Menopause and Weight Gain
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rlsides
Posts: 8 Member
How do you combat the weight gain? I am so frustrated, nothing is working!
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Replies
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I workout daily, and watch what I eat. I haven't gained weight since menopause -it's more that my weight has 'shifted' - to my mid-section. I'm short - 5'2" - and have a very petite build. If I don't watch what I eat and exercise regularly, I start to get a build-up of fat around my mid-section now that I'm past menopause - and it is NOT attractive!5
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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.3
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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?2
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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.4
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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.2
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Nothing has worked for me. I only lose weight when I eat next to nothing, which isn't sustainable.
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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.1 -
I have gained over 20 pounds in a year after successfully maintaining a weight loss for 3 years. Perimenopause decided to come full force with the night sweats, muscle and joint pain, etc. I can probably say that 5 pounds of it is muscle as I have been weight training for over a year now and my strength has grown quite a bit! Because I often feel bloated and my joints are always achy, I figure several more pounds in inflammation as I have a tendency to it, thanks to inflammatory bowel disease. However, that leaves about 10 pounds of accumulation that seems to have found its way to my thighs and hips with a little bit in the tummy. A year ago I did not have muffin top and now I do! I have consistently logged my food and exercise and have always eaten at maintenance or even below. However, I decided that I have been eating too many carbs and sugar consumption is way up (I discovered boba - not good for you but delicious!) ... so before I say screw it, I have kicked off a new eating plan TODAY in the hopes of losing 5 pounds by the end of the month or first week of December. If that doesn't work, then it is back to the doctor for new blood work to make sure it is nothing else impeding progress except for perimenopause.5
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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.3
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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!2 -
Nope ... reducing sugar is not what helped me lose 4 pounds of inflammation ... it was finally having a period! Crap ...4
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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!0 -
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.11 -
Talked to doctor about this yesterday. Apparently insulin resistance can be a thing at our age. I'm prediabetic, I'm guessing most of you aren't, but the insulin level still affects how we deposit weight. By cutting out sugar and simple carbs and eating only complex carbs (plus your allotment of proteins, fats, etc) it is supposed to cause your body to pump out less insulin so that you store less fat and can burn what you do have stored when you exercise. There are hidden sugars everywhere, if you start reading labels it's shocking. See if you have better results by eliminating them.6
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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!1 -
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. 🦋0 -
I recently read on a meno doctor's website that the average weight gain during the transition is 15 pounds.0
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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.1
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I gained weight when I turned 40 and lost it. Then, into my 50's, a little more than a year ago, my "Menopause 10" turned into the "Menopause 20". I toyed with the idea of meeting with a nutritionist, then decided I could be my own nutritionist.
I monkeyed with my diet for a while, lost the weight, and just celebrated the year anniversary of keeping it off.
Everyone is different - the only commonality is that it is NOT easy!!!5