Menopausal Weight Gain

[Dogmama]

I have managed to keep my weight/fat levels at a healthy range. Enter - menopause.

B.M. (before menopause) I was able to exercise/diet away a 5-10 pound increase. Now - nothing works. I swear, I'm eating the same way & exercising the same amount. I cut calories (sensibly, not protein but extraneous carbs) and upped my aerobics. Nothing.

I've read that excessive exercise & strict dieting can inhibit fat loss. Apparently cortisol is a culprit as well as leptin regulation. I really don't think I fall into that category but I do work out almost every day and have for over 20 years. I take a day or two as easy days - walking the dog only or light weight lifting - each week. I'm not over-trained. I don't eat junk food at all.

Has anybody else had this problem? Any solutions?

[tealtreak]

I have managed to keep my weight/fat levels at a healthy range. Enter - menopause.

B.M. (before menopause) I was able to exercise/diet away a 5-10 pound increase. Now - nothing works. I swear, I'm eating the same way & exercising the same amount. I cut calories (sensibly, not protein but extraneous carbs) and upped my aerobics. Nothing.

I've read that excessive exercise & strict dieting can inhibit fat loss. Apparently cortisol is a culprit as well as leptin regulation. I really don't think I fall into that category but I do work out almost every day and have for over 20 years. I take a day or two as easy days - walking the dog only or light weight lifting - each week. I'm not over-trained. I don't eat junk food at all.

Has anybody else had this problem? Any solutions?

YES! same experience and from what fellow older women triathlete friends rant about it is a common woman experience ......
Solutions?.....I have found I can maintain my high school weight if I eat flawlessly (high nutrition density/amazon discipline) ...but also post 50 I have found that if I really want a glass of wine or piece of Italian bread (that is the only "junk" I ever indulge in)...then I have it (: Life is short...and actually if you read the "blue zone" longevity studies,...none of those folks are rail thin. To a degree the pursuit of superb health and energy and the ideal female physique (as defined at this moment in history) are a bit in conflict.

[Sky King]

Cross Fit Bootcamp just became my salvation. I will be 57 the end of this month. Despite being really active, I packed on ten pounds over the last two years. Started cross fit the end of July and have dropped the ten pounds and over 5% of body fat and gotten some of my curves back. Now I go 2x's a week and then get in 3 days of cardio - walking/hiking or biking. I think my body needs the "oh, we are doing what today" as my crossfit is something different every time with complete routine changes every 4 weeks so the body never gets complacent. My body is used to hiking/biking so that only no longer cuts it.
Like you, I have also decreased the carbs and increased the protein. Do my best to limit my beer intake but life is short so am not giving it up.
I track my diet and exercise on myfitnesspal.com I was taking an adrenal stimulator prescribed by my naturopath but it was causing some digestive issues so I stopped.

[tealtreak]

Cross Fit Bootcamp just became my salvation. I will be 57 the end of this month. Despite being really active, I packed on ten pounds over the last two years. Started cross fit the end of July and have dropped the ten pounds and over 5% of body fat and gotten some of my curves back. Now I go 2x's a week and then get in 3 days of cardio - walking/hiking or biking. I think my body needs the "oh, we are doing what today" as my crossfit is something different every time with complete routine changes every 4 weeks so the body never gets complacent. My body is used to hiking/biking so that only no longer cuts it.
Like you, I have also decreased the carbs and increased the protein. Do my best to limit my beer intake but life is short so am not giving it up.
I track my diet and exercise on myfitnesspal.com I was taking an adrenal stimulator prescribed by my naturopath but it was causing some digestive issues so I stopped.

ditto on the crossfit- I don't do that- but do TRX and plyometrics- not so much for the weight control as the balance and strength work very much help with post 50 mt biking (:

[Crankin]

I started gaining at 45 or so and that's when I started riding. I am ten years past menopause, and at 59 (on Sunday), probably in the best shape of my life. Not too skinny and not fat, either. When it started getting harder for me to maintain, I added in boot camp type classes 2x a week, in addition to the cardio stuff I do (riding, nordic skiing, snow shoeing). I hate being inside, but it's made a huge difference. I've ridden less this year, but I guess it's a trade off. I also am really strict about bread and upped my protein. I still have a glass of wine almost every day and am a bit lax over the weekends, but no junk food, ever.

[emily_in_nc]

I have put on about 3-4 lbs in the past year, but more notably, my weight distribution has changed some, with more flab in my tummy and love handles ("muffin top" area) and less in my legs than when I was younger.

I am still peri-menopausal at 51, but periods are starting to get farther and farther apart, so I expect I'm within a year or two of actual menopause.

I don't eat junk food, but I do drink a little and eat more carbs than is ideal, since I live in Belize and it is far too expensive to eat lower carb here. I also don't get quite as much exercise as I did in the US since I can't do road riding here, and it's usually too hot to run. I do yoga and utility bike rides and am car-free, but I still spend a lot of time on the computer (i.e,. sitting on my butt). I am webmaster for the local humane society and spend a lot of time on social media since I'm kind of lonely here, so Facebook is my lifeline at times. I also read a lot. There are many things I could do to lose those few lbs, in other words. But I still think the fat distribution shift is more hormonally based and may not be possible to change. It happened to my mother and grandmothers too around this same time of life.