New here

bizybeemom

I am so glad another MFP user showed me this group. I am really struggling and could use help.

I in my 30s and had a total hysterectomy 5 years ago. I cannot do HRT because I am a breast cancer survivor. I have successfully lost weight previously by eating 1100 calories a day. But I have gained 17 pounds and cannot lose weight at all this time. I know I could increase my exercise for sure, but I have been religiously sticking to my calories and haven't lost anything. I tried increasing my calories last year and only gained. I see an endocrinologist for other health issues and she said 1200 calories is the most she wants me to eat. Any suggestions?

btdt54

Hi Bizzybeemom! I can understand your frustration. I had a partial hysterectomy at age 28. That's been many years ago!! And I gained weight. I've been through menopause. And I've gained weight. I have dieted and dieted throughout the past 15 years. I've lost weight...and you've guessed it...I gained weight. However, there are two things I've learned this past year: 1) you do need to watch your calories and you do need to exercise. It's only smart. 2) Your metabolism has probably changed. I found a book called the Metabolism B Miracle Diet. I lost 14 lbs in 2 months, but then my knee gave me problems, I've had a scope done and now I've been hobbling around for almost 8 months. Weight loss is not happening mostly because I've allowed myself to eat too much sugar. I'm a little concerned about the amount of carbs this program says to eat, but at the same time I now know I can eat the good cards (fresh fruit, complex carbs, etc.) and monitor the amount I eat. I've also learned that to keep your metabolism on the upswing you need to eat more often! Healthy food of course. Eat within the first hour of getting up. Have a snack 2-3 hours later, eat lunch, another snack, dinner and another snack an hour before bedtime. And drink water to keep hyddrated. Check out the book. It helped me. I think this site will also help me keep on track. My motto is Never Give Up - Never Surrender! Today is a new day to Believe!!

alipene

Hi there

Have you thought about what you eat in your 1200 calories? There are foods known as phytoestrogens (plant oestrogens) that help do the job your ovaries would have done before, in terms of fat regulation. Many everyday foods fall into this category, such as pulses, beans, lentils, seeds, sprouts, many veggies etc. Eating these is a suggested alternative to HRT, which I am hoping to avoid (I'm 6 weeks post-op from a total abdominal hysterectomy). I found I was already eating many of these foods, befroe reading about them. It's very early days yet, but since my op I've lost 9lbs and haven't yet experienced any obvious menopausal symptoms.

A book I would recommend is "Healthy Eating for the Menopause" by Dr Marilyn Glenville.

Hope you find something that works for you.

LisaB55

I am pretty new to the message boards--just reading without posting much, but someone replied to this old thread and I joined in and was kindly directed to this group. Here is what I already posted. Forgive me if you already read this and if did this wrong. I'm not sure if I should have started a new thread within the group but since this was labeled "New here" and I am, I just decided to go with it.

I am 57 and a couple of years post menopausal. I am not having a lot of menopausal symptoms at this point. Memory isn't what it used to be but I don't know if that's menopause or just old age! I have struggled with my weight since I was pretty young, although looking back I really wasn't as big as my mom seemed to consider me. I really started to gain after I got married and gradually gained from the time I was 30 until having my kids at 37 and then 40 (with the help of 7 years of inferility treatments that I don't think helped much). By then I had edged past 200 lbs and thanks at least in part to lots of issues with depression and anxiety and a lousy job environment, crept up to 215 after that slowly with only a couple of several month battles when I managed to dip below 200. This past year I have headed up to 230 as of 6 weeks ago. I discovered MFP in early June and have been tracking and controlling my intake and lost almost 12 lbs now. I work 60 to to 65 hours a week, sometimes more and have just not been able to force myself to make time for exercise. I know that lack of time isn't really a good excuse, but I feel like I can only bite off one thing at a time, so I am cutting myself some slack for the time being.

I am very proud of the fact that I have brought my 16-year-old daughter along on this journey. Not only is our mutual support helpful but it alleviates some of the guilt I feel about my huge contribution both genetically and environmentally to her being in this situation and is so important that she has the opportunity to be even more beautiful than she already is and to experience adolescence without the extra burden of obesity.

I am now dealing with diabetes and abnormal lipids, so if I want to live for a few more years this is something I simply have to do. The bonus is that I will not have to think about being fat and "ugly" every waking hour of every day. I am giving myself as much time to reach my goal as it takes. I know that the changes I am making now will be going on forever, so whether I lose the weight and fat in 6 months or 2 years isn't really important.

So that's my story in a pretty big nutshell. Anyone who wants to add me, I would be happy to support you in your efforts and would appreciate your support in return.
 

Edit Report Post Quote Reply

Eskiesforlife

I wish I could help but I'm in a similar situation. I had a complete hysterectomy when I was 26 (TAH-BSO). At that time I weighed 120 and wore a size 3, after about a year the weight started to creep on even though I was eating healthy. It may or may not be a coincidence but the same time I started to really gain the weight was the same time I started on Premarin??? Now Im just under 200lbs and have literally tried everything (short of surgery) and not lost weight. A couple months ago I started eating almost 100% clean and have finally lost about 12lbs. So Im going to up the exercise and plan on eating clean for the rest of my life. Going to get all my hormone levels checked in a couple weeks and maybe something can be changed to help me get rid of this weight! Good luck, I know theres a solution out there we just need to work herd to find it