After menopause

sydford05 · June 2020

There's loads of diet and supplement tips for women going through the menopause but what about those of us who are finished and still relatively young. Don't iron and vitamin requirements change? And why is there no place in the app for us?

4legsRbetterthan2 · June 2020

Hi @sydford05 , I'm going to move this over to one of the help bards because I think you will get more responses over there.

You can set your age in the guided setup. What else are you looking for when you say "a place in the app for us". Are you looking for group recommendations?

AnnPT77 · June 2020

I've been "after menopause" for a long time (since my early 40s, when menopause came on suddenly/early via chemotherapy for cancer). I don't know that I'm "relatively young" anymore, at 64, though.

I'm not sure what "no place for us in the app" means?

I don't know of any dramatic differences in nutritional needs in menopause per se. As we age, it's important to continue to get well-rounded nutrition, and regular exercise (strength and cardiovascular). The loss of muscle mass as we age is one can be a big factor in quality of life, but it's something we can counter. Ditto for weight gain.

Yes, we need a little less iron after menopause. I think the same is true of folate, though it's not something that's a significant risk of overdosing from non-fortified foods.

We need to continue to be conscious about getting enough protein (some studies suggest that spreading it through the day, 25-30g or more per meal, is more important as we age, but that's AFAIK not 100% pinned down). Based on watching women around me, I think too many women lowball protein. Beyond that, we need to consider bone health (calcium, vitamin D, strength training).

None of these are things that were unimportant before menopause, though.

If you see a doctor regularly, then periodic blood tests for nutritional markers (iron, vitamin D, B12, etc.) are one way to identify any concerns.

Strudders67 · June 2020

I may be cynical but I just consider all the diet and supplement tips to be a marketing ploy aimed at people's insecurities and lack of dietary education.

I also went through menopause in my early 40s (just because that's when it happened) and, once he'd got over his disbelief, my GP just told me to ensure I was getting a balanced diet with sufficient calcium and vitamin D. That was 10 years ago now, but I think I was given a leaflet about osteoporosis. I've been a gym bunny for a long time so he was already happy with the amount of exercise and strength training that I did, if not quite so happy with my weight at the time.

spiriteagle99 · June 2020

I'm in my 60s now, went through menopause at 52. Being post-menopausal doesn't really change your dietary needs that much. Calories are based more on activity than age. Many supplements that used to be recommended for older people have been shown to be either ineffective or harmful (i.e. Calcium, vitamin E, etc.) My thyroid meds have increased with time and I need iron now since becoming a runner, but otherwise I don't take anything but a daily Centrum vitamin.

sydford05 · June 2020

Thank you everyone. I didn't mean to be over dramatic lol. That was all very helpful ❤️❤️

CagedBirdSings · June 2020

I would like to find a community group for people in their 60s. How do I search for that?

AnnPT77 · June 2020

CagedBirdSings wrote: »

I would like to find a community group for people in their 60s. How do I search for that?

The closest thing I know of that's active is this one: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/100593-over-50-group

. . . and it's realistically barely active at all. Nice folks, though.

There are some threads where people post repeatedly over the long haul, like this one: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10718336/60-yrs-and-up .

There's also a series over in the Motivation section for women over 50, that starts a new thread every month. The June one is here: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10798633/women-ages-50-for-june-2020 .

I do participate a bit in threads like that, that are age-group, but actually have gotten a lot of good over my time here participating in the general threads in various sections.

Are there particular things you're hoping to get, from an age-group community?

Best wishes!

After menopause

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