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Menopause and Weight Gain

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rlsides
rlsides Posts: 8 Member
in Social Groups
How do you combat the weight gain? I am so frustrated, nothing is working!
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  • cheryldumais
    cheryldumais Posts: 1,907 Member
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    I feel your pain. I worked hard to lose the weight and the slightest slip costs me big time. My maintenance calories are about 1400. I think the biggest mistake I made was not weight lifting while losing. I would recommend doing that to build some muscle to raise up your BMR.
  • medeamama
    medeamama Posts: 47 Member
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    OMG This is me too! I tried my usual MFP and logging everything, and actually gained a pound! So I said the heck with it. But my middle is big and even though I am still working out regularly, things have changed. Even though my joints are still, I still exercise hard and regularly, but I think it's about my diet. My cholesterol has gone up too! Ideas on what works?
  • cheryldumais
    cheryldumais Posts: 1,907 Member
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    I increased the length of my walks and lowered my calories. At this point I'm trying to lose the ten pounds I've gained. It's frustrating but being fat was worse so I chose the lesser of two evils, lol.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    If I could go back in time: I'd go low carb. Low carb lowers my appetite, which might help offset the 18 months of PMS like food cravings.
  • tmbg1
    tmbg1 Posts: 1,291 Member
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    Nothing has worked for me. I only lose weight when I eat next to nothing, which isn't sustainable.
  • MadDogManor
    MadDogManor Posts: 1,443 Member
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    tmbg1 wrote: »
    Nothing has worked for me. I only lose weight when I eat next to nothing, which isn't sustainable.

    Same here. I have to practically fast for at least a day or two (maybe eat vlcd like 500 cals of lettuce) to see even a 0.5 lb drop
  • FibroHiker
    FibroHiker Posts: 349 Member
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    Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
    If I could go back in time: I'd go low carb. Low carb lowers my appetite, which might help offset the 18 months of PMS like food cravings.

    I have been struggling so much with the hunger. I was never a "snack" person; I always just stuck to my usual three meals a day. Before, if I did have a snack between meals it was because I wanted to eat a treat not because if I didn't eat the hunger pains would become unbearable. Now I have to plan snacks every day and plan for my meals to be lower calorie to allow for those snacks.
  • rhtexasgal
    rhtexasgal Posts: 572 Member
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    Well, with my new eating plan of just reducing sugar (I am not worrying about the natural stuff in my fruit) as well as upping protein and ensuring I have a calorie deficit, I lost 4 pounds of inflammation weight in one week! I went from busting out of my jeans to being about to zip them up. I am on week two now and I am curious to see what is next. I will follow the same routine as last week and see what's what. In my thinking, I am pretty sure that sugar is a major culprit in keeping my inflammation up. I should hopefully soon get a physical and blood work done as I am curious to see if my inflammation markers are up.
  • JoDavo66
    JoDavo66 Posts: 526 Member
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    I am struggling too. I was almost where I wanted to be 4 years ago & then about 6 months later the hormones took a massive dive. Got even worse about a year ago. Doesn't help that I crave all the wrong things & it's a constant mental battle too. Just giving in at the moment as having house stuff done & we have no kitchen at present.
    Trying to sort out why I feel so yuk & also ways to motivate- as I feel like a hot sweaty lump of lard!
  • rhtexasgal
    rhtexasgal Posts: 572 Member
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    Nope ... reducing sugar is not what helped me lose 4 pounds of inflammation ... it was finally having a period! Crap ...
  • Jackie9003
    Jackie9003 Posts: 1,110 Member
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    rhtexasgal wrote: »
    Nope ... reducing sugar is not what helped me lose 4 pounds of inflammation ... it was finally having a period! Crap ...

    Ah, I inexplicably gained 5lbs over the last 2 weeks, which was really annoying, and after not having had a period since July I came on yesterday. I had noticed that I hadn't had a hot flush for a while and I'd been sleeping better.
    Hopefully I'll see a drop now over the next couple of days.
    This whole process is very frustrating!
  • wenwenfroggie
    wenwenfroggie Posts: 8 Member
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    Bluejay61 wrote: »
    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. Ditching the salt really brought down my appetite back to normal.

    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.

    I think I agree with you, Bluejay. For the past couple of years, I’ve had trouble with weight gain, and last year was a mess w hot flashes and mood swings HOWEVER, now that I’m getting through it, things seem to be normalizing a bit. Starting to lose the weight and the hot flashes and mood swings are subsiding. I’m hopeful that it stays that way!
  • Bluejay61
    Bluejay61 Posts: 28 Member
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    medeamama wrote: »
    OMG This is me too! I tried my usual MFP and logging everything, and actually gained a pound! So I said the heck with it. But my middle is big and even though I am still working out regularly, things have changed. Even though my joints are still, I still exercise hard and regularly, but I think it's about my diet. My cholesterol has gone up too! Ideas on what works?

    My suggestion is to go back to tracking but weigh everything and be vigilant and patient! Our bodies don’t like change, so allow yours time to adjust. 🦋
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    I recently read on a meno doctor's website that the average weight gain during the transition is 15 pounds.
  • beckyrpl
    beckyrpl Posts: 73 Member
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    ^Oy - that is VERY depressing! Average weight gain is 15 lbs?! It is a struggle maintaining now that I'm menopausal. I have to be very conscious of what I eat. I still work out 6 days a week.

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