Menopause

[wildcatsparkle]

Hi- I’m struggling with menopause early at age 46 and have been in full blown menopause fir a few years now. I’m currently on hormone replacement cream to supplement my hormones, but I’m struggling with weight lose and the large tire that has happened around my upper waist. Has anyone had any luck with anything(exercise, nutrition, or other ideas) that has helped someone lose weight while going through menopause?

[Marti]

Would love to see the feedback on this too. I am 50 years old in peri-menopause and weight gain is a constant battle no matter what I eat or how I exercise.

[apriljoy100]

Hi Marti.  I'm 54. Weight gain was a struggle.  My doc suggested I try intermittent fasting and it worked well for me.  She suggested two books I was such a non-believer, I got them from the library lol "The Obesity Code" and "Fast Feast Repeat".   Now, I lost weight differently than I did before, particularly my butt and face first 

[AnnMarieC264]

IF worked for me (56) until I started HRT, then the weight came back no matter what I do. Have to really watch carbs! 

[TriCoachAlison]

Please, ladies, just say no to intermittent fasting. It has been shown to be horrible for women. https://www.whoop.com/thelocker/podcast-132-dr-stacy-sims-female-nutrition/#:~:text=Stacy%20explains.... Dr Stacy Sims is an expert on the physiology of menopause - read her book "Next Level" to get a ton of good, scientifically proven advice.

[aprose]

I too wen through menopause at 46 and have gained 20 pounds in two years despite regular exercise and realty ely good diet. I look forward to learning more about what can help through this thread! 

[kimjlund]

I had begun to accept the weight creep as part of perimenopause - but decided to try Noom when I had a knee injury skiing this winter and I knew my mobility was going to be impacted for some time. I persisted through the first several weeks without really losing anything beyond the initial water weight. But the lessons were interesting -  especially the negative script that I had written that weight loss is so hard at this stage of a woman's life. After three weeks of daily weigh-ins and diligent calorie logging, the weight began to drop. And kept dropping. My body's old set point finally shifted and I am 10 pounds lighter, eating just about anything, just in moderation. I don't think without the app I would have persisted through three weeks of no results, but it definitely kept me motivated and believing long enough to make it through to the other side - arriving lighter and more knowledgeable about why I eat.

[Juli]

Thank you for sharing! I was just looking into Noom today. I have never "dieted" before but I have tracked my eating habits through MyFitnessPal at stages of my workout routine. No matter how much I exercise or how closely I watch what I eat, I feel like I am always gaining weight thanks to menopause. I am intrigued by Noom for the mindset reasons you mentioned. I've been in such a negative space about these changes and I want to change it before it gets worse. It's so frustrating to work so hard and feel like you are only taking steps backwards (ie: always gaining weight.). It's so helpful to know that it helped you through these challenging years of menopause! 

[Deannabfit]

Hi wildcatsparkle! I am 47 & in peri menopause. Its been quite the hormonal journey to say the least! I can tell you as a fairly healthy long time fitness pro, who also gets hormonal migraines, the simpler I can keep my life & outside stressors, the better!! I know that may sound nearly impossible to do, but the more you practice self care & put YOU first, your symptoms will lessen. 
Here are a few wellness tips that Ive been practicing & are helping! Maybe they will help you too!

1.) SLEEP! Try to aim for 7-8 hrs of quality sleep. I get night sweats before my period so my sleep patterns arent what they use to be but i DO go to bed around the same time every night & try to rise around the same time

2.) Moderate Exercise most days

of the week for 30 min each sesh. If you want to do higher intensity, limit it to 1-2x a week but no more than that. And be sure to add resistance training! 
3.) Hydrate! Drink 1/2 your body weight everyday 

4) Limit caffeine & alcohol. These 2 especially caffeine has helped regulate my estrogen levels. And alcohol makes me feel horrible so i dont drink during the weekdays hardly ever. 
5.) Take Vitamins!! But consult w naturopath or holistic doctor for best ones to take for YOU! One i def take everyday is magnesium. And Athletic Greens every

morning has made a huge difference in gut health & overall energy.

6.) Take nature walks or practice some form of quiet time to calm the nervous system. Cortisol levels increase during this change in hormone levels so find ways to destress. Even if its for 10min a day 

Hope these natural remedy suggestions help? There’s nothing new here but I noticed once I stopped putting so much pressure on myself to be and do all of the things, my symptoms are less intense. Im not consistent every month but i try!  
good luck! 
deanna b

[Juli]

Great advice! Thank you for sharing, very helpful!

[Eld3]

Love these suggestions and reasons they work for you. I’m curious about a holistic dr to get the right vitamins. How did you find yours?  Any tips?

[MelissaE]

Hey!

I'm a registered nurse and women's functional nutrition coach. I specialize in women's weight loss resistance. I use functional labs to find out where your hormones are and then we focus on nutrition, lifestyle and supplements to optimize hormones and get the scale to move in the right direction. 

You can find me at www.melissaeichcoaching.com

[TimberlyA]

All of these are great, but when I went thru this my dr told me to intermittent fasting 2 days a week to help get the hormones back in sync and cut out all processed sugars. So if someone were to add this hopefully it would help. It helped me lose 15

[KCinMN]

45 and ditto! 😞

Cant do HRT either becuz I’m a breast cancer survivor. 
It’s really rough watching the weight creep up and not being able to do much to combat it! 

[Survivor]

I’m in the same boat. In perimenopause for a short bit and now full on menopause after radiation treatments for breast cancer. I’m 47 now and gaining weight. Due to fatigue (menopause and meds), it is hard to get motivated to start working out and frankly don’t even know where I should start. I don’t feel like walking so the 10-minute workouts here sound like a good start. Anyone have any ideas on how to start slowly?

[jaraby]

Dear WildCatSparkle (GREAT NAME!)

I am officially post menopausal at 57 (last period was about 3 years ago) and I struggled with the upper waist "tire" as well.  It really sucked and I never had weight gain there before.  What finally worked for me was intermittent fasting.  I do it like this:

I do yoga three times a week (plus hiking/cardio and strength training on other days) in the evenings.  Skipping dinner works for me.  So I stop eating between 2pm and 3pm the nights I do yoga after work.  When I get home from yoga, I make a cup of tea (no dairy or sugar - just plain) and grab a good book.  I can't watch tv as the commercials are all about food. 🙂  if I stop eating by 3pm and don't start again until 6am the next morning that is a 15 hour fast.  Its the only thing that helped me lose the menopause weight.  

I hope this helps!  Best of Luck 🙂  

[fbnutrition]

I'm not on HRT but have the type of post-menopausal body the requires my attention to avoid unhealthy weight gain. As a registered dietitian I try to be an example for clients too. Insulin resistance becomes such an issue in menopause because of hormone shifts. I try to eat meals and snacks the are a combo of protein, a little carbs, and healthy fat - like Ezekiel bread toast + avocado + egg for breakfast. This helps to slow the rise of blood sugar and avoid insulin spikes & inflammation. I try to walk or move somehow before & after meals to encourage muscles to use food energy from my meal to fuel muscles instead of storing it around my middle. I use a food & exercise tracker occasionally to get a more in-depth look at what I'm consuming and how my exercise is impacting things. My fav is Lose It

[Chris_F]

Menopause is associated with a natural decline in estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. As your hormones are fluctuating, and then ultimately decreasing… that can play games with your metabolism, leave you tired, fatigued and make it hard to lose weight.   

Some women do great on BHRT – some choose to skip it – but what you do to MOVE and EAT will seriously make or break you at this time of life. Your daily health habits are going to be the key to helping you manage any weight gain during this time. Consistency is the magic word!!!

MOVE:  Resistance training and cardio WILL help you manage your weight and hormones no question.  It’s easy to avoid when you are tired … you must seriously motivate – have a workout buddy, trainer, or program to help keep you accountable. How you move has never been so important as it is in this season of life. Walk, pick up some weights, do classes…. Find something you like to do and make sure it includes strength training!!

EAT:  What you eat matters!  Eat protein at every meal. This will keep you fuller longer and support your body in repairing and building muscle. Eat more real food, mostly plants, not too much- you have to become more acutely aware of what you are eating as you age. Get rid of all the processed stuff -chemicals, food coloring, additives and added sugars-it screws with your hormones!  With fluctuating hormones already in the works, eating like crap will cause inflammation and amplify your menopausal symptoms.

You want to make sure you drink lots of water, and get enough Vit B,C,D, Omega 3’s, and magnesium. 

There is nothing that works perfectly – it’s about daily consistency.   Start with baby steps and hang in there.  But commit to strength training and new eating habits.  I like what some of you have said about using apps and helpful tools to understand your eating.  I’m about 3-4 years post menopause and finally feel like my moods and sleep are evening out …. I’ve stuck with my eating and exercise ….  Keep going friends!!

[wilycat29]

Do you know of some good B vitamins to take? I buy vitamins and then end up sending them back because my stomach is very sensitive to coatings manufacturers are putting on them. Also, I tried magnesium and I took half the dose and my stomach swelled and I ended up having diarrhea. I'm 51 and perimenopausal. I also have psoriatic arthritis & fibromyalgia.

[Margeaux_H]

Hi I have been in menopause for a few years and this past year during Covid I put on 35lbs.  It has always been a struggle to let go of weight for me but especially now.  IEven if I work out like a beast for me it always boils down to what I am eating. Over the last month I have been super midful of what I am eating and making sure that I am giving my body small feulings every 2.5-3hrs with one larger lean and green meal per day and since making this change I have let go of some wieght.  

[diminishablekit]

Hey! I highly recommend reading the book “menopause manifesto” by Dr Jen Gunter. Perhaps instead of focusing on a weight or a shape goal, perhaps how you feel? I’m going through perimenopause at the age of 33, so I relate!

[AmyW7521]

diminishablekit, I started perimenopause at 32. I cycled in and out of symptoms and wish I would have stuck with HRT all the way through just to maintain the hormones. But when the symptoms would go away, I went off of the HRT. Now at 51, I'm really in the thick of things. Stress, nutrition and exercise all played a big role in how my hormones were affecting me. Acupuncture and HRT were my saving grace early on in perimenopause and now it's like a new puzzle. 

[lam_9801]

That book was amazing. A lot of great information!

[KIMMILKS]

I have been through menopause and also gain weight.  I’m currently trying to loose it. It’s a very slow process. You have to keep pushing through and accept it will take longer. 

[AngieM908]

Hi! Same thing happened to me in my 40s. It’s brutal in many ways. So, in menopause, estrogen drops drastically, which causes lots of the uncomfortable symptoms. For me the most uncomfortable was constant heart palpitations. The reason we gain fat in our mid-section is because the body is trying to replace that estrogen, which can be found in abdominal fat. I would highly recommend talking to your doc about an estradiol patch. It’s super effective, bioidentical and super easy to maintain. But, also know that you are so much more than your weight or body size - it’s the least interesting thing about you! ❤️

[JodiS711]

I have worked with a few fitness coaches that I found on IG and they completely transformed my body in the last two years. It is a slow process but it has worked! I am on HRT as well. The coaches helped me figure out my calorie deficit numbers and specific macros to eat. This combined with adequate sleep (thank you HRT!), quality food, strength training (a MUST!!!), and 10K steps per day I am now at my thinnest since even before having kids. Contact me thru IG dm if you want coach suggestions, cuz there are some bad ones out there. This is not an ad, I promise. haha. Just life changing for me. Ig handle @jodiswindle. 

[JaimeT29]

Hi there! I too went through menopause around 45, and it SUCKS! I spent the first 2 years struggling to understand this foreign body I was in. Nothing I used to eat worked for me anymore, and none of my meds wanted to, either. I ended up getting certified as a “integrated Mental Health therapist” so I could understand my own body and help others! The biggest thing I can tell you is to increase protein and fiber. Both will decrease your sugar cravings and help your liver process estrogen so it doesn’t get out of control. You should be getting 60-80g of protein a day! Think Flax seed and yogurt in your smoothie, snacking on a mozzarella stick, quinoa instead of rice, chicken thighs, etc. HUGE sources of protein.  The spare tire CAN be eliminated, despite what doctors will tell you to “accept it.” Adding just ONE of these to your daily diet can greatly help with hot flashes, moods and weight as well: 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds, 1 cup cruciferous veggies, 1T ground flax seed, 1/2c soybeans,  8oz tofu or tempeh, or 1/2 c lentils. Add in strength or resistance somewhere even 30 minutes a few times a week. It doesn’t have to be vigorous exercise! It can be yoga, walking with a little weight or (my fav) swimming /water walking! If you ever wanna reach out, feel free! It’s been a journey but I feel like I’ve decided my body a little and feel great now.

[lam_9801]

What does an integrated mental health therapist do? 

therapy? nutrition?

Thanks for the information. I've been the same weight most of my adult weight, but over the last 2 years, the weight has been shifting.  I've been an athlete my entire life so I don't understand why nothing I've done has worked. No matter how much I workout, nothing changes.  

[catarinaj]

Hi ladies!  Just joined here. Loving the info shared, thank you! I'm 48 & have started non regular periods this past June 2022. I haven't seen much changes yet - the six pack is till around & my body feels strong & flexible. Body aches & stiffness is the one thing I notice more - addressed by stretching & doing yoga when I wake up. I got a ketone monitor & now realize how adapted my body is to ketosis. I eat when my body feels hungry, sometimes just a meal a day. I don't do any artificial anything, including dying my hair, nail polish or creams other than natural oils in my body. Makeup maybe a few times a year. A seldom drink bi-monthly, no low diet foods as they contain sugar substitutes, a lot of coconut oil, olive oil & tons of honey. No junk food, no artificial dyes, sodas, fried food & the occasional cake - lots of chocolate though, as high quality as possible always looking at the artificial ingredients. High fructose corn syrup, colorants are preservatives are mostly out. I take no meds either, not even aspirin. Any issue I treat with my holistic doctor here in Miami. When I get sick, I stop eating, sugar & do clear hot liquids for at least 2 days. I do yoga & tremble (pilates crossfit style) plus any adventure that adds joy to my life (have lived with tribes in Africa, the Amazonas, etc.). Another key element for me is having a very diverse diet - as much color and change as possible. As also get organic whole milk & yogurt, meat & poultry, wild fish. No farm raised anything. I eat & exercise for pleasure, not because I have to (I've done extended 10 day fasts, 21 liquid fasts, etc). Intention I believe is essential before putting any food in my mouth - I visualize connection with life & all the nutrients nourishing my body. Lastly, strong connections I feel are important -  with family, friends & even within my neighborhood.  Having awareness of the body, mind & spirit I also feel its essential. Hope this is helpful in some way in the even it resonates. 

[DebMarPir]

I wanted to say hor really great it is to have a group where people can talk about menopause, peri- or post! I entered perimenopause early, which could be because I had endometriosis. I am now fully menopausal at 55. It took about a decade. I had a lot of symptoms which I found confusing, though a few basics I found on the internet. I had problems with sleep, issues with memory or brain fog, I used low hormone replacement, dealt with feeling hot (on top of living in Alabama and trying to exercise there!) and still did pretty well in my low forties. But then my parents became very ill, my father died, and I became a caregiver. Overnight I gained forty pounds, totally unaware, and now I am diagnosed with fibromyalgia, which has a lot of the same symptoms (insomnia, brain fog, aches x 100 at times, and problems with feeling hot or cold when it's not). I also have not been able to exercise much as I had five bouts with plantar fasciitis alone in Alabama, which took me a long time to lick, and just recently, my first of two knee replacements, plus I have a bursectomy to face. So what I wanted to add is, there is a lot of great advice here. Yes, sleep is key. But if you can't sleep because of illness, don't beat yourself up; do your best. If you can't exercise one day because of pain or even one month, wait till you can and take a walk--today I managed to do Walmart for the first time (yes, grocery shopping) since I had my knee replaced! I used the cart, I didn't ride in it! Yes, protein is important and I still need to work on that and veggies as I am a carb girl. But not everyone can do what some people here are able to do, which is slim down, exercise all the time, etc. Genetics kind of rules us. So be kind to yourself and just set goals and do your best. Happy 2023 to everyone. 

[livewellfitsuzi]

Totally understand your frustration. I am 63 and went through it at 45.. the doctor I had then put me on anitdepressents which literally masked the symptoms. I teach fitness classes and have for 44 years. at that time, I increased my cardio thinking that would help with HITT classes . Long story short, I had never had my T3 T4 conversion measured, my DHEA or testoserone and A!C.  All these number matter when going through this life change.  We want to drink more wine and work out more ( ha) but what i actually found out was that I was over tiring my adrendal glands and stopped doing HIITT so often.. I was put on a low does estrogen patch and take natrualy progesterone at night time plus vitamin D, magesium and make  morning sunshine and sleep a priortiy. You can get a saliva test to check your adrenals and cortisol levels.  I encourage you to hang in there and play with these things. it is SO muhc better on this side of menapause . I actually feel better at 63 thans I did at 45 and do less intense workouts, lift more weights,  still teach all types of classes and try to help other women my age Move more.. For me, interemitement fasting was not good for my thryoid as it stressed my adrenals so I found out the hard way.  The spare tire will go away. I recommned the model health podcast to listen to for some solid nutrtionists who speak on this topic. You young girls hang in there!!  that spare tire will  leave and your  body..