Just need a bit of understanding....
cathie2903
Posts: 85 Member
I am 49 and just starting with perimenopause symptoms. It's sooooo frustrating! I go through phases where I can't actually bear to listen to my husband cos it's so irritating - I hope this is a mood swing thing cos if not I'm in trouble! My weight seems to have become the be all and end all for me, but I don't know why. My periods skip months at a time then come back with a vengeance. I have another 10lbs I would like to lose and have stuck for the last couple of months with no loss but no real gain either. I am 5ft 9 and weight 170min 173 max. I have tried upping my cals as one if my pals suggested my setting was too low (1300) it's now 1700 but has only been for the last few days so we will see. I just really wanted a abut of support from ladies who understand how I am feeling as no one near me seems to. It would also be interesting to know if anyone else had hit this plateau and if so how they overcame it. Thanks ladies x
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It can be challenging, can't it?
I told my husband that it seems to come in "punctuated equilibrium". Some hormone "wobbling", then a big drop. And until I find a new normal, it's rocky at the new level.
I'm ridiculously cranky sometimes! And each time the big drop happens, the scale goes up 3-5Lbs. And I work to get that back down to my maintenance level. Then it happens again.
One thing I'm really taking notice of: my blood sugar. I'm now very convinced I get hypoglycemic when the wobble wobble DROP happens. I have eaten a low glycemic load diet the last 14 years (how I lost, how I maintained) and my sugars have been great! No raging hunger. BUT, the last year or so I'm finding that I'm craving carbs a bit more, and that without warning I get shaky, nauseous, lightheaded, a cold sweat. I've been calling those my super hot flashes, but now I think they are blood sugar crashes.
I'm going to focus my diet even more on keeping my blood sugar stable and see if that helps, and working to keep stress and cortisol down (I'm even learning to say NO at work!).
Good luck. Know that I get exactly what you're saying (I turned 50 in March).
PS: If you're already skipping periods, I'd bet you're a little further along than you think.
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Thanks Sabine, it's good to know it's not just me. You are so right with the frustration of "weight gain" in a matter of a day. I weighed 2lbs more this morning than yesterday so I KNOW it's not fat as it should be my TOM but it hasn't arrived so I assume it's water weight. Grrrrrr.0
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Amen to all that. I was feeling great, losing weight slowly then BAM! woke up this morning cranky, bloated, 1.6 pounds higher than yesterday. I 'know' in my head that the hormones are doing this, that I have been good, I did NOT gain fat, its water and hormones messing with me. But MAN it is amazingly discouraging. I have had the same for about a year, no period for months, then it comes heavier than ever before. So I know things are in flux and I just have to hang in there. But its SO tough on the days when both the scale and my seemingly bottomless bad attitude are working against me. I totally understand where you are coming from Cathie. And Sabine, happy 50th in March, my 50th was then also.0
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Staceyboard wrote: »Amen to all that. I was feeling great, losing weight slowly then BAM! woke up this morning cranky, bloated, 1.6 pounds higher than yesterday. I 'know' in my head that the hormones are doing this, that I have been good, I did NOT gain fat, its water and hormones messing with me. But MAN it is amazingly discouraging. I have had the same for about a year, no period for months, then it comes heavier than ever before. So I know things are in flux and I just have to hang in there. But its SO tough on the days when both the scale and my seemingly bottomless bad attitude are working against me. I totally understand where you are coming from Cathie. And Sabine, happy 50th in March, my 50th was then also.
Happy 50th!0 -
We make a good team - all hit (or due to hit) 50 in March!!0
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I just wish it didn't drag on for so long. I have been skipping a month, or even 2 months, for about 2 years now. Then it is regular for a few months -- then I start skipping again. I get so excited when I skip, hoping to never have to buy tampons again. But then it comes back. I keep a few tampons with me at all times. I just don't know what to expect anymore!0
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2years! Omg! I can't do this for 2 years
the mood swings I am finding really hard to deal with....has anyone any tried and tested ways of handling them, apart from moving into a cabin deep in the woods for weeks at a time 
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I use bio identical progesterone (which I have also bought in the U.K.). I tried the bio identical estrogen too, but didn't like that.cathie2903 wrote: »2years! Omg! I can't do this for 2 years the mood swings I am finding really hard to deal with....has anyone any tried and tested ways of handling them, apart from moving into a cabin deep in the woods for weeks at a time
I'm currently using DHEA, and a menopause support pill with dong quai and black cohosh. And I got a small prescription for an antihistamine from my doc to help with sleep, and I cut out all caffeine.
Since starting this, I've been feeling reasonable.0 -
I feel pretty good on HRT. I use an estrogen patch and oral synthetic progesterone. I also started on nortriptyline for migraines and possible fibromyalgia. Since starting both I feel pretty decent and I can sleep again. I've been hiking and doing resistance training. I feel like I get tired more easily so I can't do much after exercise, but I feel healthy and, like Sabine, reasonable. I felt horrible and was pretty nonfunctional before.0
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And of course, the day AFTER my hormonal surge, the weight completely was gone. My mood was much sunnier as well as soon as I woke up. Its so tough some days! Thanks for the support.
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I had last week off as holiday (my daughter had half term) and hubby was also on holiday. My mood was revolting and i had to walk away sometimes to prevent myslef picking arguements (mainly over hubby sitting watching TV/sport). Now I am back at work, my bloating has gone off a bit, my mood is so much better as i think that hormonal surge you mention has gone - thanks body! next time surge during a working week not holiday!! I really appreciate your comments ladies it really helps.
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It seems we're all in some sort of menopause phase! I think the worst thing about it is the sense of losing control over your own body and the insecurities that come with the changes and symptoms that we can't prevent. Being on a regular cycle for 38 years and then all of a sudden it is hit or miss (for months), the mood swings once associated with PMS just take over whenever without any advanced warning, and not even recognizing myself when trying to function at any normal level - it is awful!
I woke up one weekend morning full of angst and anger and just cried as I ranted at my husband who was cleaning the bathroom ( yes, doing something to help)! Thinking I was losing it for good, I changed and went to the gym. I hit the elliptical machine for 2 hours and 10 minutes straight while watching super soul Sunday, came home and showered, and only then felt like I was slowly morphing back into my old self. It is unnerving to feel yourself ramping up and I've found exercise helps me more than anything else to reverse those feelings and also get a good nights sleep. I prefer to stick with the exercise as I'm afraid to become dependent on any HRT. Glad to read from you all that I'm not at all alone. Thank you all for your insight!0 -
What's funny is that I wasn't really getting any emotional symptoms. Just physical -- near constant head, neck, and facial pain (atypical migraine), complete exhaustion, insomnia, and hot flashes. They're all gone. I didn't hesitate for a second about HRT. It's a much lower dose than any hormonal contraceptive, and I took those for years. I'm able to maintain a relatively high level of physical activity now and I've lost inches off of my abdomen, so I'm healthier than I would be without it. I keep encountering women that suffer awful symptoms but want to avoid it, and I'm curious as to why.0
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I have gone through this the last couple of years too. Yes the moodiness is bad. The not starting and then being afraid that I'm pregnant, because husband and I weren't using anything and then starting with a vengeance. I tried a low does of anti-depressant, Lexipro and the other one. I did not like the side effects so I didn't take it long. I also went back on a low dose pill - since I was still worried about getting pregnant and it would stabilize the hormones. My blood pressure shot up and I never had blood pressure issues. So I was scared to stay on it. I've always been worried about the blood clot issue anyway. I am just letting myself go through it now. I actually think worrying about it was making it worse. Dr. says the way I'm doing it is healthy and not worrisome. I started practicing meditation and am on the 21 day fix plan to eat healthier. I have some months I seem to be worse - kind of like Sabine - all of a sudden shaky, etc. and I also think it is related to blood sugar. It definitely seems worse if I eat a lot of processed, bready carby foods. And wine, now I can't drink too much wine or it seems to do the same thing. I have had a really really hard time getting back into the fitness routine. Running, jogging was hard to make myself get out and do. Getting to the gym was a no go and getting myself to do the 21 fix dvds or any of my BB dvds was a no go. They just opened up a new gym close to work. The current one is almost an hour away from work and by the time I get home I am done. So I'm excited about getting back into my workout routine at the new gym.0
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jchrisman717 wrote: »I have gone through this the last couple of years too. Yes the moodiness is bad. The not starting and then being afraid that I'm pregnant, because husband and I weren't using anything and then starting with a vengeance. I tried a low does of anti-depressant, Lexipro and the other one. I did not like the side effects so I didn't take it long. I also went back on a low dose pill - since I was still worried about getting pregnant and it would stabilize the hormones. My blood pressure shot up and I never had blood pressure issues. So I was scared to stay on it. I've always been worried about the blood clot issue anyway. I am just letting myself go through it now. I actually think worrying about it was making it worse. Dr. says the way I'm doing it is healthy and not worrisome. I started practicing meditation and am on the 21 day fix plan to eat healthier. I have some months I seem to be worse - kind of like Sabine - all of a sudden shaky, etc. and I also think it is related to blood sugar. It definitely seems worse if I eat a lot of processed, bready carby foods. And wine, now I can't drink too much wine or it seems to do the same thing. I have had a really really hard time getting back into the fitness routine. Running, jogging was hard to make myself get out and do. Getting to the gym was a no go and getting myself to do the 21 fix dvds or any of my BB dvds was a no go. They just opened up a new gym close to work. The current one is almost an hour away from work and by the time I get home I am done. So I'm excited about getting back into my workout routine at the new gym.
I'm focusing most of my attention now on eating right for menopause and keeping my blood sugar stable. I really do think my "super hot flashes" were/are actually blood sugar crashes.
And yes, wine causes that too (sob sob).
I googled hypoglycemia menopause and there are peer reviewed pubmed archived articles about hypoglycemia and menopause...I'm sure that's what it is. I had issues with it when I was a skinny teen as well.0
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