menopause and weight loss

Hi much in common, trying to re-lose 30 lbs I regained and a real struggle. I'm 54, go to the gym strength training 5 days a week, yoga once a week, going to aquacize first time tonight and walk 6 days a week. Very active, eat healthy and yet can't get the pounds off although inches seem to be dropping, slowly . My body shape has definitely changed since menopause and it seems weight loss is a lot harder now. Anyone on this thread, please feel free to add me as a friend.

I just sent you a friend request - I'm 47 and going through peri-menopause.

Am experiencing the night sweats........

I'm in maintenance - but what really helped me is lifting weights....three times a week, for at least a half hour each time.

I don't lift a ton of weight; a lot of the things I do are basic: squats, push-ups, sit-ups, lunges, planks - I have a Universal Gym and some free weights. Once you start - and develop a routine - it's not as intimidating as it sounds...........I feel a LOT better, and it keeps the weight off (along with a good amount of cardio)!

Now - now to deal with these wrinkles...........LOL!

Lol....this is about where I'm at....I'm 48. I've been losing weight. Although instead of losing more in my belly/thighs, of course I'm losing it places I'd rather not like my chest and face! Just can't win!!

If anyone needs friends, you can add me.

What works in your 20s & 30s & even 40 s dosent work anymore. I did read the jackie warner book and got some of her dvds ,good stuff but even that wasnt budging more than 5 lbs. I joined a kick butt bootcamp class and go 5 days aweek i also continuelly challenge my self with increasing weights its got to become a part of life not just something you do to lose weight. It took a year and a half to lose 25 lbs but i probably gained 5 lbs of muscle. Eating less is not gonna work you have to push and push hard and be consistent. You will see changes from weight training that dont show on the scale. If you notice by some of the other post about regaining its because they stopped exercising. The guidelines for health only are 30 min a day, for maintaining weight 30-40 min are needed and to lose weight 45-60 is recommended and thats 7 days a week. Even if your diet doesnt change you will gain weight as you get older due to muscle loss it starts in 30 s for women, you need to lift heavy to rebuild that. Dont give in and dont ever by elastic waist pants ( except to work out in)

Just turned 48 and am convinced the past two years my metabolism has hit a brick wall. I used to be able to lose lbs by working out 1 or 2x p week and have always been somewhat athletic, even after competitive sports stopped in HS 30 yrs ago. However, after heart surgery (cardiac ablation for multiple conflicting beat patterns which dr's said could have resulted in sudden death) and shoulder/bicept repair (from working out) I was anxious to get back to my fit weight of 135 after drawing my line in the weight gain sand at 150 on my 5'8 1/2 hourglass frame.

Missed (well I wouldn't say I've MISSED THEM!) periods 3x mo
Hot flashes every day for the past week, finally got releif last night and got a full night sleep.
Anyone else gassier than ever?!! How embarrassing!!
And the lovely brain fog...


I am having to workout 6x p week cardio and 3x adding strength and religiously stay at 1200 cal to get my .95 lbs p week...

I'm really enjoying the sweat 6 weeks later and am planning to run the Wounded Warrior 8k in San Antonio in Sept.

Won't be happy til the cottage cheese on the back of my legs goes away....hoping the hot flashes melt it off haha -

hi I'm 44, been in premature menopause for a few years- and yes it wreaks havok with metabolism, mood, energy... and the hot flashes.... also hypo-thyroid

since the hormone change it seems that it is much harder to loose and easier to gain in the muffin top region (waist, belly, back fat..)

I lost 36 lbs a few years ago by running and doing paleo but haven't been able to run consistently due to injuries, allergies, etc. paleo worked temporarily but was not sustainable for me. so i gained most of it back. currently BMI is in overweight category and my goal is to at least achieve healthy weight this year before I turn 45.

This week I got a Fitbit and am trying to track calories and my goal is to exercise 4-5 times a week - I usually make it 3 days sometimes 4. (zumba, bollywood, running, hiking, weights)

my job is sedentary so myfitnes pal recommended a 1200 cal / day diet. I'm only 2 days in but 1200 calories is not very much food....

all that is to say I would love some other friends dealing with menopausal weight to swap ideas, motivation, etc.

hi I'm 44, been in premature menopause for a few years- and yes it wreaks havok with metabolism, mood, energy... and the hot flashes.... also hypo-thyroid

since the hormone change it seems that it is much harder to loose and easier to gain in the muffin top region (waist, belly, back fat..)

I lost 36 lbs a few years ago by running and doing paleo but haven't been able to run consistently due to injuries, allergies, etc. paleo worked temporarily but was not sustainable for me. so i gained most of it back. currently BMI is in overweight category and my goal is to at least achieve healthy weight this year before I turn 45.

This week I got a Fitbit and am trying to track calories and my goal is to exercise 4-5 times a week - I usually make it 3 days sometimes 4. (zumba, bollywood, running, hiking, weights)

my job is sedentary so myfitnes pal recommended a 1200 cal / day diet. I'm only 2 days in but 1200 calories is not very much food....

all that is to say I would love some other friends dealing with menopausal weight to swap ideas, motivation, etc.

Please go back and redo your goals on MFP! 1200 calories is ridiculous, you need to eat more than that! your job might be sedentary, but that doesn't mean you are completely sedentary.
I am doing cardio (jazzercise) and strength/resistance 5-6 days a week and I am seeing a difference, 16 pounds and 10 inches gone. I am currently researching heavy lifting, I am amazed by the body transformations I see in women and they have barely lost 5 pounds. My goal is to lose weight, but my real goal is to be healthy,

Here are my two favorite posts on MFP so far
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

And I can't find a link, but one of my friends here, who has lost 150 pounds, posts this advice alot, there is valid info here.
1. don't trust the initial setup that MFP provides. If you put in the wrong/inaccurate information, it'll tell you to eat an amount that may not be applicable.
2. Make sure you eat enough.
3. Figure out what works for you and is sustainable/healthy/long term.
4. avoid fads. don't buy in to any "Hey, try the twinkie and vodka diet"
5. Don't cut out anything now that you don't plan on literally giving up forever.
6. GET A FOOD SCALE. Weigh everything. No, seriously.
7. Get an HRM with a chest strap. You'll at least have a better idea of what you're burning. It'll be more accurate than the generic info in the exercise database.. and even more than the cardio machines. This is great for steady state cardio (run/walk/etc)
8. Don't go balls out. You'll burn out. I see 300 lb people show up here, instantly start working out and cutting their intake SEVERELY... trying to cut out all of their carbs at once.. whatever. Take it slow. Figure out how much you need to eat FIRST in order to lose.. then incorporate exercise.
9. Don't cardio yourself to death.
10. Take the information on the forums with a grain of salt. A lot of people that have been here for a while.. and have been successful, may seem jaded. They give out GREAT advice day after day, only to be met with people that refuse to listen.
11. Eat real food. Not diet food. Not "low fat, sugar free, now without X." It's easier to get/find/count.
12. don't set time restrictions.
13. measure yourself weekly. Don't just weigh. Measure and take pictures.
14 BE PATIENT.
15. Avoid forum topics that have "1200" in the title. It's just full of butthurt. Lots of it.
16. If you ask a question on the forum, give as much information as you can ("yes, I have a food scale and weigh my food" is worlds better than "I eat a palm full of miscellaneous boiled chicken parts..sometimes.")
17. Be honest with yourself and honest with us.
18. This isn't a game, it's about changing your lifestyle. Do that.

pretty much that.

...and don't fall into the "1200 calorie" vertigo of suck because of:

the typical MFP users does this:
1. I wanna lose weight, let's try MFP.
2. OH! Wow, it tells me I can lose 2 lbs a WEEK? AWESOME!
3. I just sit at a desk when I'm not working out, I guess I'm sedentary.
4. MFP tells them 1200 calories, and they don't even eat that.. then they work out on top of it.. creating an even bigger deficit.
5. Lose a lot, fast, brag about 1200 calorie success.
6. Come back in a few months trying to figure out why they're dizzy, tired, not losing weight.
7. Get on the forums, ask why they aren't losing.
8. Get two responses (I eat 1200 and lose) (I eat 2200 and lose)
9. Argument ensues about who is right.

Now. That being said. These threads happen hundreds of times per day. Most times, and I mean really.. seriously.. 95% of the time.. people get the 1200 number because they don't put the right information in when they set up the account. There are a great number of people that are trying to help. I'm one of 'em.

I'm a hardcore advocate of actually finding out what works for the individual.. by means of other calculators, averages, time, practice, and patience.

Blanket prescriptions of 1200 calories "because it worked for me" is more harmful to the generic new user than the "figure out what you need to eat." Unfortunately, one is a LOT easier to type.

Find out what you need: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

and make sure to read: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

If you "fell off of the wagon" it was because you made it a change that you couldn't keep up with. Make little changes. Make the wagon easier to stay on.

Weight loss is an equation. Something, somewhere, in your equation.. is broken. Use those tips/links up there to work it out.

Hi 51 and experienced hot flashes and eat too many sweets and not enough exercise. I'm looking to change all this and looking to lose a pound a week.

Hi, I am very new to this. I guess that this is the first time that I have seriously tried to loose weight. I have lost weight in the past but a divorce and being alone for the first time in 20 years will do that to you. Then I got a boyfriend (yep, I'll blame some on him) and started gaining. then I quit smoking, another 20 pounds. then I got a birth control device, another 15 pounds. I don't know if I'm in menapause or before or after cause I didn't have a period for 5 years. I hoped that once it was removed that I would start loosing.....but no. I have the 1200 calorie thing going on and doctor recommended 30 minutes of vigerous excercise per day. Been doing that and it is working. Have lost about 9 pounds but am starving and am worried that I won't be able to keep it up.