I am Beyond Confused

I've trained many many females going into menopause. What worked best? CICO. Every time.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Missdaisy99 wrote: »

I'm wanting to loose about 15 pounds.

I started searching weight loss ideas for menopause weight gain. I'm honestly so confused I get so frustrated that I don't know which way to turn.

One article will say Keto diet, next say no stay away, next says no diet eat what you want just count calories. Some family members just lost a lot of weight 40 plus pounds doing high protein, low card (I'm assuming similar to Keto as they are keeping there carbs under 25 g/ day. I hate the thought of giving up fruits and veggies. I love fruits and veggies. We raise our own beef so we do eat quite a bit of beef. I will by chicken breasts though for a change. Seriously Help. What has worked best for everyone. I want something doable long term. Are fruits and veggies that bad? Or will just cutting out bad carbs like pasta, potatoes, bread etc. help? Thanks

The "shell" for eating should be CI<CO. Every special/fad weight loss diet is just a way arranging calories within that shell to meet that goal - regardless of what the proponents say. (Certain of combinations of food may make it easier to stick to your resolve - one of the benefits many find in low carb diets.)

But - within that CI<CO "shell," you need to work out what works best for you that you can sustain long term. Absent health issues - from years of trial and error I know that the following cause cravings for me: sugar (especially combined with carb & fats - e.g. Cinnabon rolls - or as a liquid - e.g. sodas), some fats (see the preceding), and the lack of whole grain carbs. So my ideal consumption would exclude liquid sugar and sweet-fat-carby foods, except on rare occasions (not because they are inherently bad, but because they trigger cravings which makes it harder to control what I choose to eat). It would include daily servings of whole grain carbs (delicious multi-grain breads). Same reason - when they are not part of what I am eating, I have more cravings.

You need to find out for yourself what will make easier (or harder) to stay within the calories needed to lose (at first) and then maintain your weight.

Unfortunately, I don't get to eat in the way that makes it easiest for me because of health reasons. I have Type 2 diabetes and can't tolerate more than 15-20 net carbs in a 3 hour period. So that drives my personal decision to eat a low carb diet (generally less than 50 carbs a day). LCHF/Keto is not magic. For many people it is useful to control cravings. That isn't my experience, because the lack of carbs and the presence of fats are two things that trigger cravings. But for many people eating a high fat diet is satiating and decreases cravings. It is also useful for a number of medical conditions - controlling diabetes, controlling seizures, and potentially other health conditions (alzheimers/memory is the one that seems promising to me, at the moment, at least in connection with people who have diabetes - because there is a strong correlation between diabetes and Alzheimers; My personal experience is that my mind is dramatically clearer now that it has been in at least a year - a completely unexpected consequence i.e. not confirmation bias.)

As to menopause - reports of it being more challenging are vastly overrated. I'm post-menopausal & was simultaneously diagnosed with diabetes and hypothyroidism in early October. Since then I've lost 27.9 lbs (an average of .3 lbs/day - approximately the rate at which I've always lost.)

Well thank you @HappyCampr1 back at you.

Cheers, h.

A year ago I was on a keto diet. I liked eating a lot of fat and did lose 25 pounds. But when I stopped the diet I gained the weight back very quickly and an additional 5 pounds. I think one of the most important lessons about dieting is that it should be something you can do long term. I couldn't do keto long term. Now I'm back to cico and have lost 15 pounds.

lulalacroix wrote: »

A year ago I was on a keto diet. I liked eating a lot of fat and did lose 25 pounds. But when I stopped the diet I gained the weight back very quickly and an additional 5 pounds. I think one of the most important lessons about dieting is that it should be something you can do long term. I couldn't do keto long term. Now I'm back to cico and have lost 15 pounds.

You regained because you ate too much. That can happen with any diet approach, sadly.

@lulalacroix thank you for sharing your experience, good luck on 2nd time around with CICO.

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

I'm menopausal. I've done a lot of reading. MANY menopausal women do develop some degree of insulin resistance. The recommendation in this case is to try to balance hormones as best you can, and eat a diet high in nutrient dense foods. Focus on whole food carbs (vegetables, legumes, fruits to an extent). Aim for high fiber grains when you have them. See if that helps. It's what seems to work best for me, and several menopausal women I know. Sure CIICO. But finding the balance between CI and CO can be a bit goofy right now.

Thank you for this @Sabine_Stroehm. I did a ton of reading when peri, but retained the information pertinent to me. I was lucky to have no health problems, so tend to forget they can happen.
Eating on a budget, home cooking, and food preferences, inadvertently kept me within the realms of your advice.

Cheers, h.

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

lulalacroix wrote: »

A year ago I was on a keto diet. I liked eating a lot of fat and did lose 25 pounds. But when I stopped the diet I gained the weight back very quickly and an additional 5 pounds. I think one of the most important lessons about dieting is that it should be something you can do long term. I couldn't do keto long term. Now I'm back to cico and have lost 15 pounds.

You regained because you ate too much. That can happen with any diet approach, sadly.

You are correct. But my point was that the keto diet just wasn't sustainable for me.