Short sharp fast weight loss ideas for peri menopause/menopause?

[regularbutpanickingabit]

I know this isn’t a great idea and I know that slow and steady weight loss is best but I’m desperate for a quick solution. Also embarrassed.

I have 8 weeks until I am a matron of honour at my sister’s wedding abroad. It’s somewhere very very hot. The dress has been bought. There’s a week of festivities, all requiring skimpy, elegant or pretty dresses. And swimwear.

I have steadily put on weight over the last 3 years and am now at my heaviest and the vast majority of it is on my stomach. I look like I am 6-7 months pregnant and I hate it. My neck is fat. My face looks bloated. I look a lot older than I am because of it. I am approaching a dangerously high BMI.

I am going through peri menopause. My usual lowish carb, drink more water, move more approach is just not working. I can’t do high impact gym glasses or go running because I’ve damaged my hip and had an ankle op a few months ago. Walking isn’t that easy for the same reason.

My head is not in the right place. My sleep is disordered. I am not eating huge amounts of crap but I’m not eating well. Alcohol only at weekends but I can’t not have a few drinks then.

I am thinking a quick fix diet to lose some weight fast will help everything. It will get me out of a rut, get me feeling positive again by seeing myself starting to look better and just kick start a healthier relationship with food and drink again.

I am dreading this wedding and I don’t want to feel like that. I don’t want my obesity to be forever immortalised in those pictures. I want to have a goood time celebrating my beautiful sister and not be worried about this. I won’t be slim but there’s a big difference between beaches whale and slim and I want to fall somewhere else than where I am. I know that’s vain.

i also know i won’t lose all the weight in that time but I am desperate to do something significant and fast.

Can anyone recommend a solution that has worked for them?

Thank you.

Saxenda.
I lost a stone in the first month. It's expensive but worth it. There is a support thread running on the diet chat board.

Also peri with massive weight gain focussed around stomach, I’ve been doing intermittent fasting - 16:8, for a week.

Fast for c16hrs, eat two meals and snacks over 8 hrs and have lost 9lbs so far.

I eat until 7pm and break my fast around midday the following day.

First day was hard but has got a lot easier and I don’t feel hungry in the mornings anymore and it’s an achievable routine for me.

Probably should add, I have a cup of black tea on waking and keep hydrated with water throughout the day.

I don’t restrict what I eat during my “eating” hours and I’ve yet to add any significant exercise to my routine.

Two protein shakes a day (100 cals each) and one dinner. No alcohol. Surprisingly not that hard, just make sure you don't get constipated.

The weight will fall off.

Your probably getting under 1000 calories a day. It's not really what you eat but how many calories you take in versus what you expend.

@WeAreTheHeroes oh yes, definitely under 1000 a day, but its sustainable because of the high protein ~40g I think

Low carb all the way. In fact, start with keto to kick off weight loss. Lots of info and resources online.

No carbs, no sugar, no alcohol, no dairy.
Eat as much veg, massive salads, fruit, eggs, fish, non processed meat.
Drink loads of water throughout the day.
Go to bed early every night to avoid to avoid snacking.

You are where I want to be and it sounds like your journey was similar. Which meal plan service did you use? I think a reset is exactly it. Thank you

i used diet chef. Breakfasts/lunch/snacks were all great (avoid the soup though!), but I’m Veggie and found the dinners a bit limited. Fine to stick with for 2/3 months though- i just did a load of veg or salad and had the meal with that. Now i model my diet on a similar regime, 3 smaller meals plus a snack and fruit/veg. I find if I start to skip meals or slide back into the “if i eat protein i can eat more” mentality i start putting on weight again.

You could try Huel Hot and Savoury. When I've had shakes before I never felt like I'd had 'a meal' because I hadn't chewed anything iyswim. I don't need to lose any more weight but I still have it every day for my first meal of the day at lunchtime. The flavours are great, it's made with real food not synthetic crap, and it's 400 calories, lowish carb (approx 40g), so I have that and then dinner is normally meat with loads of vegetables topped with grated cheese, so very low/almost no carb. That then keeps me going for my 16hr fast.

I have 5 different flavours of huel and recently started to mix and match the flavours which just takes it too another level tbh Today I had Thai Green Curry Mac and Cheese and it was epic!

Re sleep, cutting alcohol Will massively improve sleep And that will help with carb cravings. Definitely agree with the low-carb and whatever exercise you like /are feasible so that you can keep it up for the 8 weeks,

I bought an under desk cycle. Pedaling through boring meetings, I don't even realise I'm pedaling half the time. I've a load of joint damage and other stuff which mean that I can't do hitt or lots of other exercise types. This is like calorie burning by stealth, and I can feel my leg muscles after 2 weeks. It's not going to be the full answer but it's definitely helping.

I tend to feel less hungry when I exercise, so it's delivering on that for me, I have an op for another issue at the end of the month and really wanted to try to make a difference before it.

Look up intermittent fasting on Reddit. The before and after photos are so inspiring and the first thing to go is the double chin.

Good luck.

Thank you. I do have the tendency to throw myself in to something then lose knterest when I can’t maintain that energy so wise advice.

I do intermittent fasting and only eat between 11am and 7pm, that includes having no drinks before that time although obviously water is allowed and black coffee / tea with no milk or sugar. I used to think if I didn’t eat I would be shaky or very hungry but I’m genuinely not hungry at all when I wake and can easily last until 11am, sometimes longer. I also have tried to cut out sugar and eating sweet things as if I do I genuinely feel hungry not long after because it spikes insulin. Much better to eat real food like cheese, cream, meat etc, things that actually satisfy you and fill you up and reduce carbs. Also agree with cutting out the alcohol if you can as it’s just empty calories.

The 800 fast thing really worked for me, and quickly. Basically fast for 16 hours or so and eat low carb the rest of the time. (basically eating chicken and veg for every meal @Branleuse ). Log everything on MFP. Work out what proportion of carbs/protein/fat work for you. I do exercise a lot, because I like it, and like to be toned, but I don't eat my exercise calories back. I also do weight training, but again don't count the calories back - I do this because it's good exercise when you are in peri and actual menopause.

Reading with interest as I am in the same boat but post meno now, my periods stopped a few years ago. I am on HRT. Weight has crept up and up each year since the last two years of peri, and now I am the heaviest I have ever been. Tummy wrecked from two c sections which doesn’t help my shape.
I also have a big party coming up and would like to not be so heavy.

Meal replacement products.
Exercise.
16:8.
I've lost 16.8 lbs in 3 weeks.

I’ve just finished listening to on bbc sounds app Dr Chris & Xand the twins talking about cutting out ultra processed food. It’s a good listen and makes you really think about the impact of the mind in eating versus thinking your hungry. It made me not enjoy the snack bar I’ve been eating for years with morn coffee & actually didn’t like the taste off. Plus yes try do just 10mins a day of body weight exercise to get you started lunges, squats, plank, etc

Following with interest OP!

Saxenda. Expensive but go for it if you can afford it. No side effects whatsoever at the lowest dose, but just don't fancy eating. Am losing about a pound every three days with no effort at all.

Dukan gets the weight off very quickly but it's pretty miserable.

Try the Fast800 Dr Michael Mosley

An endocrinologist can help. There's stuff they can prescribe but you need to do some tests first. Go to a professional.

Where are you getting this from?