Laurea

Hi all. I've searched and haven't been able to find anything on weight and menopause.

I'm 54 and my I've gone from 120 lbs to 135 lbs in the past year! The fat is mostly around my middle. (Abdomen/stomach, love handles and the oh-so-attractive rolls under bra strap on my back.)

I've heard that you must eat less and do more to lose weight and that makes sense. It also used to work. At my ripe old age with the estrogen levels decreasing rapidly - does any one know how much less should a person be eating and how much more should they be doing?

Also, if I do find a way to reduce, would the fat go just from my middle area or would it go from everywhere? I'm worried about fat being gone first from my face, which would make me more wrinkled I think.

RunbikeSki

Hi Laurea,
I am 53 and well into menopause. Yes, once the estrogen starts declining it does tend to change the way our bodies store fat and process calories. Fat tends to accumulate around the middle - and that ever so becoming "back fat", rather than on the hips and thighs.

And the metabolism slows down too. But for me it has been a gradual decline since my 30s. So yes, we need to eat fewer calories.

There really isn't a universal answer for you question about how much less to eat - we are all different. BUT that is the beauty of FitDay, in that you can really use it to analyze your current eating habits and start to look at where you can modify your habits to fit the needs of your current body. A little more protein, a little less fat? Maybe the sweet tooth needs to be brought under control (just guessing here...).

BTW, in my experience, my body has been a constantly changing thing. I have always had to keep my eye on what it was doing . So it wasn't quite like I woke up one day and said "What the heck???" But I have a couple of friend who had that experience.

As you might guess from my screen name I am pretty active. Aside from some sleep issues I haven't really had too many physical issues I could link directly to menopause. You don't say what your activity level is, but I have found that a mix of aerobic activity and weight training has really helped reduce the midsection fat accumulation without stripping away the other parts of my body. Although I do have some of the most ripped calves you'll ever see .

Laurea

Thanks RunbikeSki! (I had forgotten I'd posted this.) I've been busy researching the South beach diet, or low carb., anyway. I've discovered that eating low carb isn't easy!
Since I work standing and walking all day, I don't feel much like exercising. Therefore, I don't.
I guess my body is trying to tell me something, eh? I better start.

It's so wonderful getting old. :P

kag123

Low Carbs is hard thats for sure...trying something new I heard on Dr. Oz (love him) it is called white kidney bean extract it is a blocker basically for the carbs to not turn in to surgar and all that wiggly stuff around our beautiful tummys. Hear it is totally safe and of course not a free for all to eat tons of carbs but will assist a little when you do. Take 1 or 2 about 20 min before you eat a carb filled meal.. seems to be helping. Do the reasearch or go to doctor oz .com.

sandi olson

I'm well past menopause and yes, I did get that roll above my navel! Hated it. But most of it is now gone since I lost 14 pounds. Laurea, it sounds like you and I are in the same weight range. I was 135 and am now as low as 120.5. (I just returned from a big wedding, so I'm ignoring what the scale is saying for a day or two.)

Since I'm vegetarian I guess I eat lots of carbs, but try to keep away from refined carbs--sugar, white anything. The one thing that has been great in the past is a detox diet I found. I do nothing radical. This one is simple--fruit, specific grains for breakfast; steamed vegs for lunch and dinner. Some supplements, lemon juice, olive oil and even real butter. If you need more, you're allowed a bit of protein (chicken, tofu, lentils). Totally doable! I stuck to it for a week, then modified it for another 2 weeks and lost 14 pounds.

Now I have to confess that I gain and lose that same 14#, but I have a theory about yo-yo dieting, too. For me, I feel it's OK because 90% of my time is eating healthy, the 10% is what gets me in trouble.

Good luck--menopause is not forever. It still amounts to energy in and energy out. So exercise is very important. Maybe you can find something fun like a dance class twice a week, tennis, etc.

kajajo

I am working my way toward menopause with all the lovely side affects and have been for about 6 years, still not quite there yet though. Something I did discover recently via my mother is that when she hit menopause she also found out she gained a thyroid problem, apparantly its hereditary so I have been checked and nothing yet, but the doctor said as I get closer to that wonderful time then she will check me again. It would be such a shame to work this hard only to gain it all back again when I hit menopause.

Laurea

Kag123.. I must research the Kidney bean extract. I'm not big on pills and potions tough. I hope it works for you!

Sandi.. Your detox diet sounds good and easy. I find 'diets' really hard to follow. I guess if everyone in the house was on one, it would be different. But to see them having what ever they want... and there's me with a carrot... It's a sad situation!

kajajo.. Not only would it would be a shame to gain weight because of thyroid, it would suck to have yet another problem to go along with the Oh-So-Joyous-Menopause. Aren't we as women lucky?

goddessrenee

I went into menopause in my 40's. I gained weight in my early 40's from an SSRI antidepressant and have been struggling ever since. The whole calories in and calories out no longer applies. I'm now 55 yrs old and have been working with a weight loss coach as well as a Naturopathic doctor. Neither has been able to figure out what the problem is. I've done HCG through 3 protocols, each time losing about 17 -25 lbs in 40 days. This last round I've gained back 8 lbs already in a month eating between 1200 and 1400 cals a day (high protein, high fat, low carb). Every single morning the scale comes up higher by a small amount. Not sure why I'm sharing except to let others know that they aren't alone. The rules that applied in my 30's and early 40's no longer apply. Simple diet and exercise alone haven't worked for me yet. I am not even a binge eater so I can't blame it on that. My weight is 30 lbs higher than it was in my 30's and I'm eating almost half as many calories as I did then.

alissafernandes8

Hi Laurea,
you should drink water and eat fresh vegitables first of all with this two thing you can take a good hormon balancing cream like progesteril
it will solve your problem normaly.

Fitandhealthycarol

The original poster seems to be long gone, but I think this is a good subject so I bumped it up.

Fat around the middle seems to be a common denominator for menopause. Everything I hear lately about belly fat seems to involve carbohydrates. I think they like to settle around the waist. I think it would help to cut back on starchy carbs a bit, increase vegetables and up the activity.