Hysterectomy = menopause & not losing weight AARRGGHHH

dayna812 · October 2011

Ok so I am just goingto jump into this ,so excuse me for not introducing myself .Its late and i am tired and I am need of some help ! Ok so I had a hysterectomy a few yrs ago .And I swear for the past 5 yrs I have been losing the same dang 15 lbs ! I am journaling my food >I watch what I eat I go to the gym now (2 months active ) ,before the gym I was excersising here at home, and it just was not enough .So I joined the gym got a trainer , and I am still dealing with the same issues , the same things .Lose 2 lbs one week ,gain back 1 lbs the following week .Now I am not saying I eat like really "CLEAN " I have been hearing that term alot lately .But I do watch what i eat ,and I am not concerend with being a skinny little missey and being at my ideal body weight for my height thingy weight ,oh hell I gave that hope up years ago ,but I would love to be alot lighter than I am now . If I have to modify my food any more than i do now I might aswell as get gastric bypass done ,and then say good bye to going out with my friends for dinner and festvities involving food .ANd hope I have no complications ! I would rather do this by diet and excersie ! BUT OMG nothing is happening ! I have started taking Chromium Picolinate ,and B12 .I am hearing L-Cartnine is helpful too .Is there anyone out there who can relate to me ,and understand my pains here ,and who has lost weight with out having to live off boiled chicken and broccoli ?

LisaLashesxx · October 2011

hi hunni.............i have done every diet in the books and some not in the books so i am an habitual dieter. I have lost 2 stone, 4 stones, 5 stones, then have seen ot creep back on then notice it suddenly one day and think "where the hell did that come from?" like it just appeared avernight.....lol
this time i have joined the clan of MFP and have lost a little wih ww first but I am now 35lbs lighter and just another 62 to go.......seems a life time away.

my moonthlys are here then they are there!!! i dont know from 1 day to the next so maybe its my time....i'm 37, so maybe it is..

you can do this if ou really want it, there is so many dedicated people here to help on the way....i wouldnt be without them.
we can do this, and become fit and fantastic before you know it.

have a great weekend.xx

bunnysone · October 2011

i manage a gym and work with a number of members who have motivational problems and other issues.
One of my members has recently had a full hysterectomy caused by cancer, she is also suffering through menopause, has issues with weight and massive issues with anxiety and depression.
She walks with me regularly and I have found that by her moving regularly and trying to stay positive it is helping with her weight loss.
She suffers with lack of sleep due to the anxiety so she has recently started spending every few nights away from her husband (who snores) in another room to get better sleep, and starting to meditate to help with anxiety.
My answer to you whilst I have not personally been through this is to forget about the pressure of food.
We all know what is the right food to eat and what isn't, so stop stressing about how much chicken, broccoli and other food you need each day and start enjoying your life.
Gastric bypass, in my opinion, is an absolute last resort. From your photo you dont look heavy enough to really consider it, reading your post says to me that food isn't really your problem, its your satisfaction with yourself and perhaps needing to learn to love yourself a bit more.
Try getting off the "diet" bus and onto the "enjoy life" bus where you smile more, have fun, sleep better, stay active with at least a walk every day, and stay away from the foods that mean nothing to your body, like fizzy drinks, refined sugars and high salt foods.
We only get one life, if you stop worrying about weight loss and start focusing on your positivity in life you will probably start losing weight anyway

daydream58 · October 2011

I can't see your diary, so not sure what's up with your food/exercise, however - I did have a hysterectomy last year, six weeks after having a defibrillator implanted to protect my heart after the cancer surgery so yeah - I had upper and then lower torso surgeries within six weeks of one another and that knocked me out for months. Then there were other problems related to my heart drug that caused me to pack on even MORE - but the combination of sticking to your calorie goals and workout goals at the same time (I used to only ever do one or the other really) seems to be doing the trick, and I'm not even trying that hard. I don't really believe in going "crazy" I think slow and steady is the way to win this thing. Especially to make the transition to maintenance easier.

I haven't "lost the weight" YET but I'm on my way and I enjoy my food a lot, and don't feel like I'm suffering at all. You need more friends with similar stats and goals. There's even a group of us that are pre/post menopausal here

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/345844-near-or-post-menopausal-group

and check out this thread from the other day...

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/365832-menopausal-women-can-lose-weight

Hang in there and stick with us!

Pinky67 · October 2011

Hi there

I know it feels impossible but you can do it! I am a binge eater who still slips once a week or fortnight (down from multiple times per day) and I still lose weight....I think it's because I'm eating right MOST of the time, and exercising of course. My history is menopause at 18yrs old, no known cause it just happened, they don't know why, started gaining weight (previously had always been very slim) so I have spent 14yrs post-menopausal and fat

Now I'm 32 and have a new lease on life, I'm losing weight and look and feel amazing

I think it is harder for us to lose weight, our fat is trying to make the hormones that our ovaries used to make but no longer can. So all that means is that we have to fight even harder!!! FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!!! You know why? Because we are worth it :flowerforyou:

Calidaho · October 2011

I told my weight loss doctor that I was looking at a hysterectomy and he advised me to keep my ovaries because of the menopause effect. He said it is more difficult to lose weight after menopause. I see it with my aunt who has been trying to lose weight forever. She runs three miles a day and eats a low cal diet (under a nutritionist's supervision) and still struggles.

So, I don't have any advice but I can tell you that you aren't just imagining things. Our hormones play a huge role in our overall health so, when one of them is missing before its time, things get crazy. Hang in there. Hopefully you will find some good advice here.

lazyspice · October 2011

I had a hysterectomy 9 years ago and I have found it very hard to lose weight the last few years - and it's not getting any easier!

I eat as healthily as I can, log EVERYTHING and have stepped up my exercise since I've been on MFP. It's coming off - albeit slowly - but I'm getting fitter and trying to stay positive and motivated. I've joined a few challenges and I now have some lovely people to support me here, which definitely makes it easier and pushes me to keep going. I don't go to a gym but I have a treadmill at home and I use it every day - finding something I enjoyed made exercise so much easier!

I know I'm here for the long haul and patience isn't something that comes easy to me but after years of yo-yo dieting I'm actually quite happy to take it slowly now. I have days where I feel like I want to give in but thankfully those are getting less frequent.

Not quite sure what I'm trying to say here but it boils down to "you can do it, it won't be easy or fast but you CAN do it"

dayna812 · October 2011

I really just want to thank everyone for the support and understanding ,all of these amazing post !!!! ! It has helped me for sure . Makes me feel less alone .I tell you sometimes I feel like I am truly alone in terms of my weight and not being able to shed it . I truly hate it ! I hate that I work my bunnies off and nothing comes off .But you know maybe its just my destiny to be obese . I am not going to give up mind you ,I will keep going to the gym and maybe along the way I will pick up better eating habits .That what it has to be , my eating habits. I keep hearing things like give up simple carbs ,and eat more complex carbs , fresh fruit ,fresh veggies I have and I do .Some weeks are better than others ,but for the most part " I think " I eat ok but obviously I dont ,why else would I weigh what I do ,and excersie like I do and be a huge as I am ?,like right now i am irratated thinking about it all,and all the calorie counting ,and all the donts ,and all the guilt if I do .Some things I have given up and some things I have not ,I still eat bread ,not by the loaves ,but I do .I enjoy my english muffin ,or my whole grain healthy grain bread ,I wont give it up either .But really is that what is preventing me from losing weight ? bread ? I dont know ! ANd these vitamins do they work ? Will they work ? I dont have the luxuary of health insurance .My husband started with a new company and how wonderful they are to not insure me ,oh sure my husband of 22 yrs and my 3 kids are insured but not his spouse .Great Union he works for .Believe me when I say they got a huge piece of my mind about that . SO going to get my Thyroid checked and just basic medical care ,uh nope ! First time in my life I have no health coverage !!! Angers me.............So I have to make do and try vitamins and excersie ,and diet ,and hope and pray that my body comes to terms with the idea that I refuse to be obese ! You know I was diagnosed with PCOS at the age of 19 and that wreaked havoc on me and then the hysterectomy at 40....AARRGGHHH !! But I wont give up ! I never do ,Its not in my nature to back down ! I am not afraid to ask for help either ! So I am open to ideas and suggestions

Ninotchka · February 2012

Hi,

I'm just wondering how everyone is doing, 4 months on. I had a hysterectomy in July of 2001 and gained weight slowly and insiduously.

I've been going to Curves for a few years, but alone it didn't do the trick. I started MFP in June of 2011 and it has been magic combined with the exercising. I've lost 28 lbs. as of today. I have been on a low dose of estrogen since the surgery.

I keep changing my weight goal because I am still thick around the middle and wonder if this is just the curse of having the surgery? I'd love anyone's input.

Thanks.:flowerforyou:

kbanzhaf · February 2012

I had a total hysterectomy 12 years ago, and immediately entered menopause. I was on a hormone replacement for about four years, but off it for a couple of years before I began my weight loss journey. I don't really know how losing weight would have been affected by having my ovaries or not. I also have hypothyroidism.
Losing weight wasn't easy.....I took it slow and steady, and followed the advice of a dietician. I don't let having a hysterectomy or hypothyroidism become excuses. May take me longer, may make me work harder, but it is possible.
Kaye

Hysterectomy = menopause & not losing weight AARRGGHHH

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