Menopause and weight loss

I'm 60 & had a late menopause. Since then (in the last year) I've lost 60-odd of the surplus pounds that have been accumulating for decades.This is the first time I've stuck to a diet / healthy eating regime - ever! (For long enough to make it work, anyhow).To me, it's all in your head - MFP is the best tool ever for weight loss and helps, but if your head & heart aren't in it, it's not going to work whatever age you are. If your head and your heart are going for it, it doesn't matter what your age is, you will lose weight.

Don't forget that, at about the time we're going through menopause, we've also been losing muscle mass. That means we burn fewer calories naturally than we did when we were younger. Your exercise needs to include strength training. I do a daily morning routine rotating between upper body, lower body and core so it doesn't take too long.

There are no studies looking at bioidentical vs. traditional hormone therapy. The jury is still out on whether it's better and/or safer for you.

This is from Harvard:

Many women assume that “natural” hormones would be better or safer — but the term “natural” is open to interpretation.

Any product whose principal ingredient has an animal, plant, or mineral source is technically natural. It doesn’t matter whether the substance is ground, put into capsules, and sold over the counter — or extracted in a laboratory, manufactured by a pharmaceutical company, and made available only by prescription. For example, the soy plant is the source of supplements that some women take to ease menopausal symptoms; it’s also used, along with yams, to make the estrogen in the FDA-approved hormone drug Estrace.

But unlike Estrace, soy supplements aren’t regulated and haven’t been rigorously tested in humans, so we don’t know whether they’re safe or effective. There’s some evidence that certain soy components may actually stimulate breast tumor growth. So “natural” doesn’t necessarily equal “safe” — and may simply be a euphemism for "unregulated."

The interest in a more natural approach to hormone therapy has focused attention on bioidentical hormones — hormones that are identical in molecular structure to the hormones women make in their bodies. They’re not found in this form in nature but are made, or synthesized, from a plant chemical extracted from yams and soy. Bioidentical estrogens are 17 beta-estradiol, estrone, and estriol. (Estradiol is the form of estrogen that decreases at menopause.) Bioidentical progesterone is simply progesterone. It’s micronized (finely ground) in the laboratory for better absorption in the body.

Bioidentical hormone therapy is often called “natural hormone therapy” because bioidentical hormones act in the body just like the hormones we produce. But here again, that tricky word natural muddies the waters. Pregnant mares’ urine is natural, but Premarin is not bioidentical, at least not to human estrogen. The same goes for Cenestin, which is made from plants but is not bioidentical.

Technically, the body can’t distinguish bioidentical hormones from the ones your ovaries produce. On a blood test, your total estradiol reflects the bioidentical estradiol you’ve taken as well as the estradiol your body makes. On the other hand, Premarin is metabolized into various forms of estrogen that aren’t measured by standard laboratory tests. Proponents of bioidentical hormones say that one advantage of bioidentical estrogen over Premarin is that estrogen levels can be monitored more precisely and treatment individualized accordingly. Skeptics counter that it hardly matters, because no one knows exactly what hormone levels to aim for, and symptoms, not levels, should be treated and monitored.

Bioidentical estradiol in pill form is converted in the liver to estrone, a weaker bioidentical estrogen. But given in a patch, it enters the bloodstream as bioidentical estradiol. Creams, gels, and lotions applied to the legs or arms can also deliver bioidentical estradiol directly to the bloodstream, although it’s uncertain how much is absorbed.

Are bioidenticals safer? No one knows. Studies have shown they can help relieve hot flashes and vaginal dryness, but as yet, few large studies have investigated the differences among the various hormones and methods of administration. More research is needed to further understand these differences and compare the risks and benefits.

Women taking bioidentical estrogen who have a uterus must still take an FDA-approved progestin or micronized progesterone to prevent endometrial cancer. So-called natural, plant-derived progesterone creams sold over the counter contain too little of the hormone to be effective. And yam extract creams don’t help because your body cannot convert them into progesterone.

I would disagree with the statement that bio-identical hormone creams that are sold over the counter are ineffective. I've tested them on myself (and there are better and worse ones). I use Kokoro but there are others that are equally effective like Emerita. They need to be administered vaginally (and inside the labia) though, rather than on other skin areas. They do an excellent job of countering vaginal dryness and they have a lot of other pleasant characteristics as well. I do not take any estrogen products. Natural progesterone actually has a protective effect against breast cancer and endometrial cancer. Just a little progesterone cream is all you need to keep the hot flashes and dryness away. The yam creams are ineffective. Google Dr. John Lee---he was a pioneer of using natural progesterone cream for women.

Even if you OD on natural progesterone cream, the only effect you would have is a little giddiness. Progesterone is a mood lifter (just like estrogen can be a mood-downer). I personally feel that the epidemic of depression is the result of having inadequate levels of magnesium and progesterone because of inadequate diet (magnesium) and the effect of xenoestrogens in our environment. Xenoestrogens are environmental chemical pollutants that act like estrogen in the human body. It is the most likely cause of declining sperm rates in men.

So what you're telling me is that this progesterone cream will eliminate the hot flashes? Because mine were HORRIBLE! As in going outside in a sleeveless tshirt when it's 30 degrees and sweating my butt off! and doing that at least once an hour! As in, can't wear makeup because it won't stay on for the sweat running down my face! Yeah, that kind of hot flash!

And I've noticed that my pillow is starting to get sweaty during the night so I'm having to do the pillow flip. Hot side/cool side - ahhh!

I'll definitely be getting some cream this week. What were the OTC ones that you would recommend?

Don't forget that, at about the time we're going through menopause, we've also been losing muscle mass. That means we burn fewer calories naturally than we did when we were younger. Your exercise needs to include strength training. I do a daily morning routine rotating between upper body, lower body and core so it doesn't take too long.

I'm 60 & had a late menopause. Since then (in the last year) I've lost 60-odd of the surplus pounds that have been accumulating for decades.This is the first time I've stuck to a diet / healthy eating regime - ever! (For long enough to make it work, anyhow).To me, it's all in your head - MFP is the best tool ever for weight loss and helps, but if your head & heart aren't in it, it's not going to work whatever age you are. If your head and your heart are going for it, it doesn't matter what your age is, you will lose weight.

I've been through (early) menopuase. I gained a few pounds, and a spare tire around my middle! :bigsmile:
Menopause does make it harder to lose weight. It isn't impossible though, just harder! I just had to up my excersising and watch my calorie intake. I love MFP for that.
I do not take any harmones. My doctor agrees with not taking them.
I have accepted that the older I get, the less I should eat, and the more I need to excersise!