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[jasmine5]

I'm 56 and I've been on Femseven conti for about 6 - 7 months after changing from Estradot 50.  My problem is that my appetite has increased dramatically and  so far I have gained half a stone in weight!  I also seem to be always hungry and have sugar craving several times a day, especially after a meal. I never used to crave sweet things as I always preferred savoury foods so I'm not sure if this might be caused by the Hrt or something else.  Has anyone had the same problem?

[Dancinggirl]

It's not the HRT that makes us put on weight, we put on weight if we eat too much. When we hit the menopause, with or without HRT, one tends to gain some weight anyway so we need to reduce the amount we eat to maintain a good body weight - which is very hard .  Yes, I think appetite can improve when on HRT but I tend to crave sweeter things when I'm tired. It's important to eat regularly to help reduce the need to snack and  those cravings for carbs.
I do think I retain a bit more fluid when on HRT  - so I feel a little more 'plumped up'.
Keep a food diary and see if you can eat small regular meals that help to stop those cravings.  DG x

[pepperminty]

Hi Jasmine5 , I just cut and paste this from the diet and life style page on the website :

Every year over the age of 40 years - our Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR - the rate at which we burn off calories) slows down. Sadly this means that if we continue to follow our current eating and exercise pattern we will gain a pound a year! How depressing! We need to reduce our intake or increase our exercise to stay the same.

Why do women gain weight at the menopause?

This process, during the menopause, becomes even harder because our bodies want to store the fat for later - a bit like "puppy fat" stored at puberty. We develop "insulin resistance" making our bodies store, rather than burn, calories. What changes is how you handle food due to the increased "insulin resistance". For example , if you eat 1000 calories before the Menopause you will burn 700 of them and maybe store 300. After the Menopause you will store 700 and burn only 300!
 HRT can only partly help reverse this process.

Dancinggirl is exactly right. I have suddenly put on weight round my middle (before i started HRT).  I found that I craved sweet things more than before and tried to be healthy by eating more fruit .

Best wishes Pepperminty xx