Can anyone speak to Menopause and Metabolism AND how that af

I am worried about this too. I read an article about the pre-menopausal woman (at 43, that's me) and it warns of slowing metabolism. That scares me! I will be interested to hear what people say. Are there any ladies on here who lost a considerable amount of weight POST menopause?? If so, please sing out!

I just hit 1 year since my last cycle, so I am officially "done." I lost 50 pounds almost 3 years ago, and I suppose I was pre-menopausal at the time.

Don't confuse weight loss with getting fit. The weight certainly does not come off like it did when I was younger. I could cut calories and the weight would fall right off: now I have to pay much closer attention to nutrition and WHAT I am eating too. I started running a few years ago. And while I certainly have been thinner, I have never been fitter!! I have completed several distance races and will be competing in my first sprint triathlon this fall @ the age of 49.

This link explains some of what we face: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/menopause-weight-gain/HQ01076

I had a hysterectomy when I was 25 and it wasn't until I hit 30 that I started to gain. Now I'm having to give up EVERTHING in order to MAYBE lose a pound or two...totally frustrating!!!

Hi there,

I guess I will have to admit that I'm starting the menopause, I'm nearly 53 and my periods are irregular and I'm getting the dreaded night sweats too. You could power a small town on the heat I generate at times! LOL I refuse to worry about it though. Three years ago I decided to get fit and to tackle my weight problem. I can honestly say that I'm fitter and stronger than I have ever been in my adult life. Gradually over time I've lost 35lbs and have another 35 to lose. In spite of that I feel in great shape. It might be slow, but in my opinion slow is better anyway, it still comes off. When I'm in weightloss mode (as opposed to 'resting') I lose about a 1lb a week, which is very good. It's a safe sustainable amount and doesn't put your health at risk. Of course when I was younger I could lose 3-4lbs a week easy but those days are gone. So I have no doubt that I can do it - continue to lose weight and maintain fitness. By being fit and a healthy weight will make coping with the changes easier. That's what I am hoping anyway!
All the best.

It's because of all the horror stories I've heard that I decided to get a grip on my weight before menopause came knocking. At 46, I could start to see symptoms literally any day now. I just hope the effort isn't wasted if my metabolism goes into complete disarray.

I too would be interested to know what the advice would be as regards a lower calorie intake post menopause. I highly doubt that MFPs one-size-fits-all calculator takes it into account at all.

I am intersted in this too. I figure as long as I stay active, I'll be fine. I am more worried about hot flashes and stuff like that. Yikes, can I just skip this step.

Remember ladies, MFP asks for our age, when we calculate our formulas. So, I bet that MFP does take into consideration just how old we are. I'm 56 (i still think I'm 26 however! ) and I can lose weight. I have it set at about 1 lb a week. At this age, I'm not in a hurry about anything, including weight loss! :laugh:

I am 50 and losing this weight has been a major struggle for the last 5 years. First I tried eating nearly nothing...no breakfast, or snacks, often no lunch or a lean cuisine and some crackers and SoBe energy's at dinner. That didn't work (of course!!), although I tried it for 3 years. Then I quit smoking and got serious about nutrition and health. For the last 2 years I've tried various calorie levels, exercise levels and macronutrient levels. I had my metabolism tested and did a 2 month reset of eating at maintenance.

.. It is now coming off, but slightly slower than anticipated (.8 pounds per week, instead of 1). What has worked is knowing my calorie burn exactly (I use a FitBit), measuring and weighing everything precisely, and absolutely no cheat days/meals/whatever. I consider my eating habits to be a lifestyle, not a temporary abberration.

I exercise daily, but nothing horribly drastic...intervals on Mon and Fridays, strength training on Tue, Thu and Saturday, and a walk or similar on Wed and Saturday. I follow a 40/30/30 c/f/p macro split and avoid anything artificial. I get at least 6 hours of sleep per night, mostly closer to 7. I take a multi-vitamin, a b complex, a C1000 and a D supplement. No other drugs or supplements.

Compared to my younger years when all-nighters were common, as were skipping meals, heavy athletic exercise, plenty of drinking, smoking, carousing and I could eat anything and not gain a pound.

So it's not the same anymore. Weight loss can still happen, but it takes dedication and committment. I've just started running again, after 25 years away from the track. It's never too late to get (back) into shape!

bumping up....

I find the only way I can do it is to be super strict with my diet and exercise. The calories I consume are clean foods, no junk fillers (of sourse sometimes I slip!). I've been exercising 5-6 times a week for 60 minutes. I also drink a lot of tea, probably 6-8 cups a day. I believe different cultures embrace different health measures and I've heard a lot about the benefits of tea. Oolong is suppose to help with fat burning and Pu-erh is a very popular diet tea because studies suggest that they help increase metabolism. You can check out the health benefits here:http://www.teavana.com/tea-info/dieting-with-. I have gotten into loose teas and make a blend of oolong and pu-erh. Don't know if it's working but hey it's worth a try. Green tea is supposed to be super for metabolism too.

Just got back on the tea bandwagon myself. And someone was asking about supplements. On the recommendation of my Dr. I take Calcium and D.

Supposedly Vitamin E and soy milk help with hot flashes: I am inconsistent with taking them, but they do seem to help. My Dr. agreed wtih both. I have some issues, but they aren't bad. And I refuse to do HRT.

I went through the menopause 11 years ago when I was 29 after a full hysterectomy due to ovarian cancer. I think i was over 18 stone at the time and didn't lose much because of the illness. Chemotherapy made me sick, but as I was sitting around at home a lot I ate more so it balanced out. I've slowly put on weight since but that's because I was eating too much and although I feel like I don't lose it as quickly as before, ive dropped 40 lb in 11 weeks so it's all possible. I'm way past any symptoms and although I took HRT for a short while, I couldn't get on with it so have taken nothing for several years. To be honest, I kind of forget that it's happened and have to remind myself that my friends actually still have periods! At least I don't get the monthly weight and water fluctuations that I see so often on here so every cloud.......

I work at a farmer's market on Sunday's and sit next to an herbalist/nurse. She recommends making a tea out of the herb Sage. Add fresh sage to a cup, add boiling water, put a cover on the cup so the essential oils don't escape and let steep for about 5 minutes. She said it's a drying agent so it helps with profuse sweating, night sweats, sinus problems, colds. etc. Just thought I'd pass it along as something to try as a natural remedy. You can add honey if you like. I think you have to do it consistently though, at least a cup or two a day.