Harder to lose after menopause?

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TKeyWhis
TKeyWhis Posts: 7 Member
in Introduce Yourself
hi I'm Theresa. I'm 51 and am so glad to find a group of women of a certain age. I'm trying MFP for the first time, and can use all the motivation I can get. I decided, finally, that I was tired of feeling fat and overweight. Does menopause make it harder for the weight to come off? What are your thoughts?

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  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
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    It does. Menopause really does a number, doesn't it! lol. I take HRT, which helps with hot flashes but not with weight. The key is to make sure you do both components faithfully: eat right *and* exercise. Just one or the other won't do the job, even if it did when you were younger. I'm 46. When I was in my twenties I could just diet, or just work out, and drop weight, but in my late thirties that stopped being possible. So weigh/measure foods accurately to get the calorie count, work out... and if you decide to eat back any exercise calories, just do about half at most, because for some reason MFP's calories burned tally vastly overestimates how many calories people burn doing activities.
  • Angela2202
    Angela2202 Posts: 4 Member
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    Hello Ladies. I'm Angela. I'm 53 and am hoping the weight loss will be as gratifyingly consistent as it was when I joined 3 years ago and lost 11kg /24 lb in 5 months. I had a job that required a lot of running around and I exercised 4 to 5 times a week. Now with an unfortunate career change I am chained to a desk 8 hours a day, menopause has set in and my diet became very lazy. It's Winter here for me and last week I promised myself that I will tackle menopause head on and get my body in better shape for the lovely fashions of summer and for health and fitness. I am currently 13 kg over weight and will endeavour to loose 16 kg. Let's exchange challenges as we menopausal ladies try to beat the battle of the budge.
  • TKeyWhis
    TKeyWhis Posts: 7 Member
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    Angela thanks for the insight. I hope you don't mind but I sent you a friend request.
  • TKeyWhis
    TKeyWhis Posts: 7 Member
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    Angela thanks for the insight. I sent you a friend request.
  • TKeyWhis
    TKeyWhis Posts: 7 Member
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    Oops. Haven't had my coffee yet. Uh I posted it twice.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    I have actually found it easier to lose weight post-menopause (I am 6 years post menopause now). I don't have to deal with the cravings and water weight issues I had when the hormones were cycling and it seems that I am able to manage my hunger better.

    Yes, it is a little slower coming off than it used to be, but it is much easier.
  • LoretteHawkins
    LoretteHawkins Posts: 1 Member
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    Hi. I hit menopause last year. I am only 44. Hysterectomy and bladder lift was when I was 42. The weight seems to slowly pile on. I wake up and another pound has found me :-(. I do eat to much junk. But I also love veg. I have days where I just eat a big bowl of Brussel sprouts. Other days all I eat is potato chips. I work in my home (childcare/ preschool teacher) some days I just eat a cheese stick and cheese its. My husband is supportive. Maybe I am lazy? I have tried this app only one other time. I don't find the time to exercise (limited anyways cause bladder dropped again, so much for the first surgery lol) I do like to bicycle. But I feel like that isn't "exercise" guess I am just ranting and feeling blah. Thanks for listening.
  • weightlosssweetspot
    weightlosssweetspot Posts: 16 Member
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    Thanks for posting ladies. I too have started to head into menopause, I'll be 46 this year, and am finding the weight slowly creeping on. I am giving MFP another shot after a bit of a break so fingers crossed. It's good to know others are in the same battle. In it together.
  • Dandelie
    Dandelie Posts: 153 Member
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    Im 31 and have perimenopause. It sucks. I am just starting my weight loss journey and feel sad when reading that menopause will make things worse to lose.
  • 2snakeswoman
    2snakeswoman Posts: 655 Member
    edited July 2015
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    It seemed harder until I got a bad case of anorexia (came 3600 miles to visit father, found him down in his home, he died, property has to be probated, I can't go home). Now the weight is just falling off me, and I realize that I used to do this when I was younger and wanted to lose weight - eat very little. In retrospect, I think what made it harder was not menopause itself but being "set in my ways". Every little frustration, every little celebration, everything sent me to the kitchen for a "little snack." It added up. Right now feeding myself feels like a major chore that I just don't want to deal with. I started logging again yesterday with the goal of getting my intake up to a more reasonable range than the practically nothing I've been surviving on.
  • Debmal77
    Debmal77 Posts: 4,770 Member
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    Get a food scale and stay in a calorie deficit. MFP will tell you your deficit. Works for me.
  • jgoldie1964
    jgoldie1964 Posts: 9 Member
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    Hi. I'm 51 years old. Started the Keto diet 10 days ago. Yes I am finding that shedding the pounds is not as easy as it was when I was 21! Going to stick with it though, it got to the point that none of my clothes were fitting me. Is anyone on here doing the Keto diet? I am not sure if I have my macros correct. Please post if you are.

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