Over 50 lady, fighting the menopausal weight gain

Hi, Christina - my name is Kris and live in Winnipeg. I’ll be 50 in July and have the same struggle. I am more active now than I have ever been I my life but it seems for every step forward it is just as easy to take a step back!!! I had been on WW for a few yrs but after initial success they changed their program and I think the changes were detrimental. So, I joined MFP two weeks ago - I’m hoping that all my activity and honest calorie counting will work.....😬

Hi, Chris and Sallyann!
I’m 63, just joyfully retired and, unfortunately, watched my weight peak at 178. I was watching my dream of playing tennis go out the window with knee problems. Knowing that quick results were only possible for me with lower carbs and calories, I took matters into my own hands with MFP and started a personal challenge: carbs under 30gm, calories around 1000-1200 and NO alcohol ( I was drinking 2 glasses of wine nearly every evening.).

I’m watching the pounds come off (11 so far) have no cravings, and am hoping to be successful in my goal to reach 135 (someday!!). The key to a strong start, I think, is finding your personal motivator, which in my case, is early success and meticulous logging. Congrats on starting!!!!

Sallyann—- I eliminated by a bunch of carbs by making a simple switch to unsweetened almond milk in my coffee (LOVE my morning coffee and drink lots). I also created a bunch of ‘recipes’ in MFP to make logging easier ( even salads, buffalo chicken roll ups, crustless quiche). Finding a crunch-worthy snack to eat ( while sitting next to my husband and his bag of potato chips) helped, too: Parmesan Crisps that I found at Sams Club. 25 of these little savory crackers have ZERO carbs.

Hi I am going to be 60 in October of this year. Still on estrogen as well.
Here is a very interesting fact. If you can incorporate weights into your workout routine and gain some muscle it will help boost your metabolism and help shed some pounds. Muscle burns fat which helps in becoming slimmer.
I started last May with doing weighted workouts and I slimmed down and did not bulk up.
Good luck my fellow 50+

Hi I’m 60 with a 40 year old mindset! ☺️I’m currently on Keto lost 17 pounds and gained 7 back when I went off. Trying to lose 50 pounds more. I used to be in great shape by exercising everyday but life and laziness got in the way. I’m tryin to get motivated to exercise more and add weight training back. I’ve lost muscle in my legs by being lazy. It’s an everyday struggle to lose the weight. My weight is not due to menopause but it’s not helping either. I refuse to take drugs or get surgery. Would love to find a more simple Keto plan but every one so far has different meals everyday when I’m a more repetitive type person and I hate to cook. Would love some help, extra motivation or a Keto pal.

Hi, Chris!
Speaking as a person who has been there, done that per menopause weight gain, it IS a real thing! (My doctor agrees.) Once you start the menopause journey for real, sans periods, your estrogen levels, progesterone and testosterone levels as well, start dropping off dramatically and what used to work for weight loss or maintenance just doesn't anymore. My gyno mentioned to me that it's mostly the testosterone that keeps people thin more easily as it helps build muscle. (Why men get pudgy too as they age and lose "vitamin T"!)

I gained 30 pounds in places like my stomach I never had before over the two years once my periods stopped! I had NEVER had a weight problem either. If I gained a few pounds before, I'd just cut back the cals and go hiking more. But that stopped working during my "personal summers" (sweating!). What did I do?

I made some bold changes for my bones, my cholesterol and my heart. I finally ditched caffeine, cut the sodium way down to about 1,000 mg a day or less (eating whole foods), ditched the dairy (that's my own thing for stuffy sinuses and ears), and REALLY got moving in a big way while tracking all my calories honestly.

So....you've just got to hang in there and wait it out as you figure out your own "triggers" and resolve them for yourself. Everyone's journey is different. But there is a light at the end of that tunnel.

Now, at 58 (started my journey at 54), no HRT of any kind, I am only 5 pounds from my pre-menopause weight and I'm not looking back.

Hope that helps and feel free to contact me for any other info you might want.

Good morning all. I'm 51 and about 10 years ago was well on my way to finally ditching the post-divorce-grief weight I'd let pack on. I was only about 15lbs away (after losing about 65) and then suddenly I just stopped. I cannot tell you why I did - as I haven't truly figured it out for myself. Well guess what - I only got older - and everything inside only got slower (like WAY slower). Desk job, love of fried and salty foods (comfort foods), getting into menopause, and boom I'm sitting here having regained 40 lbs. I actually don't take any hormones. It's been a bit of a slap in the face that my brain still thinks I'm 40 when my body doesn't respond as it did.

I think often times we overthink things and forget that keeping it simple DOES work and IS effective. We don't all have to run out and get on the latest craze. The simple math of calories in vs calories out still holds true. Of course the quality of the calories matters. Right? I admire those that can switch to something (like keto) and stick with it and have it work for them. Frankly when I've read and talked to friends and family that follow that plan I find I get entirely too intimidated to even consider it. However, I am slowly adjusting my eating habits to lower carbs in general. Watch the times that I eat. Find a way to integrate the strengths of it into my daily life so I'm more likely to stick with it - this is true for anything that I've been reading. Working to find something that I can and will SUCCEED in doing.

My biggest struggle is portion control. Eating too fast and not letting my stomach catch up. I'm working on that. Tracking what I eat is huge. That accountability. I don't only have bad habits as I've always drank a lot of water over other items. I walk a lot, but am back to trying to get more strength training and more intensive cardio gym activities as well to boost things up.

People join sites like this for any number of reasons. Often the end goals are similar - and we all can use these tools to help us stay the course. So good luck to you and to me. Let's do it!