aw....i totally relate. i too have been hard at this every day for about 5 weeks and have lost 5 lbs. ive been exercising 4-5 times a week so i know ive lost some inches but have not taken any measurements yet.
it is very frustrating as our bodies seem to not want to let go of this extra body fat gained thanks to menopause!
hot flashes are horrible.
ive heard its tough, but didn't believe it til now.
but,,,,,we must keep going. we must stay healthy and whatever the scale says, we must focus on us!

I just posted this in menopaus group and seemed fitting for this thread also


I am two years into this journey. I'm still trying to find my niche as to what will work for me because what used to work, doesn't anymore! I've gained and trying to keep my spirits up and my motivation up in spite of that is hard. I have a cousin who is about 5 years older than me and she has gone through this all. And now I remember when she put on the extra weight, she was always pretty slim. She said you just can't give in to it even when you aren't seeing the results that you want. After she went one year without a period she started seeing the weight come off. Now she is back to her normal weight. So I keep telling myself to keep my eye on a few years down the line. Instead of letting myself go completely because of being discouraged that at least I will not have so much work to do when I have completed my menopause. So I just keep on trucking. I'm at the phase where I will have a normal period for two months, then nothing for two months, then a period that feels like its ripping out my insides. I do not want to use any hormones and so I've been doing as natural as I can. I have been using Estroven for weight loss in the mornings and it does seem to help me have more energy.

What I have found is that carbs are not my friend any more. When I eat carb heavy (pasta, pizza, mashed potatoes, fried foods), it sends me into a carb frenzy craving. So though I try to not cut any one thing completely out of my diet. I do find that if I splurge on carbs it takes me longer to get back to eating healthier.

Sabine posted a link to a blog that was right on. I copied it and saved it and I am going to read it every day to remind myself. I have just started doing more walking (relaxation walking), hitt type running exercises and New Rules for Women which is a weight lifting program that usually has me in and out of the gym in 20 min. So it was encouraging to read that I am doing the right things.

I bought a fitbit to help me with moving more and accountability and it seems to be helping keep me on track. Its hard at this age, at least for the majority of us. I am not within the 10% or whatever it is of women that don't gain and lose by eating and exercising moderately.

Hang in there and know that it will come to an end!

I went through surgical menopause at the age of 36 and of course got put on those LOVELY hormone replacement pills, which totally destroyed my thyroid function and my metabolism. I am now 5 months post HRT and I am finding all I have to do it look at a cake and I gain weight.

I have tried so many diets over the past 6 years that I think I have print outs 4 feet deep. Nothing works......until I was home after my accident and got stuck watching an episode of Dr. Oz. I do not want to sound like an infomercial but what they said really made sense and I have been doing it for 8 days now. I know 8 days isn't anything but I have lost 6 pounds so far with very little exercise (I still don't have medical clearance to do anything other than walking).

According to Dr. Oz and his dietitians you have to eat in reverse. All of our lives we have been trained to eat our carb heavy meals at night to "get a good nights sleep", but most people are only up for maybe 3-4 hours after dinner not allowing your body any time to burn those carbs off so we store them.....and continue to store them every day. The way they explained it is that we need to eat our carb heavy meal in the morning, a "mix" in mid day then protein or a vegetable meal for dinner. The protein at night will allow you to have the energy burst you need to get through your evening but will not be a heavy meal that will cause your other organs to work so much harder right before they go into the "repair cycle" of sleep as Dr. Oz called it.

It was the first time a meal plan actually made sense to me. I can see how eating carbs in the morning allows your body 16 hours to but those sugars off before going to bed. I have also completely gotten away from all carbonated beverages. I have so much more energy and I don't feel sluggish. I am waking up before my alarm in the mornings and find myself "ready" to go. Oh and my pants don't bulge out at my "pooch" anymore. I don't look like I just had a baby. I am supposed to eat 1200 calories a day but I am eating 5 times a day and even on a cheat day (which seems to be any night my husband is supposed to cook), I have never gone over 100 calories.

As for the night sweats they have decreased but I have also added primrose and melatonin. Primrose helps with the night sweats and melatonin helps you unwind and sleep at night.

I weight in tomorrow so I will let you guys know if the loss is continuing or if it is too good to be true

I had good luck with the Estroven Nighttime for helping the night sweats and sleep issues. Nothing has helped the weight loss yet. But I am now trying a progesterone cream and a supplement for weight loss from Uni-Key. The supplement is more of a minerals and vitamins pill - not a weight loss in the respect that it has anything to make you jittery since I cannot do those type of pills. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

I had good luck with the Estroven Nighttime for helping the night sweats and sleep issues. Nothing has helped the weight loss yet. But I am now trying a progesterone cream and a supplement for weight loss from Uni-Key. The supplement is more of a minerals and vitamins pill - not a weight loss in the respect that it has anything to make you jittery since I cannot do those type of pills. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

I also had good results with Estroven. Didn't help with weight loss, despite what the packaging said, but is great for mood and night sweats. I also take St. John's Wart for mood swings.

I am in perimenopause as well,Im 40 and just now losing the weight again after a 8 month plateau. If you are exercising you need to make sure your calorie are where they are supposed to be(the more you exercise the more calories your body needs for fuel) if you cant lose it see your Dr as thyroid issues can mimic peri menopause IE:the weight gain.the hot flashes,mood swings,which also can be from low iron (which the iron and thyroid can go hand in hand).Also have the Dr run a hormone level to see if any of your hormones are too high or too low.

I wouldnt use over the counter products as sometimes they can make things worse(the fake estrogen from soy and pregnant mares urine in premarin(seriously look it up).look up natural alternatives for your symptoms and try those as well and see how they work.just do research and you will see there are a LOT of better alternatives out there but of course speak to a Dr first.