Dealing with menopausal weight gain

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anyone found the secret to help drop this menopause weight?

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leighsmith5555
leighsmith5555 Posts: 2 Member
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So I have steadily gained weight over the last 5 years to the tune of 35lbs. I have literally tried everything: naturopath, private trainer, Noom, Keto, Dr. Jaden, and nothing... I have plantar facitiis so walking is out now. any advice would be so fantastic. I hate looking at myself in the mirror now. I have been fit all my life and this is just soo hard.

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  • roselynkeen
    roselynkeen Posts: 5 Member
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    How have you gotten on? I have had to have a full hysterectomy and have a neuroma in my foot so footwear has been limited but recently went to a Podiatrist who has done dry needling on my foot which is amazing and I have bought some orthodic trainers so hopefully I can get back into my training now. I need to lose 16kg I too have always been active going to really try and delve into the Mediterranean way of eating.
  • JessCatapano
    JessCatapano Posts: 4 Member
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    Hello ladies. I am in the same boat as you and so many other women.
    I want to save HRT for a last resort and have been struggling with not only the weight gain but negative emotions, lack of energy & motivation, brain fog and sleep issues.
    Is there any secret sauce?

    Why do so many women struggling with this with no safe, economical remedy?
  • roselynkeen
    roselynkeen Posts: 5 Member
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    I am unable to have HRT something to do with having everything removed after my Uterine Cancer :'( But I am staying hopeful that I can shift this :)
  • lornamarieheron
    lornamarieheron Posts: 1 Member
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    I've put 2.5 stone on with the menopause and used to be so fit, it's depressing. I did watch a video by a fitness trainer for us women. It was basically eat really well for a few days, then the next day eat what you want then go back to eating well. Apparently it shocks your body into kick starting your metabolism. Also short intense work outs with breaks in-between.
    I get a lot of water retention since the dreaded menopause, which bloats me out. So I use water tablets now and again. I'm also gluten intolerant. So I'm just going to try and eat fish and vegetables, lots of homemade soups because they fill me up. Meat doesn't agree with me for some reason, I think it's hard to digest. For my bloating, pineapple and ginger are good. I'm going to be very strict with my food and exercise. I've just come off holiday, and looking at myself in a full length mirror has spurred me on. It's terrible when we look at ourselves and hate what we see. Men have it so easy. 🤣
  • muth3rluvx2
    muth3rluvx2 Posts: 1,156 Member
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    I've been following a lot of genuinely informative people online lately for this reason. There's a lot of things that have contributed to my weight gain and menopause is one of them and making it REALLY hard to lose. Unlike 'before time's. Some things I've learned and/or have been validated:
    1) HRT (if you can) and finding the RIGHT one for you can be tricky. Doesn't necessarily help with weight loss per se - but it can help with aspects that affect weight loss: sleep, fatigue, depression just to name a few.
    2) protein is huge - and hard to get in as much as you actually need. Usually 100g /day (or more). Helps maintain and increase muscle mass (denser than fat so think size vs weight), increases metabolic rate, satiation/glucose stabilizing - again just a few.
    3) fiber is also huge. Helps with again - satiation, cholesterol, how your body absorbs/metabolize nutrients and of course good for your intestinal health.
    4) cardio helps burn cals pretty quickly BUT it won't necessarily help lose weight. It will improve your cardio-vascular health which supports your muscles
    5) some kind of weight/resistance training because muscles use calories more efficiently and effectively and the more lean muscle, the faster your body uses calories put into it - even at rest.
    6) Consistency and time. This is the hardest one and the one I'm struggling with the most. Once menopause kicks in, we start to lose lean muscle - even faster if there's injury or illness contributing to the menopausal fatigue. Muscle has to be redeveloped and it takes longer.

    Things that I'm trying really hard to focus on instead of size of clothing or scale: I'm I stronger than I was last week? Is my endurance up from last week? Am I more flexible (for those invested in that)? Can I do more longer? Is my fatigue less? Do I have more energy? Is my heart rate decreased during workouts?

    It's depressing sometimes to get on the scale. Being neurodivergent, it's hard to stay focused when I'm not seeing visible results. But I didn't gain in a day, week or month. It's taken 3 or 4 years. It's not going to slide off like it used to. The body has changed at a very foundational level. The most important thing are those questions above AND being intentional about my nutrition. There's only 3 things I look at: calories (range! There is no being precise about it), protein and fiber.

    I've only been paying attention to these things for 2 weeks - AND I AM stronger. My endurance IS up. I AM sleeping better. I CAN *do* more.

    Hopefully some of that is useful to others having a hard time. I am too... I'm just trying to stay focused on the things that matter most - which isn't the scale or my size. Even though that's a tough mental adjustment to make.. when you've always been small and it seems like suddenly you're not.

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