Perimenapause- hormone weight?

@foxllaura:
Many years ago, when I was still a young woman, I had the same problem. I was almost 48 y.o. very lean, in good shape, enjoying a healthy and controlled diet, and exercising (ballet, gym, kick boxing, tennis, and whatever else came my way). My periods were irregular and that was "supposed" to be normal for a peri-menopausal female but my weight kept creeping up and mostly concentrated in my stomach area.
I went to my Gyn for a physical, and when he dismissed my concerns, I insisted and requested an ultrasound, besides his "usual" examination. Since I was in the medical/health business he knew not to fool around with me. The results of the US showed that I had a large tumor in my right ovary that was causing the bloating, weight gain (almost 14 lbs.) and irregular menstruation.
Two weeks and several more tests later, I was in the OR (scared *kitten*) for a total hysterectomy and oophorectomy. The surgery was done by an oncologist to make sure that although all the markers were negative, I didn't have cancer.
So here I am... If you can't honestly justify the weight increase and if you have other monthly symptoms, please go to see your doctor and take it from there. Hopefully, it will be just plain wt. gain. Better to hang around MFP that in the OR.
I wish you the best.

foxllaura wrote: »

Has anyone had experience gaining weight because of hormones? Is this a thing? Im 48 and have gained 20 pounds in the last year for no logical reason. The weight is mostly in my midsection too - it's protruding...all the time. Can this be fixed with diet?

I support that idea of seeing your doctor. There are a bunch of potential reasons we may gain weight, but the combination of it happening in a year, for no logical reason, and protruding . . . I'd err on the side of caution, rule out any potential health issues. Even in that realm, there are many extremely manageable triggers, so I'm not saying it's necessarily something dire.

Going somewhat in the opposite direction, I would say this: I don't know what your history is, especially weight loss experience. If new to it, sometimes people don't fully take on board how truly minor changes can add up over a period of time like a year.

If a person gains 20 pounds in a year, and it is in fact body fat, that would just imply a calorie surplus on average of about 200 calories daily.

That isn't much: It's like a serving of peanut butter or a generous dollop of creamy salad dressing daily, or an equivalent amount of reduced activity (exercise or daily life activity, either one), or a combination of both. It can be daily habits, or the cumulative effect of a large-sized tasty sweet coffee drink a couple of times a week, or getting a rich dinner with deep-fried appetizers and drinks once a week or so . . . one of those, not all of those, and maybe different ones at different times. It takes surprisingly little change, and can be subtle and insidious.

It's pretty common to have less active lifestyles as we age, like less active job, not as many DIY home projects as when younger, no longer chasing toddlers all day, etc. It adds up.

Many of us will also tend to add fat in the abdominal area, and that area can be a more probable site as menopause approaches. There's some limited evidence that being sure to get ample protein and doing strength challenging exercise can somewhat counteract that tendency. Also, if there are any posture issues developing in the picture, that can make any added weight in the belly area appear more prominent.

I'm not saying any of those apply to you, but they're maybe things to consider. I'd underscore the "see your doctor" one. Can't hurt, might help.

Best wishes for figuring this out.

P.S. I've been in menopause for around 25 years, put there at age 44 by chemotherapy, which was followed by 7 years on anti-estrogen drugs besides, so I'm not a blithe 20-something with no menopause experience.