any other ladies in menopause out there?

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watcherII
watcherII Posts: 56 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
i had surgery 2 months ago, where they removed both ovaries. needless to say, this kicked me headfirst into menopause, at age 45. i find i'm having at least as many weight loss challenges from the menopause as from the surgery. so, i was wondering if there are any other "change of lifers" like me out there, and how they are dealing with the unique challenges it brings.

i'm always starving these days, and have overwhelming cravings. some days i feel so fatigued i can hardly get out of bed, let alone exercise. but the worst thing for me is the hot flashes. i know that exercise helps all these symptoms, and have had some relief due to my increased activity, but trying to exercise when you feel like you might burst into flame is just not that fun! i would love any tips or advice any of you women can offer. thanks!

oh, and feel free to add me!
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Replies

  • Neize
    Neize Posts: 301 Member
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    I'm 45 as well and yes I've been post menopausal for over 9 years! My doctor finally made me take iron pills because I was tired all the time so, now I'm diagnosed with anemia. When I starting feeling hungry all of the time I had carrot stick and other healthy snacks available! Good Luck! Feel free to add me !
  • gal511
    gal511 Posts: 1
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    So sorry to hear of your problems...yes, I had menopause hit several years ago...but little weight gain until now!!! and whoa you are right...starving and tired...why!!!???? I need something to keep me on target--I work a sedentary job and will be 61 in a few months. Have never had to diet my entire life and now I have no idea what to do!!!! So let me know how you are doing. I had to go to hormones...nothing else worked and then I had to change to a different one after a while. I was hot, irritable, sleep impaired, hungry, tired...you name it! I wish you the best!:flowerforyou:

    Susie
  • tladame
    tladame Posts: 465 Member
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    Howdy from hot flash central!

    I'm 41 and hit perimenopause at age 40, less than a year after having my daughter. Go figure! I get bad cravings sometimes too. Once I eat something "bad", I just want more! The only advice I have is to just keep all junk foods out of your house. I won't eat it if it isn't there. But I did do some damage to a bag of olive oil and rosemary chips over the weekend...:sick:

    I'm dealing with the hot flashes as best I can. I've heard that soy isoflavones or dong quai are supposed to be good supplements. i just started using dong quai (soy apparently messes with your thyroid, so I couldn't take them). Hopefully it will help. My doctor suggested I take birth control pills to replace the hormones I'm losing, but I'm resistant to go that route. Those middle-of-the-night sweats are the WORST! Its funny, I'm one of those people who is always cold. And now this.

    Maybe we can create a virtual "menopause snack bar" where we can pretend that we're face-down in a bowl of Ben & Jerry's. :wink:
  • watcherII
    watcherII Posts: 56 Member
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    wow, thank for the encouragement, ladies! i've done a lot of reading, and doctors say that the best "natural remedy" for our symptoms is a balanced diet and exercise, so we're ahead of the game already!
  • change_happens
    change_happens Posts: 491
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    absolutely bumping this ;)
  • Dottie27
    Dottie27 Posts: 159 Member
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    bump
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    Yup, 49 and been having terrible hot flashes for the past 6 months.

    I discussed HRT with my doctor, but am unwilling to go that route - she suggested that soy is nearly as effective, so that's what I'm trying. I take a soy multi-vit tablet every day, and also drink soy milk and yoghurt, soy desserts (boy they're good!) linseeds, and roast soy beans. Oh and I also wear a magnet in my knickers :wink:

    I've recently changed my attitude: it's not life-threatening or dangerous, just very very uncomfortable. So why don't I take steps to deal with the discomfort. I ordered myself some gorgeous special nightgowns that wick away sweat, and those really help me to get a better nights sleep. I keep a facecloth under my pillow to wipe around my face and head if I wake up, and keep a bottle of cold water beside my bed.

    During the day, I always carry a little mini fan in my handbag, and have a bottle of water on hand to press against my wrist or cheeks when a flush starts. Deep breathing during a flush helps to minimise it too.

    Always on the lookout for more tips!
  • PamDW
    PamDW Posts: 246
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    Me too! Luckily my hot flashes hit in the evening and overnight... the dreaded night sweats! I exercise early morning on my way to work, usually I am at my best at that time and not often dealing with the hot flashes. I also tend to keep healthy choices for my cravings.... my latest is stouffers animal crackers. They go a long way with little calories... but I also keep celery and cauliflower around too. (cauliflower is a good filler and even good with peanut butter). My worse offense is being moody. I can be real sweet one minute and want to hit the wall the next. I hate that.
  • Daffydilly
    Daffydilly Posts: 29 Member
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    bump
  • titilayo73
    titilayo73 Posts: 1
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    I hit menopause super early (hot flashes started in my early 30s and full on menopause by 35). Eventually I took my doctor's advice to try HRT using a compounded cream. In my experience it was a huge mistake. The hot flashes stopped, but I gained 20 lbs in about 2 months and about 5 lbs of that was in my chest. The mood swings were awful, too. So now I've stopped taking the HRT but can't seem to lose any weight and also feel starving most of the time. It's like I never get full. I am exercising about 3-4 times a week, but my schedule doesn't allow for more than that. I have not lost an ounce and it gets really frustrating. But at least the mood swings are almost taken care of! Soy and sweet potatoes seem to help with the hot flashes.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    Sweet potatoes, really? hadn't heard that one - but any excuse to make fabulous sweet potato mash (nuke for 5 minutes, mash with olive oil and black pepper, I know what I'm having for dinner tonight!)
  • hydranger
    hydranger Posts: 23 Member
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    Have you considered HRT? I had a full hysterectomy including ovaries when I was 40 and because I was so young I was advised to take HRT to protect my bones until I was of "normal" menopause age, I stayed on it for 10 years and really had no problems whatsoever with it. When I got to 50 I stopped taking it and hit full menopause, the symptoms included weight gain (especially around my middle) hot flushes, tiredness etc... It does stop eventually, it lasted 2 years for me but the weight gain doesn't stop, I have been dieting recently and lost 7lbs and am going to continue untill I lose at least another 7lb. Exercise and being a normal BMI really helps as does not drinking wine.

    If you want to go down the natural route there is a recipe for HRT Cake, I didn't try it myself but lots of ladies on another fourm swore by it, it doesn't contain HRT but it has ingredients in it known to help with symptoms. I don't have the recipe but Google it and lots of ladies use soya milk.
  • Cooriander
    Cooriander Posts: 2,848 Member
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    I started p-menop. 2 years ago (at age 45), my heat flashes are mostly during the day andgives me headaches for the rest of the day. Heavy exercise really do help keeping away... most of the time. I gained weight too ugh, thighs and stomach.... never had a stomach before.... wondering if it is possible to get the chubbies of the stomach off again (it is like a fat layer). I have lost weight but not in the stomach area it seems....
  • Mom2rh
    Mom2rh Posts: 612 Member
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    Hey...full on Meno here too, I'm 48 and started kind of early as well. I tried HRT for a bit and packed on 7 pounds as I found myself STARVING. I'd rather have hot flashes.

    I did some reading when I started back here in March. And some of what I read is that women in "our condition" are more insulin resistant which just means we don't process carbs as well as we used to. So I have cut way way back in the carbs I eat. Something I said I would never do...but I finally got motivated enough to do it. So I rarely eat bread, pasta, potatoes, rice. Most of my carbs come from fruits and veggies. I try to eat more protein. And the rest is just basic common sense....clean eating, no processed foods, etc.
  • terryrob2
    terryrob2 Posts: 76 Member
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    Hi had to go thru this at 25. I had full on e ndometrios iv been ok off and on for a while now at 49 its starting again only have one. ovarie doctor told me to use black koulish(spelled wrong) can be found in Estroven it helps me hope it helps we should start a group friend me if you want
  • Debi907
    Debi907 Posts: 69 Member
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    Always glad to see women, and men, closer to my age on MFP! Feel free to add me too. Good luck!
  • trailrider1963
    trailrider1963 Posts: 69
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    I had a total hysterectomy at 39 and went on HRT immediately. I'd already been overweight for several years at that point and it didn't seem to me the HRT made a difference in my weight. Interestingly, I'd always suffered terrible mood swings before the hysterectomy and they smoothed out a lot afterwards! I know of another woman who had the same experience. I think having a steady dose of estrogen in my system, as opposed to the normal monthly highs and lows, really helped me maintain a steady mood. I do notice that on day 6 or 7 of my patch (I change it weekly) I start to have hot flashes.
  • mermx
    mermx Posts: 976
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    I`m 51 and have hot flashes all day & night for the last 6 months. Sometimes I can have up to 10 in an hour, my arms, chest and face go like a beetroot and I sweat like I`ve just run a marathon lol. Luckily thats the only symptoms am having (hopefully, I can get away with just the flashes?)

    My mum had HRT and she made me swear that I would never use it as she got breast cancer which she blamed on the HRT as she and her friend both started HRT at the same time and both developed breast cancer. Sadly, they have both passed away, but I will honour her wishes :-)
  • mermx
    mermx Posts: 976
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    Forgot to say also, that do any of you get a strange feeling come over you just before you are going to get a hot flash, I get this awful feeling, it reminds me `home sickness` like I used to get when I was a kid, just a really weird feeling hard to describe
  • nanegan
    nanegan Posts: 39 Member
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    I originally opted out of HRT. But, I became a totally different person - and not in a good way. I was encouraged to make an appointment with a SottoPelle doctor and it was the best thing that could've happened to me (and my husband). This is an implant that lasts from 4 -6 months depending on how much your body uses the hormones. I did gain a little weight but I am not having too much of a problem losing it now that I am active again.

    Good luck!

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