Is it possible to lose weight in perimenopause?

[Wanabe]

I hit early perimenopause at the end of my 30s. It took a while to figure out what was happening. I think I have HRT sorted now. I have put on about a stone a year however, and gone up from a size 8 to a 16 in about 4 years.
Everything I researched told me that slow and steady wins the race. Learned about blood sugar and fasting and gut microbiomes.
No fads. No crash diets. Just eat more vegetables and less processed food. Focus on eating well rather than trying to lose weight, and the weight loss will take care of itself.

I really have tried to stay positive. Have worked on being comfortable in my own skin. I have worked on reducing stress and upping connections with others.
But I'm struggling today. It's hot and sunny and I feel huge. My body shape is just so... middle-aged. I hate the way I am judged.

My inner feminist hates me for saying this. I've squashed this down. But fuck it. I just want to be slim again. I want to feel like me again. I want my flat tummy again. I want my breasts to not fall down to the sides. I want shapely legs, not fat ankles. I want my rings and bracelets to fit on my fingers and wrists again. I want to wear dresses and not have the pain of my thighs rubbing together. I don't want to "ummph" when I stand up or wobbly when I run.

I just want to be me again :(

How many cals do you est per day??

It's probably more than you think

You usually need around 1400 cals per day. That's a sedentary woman

yes - I'm 52 and on HRT - I do a mix of aerobics (twice a week) and weight training (4 times a week) - plus watch my carbs (no diets or fasting I just try not to eat more than 2 slices of toast a day).

Put weight on due to covid and Christmas but have lost 12lbs now I am back to health - you need to build lean muscle - as that uses energy - helps burn calories

I use Les Mills online - I like bodypump

I'm late 30s, perimenopausal and losing weight. I got on the scales and was horrified (13.9), so decided I had to do something about it. I'm calorie counting. MFP says I can eat 1900 calories to lose weight, but I've been eating around 1700. I run 3 times a week, used to be 3 miles each time but pushing it to 4. I've massively cut down drinking (used to drink about 5nights a week), and do about 20k steps a day. It's coming off. I've lost 11lbs...Covid has helped though.

EIQ nutrition have just released a free webinar on menopause. Really worth joining so you can watch (all free) as they actually know what they're talking about and won't spout a million different conflicting pieces of anecdotal evidence at you.

@Wanabe

Thank you for the success stories, they are really helpful. I have a few weeks now where I really am in control of my time and choices.

I think that the first thing to really focus on is my sugar intake.

It has to be a lifestyle/mindset change as opposed to just dramatically cutting it out. The next few times you eat sugar (cakes/chocs bars etc) eat mindfully. Think about every bite and taste and sensation and what you are putting in and what it is doing to you. If like me you tend to just gobble it down for instant satisfaction, this will be an eye opener. I realised in some cases I genuinely didn’t like the treats I was shovelling in for the instant sugar kick/comfort. Doing this has helped me with the bigger picture, alongside all the other good advice here. Good luck

Yes, it's absolutely possible. I'm 54, started reducing carbs a couple of years ago (ie no potatoes/rice/pasta with meals) then started low carb/high fat in October to deal with hot flushes, lost some weight gradually and the LCHF did away with a chunk of weight quickly. And I eat tons of green vegetables, all the time, like 3x what you might consider a normal portion.

Sorry if this has been mentioned, have you had thyroid blood tests? I dropped a dress size when on the right dose of the right thyroid meds, I retain fluid when undermedicated.

I understand what you mean about feeling unexpectedly bad about yourself, I feel that too and I'm usually pretty relaxed and happy about my looks. I feel a weird irrational sense of shame about suddenly looking/being old, and it has revealed my hidden preconceptions about older women.

I wish I knew the solution OP, I'm trying to have more fun to see if I can refocus.

@elizabethdraper

Yes, I am doing it. Ignore all the fads fasting,keto, slimming world everything like that

Join a strength gym with small classes. You need this to strengthen your bone and improve your posture anyway

Eat clean, 1g of protein per 1g body day
Walk, smile, be positive,

1g protein per 1g body means I need to eat about 12 stones of protein a day.

From what you've written OP it sounds like you're doing almost everything right (you're certainly doing more right than me!). So yes, I would get your thyroid checked. I would also consider adding some cardio into your routine. Walking is good, weights is great, but the thing that helps me keep my weight under control is running.

The other thing you might want to do is keep a food diary for a couple of weeks and be brutally honest with yourself - log every sweet, every square of chocolate, every cup of coffee and see how many calories you're consuming. It's a myth that all women need 2000 calories a day. When I kept note of what I ate, I realised that to maintain my weight I can eat 1600 calories a day, and to lose I need to eat fewer than that. If I ate as many as 2000 I'd consistently gain.

I stopped having sugar a few weeks ago and the weight is finally coming off for the first time in a few years (I'm 40 this year). 16:8 and 5:2 were no longer cutting it. I read the Sweet Poison book and am just avoiding foods with more than 5g sugar per 100g. Nothing complicated (I can't stick to complicated).

I don't need to lose any weight. I do loads and loads of sport.
BUT I am 51 and firmly perimenopausal and have noticed a softening of my body alongside finding the running I was very good at just really, really hard. I am easily over a minute slower per mile than I was a year ago. I am tired and don't have the push or the recovery.

I hate it (I have issues anyway). I used to do more strength training but the classes that worked perfectly for me pre-lockdown aren't there any more, and the timings of other classes have changed. It's not going to resolve itself so just today I got in touch with a boot camp class that I did when lock down was easing but before the indoor sports centres were open.

The term 'thickening waist' fills me with dread. I can see it in my peers who are a little older than me. I cannot identify with this.

15,000 steps a day should keep you trim and toned. What's you height and weight OP. Are you early 40s? A stone a year over how many years?

Yes, I’m 42. 5’6 and pushing 14st last time I looked. I don’t really have cellulite but I have this weird belly that hangs over my knickers. I have solved this by buying knickers that come up to my belly button 😩).

Have you got anything you could give the boot immediately like sugary drinks?

I only drink cold water and Diet Coke.

I feel your pain OP. Keto is the only thing that worked for me and once I got into it, it wasn't hard to maintain at all mainly because I love cheese.
I don't weight things life is too short. I just read the carb count on food labels and aim to stay under 20g of carbs total a day and eat healthily i.e. avoid too much processed meat.
I chose to do it because I had tried all of the usual things and wasn't even snacking or eating in excess. Hitting peri-menopause just vastly effected my metabolism.

Once you're out of the 'keto flu' that you get for 2/3 days, when your system is changing over to burning fat, your appetite drops considerably. My energy increased and was perfectly balanced through the day. I mentally sharpened and had no more hot flushes etc... The extra 1.5 stones in weight literally melted off over 8 months and I've now been a size 8-10 for over three years. I stacks of healthy vegetables and while I don't eat much fruit, I do eat more berries, cauli, greens, broccoli than ever before.
I do come off it now and again - Christmas etc.... but once you've been on it a while, sugar tastes disgustingly sweet, so other than sausage rolls and garlic bread, I'm not really tempted

My cholesterol and blood measurements have been fine throughout.
Regular exercise (plus weights) didn't work for proper weight loss for me.

High fat/low carb has been an absolute revelation and there is a lot of science behind it now. 'Eat Fat Think Thin' is a book I recommend, but got most of what i needed searching online. Good luck!

I hear you.
Have crept up and now 3 stone more than I was in peri. I am fed up of feeling fat.
I think antidepressants are not helping (take because my sleep pattern went out of the window). Unfortunately I am just ravenous, I have never been so hungry . Severely lacking motivation!
I used to lose weight easily. I think this time it is going to be a real battle.

I understand what you mean about feeling unexpectedly bad about yourself, I feel that too and I'm usually pretty relaxed and happy about my looks. I feel a weird irrational sense of shame about suddenly looking/being old, and it has revealed my hidden preconceptions about older women.

Yes to this. Very well articulated. I had no problem with middle aged women. I just never thought I’d become one.

I am fed up of feeling fat.

Yes! And fed up of being Fine with it. Or fucking Jolly about it

My thyroid has been checked. Only thing blood’s returned was slightly low vitamin b. I’d forgotten about that, so I’ll get back on the supplements.

Tbh honest I don't know where I am in menopause, as just when I think I'm through it, I realise I'm not, so probably still peri. I don't take HRT. I'm 52.
Two years ago I lost 2 stone and am now a size 6 (waist) 8 (hips and bust). I'm 5' 4" and 8. 5 stone. Ive very little belly fat and a very small waist with wider hips, so any weight I am still carrying is there, not around my middle as it was before i lost weight. I changed my diet to plant based whole foods, minimal processed, sugar or alcohol, no meat, fish or dairy, and have found I need to keep to 1800 calories a day to maintain. Its not for everyone, but I'm used to it now, eat huge veg based meals, and am never hungry. My aches and pains have vanished too!

Gosh this perimenopsuse is getting blamed for a lot. Just don’t eat much, it’s the only way to stay super slim, walk absolutely everywhere and do lots of exercise. It’s bloody hard work! Are you really doing all the above?

I changed my diet to plant based whole foods, minimal processed, sugar or alcohol, no meat, fish or dairy

Do you mind sharing two or three ideas of what you eat?

And what do you eat and drink if you are socialising a) in a cafe or b) in a restaurant?

I was not particularly overweight but joined WW and have lost half a stone. I am very aware that every pound counts going into the menopause.

WW severely limits the amount of cheese, sugar and fat. I’m more interested in how, once you lose weight, you make sure you don’t put it straight back on, feels like it’s a real slog beyond 45.

I wonder this too!

It is possible, but it’s bloody hard! The biggest thing that made a difference for me was accepting that my calorific needs have dropped. For ages I was bewildered by how I was gaining weight when I was eating the same. Then I realised that was the problem, my maintenance intake has dropped. Cutting carbs unless I’m cycling for more than an hour is working. I bike for the lovely, lovely cake!

@Wanabe

I changed my diet to plant based whole foods, minimal processed, sugar or alcohol, no meat, fish or dairy

Do you mind sharing two or three ideas of what you eat?

And what do you eat and drink if you are socialising a) in a cafe or b) in a restaurant?

Breakfast is almost always porridge with almond milk and honey. Lunch peanut butter on toast (I eat lots of this as it keeps me full) or homemade veg soup. Dinner is basically vegetables, with sweet potato, Lentils, beans and nuts, made into chilli's, curries, stews, risotto, sometimes a roast dinner minus the meat. Everything from scratch. In restaurants I choose whatever the vegan option is, ideally one without fake meat or other substitutes, but I'll have those things if they're the only vegan option. I must admit that eating out had been a bit of a casualty tbh, as unless I can get everyone to a vegan restaurant, the choices for me are pretty uninspiring so I don't enjoy the food as I once did. When socialising out-out I do drink alcohol, but that's only about once a month or so, and because I'm small now I have a much lower capacity, so rarely go over 3 glasses of wine if I don't want to lose the run of myself! I've probably made this sound dull as ditchwater, but actually I do enjoy my food. And, truthfully...I REALLY enjoy being slim, its been life changing, so it would be worth it to me if i didn't.

Oh and I don't give carbs a second thought. Happy to eat my fill of bread, pasta and rice as long as its all wholewheat/grain. And I use a LOT of oils, olive, walnut, sesame, coconut as they add flavour and I also think they keep my skin and hair nice. I'm convinced dropping meat and dairy lost my belly fat. No science to back it that I'm aware of, but I've dieted in the past and been a similar weight (and very much younger!) but never had such a small waist measurement.

I've managed to do it. I'm 51 and lost nearly 3 stone. I found that unlike when I was younger and could just clean up my diet a bit and the weight would drop away, I had to exercise.

I started with cutting out sugar and eating much more healthily and lost a few pounds, but I hit a wall really quickly. I thought I could do it without exercise - not a chance. Started couch to 5k, as even walking 10k steps a day was not enough. I had to embrace cardio. Then the weight dropped off.

I now run 3 times a week for about 45m a time and along with eating well, I have kept it off for 2 years. I am so much happier with myself. I can wear what I want and don't feel like shit anymore. It has definitely helped with the emotional side of peri too.

I've just lost almost a stone and I'm 55.
I cut the booze over a year ago to just special occasions.
Made sugar free oat bars and take a banana in my bag.
My work is physically demanding and we did 22000 steps the other Saturday.
I started slowly with weight 6 months ago then bought trainers for running 10 minutes of my lunch break.
I'm now around 8 and half stone.
You can do it just do one thing at a time and Stick to it.