Surviving peri-menopause/menopause? Help needed

lauriem1966

I run on the treadmill. My "goal" is to run 2 days a week, figure skate 3 days a week (one of those days is a super high workout of 90 minutes on the ice, and I do a day of Yoga (Sunday). When I run, I run about 3 miles, in total, doing intervals. Monday & Wednesday are running days. Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday are figure skating days. Sunday is Yoga. Friday should be P90X Core or Kick boxing. But, work and life gets in the way.

(Running is hard as I sold my feet to the devil when I was a child in exchange for unforgiving pairs of figure skating boots. I have bone spurs, a torn archilles, plantar fasciutus, and surgery on an ankle tendon due to cysts that formed. I still put the feet in the boots and go "crampy numb" for about the first 10 minutes on the ice.)

I had my fasting blood sugar checked earlier this year, and it was perfect. But, I didn't get the stress test. I had one when I was 38 & pregnant. Passed it then. But, it's been 6 years.

Ok, I am going to try to cut the carbs. But, damn, I had a banana today. It looked so good, and it came from our tree ....

Fresh fruits and veggies ARE healthy!!!

I wouldn't worry about the carbs from fruits and veg.....its the grains you need to limit. Enjoy them early in the day, skip them at dinner. That's what I tend to do.

kdahlin

I have insulin insensitivity and will not loose weight and may gain weight or stay the same when adding carbs even on 1200 calories per day. When I cut or reduce carbs I can have more calories and loose weight. Regular moderate exercise works too.

It is worth giving it a try.

BroiledNotFried

I started a group! I will photgraph a cool picture to take. Perhaps sea shells spelling menopause?

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/9753-peri-menopausel-women

kenazfehu

Honestly, menopause was barely a blip on my radar. The worst was the hot flashes. All night long it was pushing the covers off because I was roasting, then pulling the covers back over me because I was freezing. I never felt the need for a supplement or any kind of treatment at all.

I do notice that weight is harder to lose that it used to be.

lorcart

Read my profile. Or..maybe you can't if you aren't on my FL..I don't know. But briefly (as if I could ever say anything briefly), I experienced the same thing. I lost 100 pounds, then plateaued for YEARS, then started gaining. I gained 25 pounds while eating a healthy diet and working out. I'm very active with cycling, running, dancing, paddleboarding, hiking, lifting weights, etc. I thought I was going to lose my mind as the scale kept climbing. I went to THREE different doctors who all patronizingly told me it was premenopause. And I suspect they didn't believe I ate and exercise the way I said I did. After gaining the 25 I finally found a doctor who diagnosed Hashimoto's thyroiditis. And one of the hallmarks of the disease is that it's nearly impossible to lose weight and in fact to gain while dieting and exercising. It appears to be common in women around this age. I'm on thyroid meds now and its halted the gain, but losing is still darn near impossible. I would say to ask your doctor to be checked for Hashiomotos. The first three doctors missed it because my thyroid function tests were in the low end of normal. The last guy caught it because he checked my thyroid antibodies. They were super high.

I had the EXACT same situation. Doctors are very quick to just test your thyroid by only testing TSH. That doesn't tell the story if there are other symptoms going on. They also need to check your T3, T4 and thyroid antibodies. Far too many people are dismissed because their "numbers are normal" when in fact ALL the numbers aren't even being tested.

TheRealParisLove

If you are gaining weight around the middle, are having trouble losing weight (even on 1200), and are only 42.. I would have to say that it is most probably insulin resistance. I'm 45, a newly diagnosed diabetic (but, I've probably had it for a few years). I was unable to lose weight, even on 1200 calories a day for 5 months! The diagnosis actually was the best thing for me.. I learned to lower my carbs Significantly (less than 30 grams a day) and now am dropping weight steadily and rather quickly (30 pounds lost in 2 months). Message me if anyone is interested in knowing more. Lowering my blood sugar really gave me a new lease on life.

This is what I was thinking while reading the OP as well.

Another suggestion is to weight and measure everything you eat. I log when I have a stick of gum, a packet of artificial sweetener, black coffee and tea, basically everything. I thought I was eating around 1200 cals a day, but it turned out I was actually closer to 1700 when I got really serious about weighing and measuring all my foods. I even log Pam cooking spray as a 1/2 teaspoon of oil because I'm pretty sure that is what it takes to coat my skillet.

My biggest estimate errors were with things like salad dressings and condiments. A tablespoon is a teeny-tiny amount of dressing. One of those packets of dressing you get from take out restaurants was closer to 1/3 of a cup, and was on the order of 300-400 calories per packet (the serving size is listed in tablespoons on the label, not for the entire packet).

I'm well into perimenopause with all the fun stuff that goes along with it. My progress has been very, very slow but at least I am making progress.

tcat2012

I'm 47 and haven't had pre/peri/menopause symptoms yet...but did notice my middle getting slowly wider after age 40 AND found it impossible to lose those 5 lbs that were always easy to take off by "dieting" for a week or two when I was younger. What has worked for me--I got a fitbit and set my MFP calories to 1800 per day (according to my fitbit, my TDEE is between 2000 and 2300 per day). So by always eating 1800, I am at a deficit of between 200 and 500 per day). I should note that I'm a person that was perpetually watching my calories (since my teen years) so 1800 is MUCH higher than I've eaten in my life (except for holidays/vacations, etc). I did work up to it gradually (added 100 cals per week). Also, set my macros so that my protein comes to 135 grams per day and make sure I ALWAYS get at least that number (will slide to 100 on a weekend sometimes). 135 grams per day works out to 1 gram per pound of body weight for me. I make sure that I walk at least 10,000 steps per day AND also do 20-30 minutes of circuit type training most days (love Jillian Michaels 30 day shred and 6 week six pack). I have trimmed inches all over--about 4 of them from my waist so far.

californiagirl2012

Calling help from my sisters out there who won the battles or war with our friend, Mr. Change of Life. How did you do it?
I am struggling with diet and exercise. I am tired, can't sleep at night, gained weight in the mid-section . . . everything but the hot flashes. Those haven't hit.

I eat 1200 calories AND I AM GAINING WEIGHT! If I exercise, then I stay the same weight. If I go over 1200 significantly, say to 2,000 calories, I gain a few pounds in a week! In my 20s and 30s, I was skinny minny. I ate at restaurants, ate the bread, dessert, drinks, and weighed between 120 and 130 pounds! Now, I've been creeping over 140, then 150, and now looking at the mid 150s. All of this in the past 2 years since hitting 42. Now, at 44, I am starving myself and working out. Nothing is budging. Instead, I gained 2 pounds this week, and it was AFTER Mr. Monthly.

Any advice out there?

I fought it and finally became successful. We are all different, but the following is a summary of what worked for me.

There is nothing easy about this journey. Don't give up. Keep your eye on the prize. You do not have to be perfect to do this. You just have to have more good days than not. A bad day is not the end of the world. Tomorrow is a new day. Just pick it right up again. Be kind to yourself at all times and never beat yourself up.

Being on a calorie deficit is hard. You can't do this journey on will power alone. You must set up your environment for success. Have a team around you in your real life, not just online. Get trigger foods out of the house. It will take some sacrifice and it's not easy. You might have to say no to some social events sometimes.


I’ve been an athlete all my life but it was just covered in a layer of fat. I am currently 51 years old and I started my fitness quest when I was 19 years old. I took an aerobics class and the instructor was 50 years old but had the body of a strong and fit teenager. I vowed I would be like her when I was 50. Over the years I ran and lifted weights, I practiced martial arts, ran marathons, hiked, skied, and biked. Over the decades the weight piled on. I kept on working out harder and harder thinking I would lose the weight but it kept growing. I tried diets, lost, then gained, lost, then gained, the typical yo-yo story. At age 48 I finally reached my peak of 171 lbs. at 5’1″. I had chronic back pain and thyroid and adrenal fatigue. I kept working out and running one marathon after the next thinking maybe this time it will work. Nope, the weight stayed on.

The problem is we eat too much. Our society has an overabundance of food and the smaller you are the less you need to eat. I’m small. I never realized how small until I finally lost the weight. I had the muscle and I always thought I had big bones because of my size but when I lost the weight I learned this is not true. I have strong bones from lifting and a healthy diet, but they are not necessarily “big”.

My biggest problem was not realizing that I ate too much. As I got older I stayed physically active but my weight did the slow creep up year after year. I could never understand why and I worked out harder and harder and still the weight crept up. I kept on running and lifting, but still the weight kept increasing and it didn’t seem to me like I was eating too much, I have never been one to stuff myself or binge, and I don’t watch TV and I stay active. I thought something was wrong with me, a slow metabolism or something.

On my own I learned to cut my portions more than half to lose weight and stumbled upon mini-fasting by simply not eating in the evenings or even skipping dinner because I had a late lunch and felt I had enough calories for the day. When I told a friend I thought I found the secret was mini meals and mini fasts because I’d lost 40 lbs. he told me to check out Eat Stop Eat and that is how I also found the Venus Index workout.

There is no mystery to weight loss, everyone thinks something is wrong, their metabolism is broken, they have low thyroid, they have menopause or whatever issue, they are as unique as a snowflake, whatever. I thought a lot of these things once too but once the doctor helped resolve the health issues for me I learned there is still no magic pill. Most people eat more than they need to and are not at good at estimating calories as they think they are. Most people have a lower BMR than they think they do. The only way to know for sure is to go to a lab and have it tested. It doesn't seem fair to have to eat less and feel a little hunger. It's hard to face the truth of it, very hard. It's not fun. It's drudgery at times. But if you learn to enjoy your smaller amounts of food (necessary to lose weight, since the reason we got fat in the first place was eating too much whether we knew it or not), and rejoice in your victories it can be done.

Your body loses weight in chunks, not linear. I have found that you can do everything right and your weight loss seems to plateau but if you are patient and keep exercising and eating at a deficit (however slight) you will lose it, it will suddenly "whoosh". There are so many variables for the scale; water retention, digestion, hormones, allergies, sodium, carbs, water intake, DOMS, inflammation, the list goes on. People mistakenly think they lose or gain weight when they eat more or less because of these fluctuations.

Losing weight requires tremendous patience. You will not lose it when you want it or where you want it. The body does its thing. Some apparent plateaus can last a month or so. You cannot make it happen faster. You must focus on two things; calories and exercise. Nothing else matters. Scales and metrics don't matter. The day in and day out grind of exercise and calories are all that matters. It is not very exciting until things fall into place. You get your victories and you ride one victory to the next.

The scale is a trend tool. The scale is good but put it away and only check once a week and only use it as a trend tool. It will fluctuate, it does not matter. Take front side and back progress pictures at least once a month. You will see differences that the metrics won't tell you and it's that little bit of NSV that will keep you going until the next victory.

To say eat more is wrong.

To say eat less is wrong.

To find the exact calories needed for YOU to be in a healthy sustainable calorie deficit is the right answer. Wait, if you need to adjust by 100 do it, wait, adjust, wait, adjust, wait. The tortoise wins this race.

All that matters is calories. A healthy balanced diet within a calorie budget for a deficit that is right for YOU is all that matters for weight loss. Don't make it complicated.

You want to eat as healthy as you can because it makes you feel better and perform better, and makes you healthier. There are a bunch of tricks and clean eating; reducing sugar (especially HFCS), fiber, white flour vs whole grain, low carb, low fat, on and on. All that matters is calories for weight loss. If you need to eat a certain way for health reasons or to feel better do it, but extensive good food and bad food lists will drive you insane at some point, it’s a constantly moving target. Just eat what you like, mostly healthy, mostly balanced, within a calorie budget. We all know what healthy is by now, just do it.

Also people play mental accounting games with calories just like with finances. Make steps to make sure you are making accurate measurements. Packaged foods can have MORE than they say but not less (they get in trouble if less so they would rather error with MORE).

If you typically intake sodium at a certain rate your body adjusts, but if you make a sudden change then you will see a spike.

Exercise is for making your lean body mass pretty (especially lifting weights) for when the fat is gone. Losing fat with no muscle is ugly and cardio alone will not make you pretty. You cannot out exercise too many calories.

Everyone needs resistance training to improve their health and bone density and this will especially improve your quality of life when you get older. But you will not gain all that much lean body mass as fast as everyone thinks. Guys of course will gain more. A DXA scan will prove the point. There are lots of stories about changing size but no one REALLY knows unless they do a DXA scan. Here's more about that --> http://bradpilon.com/weight-loss/intermittent-fasting-and-bulking/ this is true whether you IF or not. My DXA scans proved that I really didn't gain that much lean body mass yet I look very muscular for a female. I have very high bone density from over 30 years of lifting yet my lean body mass is still only 104 lbs and my RMR is still only 1380.

I recently had my DXA scan done and at 51.5 years of age I have the bone density of a super athletic 30 year old. That is a direct result of lifting for over 30 years. Now if that is not scientific proof that lifting weights keeps you younger I don't know what is! Also I believe it is why most people think I look much younger than I really am. Because of this I don't have to worry about osteoporosis. If you wait until you are older and your bones start to deteriorate it's a bit too late, you can't get back what you lost, and you can only start a resistance routine that will prevent further damage.

Cardio is good for you but it is optional. I love cardio, but you can't out exercise too many calories. Of course you burn calories, but not near what all the HRM's say. I learned the hard way, running marathon after marathon (yes even multiple runs during the day), as well as hitting the gym hard, martial arts, staying active all the time, not eating while watching TV, not binging, not mindlessly eating, not pigging out, not having emotional eating issues, yet I gained weight year after year, each decade putting on the pounds. I worked harder and harder, not able to figure out what was wrong. It didn't seem like I ate too much, but for my small size I did and didn't realize it until just a few years ago when I finally started losing weight by eating less.


Everyone is different, but it's very easy to do a lot of cardio and think you can eat more than you really need, especially when you need to lose weight. It is also easy to think that you are burning more fat than you really are. Just do cardio if you enjoy it and because it's good for you.

Too many changes at once can be hard on some people. I've always eaten healthy so it easy for me to simply eat less. Eating at a calorie deficit is hard on people; even a small deficit puts your body in a state of flux with hormones and such. Everyone is different. Some people can handle a deeper calorie deficit than others, this is not right or wrong, it just is. Stress in your life affects your hunger hormones; lack of sleep, fatigue, job stress, family stress, financial stress, etc. Add in emotional eating issues and it gets even more complicated. Most people can only handle so much change/stress at once, they try to do too much and fail. Sometimes it might be a better strategy to eat at maintenance and make some small changes first, it really depends on how much stress you are taking in at the moment.

What is the exact number of calories for you?

We’ve been trying to figure out an exact NUMBER of calories that everyone should be eating, without recognizing that everyone is slightly different. In truth, the calories aren’t the end game. Your body is. So the EXACT amount of Calories that are right for you is the EXACT amount that will allow you to maintain your ideal bodyweight no matter what some calculator or chart says.

In other words, an online calculator might tell you that you need to eat 2,500 calories
per day to maintain your ideal bodyweight. But the only way to know for sure if this is
the right amount for you is to test it out. If you gain weight or can’t lose weight eating
that much, then you know you need to eat less to lose weight no matter how many
calculators and text books say otherwise.

This doesn’t mean your metabolism is broken, it just means the estimate of your needs
was just a bit off.

-John Barban (The Body Centric Calorie Guide from the Venus Index and Adonis Index Manuals)

The good thing is you don't have to worry about the starvation mode myth if you are fat. Only skinny people have to worry about starvation mode. It does not mean you have the capability to eat at a large calorie deficit if you have emotional eating disorders or other issues going on, but at least you don't have to be afraid of it anymore.

I am short, petite, small; my RMR is low compared to others. With my doctors approval I had to eat less than or right around 1000 calories to lose weight. We are all different. There is no one size fits all. Even people my height and gender are different and some need more calories than I do. My doctor checked my hormone levels throughout my 60 lb weight loss journey (from obese down to 10% body fat) and everything was fine. I got stronger and stronger at the gym, my running and weight lifting strength improved even while eating on a significant calorie deficit. My DXA scan proved I did not lose lean body mass or go into starvation mode.

Also you do not have to eat the same amount of calories every day. You can think of it as a weekly calorie budget. You can eat low some days and high some days. You can be flexible. You can find what is sustainable for you.

The Theory of Fat Availability:
•There is a set amount of fat that can be released from a fat cell.
•The more fat you have, the more fat can be used as a fuel when dieting.
•The less fat you have, the less fat can be used as a fuel when dieting.
•Towards the end of a transformation, when body fat is extremely low you
may not have enough fat to handle a large caloric deficit anymore.

At the extreme low end, when your body fat cannot ‘keep up’ with the energy deficit
you've imposed on your body, the energy MUST come from SOMEWHERE. This is
when you are at risk of losing lean body mass during dieting (commonly referred to
as ‘starvation mode’). This happens at extremely low levels of body fat, under 6% in
men and 12% in women [Friedl K.E. J Appl Phsiol, 1994].

-Brad Pilon and John Barban (from The Reverse Taper Diet in The Adonis Index and Venus Index manuals)

For me it's all about a calorie budget. I had less of a budget available when I was losing weight, more to spend now that I'm maintaining and all the tools I used for weight loss come into play for the rest of my life maintaining.

When you have accumulated excess fat, you have accumulated a debt. It is hard to pay off the debt (you have less calories to spend). If you are sitting next to someone your same gender and height and they are not overweight and you are, they get to eat more than you (have more calories to spend) because they are debt free. You have less calories to spend because you are paying off your debt.

Wishing you the best! -Bobbie

pickledginger

Estrogen is involved in fat metabolism, which is closely intertwined with sugar metabolism, so when levels change, things get interesting.

Ground flax seed (good on yogurt, or in oatmeal if you can eat it) has some plant compounds that can help, as well as some of the "healthy" oils. Everybody's hormones are doing something different, though, so I hope you can get your gyn to help figure it out.

Thyroid problems and insulin resistance are also common in our age group.

There's a good article on metabolic issues and weight loss that I linked at the end of my profile. And the site lef.org/protocols has information on menopause and diabetes that aren't bad.

Keeping protein above 60g per day and carbs way down helps me feel better; so does eating low-GI foods. (Sweet potatoes are wonderful!)

But I just found out my fasting blood sugar has been high for a while, despite all that. As you might guess, I am not really happy that my doctor didn't notice it had gone from low normal (65) to "high normal" (99 -- and really, I don't want it above 85, ever, because health risks rise fast) to officially "pre-diabetic" (110+). I can't get it down except when I avoid anything higher-carb than cabbage -- and I am not going to eat like the Atkins induction phase long-term! -- so I am hoping to start Metformin. That's supposed to help with the weight and belly-fat, too.

Walking and biking and other low-key aerobics -- something you can do every day -- are supposed to be good for keeping the weight off. Putting in some time on the weight machines or in Pilates class to build more calorie-burning muscle and maintain strength can help, too.

Good luck figuring out what works for you!

TrailRunner61

2 facts: It sucks & you have to work HARDER if you want this.

I don't know about you but when I was younger, I was more active. That is why I was smaller & healthier. I had to get off my *kitten*, burn calories, build muscle and start eating right to make a difference. No more excuses. That's it.

As far as the pre-menopause symptoms go, I've only had hot flashes and night sweats. The only thing I've found that really works 100% is HRT. Now that I can no longer take hormones due to a blood clotting disorder, I can only take supplements. I take Estroven Energy and it got rid of my night sweats completely. I still have hot flashes but the more I exercise, the fewer I seem to have. If I start having a lot of them, I eat roasted edamame and drink SIlk light chocolate soymilk.

I exercise a lot, including walking, biking, swimming and running. I am 51 years old and after having some back pain, I had an mri. The Dr. told me that I have the spine of an 18 year old, so I must be doing something right.

Also, I'll add that as you lose fat, you also lose stored estrogen and that makes your symptoms worse. You just have to remember that although you are more miserable, you are still healthier!

Keep moving, eat healthier and stay positive. Although we are miserable, no one has died from menopause. Well maybe some men, but that's another topic.

Good luck!

LadyIntrepid

OP - you don't say whether you're exercising or not. I just turned 50 and yep -- sure can't eat like I used to. But in this last year I've lost 20 pounds, 6% body fat, many inches, and I feel great and am very happy with how I look. I never thought it was possible -- for many years in my 40s I just kind of figured this is just how it's going to be from here on in. But it's not. I became extremely diligent about food intake and logging, and adding a ton of exercise to my life. I've been in maintenance for a few months now so I'm much more slack with logging, but I still hit the gym 5-6 days a week, no excuses ever, and work out HARD -- weights, cardio, HIIT, cycling, kickboxing, circuit training, you name it.

It CAN be done. And it sure does take so much more effort than it used to. The key for me is to not thing of it as a chore and wish I was the younger woman I once was. Instead, I've completely accepted that this is how it is now and I ENJOY it . I love working out, I love my gym, I love how I feel, I love eating well, I love looking effin' awesome at 50. Despite the challenges -- which are many and for real -- learn to love committing to working hard for the good health and body you want.

BroiledNotFried

Update: I bought Emitra Pro-Gest and started it yesterday morning. A dab twice a day. I peed all last night, 3 times! Coincidence? I don't know. But, i lost 2 pounds this morning.

I went to the doctor. He ordered a bunch of blood tests, which I get done in the first week of December. I am to continue my diet and exercise.

leahleah200

Hi, - age 57 I have been going through the same exact thing, except with horrid hot flashes....night sweats and now weight related problems....
I tried Jenny Craig last year - I was starving on it and never cheated...took me 9 months and tons and tons of money and the results was a loss of 5 pounds. I quit that program. I went to a weight clinic...they told me that during this time every thing you eat turns to fat and it is extremely hard to lose. I didn't stay there...it was about taking diet pills and I didn't want to go down that road.
I tried to more ways... less food - some exercise -- still gained weight.. I begged with my doctor earlier this year to get me an appointment with a nutritionst or dietician. I was put in a group...to how to learn how to eat properly....no one on one..with a person.....I lost nothing...and I have gained so much weight now I started asking every friend I had that is older than me what is this. ???? I have gone up 3 clothes sizes !!!!!
Lots of opinions....about gaining weight. I keep gaining weight no matter what. so.... some people say the loss of hormones put you so out of balance that you gain weight everywhere and that once your menopause is over you loose it. But if you take hormones, that is extremely dangerous. I tried to go vegan...that didn't work either - you will crave all the wrong foods and sweets. I am quitting that now too.
I just had my mamogram this past week. She told me to eat small amounts of very lean chix and turkey - cut out the white bread and all starches. (for a while at least) - eat bits of fruit and vegs...through out the day. Drink lots of water - and NO NO NO sugar at all. I started this - this past weekend 11 17 2012. I have an appointment with my Doctor tomorrow which I will go over all of my concerns...etc.. I will post what she says.Hopefully I will have good things to say and maybe soon....drop some weight and keep it off.
I will say though...that losing weight at this time in life is so hard..(I was always slender and fit.) I had no idea and never thought this was going to happen.
Ask your friends who have been through it...if they will talk about it...you will be that much more ahead. My friends helped me with things I had no idea about.

janehlansing

I think I am diabetic. I was told at my last md appt after blood work that I was border b/c I was running 118 at a fasting sugar. On my diet i was under a little with the carbs today, maybe thhhattts why I am EDGY. I just started this journey so I want to see if I can lose to begin with.

Maybe I should try to cut out the bread. Lets see what I weigh tomorrow.

I think i have the hot flashes.. and if my hair on my head grew as fast as the hair on my chin, I would be freaking rapunzel. As it is.. I do a good ZZtop impression.


New job next week.

Jane

Tcioni

my advise as a husband? Get your husband a gun so he can blow his brains out! LMAO

Just kiddin of course. My wife went thru perimenopause and it was VERY dificult to say the least.

Quick tempers, hot flashes, emotional wreck. Hard to deal with it as a man because there are no answers to any given situation and how a woman will react.

Her doctor was of no help either, she tried homrones which made it worse, she was depressed due to physical body chnages.

Her sex drive was and still is very low and she suffers from low self esteem.



Good luck ladies it is a tough situation.

It's nice to hear a man's point of view. Sometimes we wonder what you're thinking as we go through this and find it difficult to live with ourselves.

DebbieLyn63

I am 49 and am still fairly regular, but I am sure I must be peri meno by now. I kept a fairly normal weight up until my third baby at 36, and a disabling back injury at 37, then when I hit 40, the weight started coming on faster. By 45 I hit my all-time high of 237. I am very short waisted and carry all of my weight in my midsection already, so hitting my 40s just made it even worse. My mom died this summer of Type 2 DIabetes caused organ failures. I have kept my blood sugar within range, but 4 years ago my triglycerides were over 600, which indicated DIabetes was just around the corner. Thru diet changes I have lowered my tri level to around 200, but still need to get it lower. And weight loss has just been so slow and frustrating.

I started here at the end of August at 228. At 5'6" , that put me at around 55% Body Fat.

As of this morning, I am at 201 lbs. I also am riding my recumbent bike 4-5 days per week.

For my body, staying around 1200 per day has been working for me. I also found that lowering my carb level has been the key to a steady loss, without high water fluctuations, and I don't get hungry or have cravings for carbs/sugar anymore.

The sweet spot for me has been keeping my 'net' carbs, with fiber grams deducted, between 30 and 50 grams per day. I shoot for 20-25 g of fiber per day, so my total carbs are usually around 50-75. Around Thanksgiving that number went up to about 100-120 for a couple of days and it really thru me off. Weight stalled and the cravings came back. I felt hunger for the first time in months, even tho I ate higher calories than normal. After 2 days of keeping the net carbs under 50, the hunger and cravings were gone and my weight started dropping again.

Some women are able to eat higher carbs without problem, but for many of us, it really hinders our progress.

My macros are set at 25% Carbs/30%Protein/45%Fat

My carbs come mostly from veggies and 1 fruit serving a day.

My fats come from nuts, seeds, avocados, eggs, and some cheeses. I love Almonds, especially the cocoa roasted ones. Heavenly!
I have also discovered Pine Nuts recently and will sprinkle those on my salads sometimes if my cal level is low for the day.

I eat mostly fresh, unprocessed food, but my exception is Atkins Protein bars. The Hazelnut breakfast bars are awesome, as are the caramel nut rolls. They help up my protein levels, and have super low net carbs. And they are chocolate. yeah.

Weight loss is definitely more difficult at this age, but it isn't impossible. I am shooting for ONE-derland by Tuesday, which will be my 100th day. Yay!

So hang in there.

DebbieLyn63

I think I am diabetic. I was told at my last md appt after blood work that I was border b/c I was running 118 at a fasting sugar. On my diet i was under a little with the carbs today, maybe thhhattts why I am EDGY. I just started this journey so I want to see if I can lose to begin with.

Maybe I should try to cut out the bread. Lets see what I weigh tomorrow.

I think i have the hot flashes.. and if my hair on my head grew as fast as the hair on my chin, I would be freaking rapunzel. As it is.. I do a good ZZtop impression.


New job next week.

Jane

LOL, I know what you mean about chin hairs.

It takes a little time to adjust to lower carbs. I started by replacing simple carbs with higher fiber carbs. There is a 'food' on the food list that is called 'net carb adjustment' or something like that. You can use it to deduct the fiber grams from your total carb number. When you concentrate on getting fiber higher, while slowly lowering carbs, you can do it without a lot of distress.
I switched from white bread to WhiteWheat bread, which has a lot of fiber. Then went from 2 slices down to 1 slice. Eventually I made it to virtually no bread at all.
Mission brand Carb control flour tortillas are amazing and have tons of fiber added.
Cauliflower can be used in the place of mashed potatoes. I have also made the cauliflower pizza crust for pizzas, as well as I make 4 smaller crusts and use them as 'bread' in sandwiches.

There are many tricks to gently lower your carbs.