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Getting healthy while struggling with perimenopause

maggie125
maggie125 Posts: 1 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Six years ago (40) I was working out all the time and eating right. Then situations changed where I was doing that anymore. I gained about 15 pounds since then and am now wanting to get those pounds back off. This has been a real struggle since I am also going through perimenopause. The cravings with it are the worst. The mental aspect of what it brings doubt in everything I do. I can't and won't let this beat me. I CAN do this! Has anyone else been through this constant battle over hormones?

Replies

  • julzDC
    julzDC Posts: 3 Member
    Well, i don't fight cravings too badly on the daily, but i have days where i go crazy. I AM hating on the perimenopause. I'm 49 and had been managing to keep my weight consistent (even if a little higher than i'd like) for several years after losing about 30 lbs. Then about 18 months ago, BOOM! It was like my metabolism looked at a calendar, said to itself, "oh, you're over 45, here's an extra 15 pounds!" The weight came out of nowhere over the course of a couple of weeks. No change in diet or activity.

    Went to endocrinologist who told me, "welcome to perimenopause!" I wallowed in general crankiness at the unfairness of it all for several months and 15 became 30.

    So here i am. I started tracking diet about 8 weeks ago and got back to my walking for exercise about 6 weeks ago. It is going, but going SLOWLY!

    But we are stronger than all this, yes? When i carried around extra weight because I wasn't moving enough, i could own that. But this PM crap has kind of pissed me off. I'm looking at it as my body throwing the gauntlet down, so i can gather a little righteous anger and fight back.

    We can do this! We've been around the block a few times and faced our share of life challenges! I've made my peace with crows feet and boobs that are losing the gravity battle, but no WAY am I gonna let some little hormones win!

    LET'S DO THIS THING!

    Ugh... :)
  • deanteam1
    deanteam1 Posts: 3 Member
    Yup, I'm 54 now and post menopause but went through the same thing. I gained 10 lbs and more just for the hell of it. No change in diet. About a year ago I signed up with a personal trainer, walked into his office weighing 188 and pretty much gave up on losing weight. I told him I just wanted to get toned and stronger, let's forget about my weight, it's just not happening. He coached me with exercise and food. First, I had to start eating smaller amounts of food more frequently. Watch my carbs, which I have done anyway. Stop drinking beer, that one was hard. Then we started weight training. The weight came off 1 lb a week, I could not believe it. About a couple month's ago I plateaued and we're trying to break it, but even if the scale does not move I can see changes in my body, firming up. I am concentrating on being healthy and fit and eating right. I now weigh 165 and it seems like not much weight loss, but I look totally different and the scale does not show my progress. I just started increasing my calories to break my plateau, I can't believe how much I can eat now! Watching my carbs, protein, fat, meaning low carbs, high protein, high fat. I eat very healthy. So, there is hope! My main recommendation is to start weight training. You lose muscle mass and the only way to rev your metabolism back up is increase muscle mass and do not drop your calories or your metabolism will go down and adjust. Once a week I now do a Cheat Day where I eat anything, which makes it easy to stay on track the whole week and it ensures my metabolism won't crash again. No, I'll have that cake Saturday! AND ice cream, probably with a bowl of chips. I get being pissed off! I've looked at my body as my enemy, it betrayed me, it's doing weird things. We're are friends again and we're talking again. Mostly I have learned to listen to my body and start loving my body and practice self love and stop the negativity.
  • spiritedmis
    spiritedmis Posts: 11 Member
    it is really great to see people like me! I mean i am sorry you all are going through it too, but knowing its not JUST ME helps!.

    I am 46 and in perimenopause. Over the last two years i put on 40 (?!?!) pounds. I did this even though i exercise 5 days a week. I had my thyroid checked and was put on meds for that. I lost 20 lbs. Then i had surgery and put them back on. Well it has been one week. I am down 6+ lbs! I realize it is 'water weight' and the rest will be harder, but i am already feeling better.

    so anyway, count me in!
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,069 Member
    I'm only 42, but definitely feeling the pain of perimenopause. Night sweats, mood swings, periods every two weeks some months, not to mention the weight. I don't have a problem losing weight, but it seems I put it on very easy now where before it was extremely difficult.
  • nancybuss
    nancybuss Posts: 1,461 Member
    Welcome and yet sorry. I'm here too! I've been here for awhile and had truly toned up, not perfect but my personal best and boom... 10 pounds back on and couldn't budge! for the last 1.5 years. I had quit being so 'on' with my food because if I ate well or bad it was the same. I was always working out though - but then that went in spurts.
    I'm back on, and changing things up. Cutting out most grains is helping me (I wanted to due to my recent Celiac diagnosis - a one two punch - to see if that would help some other areas). I finally budged down a couple pounds. That's not much to most but it was my first "Down" in a long time.

    The struggle is real - with so many things at this point in life.
    Glad we're here to all share!

    There is a BIG group here with Peri and meno - but it moved so fast, I couldn't keep up.

  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
    Hi guys :) Just sharing a couple of links I've found useful:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10482404/is-it-over-yet-the-perimenopause-thread/p1

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/506-near-or-post-menopausal-group

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