Women around 50

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GaveUp
GaveUp Posts: 308
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I have been struggling with my weight sense 2007 when peri-menopause started. I have gained 25 lbs in those years. I started working out almost daily... 3-5 miles a day and 30 day shred. Following this diet program the best I can and cannot lose weight. Any advice for women going through peri-menopause and still have pms to go with it. I have been on this site for almost a month and have gained 3 lbs... maybe normal for all the working out. Still want to lose some weight I have gained.

I've always worked out for the most part my whole life. Always had healthy eating habits for the most part too. Never had any major weight issues til now.

HELP!

Replies

  • barbiecat
    barbiecat Posts: 16,987 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/229946-women-ages-50-for-may?page=19#posts-3180744


    this is the link to a great thread called WOMEN AGES 50+ :bigsmile: this group of women talk about all the things you mentioned:bigsmile: :bigsmile: please join us :flowerforyou:
  • emfoley2
    emfoley2 Posts: 30 Member
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    I didn't stay as active as you have, but went through much the same thing and am just now making some headway with losing the ~40 pounds I gained over 5 years. Some things that helped me, besides regular exercise and recording my intake on MFP, were sleeping better (yoga for relaxation, and keeping an eye on my caffeine intake), and adding healthy snacks a few times a day (with smaller meals) to keep my self from getting hungry and overeating, especially at night. I'm finally losing a steady 1-2 pounds per week and seeing some real progress on and off the scale.
  • kellykat2
    kellykat2 Posts: 87 Member
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    I am 50 and post menopausal, and I can honestly say that when I eat the exercise calories, I gain weight. I can exercise and burn 800 calories but if I eat them back, I gain. So with that said, if I keep my calories abt 1400-1600 a day I do lose. Your body really does change in menopause. Your metabolism slows down, things you used to be able to eat, you can no longer even look at without gaining weight! One thing that doesn't slow down is your hunger! I'm still hungrier than ever. We need to eat, but make better choices in what we put in our mouths. Plus we need to ramp up our workouts. A 3 mile walk isn't going to cut it any more, we need to speed it up, get the heart rate going. They recommend 90 minutes of exercise just to maintain your current weight with women past menopause! That seems crazy!

    Make a few changes, tweak your caloric intake as well as ramp up. If you walk 3-5 miles a day, alternate walking with running. Walk 2 mins run a minute. It will help.

    Don't give up!
  • DianaPowerUp
    DianaPowerUp Posts: 518 Member
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    It doesn't have to be like that. Google "bio identical hormone therapy". Read the book "Ageless" by Suzanne Somers. Google "anti-aging medicine". Everyone just thinks that you have to accept all the things that happen to you as you get older, but the reality is that with a proper diet, rest, exercise, and proper medical treatment (bio-id. hormone therapy), you can ease into the transition with minimal issues, and improved health and quality of life. I'm just getting started on all this, and so far, it's been excellent!
  • GaveUp
    GaveUp Posts: 308
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    I am 50 and post menopausal, and I can honestly say that when I eat the exercise calories, I gain weight. I can exercise and burn 800 calories but if I eat them back, I gain. So with that said, if I keep my calories abt 1400-1600 a day I do lose. Your body really does change in menopause. Your metabolism slows down, things you used to be able to eat, you can no longer even look at without gaining weight! One thing that doesn't slow down is your hunger! I'm still hungrier than ever. We need to eat, but make better choices in what we put in our mouths. Plus we need to ramp up our workouts. A 3 mile walk isn't going to cut it any more, we need to speed it up, get the heart rate going. They recommend 90 minutes of exercise just to maintain your current weight with women past menopause! That seems crazy!

    Make a few changes, tweak your caloric intake as well as ramp up. If you walk 3-5 miles a day, alternate walking with running. Walk 2 mins run a minute. It will help.

    Don't give up!

    You know exactly what I am going through.. its nice to know. I am jogging/walking daily 5-6 days a week. Training 5K and adding weights too. I think you are right about eating the calories back... sometimes I burn 1000 a day. No way to eat them all. I will cut my calories back to 14-1600 like you said and give it a try. I have gained 3 more pounds sense on here... don't want that. Also when I am pms I go through a 16 day process, makes it very hard very hungry, emotional, angry doc says I have PMDD along with going thru menopause. Have no insurance so I can't afford a good hormone pill.

    Thank You!
  • GaveUp
    GaveUp Posts: 308
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    I didn't stay as active as you have, but went through much the same thing and am just now making some headway with losing the ~40 pounds I gained over 5 years. Some things that helped me, besides regular exercise and recording my intake on MFP, were sleeping better (yoga for relaxation, and keeping an eye on my caffeine intake), and adding healthy snacks a few times a day (with smaller meals) to keep my self from getting hungry and overeating, especially at night. I'm finally losing a steady 1-2 pounds per week and seeing some real progress on and off the scale.

    I eat several times a day, try to stick with healthy snacks. I only drink 2 cups of coffee a day no sugar and fat free cream. The rest of the day is water only. I do see some toning but don't feel it in my clothes yet. I am 5'5" 170 now I used to be 145 before 2007.
    Thank you!
  • Johninbox
    Johninbox Posts: 1
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    I know what you mean. I have gain 36 pounds in the past 5 years. It took Dr to diagnose tyroid problems because so similar to menopause . I have both. I just got scared and made desition. Started walking. Join zumba Feel better do not give up
  • GaveUp
    GaveUp Posts: 308
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    It doesn't have to be like that. Google "bio identical hormone therapy". Read the book "Ageless" by Suzanne Somers. Google "anti-aging medicine". Everyone just thinks that you have to accept all the things that happen to you as you get older, but the reality is that with a proper diet, rest, exercise, and proper medical treatment (bio-id. hormone therapy), you can ease into the transition with minimal issues, and improved health and quality of life. I'm just getting started on all this, and so far, it's been excellent!

    I went to a natural store and picked up some progesterone cream., hoping that helps. Finances are a big issue for us at this time. I have read up on bio identical hormone therapy but it is costly :(
    I really am not looking for excuses, I am working my hinny off to stay slim and feel healthy into my 50's.
    Thank you I will research more on it.
  • GaveUp
    GaveUp Posts: 308
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    I just want to say.. It is so nice to know there are others going through the same thing I am. Almost all women around me have had a hysterectomy so they don't understand how this effects my living.
    Keep all the replies coming..... I like hearing from the 50+ group.

    Thank you all!
  • KeriA
    KeriA Posts: 3,275 Member
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    I am in my later 50's and I am still pre-menopausal. I always felt that I could lose the weight I had gained when life was not so challenging - parenting, full-time professional career, and later a commute. I hadn't taken into consideration the issue of aging. I have been on here for 8 months and I have turned around the slow weight gain that the late 40's and 50's seem to bring. I have also started to slowly lose a much greater weight gain than what you need to defeat. So my feeling is there is hope. However it is more challenging the closer you are to your goal weight. The question is whether you were eating enough or not since 2007. If you have been eating enough for the last few years then your issues are simpler. If you have been dieting for the last few years and eating under your BMI you may be dealing with a more complex issue. I seem to lose the best when I set my goal weight at 1.5 pounds and get regular exercise. However I hadn't been dieting previous to coming on here. I was just stepping up my exercise and found that didn't do it. It may take some time to discover the right combination. Logging is the key to figuring out what works for you and what doesn''t. There are many that come on here try for awhile and even succeed and then leave and gain it back. They do not log when they "go off" their plan. You need to log the food you eat, the water you drink, and the inches and weight you lose or gain to better see what is going on with you. I find that drinking my water and green or white tea help. I put the tea in my notes. Also I find sometimes the weight comes off after I have been really exercising and staying under and then let up just a bit on both. I almost always stay under and if there is a special day I at least keep to maintenance calories. You might check out zig zag diets as well. I think you will get some responses from others who's experience is closer to yours than mine. I just want you to know that it is possible to stop that slow weight gain and turn it around. I do not follow any rigorous diet. I just make sure I am under. To keep it under and get sufficient nutrition I just naturally eat better. I often leave a cushion in case my estimates of calories burned or calories eaten are not perfect. Do you have a good support group on here? That is one thing that helps you keep logging food , inches, exercise and water. So posting this was the best first step. I accept friends that let me know why they friended me and then I don't give up on them as long as they are not using this site for promotion and are reasonable. Best with your efforts and don't give up. It takes the work you are obviously dedicating and some thought as well. I am not a perfectionist and I am just determined.
  • DianaPowerUp
    DianaPowerUp Posts: 518 Member
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    It doesn't have to be like that. Google "bio identical hormone therapy". Read the book "Ageless" by Suzanne Somers. Google "anti-aging medicine". Everyone just thinks that you have to accept all the things that happen to you as you get older, but the reality is that with a proper diet, rest, exercise, and proper medical treatment (bio-id. hormone therapy), you can ease into the transition with minimal issues, and improved health and quality of life. I'm just getting started on all this, and so far, it's been excellent!

    I went to a natural store and picked up some progesterone cream., hoping that helps. Finances are a big issue for us at this time. I have read up on bio identical hormone therapy but it is costly :(
    I really am not looking for excuses, I am working my hinny off to stay slim and feel healthy into my 50's.
    Thank you I will research more on it.

    Actually, it's not expensive at all! I'm not talking about the stuff you might get at a natural foods store. You go to a dr. that is certified to treat hormonal issues (not nec. an endocrinologist), and the visits, and whatever meds you may need, are generally covered by insurance. They do blood work to see what you need/lack, and then start you on treatment, and check your blood values again, and tweak things. My dr. used to be an emergency room physician, and decided that that lifestyle was too stressful, so he now has his fellowship in Anti-aging medicine. It's more a preventative type medicine, than a curative, and it's covered by insurance, largely probably b/c hormone issues can cause things like increased risk of heart disease, obesity, loss of bone density, etc, and it's cheaper for insurance companies to make sure that you are well, than to pay for you once you are sick.

    Anyway, I just started this journey (after doing LOTS of research on it), so we'll see how I feel in a month's time. But so far, I'm feeling much better, more like myself, than the snappy, *****y, weight-gaining lady I was becoming.

    Haha! The word "b*tchy" was edited out! Hey, I'm talking about myself here! LOL
  • moremuscle
    moremuscle Posts: 1
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    I am 57. The only health issue that age has brought my way is acid reflux and digestive problems. In order to keep it at bay, I eat only things that don't bother my stomach. I have had to eliminate many things, wheat, most beans, all dairy, most animal protein. I am still experimenting with what works and doesn't. I lost seven pounds I couldn't afford to lose but I am holding steady at my current weight. Become a vegan and eat lost of veggies and whole grains. You'll lose without thinking about it.

    I am looking for a work-out partner to help me in my motivation. I live in Rocklin, CA.
  • Aurelina
    Aurelina Posts: 197 Member
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    I'm with you on that, dg. That there are options! I started using HRT when I was 43 after nursing my last babe for two years (he was naturally conceived). I never went thru perimenopause and I don't have a clue if I'm in menopause. (((-: I believed it was better to start early than to start later. Around that time I heard there was a study set up in Texas and they were looking at starting women on HRT around 35 to see if the outcomes are better.

    My mom didn't start early and she suffered terrible osteoporosis with bones breaking at 53!! She got on it when she was in her late 60's and she doesn't have osteoporosis anymore. She got on HRT and started eating a 'paleo' diet around the same time. She's in fantastic shape, now in her early 70's. No drugs, just some hormones, good food, hiking and weight lifting.

    But when it comes to HRT it reminds me a bit of the HBO show Deadwood. There's gold in it, but wow, so many charlatans. You really have to take charge and research it in detail. Because there is so much fear about estrogen lots of people are selling low dose over the counter progesterone cream as a way to solve all the problems. Even dos get sucked in and are prescribing huge doses of 10% cream and women are getting sick. Back in about 2005 the American Menopause Society put out an editorial suggesting that maybe one of the problems (aside from all the others!) in the Women's Health Initiative study might just be the progestins (too much!). I was impressed with that. People are running around fearing estrogen when in fact it might be the overdose of progesterone or progestins that cause most of the trouble.

    Sommers is a start, but she's more about promotion than careful critical thinking and ethics. I think Dr. Vliet's books and podcasts are a much better start. She seems serious and cautious and she prefers to work with FDA supported replacement options. She's got several books out and you'll find her on this site. http://www.thebuzzonbios.com/ Her site is not impressive www.herplace.com but her books are well documented and I haven't heard anyone complain that the references are rubbish, which isn't true for some authors in that field. As well, there is Dr. Schwartzbein. I didn't read her book on hormones, but I've talked with her and I think she is on the ball. Plus, she is an endocrinologist.

    I've seen loads of exceptional benefit to HRT in myself and others, but some absolute messes when people are overdosed. It's very important to start with ultra low doses and be very clear about how different methods of administration can make a huge difference. If one wants to simply pop a pill and walk on, I think it's a bad choice. Also, anything that sounds like a one size fits all solution is better avoided.

    For those who want to get more out of their ovaries, there's a doctor in NYC who apparently helps with ovary optimization by achieving good Vit D levels and calcium supplementation (this would certainly be worth considering for a woman with PCOS).

    Oh, and if you are interested in getting blood tests and your doc won't order them, there's a blood test sale going on at http://www.lef.org/blood You get your own requisitions and take them to a Labcorp facility for the blood draw.

    Here's some more links talking about the issue.

    http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/05/estrogen-lowers-risk-of-heart-attack-and-breast-cancer-in-some/?src=me&ref=general

    http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/18/magazine/18estrogen-t.html?ref=magazine
  • Aurelina
    Aurelina Posts: 197 Member
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    It doesn't have to be like that. Google "bio identical hormone therapy". Read the book "Ageless" by Suzanne Somers. Google "anti-aging medicine". Everyone just thinks that you have to accept all the things that happen to you as you get older, but the reality is that with a proper diet, rest, exercise, and proper medical treatment (bio-id. hormone therapy), you can ease into the transition with minimal issues, and improved health and quality of life. I'm just getting started on all this, and so far, it's been excellent!

    I went to a natural store and picked up some progesterone cream., hoping that helps. Finances are a big issue for us at this time. I have read up on bio identical hormone therapy but it is costly :(
    I really am not looking for excuses, I am working my hinny off to stay slim and feel healthy into my 50's.
    Thank you I will research more on it.

    The over the counter progesterone cream appears to work for some women, but it's easy to load up the tissues with it as it is a very fat loving hormone. That 3% over the counter cream doesn't take long to build up and cause androgenizing effects and FAT GAIN. I've heard it theorized that the reason it might feel good at first is that it also provokes estrogen reception. There are many different metabolisms and I understand that it can be good for some women, but when I talked to a researcher about this he said that there is no science to support the strategy of progesterone only replacement. And in spite of what many books and charts say, exogenous (from outside out bodies) progesterone will not convert to all the other hormones we need in our body. Those charts are for hormones originating in the ovary.

    LOW COST OPTION ---- I remember once using an option that (if I recall correctly) cost about $24 for a 6 month supply. It isn't optimal, but some of my girlfriends prefer it for simplicity and low cost. A compounding pharmacist can mix the beta estradiol in olive olive (1mg/drop) and the progesterone in olive oil and give them to you in little dropper bottles (one drop being a dose for example). It must be shaken each time as the steroids sink to the bottom when sitting around, but it's exceedingly low cost. Transdermal administration keeps the dose low.

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