Menopause

I don't believe the menopause will prevent you losing weight. It may be a bit slower but trust me if you log your food correctly and eat at the calorie allowance MFP gives you, the weight will come off. I started MFP 4years ago I lost 30 pounds in the first year and I was going through the menopause. I maintained that loss until recently when I quit smoking and put on 14 pounds in 6 weeks (yeah I know right?) But I know I can get it back off again I just have to go back to counting calories and upping my exercise. I found that lifting heavy weights really helped, it pulls everything in and makes you so much stronger. I know it's not for everyone but it really works. Sadly I have some health issues that are preventing me lifting now but I am determined to lose this extra weight. You can do it in spite of the menopause but you have to believe in yourself and keep at it. Good luck.

Hi
I am new on here and recently decided to tackle my nutrition due to the possibility of early menopause. I'm 44 and have miss 4 periods and suddenly started with the hot flashes. Having changed my diet over the last month My hot flashes have ceased and feeling back on track again, experienced sleep problems, anxiety, erratic periods, the whole lot until recently when I changed my diet. Weight is hard to shift in menopause but it is happening for me slowly.
Glad I finally realised good nutrition is the answer for me as I wanted to get through it as natural as possible. so far so good but I'm sure I have a long way to go before my body finally gets back to a normal pattern

SarahChadwick1970 wrote: »

I have been struggling to lose the extra weight around my midriff since starting the menopause (not peri, full) and going onto HRT after battling on my own for 4 years. I swim 3 times a week, do pilates and dance fit 3 times a week and walk the dog every day as well as eating really healthy, very low carb, lots of protein and veggies

This is an old thread: Not sure the people from 2015-16 would still be here.

There's some limited suggestion in research that strength training may help women lose abdominal fat post-menopause, but I'm not sure I'm persuaded. Can't hurt to try, though, since strength training is good for us for other reasons, too.

We can have different fat distribution post-menopause, but fat gain or loss is still going to be about calorie intake. Eating healthy is good for a person, but doesn't directly lead to weight loss. (If it did, I wouldn't have been overweight/obese for around 30 years, because I've long been a reasonably healthy eater. I'd also been quite active for a dozen years while overweight/obese, working out 6 days most weeks, mostly rowing (boats), biking, but a little swimming, lifting and yoga.)

I didn't find it especially difficult to lose weight post-menopause, once I committed to it and started counting calories. (Coincidentally, that was also 2015; by early 2016 I reached a healthy weight and have been in a healthy range since. I'd been in menopause for around 15 years by then, having been kicked into menopause in my mid-40s by chemotherapy for breast cancer. I haven't used HRT - can't - because I had the type of cancer that's fed by estrogen.)

I think weight loss may've been slightly easier for me than for some of my age-peers, because I hadn't done much yo-yo weight loss/gain or extreme diets as an adult. Multiple rounds of that kind of thing can make subsequent loss harder IMO, when handled as is common in my demographic. (That pattern was mostly salads/veggies, not a lot of protein, lots of cardio, no strength challenge during loss; mostly treat foods, not a lot of protein, no exercise during regain).

Since you're a Pilates person, this might not apply to you, but I'll mention it anyway, since it's a common issue others may have: To some extent, central fat (belly, midriff) can appear more prominent if certain common posture issues are present. If there's any of that going on, there are exercises that can help improve posture and improve that appearance.

Posture-wise, the common things are
* anterior pelvic tilt (top of pelvis held forward of lower part of pelvis, instead of more aligned vertically). This can be more of an issue for someone who's had more abdominal fat in the past, and that's pulled the spine in ways that create a little sway-back effect.
* tendency to stand with locked knees
* head-forward/rounded shoulders that can result from lots of phone/keyboard use or even driving.

Loosely, any of those things (or a combination) tends to press any central fat forward and outward, rather than letting some of it stay within the body cavity and look less prominent.

This is a good set of articles that talks about what happens when most/all of those conspire in the body:

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318897#symptoms

IMO, it's probably that if you lose a bit of weight slowly, the extra weight you're concerned about will eventually deplete. For a lot of us, unfortunately central fat can be the last to leave.

Best wishes!