Menopause and weight loss
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I feel like there are 2 things that happened for me: the slower menopausal metabolism is noticible, and the 'muscle loss sneak' as I call it.>> Over 20 years I gained 20 pounds. Sounds not bad- a pound a year. However, I'm just now realizing that at the same time , I was also losing muscle-- the good faster metabolizing pounds. So the bad, slow metabolizing fat pounds caused even slower metabolism, creating a vicious cycle, that didn't slow till I started eating less AND building muscle. On my way now, also working on improving my cardio strength.0
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Sounds like several of us have suffered from a similar pattern: could eat anything we wanted in our teens, 20's, even 30's... Then hit 40 and things started slowing down. I think it's partly age, partly hormones, partly just one's personal relationship with food. I for one am grateful for all the insights you all have shared -- this is my first time in the MFP community, and I already feel better & less alone. So, thanks for that.0
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Lucyywambat, I know exactly what caused my weight gain.
Not eating more, not drinking more, but dancing less.
We used to go out at a weekend, have a good dinner and drinks followed by dancing until 2 or 3.
Once that started to drop off ( OH working away); the pounds started rolling on.
Once I had realised why I had gained, and when the weight was lost, I knew I just had to replace the late night dancing
With fun evening workouts.
There is a really good thread women 55-65 on here. I will go look for it and post it. Quite a few who have posted here, and are new to the forum, will probably enjoy it. Nice and supportive.
Cheers, h.
ETA link to the thread '55-65 women's success stories' in the Success Stories Forum.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10047153/55-65-year-old-womens-success#latest
Hope it works. I am on my phone so font know.0 -
I was definitely heavier in my 30's and 40's "eating anything I wanted to" (which I pretty much did!) than I am now in my 50's. And I don't even have to be that strict. However, at this point exercise is near and dear to me; I wouldn't want to forego it and am grateful that I can work out and do some progressive strength training. It allows me to be a bit sloppy with diet and eat a lot of ice cream...
I'm not sure about a slower metabolism, but I guess that is an issue for some. Or maybe mine is slower but I don't notice the adverse effects so much because I eat at a (small) calorie deficit and keep moving.0 -
middlehaitch wrote: »
With regards to metabolism slowing;
At 55yo and 130lb my bmr was 1123
At 62yo and 100lb my bmr is 980.
Ooh, big difference ( 143), well not really, if I put my today's stats in but as a 55yo it comes out as 1010, a difference of 40 cal over 6 years.
I think we have so many things going on, mental and physical changes, at that time, choosing to lose weight is an added stressor, and that is what makes it difficult. ( health and any other problems aside)
JMHO and experience.
Cheers, h.
This is right in the average range as far as everything I have read over the years. Menopause does not have as much of an effect on metabolism as people like to think it does. Yes, it does slow a little, but the actual amount for the vast majority of women is not majorly significant. The change in hormones and where they deposit your visceral fat makes a bigger impact on your overall shape change (the post menopause belly).
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vivmom2014 wrote: »No, I don't mean it as criticism at all. It just sorta galls me that menopause is "sold" to women as a giant drag... everything dries up and slows down, yada yada. I bought into that for a while, but then I just decided not to. A whole lot of it is mental.
As long as you eat at a calorie deficit, you'll lose weight. It will work. Adding exercise to earn more calories (and just feel great) is a worthwhile pursuit.
Not always....I have an underactive, untreated thyroid and eating less and working out more doesn't make the pounds fall off. Takes me a good 6 months to lose 5lbs. If something worked for you fantastic, but it doesn't work for everyone.
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vivmom2014 wrote: »This is the most weight I've ever lost - and I'm done with menopause. So...I don't think that excuse is gonna work.
How rude! Saying menopause affects weight loss isn't the same as saying one can't lose weight during/after menopause. So, what excuse do you think is being made?-1 -
I lost 24 lbs several years ago when I was perimenopause. I gained it back and then some because of the emotional rollercoaster my life became (3 deaths in 3 months - father, godfather, and grandfather and kidney issues). I am now in menopause and I am finding it much easier to lose weight this time.0
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lucyywombat wrote: »Sounds like several of us have suffered from a similar pattern: could eat anything we wanted in our teens, 20's, even 30's... Then hit 40 and things started slowing down. I think it's partly age, partly hormones, partly just one's personal relationship with food. I for one am grateful for all the insights you all have shared -- this is my first time in the MFP community, and I already feel better & less alone. So, thanks for that.
I don't feel like my metabolism slowed down any significant amount but that my activity level did. With a desk job I have to be mindful of my eating. With jobs I had when I was younger that didn't involve prolonged sitting, I didn't.
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OP, having lost weight several times in my life, menopause definitely makes a difference for me. Perimenopause was hard because of the hormonal word swings (PMS type symptoms several times a month!). Now that I'm past that (hopefully) I think it's not necessarily harder, just different. Or maybe I'm just different. I think more about things like maintaining muscle and bone and strength, rather than just getting smaller.0
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I'm trying again. Menopause makes it harder, but I know not impossible. So I know I don't have any excuses. What I need is the motivation and the determination to stick this out. I'm so frustrated to constantly have to re-visit this issue.It's so important to stay healthy, active and strong as we get older. There's so many exciting things to do in the future and I want to be able to be an active participant. We all need support!0
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I am 5 years post menopause and this is the easiest time I have ever had losing weight. Yes, it is coming off a little slower but I no longer have the hormones cycling through my body with the accompanying weight fluctuations and cravings. Yay for menopause!
Same here... have lost 48 lbs since January. No trouble at all. At first I thought being post-menopause was slowing my weight loss but then I started using MFP in February and got the eye-opener: I was eating far more than I thought.
Even if the weight comes off slower than you like, your body will thank you for the exercise and you'll feel great just by being more active. You can do this, hang in there!0 -
Something definitely changed for me. I was maintaining my loss for about a year and changed nothing (at least not on purpose! I'm sure small things have changed) when suddenly I started a slow gain that has lasted for three years. So for me I would say that likely my metabolism changed. What that means is that there is no room for error in logging either exercise or food. I am guessing that the change in metabolism was just enough to make it where my inaccuracies caused me to be overeating by just a little--like50-100 calories a day. That doesn't sound like much but over the course of a year it can mean 5-10 lbs!0
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This is right in the average range as far as everything I have read over the years. Menopause does not have as much of an effect on metabolism as people like to think it does. Yes, it does slow a little, but the actual amount for the vast majority of women is not majorly significant. The change in hormones and where they deposit your visceral fat makes a bigger impact on your overall shape change (the post menopause belly).
[/quote]
I'm Definitely a victim of the menopause belly!0 -
That was my experience too @tigerblue. Now I am happily maintaining my 30 pound loss with all intentions of continuously monitoring my weight and keeping a lid on any future gains before they get out of hand again0
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I am 5 years post menopause and this is the easiest time I have ever had losing weight. Yes, it is coming off a little slower but I no longer have the hormones cycling through my body with the accompanying weight fluctuations and cravings. Yay for menopause!
I also love being in that stage of life where I am too old to need sanitary protection but too young to need incontinence protection. One aisle at the store I need never go down!
Amen sista!0 -
That's exactly what I was thinking too. Just like with everything our bodies/medications/activity levels/nutrition are all so different so I sure hope I'm going to have an easy time after menopause is finally established. 52 y/o with twin teen daughters & we are keeping the sanitary supply industry going strong in this house ...haha!Pennie- Everyone is different. I think menopause can affect the rate at which you can lose weight. It took me a full month of weighing, measuring and counting every calorie that went into my mouth before I saw the scale move. I think what helped me was increasing my water intake and choosing healthier carbs such as vegetables. Medications may be a factor too.
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Menopause does slow down the metabolism. You can lose weight and be fit, but you must be more mindful about everything you eat because your body doesn't burn calories as quickly it did when you were younger. I've been able to maintain a decent weight, but in my younger days, I could drop 5 lbs. by giving up dessert for a week. Now, I can eat dessert only once a week, and then I might see a gain.vivmom2014 wrote: »No, I don't mean it as criticism at all. It just sorta galls me that menopause is "sold" to women as a giant drag... everything dries up and slows down, yada yada. I bought into that for a while, but then I just decided not to. A whole lot of it is mental.
As long as you eat at a calorie deficit, you'll lose weight. It will work. Adding exercise to earn more calories (and just feel great) is a worthwhile pursuit.
Not always....I have an underactive, untreated thyroid and eating less and working out more doesn't make the pounds fall off. Takes me a good 6 months to lose 5lbs. If something worked for you fantastic, but it doesn't work for everyone.
The most difficult time I had was when I was pre menopausal at 48 or 49. No matter what I did or how little I ate I could not loose more than a pound! I was in Weight watchers then and even if I ate 800 or 900 calories p it made no difference! It was soul destroying! I hit menopause at 50 and gave up trying, but at 53 I discovered fasting and the 5 2. My periods had stopped for over a year, totally gone. I was delighted to find that this time my efforts were rewarded, and here I am aged 54 having lost 16 KGS. I firmly believe that hormonal changes in pre menopause prevented ANY weight loss, and I really relate to anyone going through that! But it will pass, believe me!0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »OP, having lost weight several times in my life, menopause definitely makes a difference for me. Perimenopause was hard because of the hormonal word swings (PMS type symptoms several times a month!). Now that I'm past that (hopefully) I think it's not necessarily harder, just different. Or maybe I'm just different. I think more about things like maintaining muscle and bone and strength, rather than just getting smaller.
Well said!0
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