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[moozles]

Hi. I'm a newbie to the forum. I'm 50 yes old and perimenapausal. My biggest problem is that I've put on weight  (almost 2st) and despite my strict efforts I can't lose it. This is really getting me down. Has any other member had this and if so, how did you deal with it? TIA
Xx

[clare663]

Hi Moozles. yes I have had the same problem since becoming post meno (im 49 and been post meno for 5 yrs). I just find that certain foods i.e bread dont help with the weight gain. i have been 9 and half stone for the majority of my adult years and I am now 11 stone!! Its just an age thing and I dont think there is much we can do about it. Clare xx

[moozles]

Hi clare.
Thanks for your reply. You are the exact same as me as age and weight etc. I've cut out all bread, tea coffee etc. Been eating tons of fruit and oat cakes to help fill me up. Normal evening g meal but smaller portions. Tried slimfast for 3 weeks and nothing gained lost! Very disheartened

[Taz2]

Hi moozles - there are lots of threads on the forum about weight gain - you can search for them using the "search" button in the blue bar top left of the page.

The only thing that works is to reduce portion size (good info here (surprising at times) http://www.bupa.co.uk/health-information/directory/p/portion-size - and exercise more and cut down on any alcohol. I was the same and would quite happily tell people that I was gaining weight but only eating what I had always done and, no, of course I hadn't stop moving around as much. I only have to watch mums out with their young children to see that much has changed in my life over the last twenty years! So much energy expended on just managing to contain three young sons kept me slim I reckon!!

With loss of oestrogen also comes a loss of shape if you're not careful. The fat redistributes to your middle so you lose the waist - designed by nature to attract males so no hope of pregnancy means no need to attract males (cruel nature) - so you also have to work at exercising to keep toned and supple.

Sadly I don't do any of this still hoping that a magic fairy will transport me back to ten years ago without any effort from me... but I still moan about being half a stone heavier than I was!

Taz x 

[CLKD]

I didn't gain weight but my apron dropped in March 2015.  Over a matter of weeks so now I look 'fat'.  >sigh<.  As oestrogen levels drop muscles become lax = middle aged spread   

Portion sizes are important.  As are allowing yourself treats a couple of times a week but not every day.  Making a note of what you *do* eat including the nibbles whilst cooking at night etc. can be an eye opener 

If you are constantly hungry maybe get a thyroid function blood test.

[Taz2]

What's your "apron" CLKD? No sure what you mean 

Taz x

[Annie0710]

I'm 49 and post meno
I'm about a stone heavier and gone from size 8 to 10/12 (biggest gain is tummy and thighs)
Even through most of peri I had a flat tummy


Annie X

[Taz2]

Oh right - I'm not sure where it drops to 

Taz x

[Dorothy]

I used to eat loads of oatcakes & fruit & then I read that it's best to limit fruit to a couple of pieces a day and have them after meals.  So now I tend to have one for lunch & one for dinner.  It's been really hard as I used to eat tonnes of fruit    I used to have a piece of cake once a week when I met up with a friend, and a small amount of chocolate on Friday nights.  Now I try to have either one or the other, and sometimes have an extra piece of fruit instead. 

I also read that it's better to up the protein and lower the carbs at this stage.  I'm trying that now.  Don't think I've gone down yet, but at least I'm not still going up.  I hate it sooooo much.  Most of my close friends have little kids & a couple are still breastfeeding - they are so slim, I feel like a whale next to them    I don't think I'll ever get back to how I was pre-peri, but I'm hoping I can come down a little.  It's grim, but there doesn't seem to be any way round it - practically no treats, be hungry all the time and exercise like mad and you might, just, stop getting TOO fat.

[CLKD]

It's the belly Taz ……… once firm it now sags.  Due to muscle laxity  .  In the morning I don't look too 'bad' but by mid-day ………. 

[Dorothy]

I think it's the carbs for me that made me gain weight around my middle when peri was at its worst.  I used get carb cravings before a period but through peri it was all the time!  Just recently I tried dropping the carbs a fair bit and upping the protein and veg and found it definitely made a difference to how bloated I felt.  I find it hard to keep it up though but that's because I'm weak willed and feel hard done by!

S x

Thanks for that - it's encouraged me to keep going with the low carb high protein effort.  Really tough as I've always loved rice, potato & oatcakes & not been so keen on meat, cheese etc.  I'm finding lentils quite helpful as they fill me up for ages.  I know what you mean about the carb craving.  I used to get it 24 hours before my period started, but now it can hit anytime.  Problem is, when it's just 24 hours a month, it doesn't do any harm, but a few times a week...

[walking the dog]

Dorothy the menopause specialist recommended I try the low carb diet you are on. I started in Feb and very slowly I have lost one an a half stones in weight. Ir hasn't been difficult and I haven't cut carbs out totally I bought a couple of cookbooks and changed my eating habits. I dont have potato rice pasta automatically like in the past I just have more veg . She also told me to cut down the fruit, I was on a punnet of grapes a,day in February, now I have one piece a day and no fruit juice! It does work just takes awhile . I still have treats and I still eat carbs just once a,week. Stick with it and good luck

[babyjane]

this sounds like the sort of eating plan that is recommended for tackling type 2 diabetes so it can only be a good thing.

Although my family history is for type 1 I have been thinking that addressing these things could be a good idea for me as I eat a lot of fruit and quite a lot of spelt pasta, brown rice and sweet potatoes, although they are better on the glycemic index that regular potatoes.

I also was told many years ago by a nutritionist that a high sugar diet will encourage candida overgrowth in the gut and that can make it hard to lose weight as the candida is fed by the sugar and causes cravings to keep itself fed.

[walking the dog]

That's interesting about the diabetes babyjane.
All I know is ibfollowed the advice I was given and its working I feel and look better people have commented I have lost weight which ofcourse gives me a self esteem boost. Weights so easy to put on isn't I but loosing its not as,simple

[CLKD]

Candida LOVES sugars ……… thrives in the bowel ………. hence 'thrush' which gets passed from the back passage to the vagina by poor hygiene.