Weight loss after menopause

[Sunbeam]

Weight loss after menopause

Betty, congrats on the 2#!

I started this group hoping to work together with people who also have struggled with weight loss. I didn't expect anyone would join who had the ability to lose 5# in a week. It isn't the age so much as the weight loss struggles.

[dancelot]

Weight loss after menopause

Hello ladies-
Sunbeam- no offense taken! And trust me, 5 lbs in one week is not a normal result for me, in fact 5lbs a month is unusual for me. So I'm guessing it will balance out (waaah!!!).

Betty, congrats on the 2lbs! I signed up on the dailyplate also (great recommendation - thanks again!). It's easy enough even I can use it and figures individual calorie and exercise needs, how much for weight loss, maintaining your current weight, etc, figuring this for your age as well. Plus it charts all your protein, fat, carb, intake as well as has charts for everything, including prepackaged and fast foods, which is really helpful when you may find yourself eating out a lot.

[Sunbeam]

Weight loss after menopause

Dancelot, thank you for your underatanding. You continue to be welcome on this thread.

I've been using resources on caloriescounter.com, but I will check out Daily Plate. I find counting calories in my home made foods is difficult, and probably not worth the effort of weighing and measuring every ingredient. I love the book Volumetrics.

[dancelot]

Weight loss after menopause

Thanks, Sunbeam! :h

I do find this motivates me to get in my exercise every day. Last night I planned to give my horse a long workout, but it began to lightning, so I came home. I did drag out that old stepper thing and did that for 40 minutes, which I know I probably would have skipped (just for a day, haha), without this extra support, and having committed to being healthier, etc.

Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

Much love! - Dance

[LilBit]

Weight loss after menopause

Hi Everyone. Well, not only am I peri-menopausal, I'm also blonde, which probably explains why I read the thread title earlier and dismissed it, thinking it was for people who had a problem because they were losing weight around menopause. When the thread kept showing up, I thought, "Dang! Weight loss with menopause seems to be prevalent. All I have to do is wait it out and I'll be as thin as a rail in ten years." Duh!

Please let me join this thread, because I am LOSING MY MIND and would love to hear anyone's suggestions or thoughts!!! I've been AF since May 4, and started dieting about a month after that. I'm keeping a daily log of everything I eat, and I average about 1300 calories a day -- all healthy stuff, a lot of protein & fruits/veggies, small meals throughout the day. I exercise hard for 1-2 hours a day, 6 days a week (mix of aerobics, HIIT, pilates, etc). With all that, I've lost only 3 pounds!!! In three months, I've lost 3 pounds!!! Arrghh! I've gone down maybe 1 dress size.

I looked into possible thyroid issues, and began taking iodine supplements in early July. That's supposed to help if that's the problem.

So, is this just what I can expect and should I take a bigger "patience pill?" Or should I just reduce my caloric intake to three grean beans per day (spread out, of course, over the day so I don't have them all at once)? :H Just kidding. I am at my wits' end, here.

BTW, kudos to you on your 2lbs., Bets!

[MyHeartIsDrenchedInWine]

Weight loss after menopause

I have been going through perimenopause for the last several years and put on 5lbs along with dealing with night sweats and mood swings. I am now post menopausal, confirmed by the doc with two separate blood tests. I lost the 5 lbs and now feel great, also not craving AL like I did during perimenopause. I'm not sure if the weight loss is normal per se but I think I ate more with the stress of going through the change. I hope this helps provide hope & help for some of you. I am post menopausal at age 47 (yes this is a little early) and lost the 5lbs...not to mention the mood swings & night sweats are gone as well!

[Sunbeam]

Weight loss after menopause

LilBit,
What I have learned in the past few years is that reducing my calories only lowers my metabolism, it does not enable me to lose weight, even though I am very active with swimming, biking, and gardening. So my theme here is increasing metabolism. Here are some strategies I'm using:

During fitness exercise (biking and swimming) I exert much more effort at intervals. Biking, every 10 minutes I pedal as fast as I can for 100 counts, and swimming I push hard on every 6th length. This is my version of what is known as interval training. Also, when I think of it, several times during the day I do a "quick 100", which is vigorous marching in place 100 counts, to boost my metabolism throughout the day. If I am walking across the building at work or WalMart, I walk fast for 200 steps. Generally I walk more slowly due to arthritis and other problems, but I can do this. Also, I eat something (fruit, yogurt, nuts or 10 All-Bran crackers) every 3-4 hours, trying to put more calories earlier in the day and keeping my metabolism higher, and also keeping me from every feeling hungry. I love to eat and don't like being hungry.

Like Truth told you on his thread, I'm thinking you are eating too little.

[Sunbeam]

Weight loss after menopause

OK, weigh-in day for me: 144#, two pounds less than less when I started this thread. My weight does fluctuate within a range, but this is more encouraging. I will beleive I have lost a little weight when I see 140, 130 is my goal.

Mindless Eating is another good book on better eating habits: well-researched but very readable. The author says you can cut back your calories by 15% without reducing your metabolism. That is what I am trying to do. Diets don't work, we need to develop better life-long habits, or our weight will go back up and beyond when the diet ends.

[Muddle]

Weight loss after menopause

LilBit, you are not the only "blonde" one. I thought it was only me. When I first saw this thread about weight loss and menapause I thought hmmm . . . I thought most women gained weight after menopause. It took about a week of seeing new posts to figure it out.

I'm older than some of you, but hormone tests show I'm not there yet. But my mother had absolutely no sysmptoms when she went through it, so maybe I'll take after her?

[dancelot]

Weight loss after menopause

Good morning, ladies -

This morning's weigh in is 141, up 1lb from last week, but still under the original 145.

I can see a lot of tightening up under the flab, which is good, and feel better from regular exercise, and am much more conscious of my actual eating habits by logging them in every day.

Congratulations, Sunbeam, on the 2 lbs!

Let's all keep it up, step by step we'll get there.

Love to all!!!

[namaste]

Weight loss after menopause

Hi Ladies,
I haven't had the courage to weigh in yet..ya'll (OK, I'm from the south) need to bear with me OK. Today will be 7 days AF, so that is where my focus has been. I went to a family reunion and held up great until Saturday night when I almost had a meltdown. Granted I'm probably the least 'overweight' of my siblings, other than our beautiful youngest sister, but the photographer who came to visit used a wide angle lens..I wore absolutely the worst top ever that made me look 15 pounds heavier, I had PMS and the hormones were raging, besides the peri...and there was a full moon...OH, and to be with family for an extended period of time. Need I say more...when I saw these photos, I just about lost it. So, I'm really getting motivated to get a program going, but first things first. Today I am celebrating the 7 days, this coming week, I will look at the next thing.
Congratulations on all the losses for the rest of you!
Di

[Sunbeam]

Weight loss after menopause

Namaste,
During my 2.5 months AF, I didn't worry much about my weight, the priority was alcohol. So I understand that completely: one priority at a time. You post here because you have concerns about your weight, it just isn't top priority right now. I expect I will be here awhile working on my weight.

[dancelot]

Weight loss after menopause

Namaste -

You made it through a stressful time AF and that's great! I agree, one thing at a time and staying AF is always number one. Bit by bit everything else will start to piece together, and it will get easier. Day by day, keep going, aim for that second week, just keep it up. Maybe start some light exercise as a stress reliever, this helped me a lot at first especially and that's all it was, not about weight loss or anything, and gradually I'm increasing it.

Best of luck and much love to you! - Dance

[Sweaty Betty]

Weight loss after menopause

Hey Sunbeam - 2lb's is great! And dancelot, you're still ahead lol!

Weigh in day for me tomorrow, turns out I am peri-menopausal, but also pre-diabetic, which was a bit of a shock. So am on a low GI eating plan, still tracking calories and have to commit to REGULAR exercise.
Actually, I don't know if its being AF, the dietary changes, or the strange vits the doc gave me (my pee is luminous - more than the normal vitB luminous ), but I'm feeling great! Maybe it was all about controlling blood sugar?

Bets
xx

[Sunbeam]

Weight loss after menopause

OK, 143.5# this morning, down 1/2# from last week. This is just what I was hoping for.