Struggling to lose weight after surgical menopause
Amariestaken
Posts: 3
Hi, I am new to the board. Before I had surgery to remove my ovaries 4 months ago, I lost 75 lbs. Since the surgery, I have gained 20 lbs. I crave sweets and eat more. Two weeks ago I started back walking faithfully and have only lost 1 lb. For those of you who are menopausal, what do you suggest to lose weight and keep it off? I WANT to lose 20 lbs. My sweet cravings have subsided but has been replaced by bread cravings. Thanks in advance for your advice.
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Replies
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Patience! It doesn't come off as quickly as in my younger days, but it will. HRT has helped me.0
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Thanks. I think the HRT it's what got me in this bind of weight gain. I will keep exercising.Patience! It doesn't come off as quickly as in my younger days, but it will. HRT has helped me.0 -
I'm 5 weeks post-op from a total abdominal hysterectomy, I'm not on HRT and I've lost 9lbs in weight since the op. So the good news is you can lose weight after menopausal surgery. Obviously I'm not very active yet so I'm really careful about what I eat and try to stick to 1200 healthy calories. I've tried to cut out empty calories or have them as a very occasional treat only!
When I knew I was going to have the surgery (Feb) I made a point of preparing well, so started my weight loss (using a different site at that point) to get my BMI below 25 as I reckoned that the healthier I was before the surgery the easier it would be to recover from it. I also started working on my core muscles at that point. I lost 10lbs prior to the op. I read loads of stuff about women putting on 20lbs in their first year after surgery and it was enough to spur me on.
It's not been easy, especially wanting to comfort eat in the first few weeks but I was determined not to put back the weight I'd lost so I've had to muster a great deal of self discipline.
As for HRT, I haven't actually had any menopausal symptoms yet apart from occasionally waking up mildly warm and clammy, so I appear to be very lucky, and I'm hoping to avoid HRT if possible. I'm very interested in 'eating for menopause' which involves eating more foods that counteract menopausal symptoms. I actually found that I already included many of these in my diet anyway, so it hasn't been difficult.
If you'd like to add me a a friend I'd be happy to share what I've learned and support you from afar.
Best of luck!0 -
What exactly is HRT? I saw a gyn last fall about it & she was adamantly opposed to what I believe was that..I believe she was more against the chain places. Need to call my doc this week & ask again about a low dose hormone treatment for the irritability & hot flashes.0
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What exactly is HRT? I saw a gyn last fall about it & she was adamantly opposed to what I believe was that..I believe she was more against the chain places. Need to call my doc this week & ask again about a low dose hormone treatment for the irritability & hot flashes.
HRT is the acronym for 'hormone replacement therapy'.0 -
I had a complete hysterectomy/oophorectomy (removal of ovaries) back in 2008, just a few months after my 30th birthday. I tried to go without any HRT because I was worried about weight gain, and other risks. Then the hot flashes hit, mood swings, etc. Plus the cravings the OP was talking about. I could only describe them as "PMS to the extreme", as I wanted anything that was chocolate/sweet, salty, starchy, etc... at times it seemed the cravings were near insatiable, and it was driving me batty. After a talk with my GYN, he recommended a low dose of estrogen. I've been taking it now for almost 2.5-3 years, and it makes a big difference. I didn't really lose weight with it per se, but I seemed to hold steady/stop gaining until I really buckled down and joined MFP, logging diet and exercise routines. The hot flashes subsided, and the mood swings even went away (For which my sweetie is extremely grateful for, LOL). Hope this helps.. menopause at any point in life is a big adjustment, I hope you find something that works for you!0
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I am in the same boat...
I was blasted in to surgical menopause in April and am struggling too.
I have only been on mfp for a few days and am still getting the hang of it but I am really surprised by my food log. I never paid attention to a lot of what I am now tracking. I am starting by getting back to basics. No soda, no added sugar or salt. No white bread/pasta. Way less processed foods. More water. More veggies. More exercise. The last is pretty tough because I had an abdominal hysterectomy and still am only comfortable with walking/jogging.
I am taking estrodial in patch form and it has totally stopped any menopause symptoms I was having.
I know it will be tough to lose the weight, but I know it's the right way to go.
Good luck, keep in touch!!! Laura0
