menopause and weight loss??

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ferky1
ferky1 Posts: 11 Member
in Motivation and Support
I am new to menopause at 49 years old who happens to be a diabetic but finding it nearly impossible to lose weight during this time. Anyone else suffering like me?

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  • kmoyes9
    kmoyes9 Posts: 13 Member
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    First of all YOU ARE NOT ALONE !! Lol my friend and I spent the summer complaining about weight gain and numerous symptoms BUT -- I have been logging in here for 20 days and am down 7 lbs. sooooo it CAN be done. Do not lose faith !!
  • TuffChixRule
    TuffChixRule Posts: 190 Member
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    You can do it! Menopause (or mental pause as my grandmother used to say) just means that you'll lose weight a little slower. I'm 48, been in menopause for two years and have lost 24 pounds in 10 months. I probably could have lost more weight than that in a shorter amount of time but I set my goals at .5 to 1 pound a week. Some weeks I lost 2 or 3 pounds and then I can go for 4 weeks or more and not see a loss or gain, even though I am faithfully logging. It's mostly related to the hormone imbalances that you get in menopause. Patience is the key when trying to lose weight at this stage in life.
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
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    Yeah, that whole "slower metabolism" is real and it sucks.

    I had to accept that 2 lbs a week was not realistic for me without near starvation, that my TDEE is closer to 1700 than 2000, and that I can't work out at the intensity that I could in my 20s or 30s.

    I have to focus on eating more protein and fiber and fewer carbs, and working out low and slow instead of fast and hard.
  • flicka11
    flicka11 Posts: 18 Member
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    Welcome to the club! Yikes! Menopause seems to kinda slow weight loss down. My dog got fixed a few months ago, she looks like me now! With that being said, I lost 12 lbs a couple years ago using mfp, and have just gotten back to it. Im trying to take it seriously this time, and have a friend who lives a state away who is doing her workouts from home, and we check with each other every day on here to keep each other accountable. She recommended Leslie Sansone walk away the lbs dvds, and i really like them, they can be purchased just about anywhere, walmart, amazon, or direct from the website. AND< you can actually stand to listen to Leslie! Big plus there. Were all here for you, feel free to friend me if you like, and we can stumble along together!
  • pita7317
    pita7317 Posts: 1,437 Member
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    Between age 50-51 ( menopause ) I gained about 33 lbs ! A few other issues too.
    But since then have lost 48 lbs. I am 57 now. And weigh 136.
    Takes some time but you can do this ! Good luck.
  • cj94404
    cj94404 Posts: 154 Member
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    I'm pre-menopause and my weightloss is going in reverse despite writing down every darn thing that goes in my mouth. I am deeply frustrated right now. I don't eat perfectly, but I don't go over my calorie limit (very often) and yet ...GAH. So lots of sympathy here.
  • LaceyBirds
    LaceyBirds Posts: 451 Member
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    Here is a recent thread you might like to read: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10261347/women-who-have-lost-weight-after-the-onset-of-menopause-50

    And here is the link to the Near or Post Menopausal Group: community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/506-near-or-post-menopausal-group
  • scolaris
    scolaris Posts: 2,145 Member
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    I am finding it easier now that active menopause has passed. I lose about 1 lb a week. And it's true: you do need fewer calories overall, but only by a small margin. And you do need plenty of activity, but it doesn't have to be all high intensity. And weight bearing work becomes essential, either body weight or free weights. And yes about protein too! You need to eat your lean body mass in grams of protein each day now more than ever if you want to maintain muscle as much as possible while losing. Once I accepted all this, it got a lot easier.
  • randylevy
    randylevy Posts: 67 Member
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    I'm not sure where I am in this menopause journey, but I'm there and finding it near damn impossible to lose weight. I gained 30+ lbs between 53 & 54. When I hit 200 lb, I said enough is enough and rejoined MFP. Just yesterday in fact. Reading these messages gives me hope. We're all in this together. Reading share, care and cheer, not quite a rhyme, but close enough :smiley:
  • sheermomentum
    sheermomentum Posts: 827 Member
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    I dunno. I've been losing at a good rate for several months, so it certainly isn't impossible. Have you tried to eliminate other possible reasons that you might be not be having success? I don't think the basic rules are any different after menopause, and any slight decrease in BMR can be countered with increased activity. If you are truly finding it impossible to lose weight, it might help to look beyond this for other things that might be getting in your way. Good luck!
  • jodi3357
    jodi3357 Posts: 34 Member
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    new here. 47 yrs old. I cut out sugar,dairy, gluten, caffeine . on day 21 hopefully I will lose the 40 lbs I am working towards. wish me,luck!
  • LinC3003
    LinC3003 Posts: 46 Member
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    I'm going to chime in here too! :smiley: I gradually put on weight going through menopause in my mid 40's. Since then, I've lost the weight and gained it back several times. I'm 59 now. Good news is that I find I lose it pretty quickly. However, when I stop counting calories and start eating like I did when I was younger...the weight comes back although it averages about 2 years to do so. Sad to say...every 2 years for over 12 years I'm back to square one and working to lose weight. I'm lucky in that I have no health issues. So this time around, I weighed myself back in April and immediately got into the "lose the weight" mindset. Since then, I have lost almost 40 pounds...and I did stop counting calories during July and August because with vacations and all I decided to give myself a break. However, September 1st I was back at it again. Still doing well and hoping to lose another 20.
    Good luck, ladies! Feel free to add me as a friend.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    I have found losing weight post menopausal (5 years) easier than it used to be. I am no longer dealing with the cravings caused by the cycling hormones and water weight is much less and when it does happen it is easier to deal with. It is a little slower, but much, much better.

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  • stircrzy
    stircrzy Posts: 47 Member
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    Perimenopause here. It has been plaguing me for 3 years, mentally and physically. It takes more effort but you can do it!
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,121 Member
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    I'm perimenopausal and have been for at least 2 years now. For some time, I used it as an excuse for slowly gaining weight and not being able to lose.

    Then one day, I decided to take it on as a challenge. "They" say I will have trouble losing weight ... I've noticed I've had trouble losing weight ... but what if I actually, genuinely applied myself for 4 months?

    It has been 8 months now, and I've lost 24 kg.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    LaceyBirds wrote: »
    Here is a recent thread you might like to read: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10261347/women-who-have-lost-weight-after-the-onset-of-menopause-50

    And here is the link to the Near or Post Menopausal Group: community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/506-near-or-post-menopausal-group

    Do join us in the group!
  • tmbg1
    tmbg1 Posts: 1,321 Member
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    49 here and perimenopausal.. My body is resistant to weight loss now.. I have heard it gets better once hormones even out.
  • sheilagetty
    sheilagetty Posts: 2 Member
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    i am new to all of this trying to loose weight with menopause and it isn't going very well for me. must say i am very discouraged with this. any suggestions will be greatly appreciated,
  • scolaris
    scolaris Posts: 2,145 Member
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    Hi! Good luck! I think consistency and patience will go far... I personally found it hard to lose weight during perimenopause & active menopause, but now that it's all over I feel much more like my old self! In hindsight I can see it was probably not impossible, just slower than I might have imagined. And I'm sure that the food cravings I experienced at that time would have been helped by better routines and more protein.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,121 Member
    edited November 2015
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    sheilagetty wrote: »
    i am new to all of this trying to loose weight with menopause and it isn't going very well for me. must say i am very discouraged with this. any suggestions will be greatly appreciated,

    This is what I did ...

    I entered my information into MFP and set my weight loss goal at 0.5 kg/week.
    MFP gave me a maximum number of calories.
    I diligently and meticulously weighed and logged everything, and stayed under that maximum number of calories.

    If I wanted to eat more, I exercised and when I logged my exercise, I underestimated the number of calories burned because most calorie counters tend to estimate high. Then I only ate a portion of those calories back. Usually only about half.

    I stuck to that plan like glue for 4 months ... and lost 15 kg. :)

    That was my first goal.

    Then I eased up on the plan a little bit and have lost another 9 kg in the last 4 months.



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