Menopause and weight loss
Options
Replies
-
To the extent that more difficult weight loss as we age may be down to reduced daily life activity, or reduced muscle mass, that's kind of a good thing . . . because both of those are things we have a great deal of influence over - almost total control, in fact.
Exercise, especially strength exercise, helps preserve and increase muscle mass (and also makes lots of daily activities easier, helps keep our bones stronger, and keeps us independent longer, among other things). Getting adequate protein is also a good strategy for preserving muscle mass, as is choosing a sensibly moderate weight loss rate, and (of course) getting overall good nutrition.
It seems super common among female friends around my age (I'm 64, 59-60 when I lost weight) to "diet" by going in an "all salads" kind of direction, and worrying a great deal about reducing carbs. I think that the end result, often, is getting too little protein, and too little fat, both of which we need for body composition, and good nutrition generally. Sometimes they eat very little meat, often only chicken or fish, and not much of it; and - since I'm a long-term vegetarian myself - I can see that they're not getting much protein from their plant-food choices, either.
Personally, I think it's more important to worry about getting the good things into my eating (protein, healthy fats, plenty of varied, colorful veggies/fruits) and less about what to leave out of it. If I get the good stuff in, and stick to my calorie goal, things I need less of just tend to get pushed out of my eating without much fuss or bother. But maybe that's just me.
One more comment about protein: There's some preliminary research suggesting that we may absorb it less well as we age, making it more important to get a solid amount in each meal, through the day. Generally, nutrient timing is a minor factor in weight loss and health, but even though this research isn't completely definitive at this point IMO, it seems like an easy bet-hedge to distribute the protein across all my meals. For me, it has the added benefit of keeping me feeling fuller, longer, but I think satiation is a pretty individualized thing.
Personally, I didn't have huge difficulties losing weight at 59-60 (obese to a healthy weight, which I've maintained for 4+ years since), with the help of MFP . . . both the calorie counting, and the useful advice from the community. I'm also hypothyroid, so I agree that that's really common as we age and a good thing to have tested, but it isn't universal weight loss doom. Getting it treated is a help, of course. Once treated effectively, weight loss for hypothyroid folks is pretty much the same as for anyone else: Simple processes, but not easy every minute in a psychological sense.
Best wishes!
6 -
Thanks, all for your replies and help. I am 57 years old, but due to some other medical stuff I have had a period except for very occasionally for over 20 years, so unless I go get tested I don't know for sure. I have had hot flashes that are winding down, so I'm assuming here, that I'm finishing up menopause. I have never paid much attention to my salt intake Jaybirdaz , so that could be part of my problem.
Yep, the salt thing is real. I used to LOVE cottage cheese and other salty delights, but no more. I now have Meniere's in my right ear, so I have to reduce sodium to reduce water retention in my inner ear. I have to keep it ultra low, but most people can get away with 1,500mg a day or there abouts and be fine. Oh, and once I lowered the salt....the hot flashes all but disappeared.
Definitely get your hormone levels checked at the gyno to get a good reading on where you're at in the journey. Glad to help!2 -
First, a little background. I lost almost 120 pounds 6 years ago. I maintained that loss until this last year where I’ve gained 25 back. This was of course due to over eating although I have maintained logging throughout.
Portion creep is real - not to mention selective memory! Discovered that the hard way when I entered maintenance. I'd work on tightening up logging/weighing first.I hear Lot about hormones and it’s possible effect Is this truly a thing or not?
I've been in perimenopause for SEVEN long long long years. Symptoms are bonkers & I've had many hibernation days.
I've had to watch my NEAT carefully. It's not that I was necessarily eating more - it was that I was moving less. My fitbit has been a lifesaver for me. I fluctuate over 1000 (!) calories per day depending on activity (and at 5'3", 138lbs, age 50, that's insane - but accurate!)I only weigh once a week but dang!!
If I weighed once a week, I'd be so depressed at my progress! I weigh daily & use a tracking app to show trends. Today, for instance, my weight & my trend are almost 2lbs apart thanks to last night's late & salty dinner.
Good luck!
Also, the NEAT thing - I've noticed that with my age 50+ friends. Empty nests, more free $, more available me-time, etc. all equal more food-centered activities & more lazy leisure. My friends & I have to be intentional about movement; it no longer happens as part of our daily lives.
7 -
To the extent that more difficult weight loss as we age may be down to reduced daily life activity, or reduced muscle mass, that's kind of a good thing . . . because both of those are things we have a great deal of influence over - almost total control, in fact.
Exercise, especially strength exercise, helps preserve and increase muscle mass (and also makes lots of daily activities easier, helps keep our bones stronger, and keeps us independent longer, among other things). Getting adequate protein is also a good strategy for preserving muscle mass, as is choosing a sensibly moderate weight loss rate, and (of course) getting overall good nutrition.
It seems super common among female friends around my age (I'm 64, 59-60 when I lost weight) to "diet" by going in an "all salads" kind of direction, and worrying a great deal about reducing carbs. I think that the end result, often, is getting too little protein, and too little fat, both of which we need for body composition, and good nutrition generally. Sometimes they eat very little meat, often only chicken or fish, and not much of it; and - since I'm a long-term vegetarian myself - I can see that they're not getting much protein from their plant-food choices, either.
Personally, I think it's more important to worry about getting the good things into my eating (protein, healthy fats, plenty of varied, colorful veggies/fruits) and less about what to leave out of it. If I get the good stuff in, and stick to my calorie goal, things I need less of just tend to get pushed out of my eating without much fuss or bother. But maybe that's just me.
One more comment about protein: There's some preliminary research suggesting that we may absorb it less well as we age, making it more important to get a solid amount in each meal, through the day. Generally, nutrient timing is a minor factor in weight loss and health, but even though this research isn't completely definitive at this point IMO, it seems like an easy bet-hedge to distribute the protein across all my meals. For me, it has the added benefit of keeping me feeling fuller, longer, but I think satiation is a pretty individualized thing.
Personally, I didn't have huge difficulties losing weight at 59-60 (obese to a healthy weight, which I've maintained for 4+ years since), with the help of MFP . . . both the calorie counting, and the useful advice from the community. I'm also hypothyroid, so I agree that that's really common as we age and a good thing to have tested, but it isn't universal weight loss doom. Getting it treated is a help, of course. Once treated effectively, weight loss for hypothyroid folks is pretty much the same as for anyone else: Simple processes, but not easy every minute in a psychological sense.
Best wishes!
Thank you! I really do need to pay more attention to the kinds of foods I’m eating and not just the calorie count. Also, I have noticed my muscle strength has gone down and I need to exercise more than I do.2 -
First, a little background. I lost almost 120 pounds 6 years ago. I maintained that loss until this last year where I’ve gained 25 back. This was of course due to over eating although I have maintained logging throughout. I started seriously trying to lose this about a month ago. I eat between 1200 and 1300 and am lightly active. So far no loss or gain. I am either menopausal or post menopausal. I will just keep plugging along, I figure it’s got to move eventually, but Geez lol. I hear Lot about hormones and it’s possible effect Is this truly a thing or not? I know the scale fluctuates and I only weigh once a week but dang!!
I am in the camp that says menopause puts the weight on in different places than pre menopause (I saw it above my belly button for the first time and my upper arms) but I agree with others that say it's not necessarily any different to lose weight. CICO it is. What I do see is that as I age things take longer to change in my body. So for instance I hit my arm on something over a week ago. It took a week for a small bruise to appear. I got bit by a scorpion in August and it took 3 weeks for the swelling and inflammation to go away. Things that used to take days take weeks. It's just that our bodies and cells are no longer as resilient as they were when we were younger. I believe the same with weight loss.
You lost a lot and maintained for a long time. Then you gained. Your body is in GAIN mode like a HUGE FREIGHTER it takes a long time for it to slow and reverse. Think of it that you have slowed and STOPPED the gain and you are in deficit so in the next few weeks and months you should see the loss starting back up. When I lost 30 plus pounds in 2017 I slowly added cals back but I kept losing. Even when I was past my maintenance cal point. I think because my body was still in loss mode. It took a while for it to realize the ship needed to slow again and stay a steady course. This is also why I believe you see so many folks who start maintenance talk about "I AM STILL LOSING HELP!" and if they are not careful they will not only stop the ship but it will start a slow climb again up the scale = the yo yo effect. It's also why in maintenance esp the first year or so, it can be rocky sorting out what your intake level needs to be.
So yes. CICO is perfectly accurate and it will work, but I think as we get older, our bodies take longer to adjust and react to input and output.
5 -
I am 52 and postmenopausal. Was it easier to lose weight in my 20s and 30s? Yes. I was also more active at that age because my children were young and required more activity from me as a part of my daily life. However I have successfully lost 40 lbs at this age and am now 0.5 lbs away from a healthy BMI. My observation is that on the weeks I am hyper-focused on logging more accurately, I lose weight. On the weeks I am more lax, I don’t. I personally don’t weigh my food although it is more accurate. I likely would have lost faster if I did use a food scale. But I’m happy with my rate of loss at this time. I weigh myself daily as part of my morning habit but I don’t pay much attention to the fluctuations.
9 -
Weight loss was easier in my twenties and thirties, but you can be successful doing it around the time of menopause as well.
We just don’t have the latitude to cheat as much, and we need to make sure to maintain our lean body mass.
For me, ditching alcohol, processed foods, starchy carbs, and sugars did the trick.
I still indulge on occasion, but only when I have a good reason.
This is more of a slow and steady process than it may have been when we were younger, but if I did it, I’m sure others can as well.3 -
I get you @mamadon . I had a full hysterectomy at 34 and take oestrogen and testosterone HRT. I have put on 11kgs and I really struggle to lose it. My consultant at the menopause clinic told me that I only need to eat 1400 calories a day to MAINTAIN (!!!) and if I want to lose I need to beating nearer 1000. She gave me no support on this at all and I got quite depressed for a while. It’s taken me a very long time to get my head around eating so little and I’m still not there really.
I was wondering about monitoring my macros better.
Also, my friend is an ultra marathon runner and have this great book on nutrition post menopause - because of all the hormone changes our bodies react differently to carbs / glucose, so that book recommended low carb nutrition. That definitely works for me - if I just eat protein and veg (and get carbs from veg) I do lose.
I’ve also noticed that I’m better now if I don’t eat meat. For me that’s been the easiest way to drop the calories and also seems to suit my body better now.
The other thing I do is mindful eating - I’ve stopped eating out of routine. If I’m not hungry in the morning I don’t eat until I feel hungry. At lunch I’m generally not hungry after the gym so I just don’t eat and have an early tea. And I do a bit of intermittent fasting but prefer the 16:8.
I’ll report back end of January if I actually lose even a 1lb 🤣🤣🤣 I’m getting ear the stage of giving up thinking about it - I do the best I can and at least I’m alive 😁3 -
miss_mcvicar wrote: »I get you @mamadon . I had a full hysterectomy at 34 and take oestrogen and testosterone HRT. I have put on 11kgs and I really struggle to lose it. My consultant at the menopause clinic told me that I only need to eat 1400 calories a day to MAINTAIN (!!!) and if I want to lose I need to beating nearer 1000. She gave me no support on this at all and I got quite depressed for a while. It’s taken me a very long time to get my head around eating so little and I’m still not there really.
I was wondering about monitoring my macros better.
Also, my friend is an ultra marathon runner and have this great book on nutrition post menopause - because of all the hormone changes our bodies react differently to carbs / glucose, so that book recommended low carb nutrition. That definitely works for me - if I just eat protein and veg (and get carbs from veg) I do lose.
I’ve also noticed that I’m better now if I don’t eat meat. For me that’s been the easiest way to drop the calories and also seems to suit my body better now.
The other thing I do is mindful eating - I’ve stopped eating out of routine. If I’m not hungry in the morning I don’t eat until I feel hungry. At lunch I’m generally not hungry after the gym so I just don’t eat and have an early tea. And I do a bit of intermittent fasting but prefer the 16:8.
I’ll report back end of January if I actually lose even a 1lb 🤣🤣🤣 I’m getting ear the stage of giving up thinking about it - I do the best I can and at least I’m alive 😁
In my humble opinion, you would be much better off eating 1200 calories a day and losing the weight slowly. It might take longer but you are more likely to get the desired results as it is actually so much more sustainable.
4 -
kshama2001 wrote: »Sure, weight loss was easier in my 20s than now in my 50s. Back then, I had more muscle and an active job. I'm sure someone will be along to show just how minimal the effect of somewhat more muscle is. The biggest difference is activity level. I want to still eat like a 20 yo with an active job.
I think it would be easier for women if they didn't have menopause to blame. Former male athletes can't blame weight gain on menopause.
The only time in her life my mom has been a little overweight was when she was 50 and in grad school. She was less active due to school and was also eating more.
She's 82 now and struggles to stay above Underweight due to her extraordinarily high activity level and her fondness for low calorie density foods.
To your comment on women "blaming" menopause. It's well-documented that men in their 50s and beyond begin a sort of male menopause phase where their testosterone and androgen start to fall off dramatically. Theirs is simply lacking "markers" (like the cessation of a period or hot flashes) as with female menopause. But that is one huge reason men, just like women, can start gaining weight at rates and in places they never did before. "Low T" is a real and common thing for guys just like lower levels of estrogen and progesterone are for us.
But I agree with your comment on how muscle loss affects fat gain. As we age and unless we work to keep/build what we have, we will indeed gain fat and lose muscle.1
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.5K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.7K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 392 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.2K MyFitnessPal Information
- 22 News and Announcements
- 926 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions