue, too tight even though the same weight as before. Going the other direction with saving clothes also became an issue. As I lost weight after menopause, my smaller sized clothes that had fit at a certain weight did not fit correctly when I got back down to that size. For example, my size 14 jeans that fit perfectly at 160 before, when I had a thinner waist and larger hips and thighs, can't be buttoned or zippered now that I am back to 160 because they are too tight at the waist and belly, yet the legs and seat are super baggy.