Menopause exercise and weight

[Claybury]

I am a healthy weight and I exercise far more than the average. I spoke to a dad at DS 's school the other day who is a medical professional but I hated what he said which was basically middle aged women will inevitably 'balloon ' ( kept using that bloody word ) due to hormones. Has anyone here exercised their way through menopause and felt weight is something that can be controlled relatively easily or do you have to start making more of an effort ?
Any other tips for menopause ? Oddly it isn't something that is talked about much is it?

[Cafeconleche]

I exercised regularly, ate healthily etc etc and then, one day about 4 years ago started putting on weight (especially around my waist, arms and back) and NOTHING would shift it. My GP (a family friend) was less than useless - I was pre-menopause so needed to accept it, 'eat less and exercise more' (which would have involved spending even more hours at the gym and existing on an apple a day) but that it was inevitable .I absolutely didn't want to go down the HRT route but, after a couple of years of absolutely piling it on, feeling exhausted, brain fog, hot flushes and generally feeling fucking shit, I was at the end of my tether. However, I simply refused to accept that 'this was it' and that I was a middle-aged, washed up older woman, so when a friend suggested bioidentical hormone replacement therapy which had absolutely changed her life (she had gone thru early menopause at 39) I decided to give it a go. To be honest I wasn't expecting it to have any effect (I had already tried Chinese medicine, Accupuncture and loads of other stuff I'd read about on t'internet..) but18 months on I have my mojo back, weigh what I weighed 10 years ago, lost the spare tyre, can hold a coherent conversation, have bags of energy and have no night sweats or hot flushes. The downside it that it costs a lot of money (not just the checkups at the clinic and the hormones themselves, but also the huge number of vitamins and minerals I also have to take) but it has WORKED! There are 2 books worth checking out (both on Amazon) : The miracle of bioidentical hormones by Michael Platt and another one by Marion Gluck. Worth reading first if you're thinking of going down that route. Good luck with whatever you decide to do - and remember, most of the medical profession haven't got a clue, which is appalling if you consider that menopause affects half the bloody population!

[Suzannewithaplan]

Claybury, I have to admit I was concerned, so many people report that at menopause they gained weight despite their best efforts.

Im 49, no periods for a year now, no hrt or other treatment, my bmi is under 19, if anything I have found it easier to stay lean in my late 40's, I feel as if my metabolic rate has increased, my waist is probably the smallest it's ever been.

I attribute this to regular and consistent strength training & cardio, clean food and a very low stress lifestyle.
I suspect the lack of stress is key because my ability to tolerate stress has seemed much reduced during this transitional phase, I took definite steps to de clutter my life and make it as peaceful as possible.

[actiongirl1978]

Suzanne how clean is your diet?

So would you eat bought humous or dark choc, or are you eating literally meat, fish and veg and fruit? Have you reduced sugar from fruit? Do you eat carbs as most people would recognise them?

I am expecting an early forties menopause based on my mum's experience and I have started thinking about this. I had read that low carb can help.

[Suzannewithaplan]

Actiongirl, clean is a bit of a vague term and prob means different things to different people!
I mean very little processed food ( I suppose you could also debate what is meant by processed) and try to steer clear of the type of food which is designed by scientists to make you want to eat above and beyond physiological need.

I eat lots of carbs, around 300g per day (oats, rice, wheat, potatoes) some fruit, more veg
I dont eat meat or fish,(because I dont really like them) I eat dairy, dark choc, humous I would but my legume of choice is the lentil.

Im not decrying low carb but I've always eaten a pretty high carb diet and it seems to suit me

[Suzannewithaplan]

my feeling was that it was important to be as healthy as possible during 'the big hormone shift'
the phrase 'if the wind changes you'll stay like that' comes to mind (when I was a kid adults would say it to you if you 'pulled a face')

[actiongirl1978]

I know that phrase, seems to make sense.

I already have a very different lifestyle to the one I had in my 20's, hopefully exercising so much in my late 30's will stand me in good stead. I will bear in mind all of your eating tips.

[Suzannewithaplan]

IMO the key thing with food is to avoid the things that you find really 'moreish' because they interfere with ability to regulate appetite.
Most importantly never get fat, it causes metabolic damage and makes it much harder to get and stay lean.
That seems to be current thinking on the subject afaik, the 'set point' theory seems to be supported by evidence.
The more time you spend with elevated body fat the more your mind-body will 'defend' that body composition.
It becomes a habit which you 'naturally' revert to ?

[ragged]

That kind of comment (from the Med. Prof) is something I expect to hear only from people who don't want to take responsibility for themselves, argh.

I see plenty of trim women and men around in their 50s-60s-70s+. Some are runners & some are fussy eaters and smokers, but obviously it's not that impossible to stay trim after 50. Most people (men and women) balloon, but that goes with a sedentary lifestyle and has usually been coming on for years.

I had one summer when I was 37 when I lost all appetite & lost no weight at all in spite of barely eating for 6 weeks; kids were small & difficult so we barely ever left the house. I would have gained lots weight if I hadn't listened to my body.

WRT effects of ageing, I think it's very hard to prevent cellulite in the tummy or upper arms as you age, skin tone just isn't as resilient as it was.

[Sarahbex44]

I use to have no problems with my weight have always excersised .then went through the menopause at 39 and started putting weight on I'm on hrt and I still excersised every day but can't loose weight.I'm on 1000 calories a day and haven't lost any weight .I've give up thinking I will and thinking of coming off hrt just to see if I can loose any weight