Motivation during menopause

I am 53 and in menopause also. I hate the night hot flashes. I also wonder how little we are going to have to eat just to maintain weight!!! I exercise and this helps with sleeping and feeling better but...the mood swings and hot flashes are a pain. I have finally decided to embrace menopause and accept it as a part of life. I started using menopause as a help in dieting as I tell people when I don't want that glass of wine or dessert that I am on the "no hot flash" diet. I tell them that eating like this results in less flashes and not as many mood swings. No one questions the low fat, low cal, low sugar, no alcohol choices when told that it helps with menopause symptoms!!! I don't have to go into anything after that!!!

Well, I think I am starting menopause although I'm not sure. I feel like I've been getting hot flashes though. I am 51, and so far it hasnt negatively effected my weight loss.

I am 53 and in menopause also. I hate the night hot flashes. I also wonder how little we are going to have to eat just to maintain weight!!! I exercise and this helps with sleeping and feeling better but...the mood swings and hot flashes are a pain. I have finally decided to embrace menopause and accept it as a part of life. I started using menopause as a help in dieting as I tell people when I don't want that glass of wine or dessert that I am on the "no hot flash" diet. I tell them that eating like this results in less flashes and not as many mood swings. No one questions the low fat, low cal, low sugar, no alcohol choices when told that it helps with menopause symptoms!!! I don't have to go into anything after that!!!

Love it! I am very small frame person, so ideal weight for me is the very bottom of healthy range. Unfortunately, family and friends are not really supportive of weight loss, because I am not "officially" over weight, so they tell me "Oh, just exercise." Of course this is also good advice, and I am trying some yoga and stretches, but I have never been one for the gym or any sports or exercise for that matter and this is very hard to start at 53.
I am 53 and I'm a shorty 5'2" (maybe 5'3" if I stand up very straight:) with 7 children. I have been gaining steadily past year or so since onset of menopause up 18-20 lbs all in the middle of course plus my already short stocky thighs -- it is horrible, nothing fits! I am up 3 clothes sizes already and even so my jeans are cutting me in half. I have never owned a scale in my life before yesterday, actually had to go back and change my original check-in because I was guessing and overestimated by almost 10 lbs but I actually FEEL that much heavier and it is miserable.
Sorry for rambling...thanks for sharing the "no hot flash" diet - I will definitely be borrowing the phrase.

Major bummer this time of life. Be assured, it WILL get better! I am 52, and started having perimenopausal symptoms two years ago. Hot flashes, insomnia, mood swings (I think I should get an award for not having killed someone!!!!), night sweats... yuck! For me, I found a couple of things that have made a difference.

1. exercise. Every day, usually a couple of times a day. Things that are calming, like taking a nice slow walk, along with things that are challenging, like heavy lifting and learning how to run. You don't have to do everything every day, but do something everyday.

2. Yin yoga. Sometimes hard to find a class, but this is a very meditative type of yoga. You hold poses for 5-10 minutes, and concentrate on breathing. I take one class a week, and it really helps calm me.

3. whenever I feel a hot flash coming on, I visualize a very calming location. For me, it is sitting by the ocean, in Newport RI. Usually in November, when it is very cool out. Yes - I am specific! Calming music can help as well.

4. Big glass of water by my bedside. It makes me get up more often to go to the bathroom, but then I drink a few gulps which cools me down and makes me go back to sleep. I also just got a Chillow. First use last night - jury is still out...

5. Eat in a healthy way for your body. For me, that means eating pretty much all day long. If I get hungry, everyone becomes very unhappy. If I eat too much sugar, things will be unpleasant throughout the entire town. Wine can be good, but only if I drink 2x the water during the wine consumption. I avoid hot spices because I don't like how I feel after eating them. Same for bread/pasta/rice. You have to find your hot spots, and avoid them like the plague.

6. Finally - planning. The anxiety if I am running late or forgot something creates the perfect environment for unpleasantness. So, I write things down, leave early, and do not plan things without having leeway in my timing. If I expect task A to take 30 minutes, I plan for it to take an hour before I plan your next thing. If I think of something I that need to do, I do it immediately. If I don't want to forget to bring something to work tomorrow, I put it in my car tonight.

All this is easier said than done, but I have had success (at least, I stopped crying for no reason). That has given me the motivation to continue - I really do feel better. Hang in there!!! Sorry for the long response; it has been a long journey for me and I hope that what I have learned can help someone else.

In terms of how do you know? If you really want to know, ask your doctor. But, if you are having symptoms and your periods are irregular, then you can be pretty well assured that you have started.

I finally bought a high powered fan that I place directly on me while on the treadmill and elliptical, and sometimes even when I am doing yoga or mat work.

The suggestion about yin yoga is great.

Good luck to all of us!

Thanks for the feedback on wheat, I might try eliminating it. I do find that eating primarily veggies, meat, nuts and fruits makes me feel the best, so I don't eat much wheat as it is - wouldn't be hard to cut it out completely to see if that helps as well.

Hi I am 58 and have suffered with hot flushes for several years but I have found cutting chocolate wine particularly white and caffeine ( coffee tea and and cola type drinks) all have helped to reduce the heat:). I do still enjoy these foods at times but I know the hot flush is to come!!