Sister, can you lend a good word ?

[CycleTherapy]

Has anyone had success losing weight while going through the menopause crud ? I really need to hear of some positive experiences. This is brutal.

[Biciclista]

You probably hate me because i never had a weight problem. BUt then i hit menopause and i gained weight! the only way to control it is to be careful about what i eat and BURN them calories, commuting to work really helped me last year, so this year i commuted 4x in January and the plan is 8x in february...
and of course there are a lot of other activities that i must do too.

BURN THEM!

[Pax]

I'm post menopausal (for the last ten years) and the ONLY thing I've found that will work is exercising and portion control. Our bodies just aren't the same as they were before so we can't eat as much as we used to (crap!).

[Tuckervill]

It's a good time to work through all the crap you've been carrying around with you from your past. Get some therapy, find out why you are overweight. Christiane Northrup's book The Wisdom of Menopause goes into this in some detail.

I am perimenopausal, and about 3 years ago (I'm 47) I decided I would beat the menopausal spread by trying to get down to a normal weight BEFORE I went into menopause. So far, 45ish pounds gone. I advance closer to the pause every year, with extra periods, etc. I really spend my time thinking of mostly of myself! And when I do that, I have plenty of me to go around to the others who need me. I wish I had figured this out in my 30s.

Karen

[tulip]

It's a good time to work through all the crap you've been carrying around with you from your past. Get some therapy, find out why you are overweight. Christiane Northrup's book The Wisdom of Menopause goes into this in some detail.

I am perimenopausal, and about 3 years ago (I'm 47) I decided I would beat the menopausal spread by trying to get down to a normal weight BEFORE I went into menopause. So far, 45ish pounds gone. I advance closer to the pause every year, with extra periods, etc. I really spend my time thinking of mostly of myself! And when I do that, I have plenty of me to go around to the others who need me. I wish I had figured this out in my 30s.

Karen

BRILLIANT! That is going on my quote wall in my office. Thanks!

[Crankin]

I am six years post menopause and I did lose some weight right around the time I stopped having my period. I had started cycling about 2 years before this and steadily lost about 10 lbs. Then, after the periods stopped, I lost about 5 more, from upping my mileage. I have to be a lot more careful now, but I still eat plenty of good things. I go out to eat a lot.
But, no dessert, except for special occasions, no junk, ever, no cookies, cake, etc. in the house. No soda, white bread (OK, once in awhile), fried stuff.
I exercise 5-6 days a week. And, that has to be varied or my old body gets used to whatever I am doing and starts gaining.
Lots of fruits and veggies, lean protein.

[HermitGirl]

Count me in. I'm 47 and have been finding myself completely 'pausal' (not sure what phase of 'peri' I'm in) and it's put the weight on like no tomorrow. I always battled 10 to 20 pounds throughout my 20's and 30's , but since turning 40 the weight really started coming on. Of course, other factors were major blamers, such as getting depressed and not exercizing half as much as previous years, and getting angry and emotional about everything around me... the usual triggers going way off the deep end and becoming festering thorns for a downright self image crisis. Yeah, probably typical. Anyway, I am 55 pounds over my lean weight, but I'll settle for losing only 45 if that's as good as it will get. I just need to get STARTED. It seems I've been in denial about this for years now, and I'm just tired of holding the wool over my eyes.

I've not been riding at all, not doing too well at this heaviest weight, but I hike at least 5 times per week, for about an hour, with my dog. I've recently started jogging intervals in those hikes. I am just now seeing results, three weeks later, for the jogging intervals, and have gone down about 3 pounds. My goal is to trim off 10 pounds and I will then start riding again. Big excuses why I don't use the pedaling to get it going, but I loath the thought of driving to ride, and I live on top of a steep mtn which is just a little daunting to manage for the present , to even pedal for a couple of miles. So then, I know I'll be pedling pretty soon, I'm shooting for some time in March. But back to the whole exasperating battle with this BRUTAL reality of the peri/post menopausal physical changes, I'm only too happy to huddle with you girls here and talk about it ! This thread is just what I needed.

[tctrek]

I am post-menopausal (56). Between the ages of 45-50 I gained about 50 pounds. I was eating and acting like I did when I was younger, but my body was not processing the calories the same. At age 50 I was up to 175 pounds at 5'2" tall! I started going to the gym, and to cut down on calories. I lost about 5 pounds in a year... very disheartening. The weight would not come off.

About 1.5 years ago, I started going to spinning classes and lost a few pounds. I got energized again and started to *really* watch my eating. 1200 calories per day, less than 20% fat. I up'd my protein intake to at least 30% of my calories. Started eating 5 small meals a day. And I bought a bike and started riding on the road.

I lost 30 pounds that year! Now I have 20 more pounds to go and I find myself at 56 struggling to get rid of that last 20 pounds! I am journalling every drop of food that goes in my mouth and all my exercise. I'm once again trying to find the right "formula" to get the weight loss going again.

Does your weight control change at menopause? You betcha it does. You have to be focused and consistent in figuring out how to change your eating and exercising habits in order to balance your body and get weight loss or weight maintenance under control. I sincerely believe the formula for each person can be different. You have to listen to your body and pay attention to what you eat and how it impacts your weight.

[bambu101]

Count me in on this discussion. I am 55 and have been struggling to find the right combination of exercise and eating right for the last few years. The weight seems to come on very easily, and taking it off is much more difficult than it ever was in the past. The extra weight is more concentrated in my mid-section.

I just joined our brand-new fitness center at work, and am working out an eating plan of lean protein, and mostly veggies. I did Weight Watchers about 7 years ago, pre-menopause, and lost 34 pounds, but put it all back on. I don't think that WW is the answer for me anymore, as I was constantly hungry, and felt that it taught me how to count points, and not how to eat right.

[divingbiker]

I'm 52, post-menopausal (surgical), and have thyroid issues. The trifecta!

I've been doing Weight Watchers for about 14 months, and have lost 37 pounds. I've got another 18 to lose. It comes off verrrry slowly, but it's coming off with diligence and sacrifice. Lots of exercise, vegan food, and journaling. I do think that I'm learning good eating habits in WW, especially now that they're focusing on whole foods; I don't eat the 100 calorie snacks or the WW frankenfood. For me it boils down to portion control.

But it's a battle I'll fight for the rest of my life. I'm under no delusions that once I reach my goal weight that it will be easy to maintain.

[latelatebloomer]

Hi, CT -

I'm 49 and peri-menopausal. In the last 5 years I've gone from an almost 300lb, somewhat outdoorsy but never really fit body to a low 200's, VERY fit and still changing body. What did it for me - forgetting about scale and calories. I don't weigh myself, even at the the doc's (they're totally cool with the plan and love the results.) I focus on fitness goals and healthy eating (I keep a food journal to help with self-discipline) and judge my improvements by my riding, heart rate #'s, body measurements, and annual blood test #s. After a life of yo-yo dieting starting in elementary school, this works for me. When I first started posting on TE, I rode 3 miles on my hybrid. Now I've signed up for the cross-USA 2010 Womantours ride. The godsends were a holistic physician who said, "focus on how you feel, not on how you look" and a trainer who counseled me that I will always be a curvy woman but that that placed no limit on my ability to become healthy and fit - and later, as my ambitions grew - an athlete.
One last thing - weightlifting has been an important part of my program, and the middle-age & senior women I see at the gym who look and move best are all weight training. I didn't think I would ever love weight training, but I find it a GREAT stress reliever.
One last-last thing - give your body lots of love and tell how well she is serving you. It seems that the more I do that, the more I change for the better! Hang in there! Lynda Gene

[SlowButSteady]

I'm 50 and just keep getting bigger and bigger.

I started cycling 4 years ago under the delusion that the pounds would just magically melt away.

They haven't.

I cross train -- swimming a good bit and cycling a lot. I don't run much anymore because I have very bad foot problems, but I have managed four sprint triathlons in the last 3 years and hope to do another one or two this year.

It's frustrating to feel very fit and athletic and be overweight. And now I've gotten in this fat = depressed about it = eat more = gain weight cycle.

I hope that longer days will allow for even more exercise, but I'm kidding myself to think that I will lose a significant amount of weight this way.

[cylegoddess]

Im only 40 but I am going to be studying to be a fitness instructor( spin class!) and have been studying this stuff for fun, for the last 20 years.
I started out wanting to find out how I could eat and not get fat and now am heavily into sports nutrition and life extension.
What I did find, ( and it is in Australia folks, sorry) there is a great doctor, Dr sandra Cabot who has some great books( you may have factor X - which is why people cant lose weight even when they diet, also has body types ans what things to take to help you body naturally lose weight) and some other ones I havent got on menopause. I couldnt find the vids one utube( they have been disabled on my comp) but the books most likely can be ordered by amazon and the videos too.
She has a natural way to test for your hormones( saliva test you do thru the mail) and Im not sure about overseas , but maybe - prescribes natural hormones , which wont give you wierd cancers etc but will help with hot flushes etc.
Also, I take a womens supplement that stopped 25 years of period pain, quite severe with major mood swings and such. I researched what was in it and found that it was easy enough to make all symptoms dissipate which is good for Menopause too ( USANA Phytelle. Order it online. Expensive but works! I now feel about twelve( no pain , no bloating, no tears , no anger, no problems!) when it comes to periods, so I bet it works for menopause too, as they say.
I researched and found many of the ingredients used are old folk remedys for menopause, from various countrys.

Diet wise, eat a BIG bowl of veggies before you eat anything else, then salad, then a drink then the rest. Youll be so full even bad snacks will not fit in. I generally eat a big bowl of green sliced green apples and carrots for snack plus a big glass of herb tea. Also, try things like a big bowl cooked spinach with mashed slice of avocado for brekkie.
Im really fit now and LOVE eating , esp when bored so these veggie snacks are great!
Also, celery with sundried tomatoes ( not oily ones)in them, cucumber slices with harissa, ( before a ride or after) apple halves with a smear of peanut butter( I cant have these but husband loves em), grated carrots with a little balsamic and cumin.

But be sure and read about Syndrome X. Most people have it from eating too many carbs and sugars,and lose insulin wroking properly( which may be why you cant lose weight even when busting your buns!)
good luck and hugs