Hi There! We can still lose weight, can't we??
Options
yegkatie
Posts: 4
Hi! I'm new here, and happy to find a board with women in the same boat as me. I keep hearing during menopause/perimenopause that it is impossible to lose weight! Tell me this isn't true? Is it?
Looking for support... and most of all motivation to keep me going. Hope I can offer you all support and motivation too.
Looking for support... and most of all motivation to keep me going. Hope I can offer you all support and motivation too.
0
Replies
-
Hi,
I wish I really had an answer for you!
What I do know is that the struggle is real! I lost 40+lbs 5 years ago following MFP reccommendations (I was 42 then). It wasn't easy, but it worked fairly predictably. Then three years ago, it was like the rules changed for my body. I gained almost 20 lbs back, even though I am still doing what I "should" as far as weight loss/management!
So it definitely does become more difficult at perimenopause. I read that our metabolism drop by 10-15%, which would be just about right for what is going on for me.
However, yes you can still lose. Your total calorie intake may just have to be less than it "should" because of hormones. But you can still create a deficit. For me it has taken keeping a careful food log exercise log, and weight log and looking at those numbers carefully to see when/-t what number of calories I lose.
I know now that if I exercise 6 days a week and eat "x" numbers of calories I will maintain. To lose, I either have to eat fewer calories or exercise more. (I don't put a number here, because I am already small, and thus my total calorie goal is pretty low. Yours won't be that low if you are still in the overweight range. That is actually good news for you in that you can eat more and still lose).
I have the added hurdle of already being at a healthy weight and pretty lean. I am just trying to get rid of about 6-8 pounds of belly fat, so my margin of error is pretty small. Again, if you are not already close to your goal, it should be easier for you.
So, to sum up, it will be more difficult, but not impossible. Even though I become very frustrated, when I look at the big picture I can see that what I am doing is working to keep me healthy. It just may not be exactly where I want to be!
Hope that helps.0 -
I agree it's harder despite what you hear on the main boards. I lost 30+ 15 yrs ago. It wasn't hard. Now at 50 I find that I'm eating in "weight loss mode" just to maintain. I have had several friends successful lose AFTER their hormones settled. At this point I'm just happy to maintain.
good luck!!0 -
It's harder, maybe, but not impossible. I started this 4 years after early onset menopause and I lost 65 lbs and have kept it off for over a year! Like Sabine, I find that I'm eating in "weight loss mode" just to maintain. Being older and short, my calorie goal is pretty low for maintenance. I exercise more so I can eat more. I think the best thing to do is just take it slow and be patient. It will be worth it in the end! You can do this!0
-
I am new to this group and happy to find women in my age range/life stage!!! I am post-menopausal and have gained 30 pounds over the past 7 years, but 15 of it was piled on over the past year (I am 54) with no real change to eating or exercise. For the past 3 weeks, I have been doing 1000 calories per day (down from 1200 with no results) eating "good fats" in moderation like avocado and olive oil on salad, limiting grain to practically none, mostly baked fish and grilled chicken and veggies, occasional fruit or berries. Walk or exercise in moderation. I wear a jawbone up band and usually get to at least 50% of my 10,000 step goal; couple of times per week I get to 100%. I had a uterine fibroid removed about 4 years ago and wondering if fibroids are causing my weight gain and weight loss resistance. I take bioidential hormone replacement which helps tremendously with hotflashes but can flare up fibroids I've been told. I think I'm doing everything right, but haven't lost anything to speak of. Maybe 2 pounds down, then a pound back, and so on. I am tracking my food so........I'm trying not to be too discouraged about it. I also gave up any cocktails and wine going on 3 weeks now. So with 3 weeks of "being strict" why no weight loss? I also drink plenty of water and no sugary or diet drinks. Anybody have any help for me?0
-
Yes, it's possible. I'm perimenopausal (soon to be post-menopausal, I think!) and have lost about 60lb. I think it's harder (although I have to admit, I have never lost this sort of weight, so can't say if it would have been easier at say, 35). For instance, sleep is supposed to help with weight loss, but try having a good night's sleep when you keep waking up hot!
@RStanley03, I don't know why you're not losing, but I don't think 3 weeks is long enough to judge. If you're shorter, older (I'm counting those of us in our 50s as older, because I think the standard calorie requirements are only meant for younger women), your TDEE can be surprisingly low - and not far off the minimum of 1200 that MFP won't let you go below. Say MFP has your maintenance calories at 1500. You set it to lose 2lb a week. To lose 2lb, you need a deficit of 1000 calories a week, but in reality, your deficit is only 300 (1500 - 1200). Somebody in that situation would only be losing about 1/2 a lb a week, and would wonder where they were going wrong.
On top of that, weight varies from day to day by a couple of pounds. A day-to-day variation of 2lb or more can seem to wipe out that 1/2 lb a week weight loss, for four weeks. You need at least 6 weeks to really get an idea of whether you're losing or not, but it's clearer over several months.
So we're often dealing with smaller figures, and slower change. I found it very useful to track my weight loss over time, and look at on the graph (you can use the reports section to look at it over months).
I don't know if the above applies to you, but it's something I have to bear in mind. I realise you've dropped calories to 1000, so might have a bigger deficit than I normally worked with. This is also a time of life when thyroid problems can appear.0 -
Same boat here. I am up 20 lbs from my adult low from 3 years ago. I haven't had TOM in 1 1/2 yr so I know this has had an affect on my weight. I am still working on figuring out where I need to be calorie-wise to lose.0
-
rstanley03 wrote: »I am new to this group and happy to find women in my age range/life stage!!! I am post-menopausal and have gained 30 pounds over the past 7 years, but 15 of it was piled on over the past year (I am 54) with no real change to eating or exercise. For the past 3 weeks, I have been doing 1000 calories per day (down from 1200 with no results) eating "good fats" in moderation like avocado and olive oil on salad, limiting grain to practically none, mostly baked fish and grilled chicken and veggies, occasional fruit or berries. Walk or exercise in moderation. I wear a jawbone up band and usually get to at least 50% of my 10,000 step goal; couple of times per week I get to 100%. I had a uterine fibroid removed about 4 years ago and wondering if fibroids are causing my weight gain and weight loss resistance. I take bioidential hormone replacement which helps tremendously with hotflashes but can flare up fibroids I've been told. I think I'm doing everything right, but haven't lost anything to speak of. Maybe 2 pounds down, then a pound back, and so on. I am tracking my food so........I'm trying not to be too discouraged about it. I also gave up any cocktails and wine going on 3 weeks now. So with 3 weeks of "being strict" why no weight loss? I also drink plenty of water and no sugary or diet drinks. Anybody have any help for me?
You are probably eating more than you think. And I agree that 3 weeks might not be long enough to see results. How tall are you?0 -
Yes, it's possible. I'm perimenopausal (soon to be post-menopausal, I think!) and have lost about 60lb. I think it's harder (although I have to admit, I have never lost this sort of weight, so can't say if it would have been easier at say, 35). For instance, sleep is supposed to help with weight loss, but try having a good night's sleep when you keep waking up hot!
@RStanley03, I don't know why you're not losing, but I don't think 3 weeks is long enough to judge. If you're shorter, older (I'm counting those of us in our 50s as older, because I think the standard calorie requirements are only meant for younger women), your TDEE can be surprisingly low - and not far off the minimum of 1200 that MFP won't let you go below. Say MFP has your maintenance calories at 1500. You set it to lose 2lb a week. To lose 2lb, you need a deficit of 1000 calories a week, but in reality, your deficit is only 300 (1500 - 1200). Somebody in that situation would only be losing about 1/2 a lb a week, and would wonder where they were going wrong.
On top of that, weight varies from day to day by a couple of pounds. A day-to-day variation of 2lb or more can seem to wipe out that 1/2 lb a week weight loss, for four weeks. You need at least 6 weeks to really get an idea of whether you're losing or not, but it's clearer over several months.
So we're often dealing with smaller figures, and slower change. I found it very useful to track my weight loss over time, and look at on the graph (you can use the reports section to look at it over months).
I don't know if the above applies to you, but it's something I have to bear in mind. I realise you've dropped calories to 1000, so might have a bigger deficit than I normally worked with. This is also a time of life when thyroid problems can appear.
This is very good advice. I LOVE MFP, but the calorie goals can be skewed for older shorter women, especially if we don't have a lot to lose. @Vailara explained it really well.
Find a good TDEE calculator (freedieting.com and scooby's workshop are good. There is also a good, very detailed one on the "in place of. Roadmap" group here on MFP. ) After you find your estimated TDEE, try eating that number of calories for several weeks (like 6-8 at least) and see what happens. If you maintain then you have found your TDEE. Then go to your goals tab and set your goal for 250 less than your TDEE (for 1/2 lb per week loss) or 500 less (for 1lb loss per week). Eat that number of calories (weigh or measure everything if possible) and see what happens. Then if you still don't lose, drop a few more calories. Or if you lose too quickly, add a few. (Using the iPad or iPhone app makes it really easy to set your own goal--not sure about other devices or computers)
This is a tedious process that takes meticulous record keeping for both logging and results, and it takes awhile to find the number, but in the end it will be the best for long term success. When you reach goal, then slowly add 100 calories a day, each week. When you stop losing for several (again at least 6-8) weeks in a row, you have your new maintenance for your new body.
The difficulty for we "women of a certain age" is that our bodies may not burn as many calories as the calculators say we should. So there is some trial and error. For instance, I should maintain my weight while eating at about 1800 calories per day. In reality,it is more like 1600.
0
