Menopause

Melo1966

I'm menopause and losing. I now net 1,500 cals after my metabolism shut down by eating too little which sounds like is happening to you. You need to eat more to get more energy to move more so you can eat more. Eat even if you think you are not hungry you are eating too few of calories but need to make better food choices. More protein, fiber and water try to watch the sodium and processed sugar.

dsmpunk

Have you talked to a nutritionist about the effects of your surgery? I imagine there are specialists out there that can steer you in the right direction.

etaver

I went through menopause at 37--with no hysterectomy. It was probably autoimmune related. I had a cycle in Jan. of that year and just never had another one. That was 11 years ago. I continue to struggle with hot flashes, irritability, etc. I do take Zoloft, and it helps some. I've done hrt pills and creams, but the risks are too much.

I told my doc when this started that I am tough as nails--and, believe me, I am; I've even had apprx. 50 units of blood transfused due it GI bleeds, spinal stenosis surgery,etc.--but the emotional wallop of early menopause is hell--it's a physical/emotional agony.

take care of yourself, and go slow. The frustrations and physical setbacks are vividly real. I know, and I understand.

MiTime2016

I'm 52, menopause since two months ago, perimenopause for about a year before this. During my "perimenopause" time I gained about 15 pound. However I had also allowed my eating habits to go crazy so I never really connected it with being perimenopausal, just with eating junk.

I've managed to lose by cleaning up my eating. I joined MFP recently to help keep myself on track.

I exercise like a mad woman too, which I've done for years, 7 days a week. At least 45 minutes of cardio per day (elliptical) and weights 4 days a week. Maybe two days off a month. It's excessive but it makes me feel both physically and emotionally better.

I agree with several of the other posts; you really need to eat a balanced diet. I'd say your first step should be to get your eating in order. And make it a priority to fit in some exercise. I know finding time is difficult but it needs to become a habit; something else needs to go. Working out is the first thing I do every day; weekdays I'm up at 5:00 a.m. to get to the gym. It's not always easy but it is always worth it.

Amyirene74

The thing is I actually eat less now than I used to. I used to eat about 3000 calories a day. I originally cut back to 2500 calories but continued to gain weight. Then I went down to 2000, and then 1500 and still gaining. My metabolism is shot. I did lose weight about 18 months ago but I used the HCG diet. I lost 26 lbs and then gained back 50 lbs. I wonder if that diet in combo with the menopause cauded my metabolism to crash. I have had my thyroid checked out and its fine.

lmdarr97

Thank you for such a great conversation. I just joined MFP and am pretty positive I am pre-menopausal. I am only just about 34 and have gained weight, increased fatgue, moodiness & night sweats especially between ovolating and my period. Graying early runs in my family which I have so luckily inherited the gene. My sister, 3 years older than I, faired good with no signs of gray thus far! Anyway, I know pre-menopause is not the only culpret of my weight gain because I do not have good eating habits, have a sedentary job, don't excercise except for house work, yard work & running 3 young kids around. I plan on doing better on all of these things this year. I want to get healthy for myself, my family and I especially would like to be happy with my appereance once again. Getting back into an old pair of jeans and looking in the mirrior without a fake smile again would be great!!

larnsperger

I had a hysterectomy at 36 and was left with one ovary which chugged a long for a bit. Perimenopause and Menopause was was HELL! I never had a weight problem until I hit my mid 40's when I was in full blown menopause. According to my doctor her average patient gains 20lbs and up to 20 inches during the 10 year span known as menopause. The good news is, she said a lot of women by age 60 start seeing a gradual loss of this weight. The key to avoiding all of this is of course diet and exercise. Like most of us we are busy living lives taking care of kids, and others and we are last on the list. My weight gain was coupled with a heart medication that I take as well. I can only tell you that weight gain is REAL and it happens to most of us. Of course there's always going to be those who aren't affected. I find the best success with 1200-1500 calories per day of nutrient dense food. Eggs, chicken, fish, tuna, spinach, lots of green vegetables, apples, berries, almonds, avacado's, cottage cheese greek yogurt, popcorn . No artificial sweeteners (for me personally), no bread, white rice, or other simple carbs, lots of water and a minimum of a 30 minute walk per day, to begin. You will be surprised how much food you can eat in that calorie range. Once I get to my goal, I allow myself one day per week of something I would really enjoy. I found that most of my eating was mindless and nothing I really cared all that much about. It will be difficult for you as I would imagine 6+ kids aren't going to be happy with no sweets. I always bought my kids treats that I did not like. Made it much easier to resist. I don't think anyone who is at this point sees menopause as an "excuse", but there is no denying that it makes life more challenging. It can be done, just hang in there and take baby steps until you feel confidant enough to incorporate more and more in your daily routine. You will get there, I promise. Wishing you the Best!

harlanJEN

The thing is I actually eat less now than I used to. I used to eat about 3000 calories a day. I originally cut back to 2500 calories but continued to gain weight. Then I went down to 2000, and then 1500 and still gaining. My metabolism is shot. I did lose weight about 18 months ago but I used the HCG diet. I lost 26 lbs and then gained back 50 lbs. I wonder if that diet in combo with the menopause cauded my metabolism to crash. I have had my thyroid checked out and its fine.

Honestly ...yes. Definitely you have done yourself no favor with VLCD ( very low calorie diet). THAT is very metabolism damaging.

Please do some research on metabolism repair.

Leigh Peele is a source
www.eatmore2weighless.com is another

SaraBiston1

Hello,
When you are in menopause there will be a weight gain issue. Take a lots of vitamins in your diet. Do regular exercise or a yoga that will help you to take relief from menopause symptoms. Go for some herbs like Black cohosh, dong quai, red clover etc this is very effective in menopause symptoms.

lmbs1966

I went through the same thing, at 38 I started to flow really heavy, every two weeks, skip a month then flow for two, repeat,repeat...I had surgery to clean out everything, got put on the "depo" shot to stop everything, it backfired, I went/flowed heavier then ever and started to gain weight big time. I hardly ate, I was so tired and felt gross. I got put on hormone therapy pills, again gross, I warned everyone I met not to look sideways at me because I felt like ripping everyone apart, and I would cry over every little thing. Felt like my body totally betrayed me. I was active too, my work is physical labor, so I wasn't sitting idle. People can say what they want but I have lived it, I didn't eat breakfast, lunch, and for dinner I would eat a salad and chicken and have fruit for a snack, and gain three pounds the next morning. The hot flashes were awful, waking up drenched,having to shower and change the bed, then shiver the rest of the night. I finally felt so awful, that one day I decided enough, I stopped all pills, I got on MFP, put in my info, and started to eat. Since August 5th, I have lost 37 pounds. I walk, continue to work, but now I eat, when I wasn't eating before. My periods are still not normal, and I never know when I am going to start, stop, or for how long it will last, but at least I am losing weight again. So when people say calories in, calories out, that isn;t always the case. Hormones do factor in. Everyone is different, you just have to find what works for you. I am now 46, so it has taken me 8 years to start feeling better. When I have talked to other older women about this, some have told me it took them 10 years, (sorry!) and again, my mother never went through what I have and noone else warned me about this. I was told by one of my doctors that I was suffering from depression, but all along, I kept telling him no, there was something else going on. It took me going to a female doctor to get any help, also, get checked for polycystic ovary syndrome,(hope spelling is right) I found out I had this and that is part of the tiredness and weight gain. Hope I have helped a little, I kind of feel like I have probably said too much and rambled on all over the place, but I was just trying to help and tell others what women do go through.

Amyirene74

The thing is I actually eat less now than I used to. I used to eat about 3000 calories a day. I originally cut back to 2500 calories but continued to gain weight. Then I went down to 2000, and then 1500 and still gaining. My metabolism is shot. I did lose weight about 18 months ago but I used the HCG diet. I lost 26 lbs and then gained back 50 lbs. I wonder if that diet in combo with the menopause cauded my metabolism to crash. I have had my thyroid checked out and its fine.

Honestly ...yes. Definitely you have done yourself no favor with VLCD ( very low calorie diet). THAT is very metabolism damaging.

Please do some research on metabolism repair.

Leigh Peele is a source
www.eatmore2weighless.com is another

Thank you

Amyirene74

As of this morning I am down 3 lbs. I really hope it keeps coming off. I tend to lose 2-3 lbs and gain back 5. This morning for breakfast I changed what I normally have. Instead of regular creamer, I used sugar free creamer and cut the calories down to 80 from 144. I also added in a slice of whole wheat toast with a little bit of margarine and a 1/2 cup of apple sauce. For lunch I am going to have some of the leftover pork roast and a veggie. Last night we did eat out but I just had a 6 inch sub from Subway and since I was still hungry I ate a can of greenbeans. I figured that was better than chips. Thank you to everyone for the advice. I am working on making some food changes and will start using my treadmill when the kids go back to school on Thursday.

bethanyreeddilullo

I didn't read the entire thread but if you haven't already discussed this with your doctor, I suggest starting there. It might be menopausal things but it also could be something else. I found as I went into perimenopause my body did all sorts of crazy stuff .. thyroid, diabetes, etc. So start with doctor to rule anything else out and keep being mindful of what you eat. I'm nowhere near where I want to be in weight but feel better since I cut back on red meats (I was eating meat 9 out of 10 times and have cut that back to about 4 out of 10 times) and processed food including fast food. Please try not to get discouraged -- easy to say but hard to do I know. This is why I've joined MFP to make it easier for me to track what I'm doing ---

terristrong

I'm 55 and have been post menopausal for 4 years. Haven't gained any since I went thru, however i was already overweight.
In October I had a health scare and I decoded to lose weight and feel better. How? By strict portion control and exercise. When I first started it was all I could do to walk 10 minutes, now i walk a minimum of 30 minutes a day and most days do 45 minutes on an exercise bike.
Is it easy? No. Is it worth it? Yes.
You also might want to look at how much you are eating. Strange as it sounds you HAVE to eat to lose weight, otherwise you body goes into starvation mode and saves everything you eat as fat.
Good luck.

terristrong

Measure everything. I have found that my "little bit" can actually be twice what a serving really is.

astrampe

I'm 43 (soon to be 44) and had a hysterectomy 3.5 years ago due to complications from infertility meds. I've been in perimenopause for just about two years now -- coincidentally, the same amount of time I've been on MFP and have gotten into the best shape of my life.

IMO, menopause is just an excuse for *some* people. Yes, hormonal changes will do wacky things to your appetite and the shape of your body. Yes, as we get older we process things differently. But no one needs to be a victim of Mother Nature if they want to set a goal and have the determination to achieve it.

I eat whatever I want, as long as it fits into my macros and I get the right nutrients. I get up at 4:00AM every day to workout before heading into the office, make sure that I drink lots of water, eat smaller portions more often throughout the day, and I've been successfully maintaining for about a year now.

And yes, I still eat full-fat dairy, the occasional cheeseburger and fries, and pizza at least once a week.

Menopause may be a new "chapter" in your life, but it is by no means the end of the story.

Good for you - but you do know that hormones do different things to different people? Nobody said they have to be "victims" of mother nature - the OP did ask for advise, not a holier than though "I do it perfectly" rant...
OP, I am in the same boat at 44 - perimenopousal for the last year.....
Some of the things that works for me is - Heavy lifting - not light weights and ten million reps - as heavy as you can - it's good for your bones too...
Regular exercise - not just walking - althoug you have to start somewhere - over the last year I ran, did Stronglifts, kettlebell stuff, Chalean X treme and is currently doing P90X..
I've upped my protein/carb/fat ration to 40/30/30 - make sure the fats are good fats and fruit veggies and whole wheat carbs...
I take a mutliviamin - menoquil - that took care of the hot flushes at night and it looks like it might keep the irregular stuff in tune a little...
And I eat on the 60/20 principle - 80 % clean, but allow myself a bit of coffee, red wine or whatever - I still live!
I still pick weight up easily, but look better since starting weights...And I always had a tiny waist, but all my "Christmas fluff" is on my tummy....Not much to do about that....
Good luck....

eidc

Don't know if anyone has mentioned any books in this thread but Christine Northrup M.D. has written a couple of good books on women's issues she takes a more holistic approach. And a Canadian authour and nutritionist Natasha Turner is also excellent can't remember the name of her book...that's menopause for ya!! I do take HRT but at low doses it's not the magic pill for weight loss still have to work hard at that the # one thing that has helped me has been walking and lifting light weights! I feel waaaay better than I did when I started in September. And by the way I have a great gyne who follows me very closely and I researched HRT and tried more natural HRT but didn't do a thing...so for now this is working

Melo1966

As of this morning I am down 3 lbs. I really hope it keeps coming off. I tend to lose 2-3 lbs and gain back 5. This morning for breakfast I changed what I normally have. Instead of regular creamer, I used sugar free creamer and cut the calories down to 80 from 144. I also added in a slice of whole wheat toast with a little bit of margarine and a 1/2 cup of apple sauce. For lunch I am going to have some of the leftover pork roast and a veggie. Last night we did eat out but I just had a 6 inch sub from Subway and since I was still hungry I ate a can of greenbeans. I figured that was better than chips. Thank you to everyone for the advice. I am working on making some food changes and will start using my treadmill when the kids go back to school on Thursday.

I dropped the creamer all together and replaced it with protein whey, the reccomended protein on here is way low. Is the treadmill hidden so the kids can't use it? Why not start using it now? Go for a walk with them or play ball outside. The reason we gain weight as we become older is not really hormonal it is our laziness and bad eating.

buzzumjen

read

IrishHarpy1

Good for you - but you do know that hormones do different things to different people? Nobody said they have to be "victims" of mother nature - the OP did ask for advise, not a holier than though "I do it perfectly" rant...

I never said I did it "perfectly" -- I was merely pointing out that someone *can* work against nature and still find success. Kindly don't attribute words to me that I never stated, and don't accuse people of "ranting" when telling their own story.

OP, you're making a great start by cutting back little by little... small changes can add up to big results!