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 :(

It is really hard.
I reached a size 18 and then had a MH crisis, lost my appetite and dropped to a size 12/14. My appetite returned and coupled with new meds, I started to gain again.

I am now doing the following to maintain but not lose:

Walk 15 k steps daily - hilly
Weight train x 3 a week
12: 8 - protein shake for lunch and cooked dinner - generally healthy and home cooked . If family are having takeaway I have an omelette or similar.
Fruit and veg.
No bread, cakes, processed sugar.
No alcohol.
Drinks: Water, tea with SS milk, one galaxy light hot chocolate a day.

It’s bloody depressing 😂.

Can anyone post menopause tell me if this ever gets better? I miss chocolate!

@Wanabe

Intermittent fasting and some simple exercise such as walking

I dunno. I eat within a 6- or 8- hour window. I walk 15k steps a day. I'm currently unemployed so have lots of time to keep active.

I need to quit sugar completely. I rely on it emotionally far, far too much.

Surgar was like crack to me during my menopause.

When I would give it up, I would have a couple of days of bad headaches, but you will lose weight.

It is hard and slow and dull!

I'm not active at all (disabled).

Gone from size 20 to a 14 since November.

Cut out carbs and added veg. Really easy to do.

How do people give up carbs? It seems impossible to me. I love bread and pasta. What about nuts? What are typical meals that are light on carbs?

I suspect that overly large portions and 'extras' (snacks) are responsible for a lot of weight gain at any age

Yes this was me as a student booze & processed foods got plumper then back to slim once I began to eat well & exercise more. Same now, family meals cooked & I finish off the leftovers that I don't actually need just want & on days I wfh I barely move.

A big difference I could make is cutting back cheese. But I love it so very much!

15k steps a day is fantastic and will burn calories but it may not be enough to burn fat. I recommend trying couch to 5k so you can start running and either hit the gym or do some high intensity workouts on YouTube. The weight won’t come off with diet alone.

@PromForBabies

I eat really simple meals. I hate cooking and I don't repetive meals.

Spaghetti bol ~ remove the pasta and have swede and carrot mash.

Burgers - no bun.. cut them up into a salad (onion, chilli, cheese, avocardo, grated carrots and cesar salad).

ChicKen cesar salad (as above) with bacon and roasted peppers

Roast - take out the potatoes.. add more veg

Fajhia - no wrap, use lettuce leaves.

I LOVE bread. No longer miss it.

@PromForBabies you don’t necessarily need to cut out carbs. I love carbs too but have reduced my portions. Eg instead of having a big plate of spag Bol, have a measured amount of pasta and fill half your plate with salad, just a few roast potatoes with your Sunday lunch and fill up with loads of veg. I eat carbs with every meal and still lost over 3 stone, I just don’t pile my plate high with them like I used to when younger.

57 here and just coming out of peri, no periods for a year next month.

It is not just the actual weight with me, it is the complete lack of tone to it, I exercise, but my belly is like bread dough, my butt is going that way too... and losing the weight is just making all that untoned flesh flabby and flappy.

To lose the weight is hard. You have to first cut out the calories that are making you gain weight, then cut more to lose it. Whilst making sure you still get the fibre needed for gut health, vitamins for immune system and minerals needed for bone and teeth strength.
Don't drink fizzy if you are not supplementing calcium. I've seen my friend's front teeth gradually dissolving!

@BeyondMyWits

57 here and just coming out of peri, no periods for a year next month.

It is not just the actual weight with me, it is the complete lack of tone to it, I exercise, but my belly is like bread dough, my butt is going that way too... and losing the weight is just making all that untoned flesh flabby and flappy.

To lose the weight is hard. You have to first cut out the calories that are making you gain weight, then cut more to lose it. Whilst making sure you still get the fibre needed for gut health, vitamins for immune system and minerals needed for bone and teeth strength.
Don't drink fizzy if you are not supplementing calcium. I've seen my friend's front teeth gradually dissolving!

Yes, I've learned that with so few calories to play with, everything I eat needs to count. By the time I've eaten the things I need for my health there's no spare calories left for junk.

I dropped a stone after a few years or trying, ALL the diets.

I think everyone needs to find a diet that suits them. It never was low carb or fasting for me.

I did it by getting gallstones (do not recommend). It forced me to eat very low fat. It's the opposite of what is fashionable diet wise these days, but I dropped 10 kgs in total (without really suffering) by cutting out anything high or medium fat. I tried keto, I tried intermittent fasting etc, nothing worked but weirdly this low fat diet has.

I do eat a large amount of vegetables every day, but I also eat bread (quick fetch the low carb police) and rice, jacket potatoes etc. Usually wholewheat versions of bread, rice and pasta. I could probably lose more if I cut out the sweets that I have occasionally but I really cannot be arsed when my diet is already fairly restricted.

Its a very old fashioned low fat diet.

I also suffer from far less heartburn and IBS than I did before since cutting out fats like cheese, eggs and red meat, which is interesting.

HRT gave me the energy to start exercising hard again at age 52. I aimed for a 5k+ hilly walk or run before breakfast 2-3 times a week plus other exercise. Never counted calories but did reduce carbs and ate within a 10 hour window. The belly fat melted away quite quickly and I got my abs back. The fat is creeping back so I'll try this regime again.

[quote EssexLioness]@PromForBabies you don’t necessarily need to cut out carbs. I love carbs too but have reduced my portions. Eg instead of having a big plate of spag Bol, have a measured amount of pasta and fill half your plate with salad, just a few roast potatoes with your Sunday lunch and fill up with loads of veg. I eat carbs with every meal and still lost over 3 stone, I just don’t pile my plate high with them like I used to when younger.[/quote]
Agree with this. I wouldn't dream of cutting out carbs, but a portion of pasta is about 50g (I weighed it once many years ago, and now know what sort of amount it looks like). I'd have two small roast potatoes with chicken and lots of veg. Tuna sandwich for lunch, made with thin wholemeal bread. Cereal/porridge for breakfast - but, again, only enough for a very small bowl. I eat lots of fruit, and loads of cheese (because I love it).

I couldn’t, until I went vegan. Weight has been dropping off- just eating and snacking, making healthier choices. It’s only been around a month so far.

I use an Oculus VR headset to achieve that as I am allergic to traditional exercise!

What do you do on the oculus @XenoBitch ? I used to do a boxing thing and beat Sabre but fell out of the habit. Is there something better on there these days?

Yes. I have lost stone since Christmas. I follow macros, eat about 1700 calories a day and work with a coach. I am 46 and have the full HRT package.

Consistency is the rule. No more weekend benders, very little wine, few desserts. There is no wiggle room.

My sister lost a lot of weight by cutting out wheat and dairy and exercising every day, she just went for it, didn't stop. You need to stop the sugar, get a real handle on how much you're eating and honestly assess if this seriously needs to come down.

Also maybe get thryoid and other things tested as that may really be what's going on here. Sorry you're going through this OP, sounds hard.

Can you please stop beating yourself up and calling yourself a bad feminist though? Being a feminist means believing in equal respect and power for women, to express yourself how you want to without pressure to conform to subjugating ideals. You're not subjugating anything by just wanting the old you back, or by wanting to be healthy and in a body that feels far easier and more comfortable to be in. Don't beat yourself up about anything, just go for it with your goal, look into whether HRT, thyroid or whatever could be causing this and get your diet and exercise on point. You can move mountains, honestly.

I'm 47 and I think am in peri menopause. My weight is stable (5ft 11, 12 stone or just under). I walk a lot (10-15k a day, more at weekends, brisk walking with my dog) and work out from home two or three times a week, mixture of weights and cardio.
I notice I can't eat bread much any more (sob) without bloating and putting on weight, same with sugar (also sob) so try to eat as well as possible with some weekend relaxing of the rules.
But I feel really hungry all the time at the moment! Just want to sit and eat toast and butter and cheese

Finding this thread really motivating, can you keep it going whilst I turn down snacks and seconds for the rest of my life.

I hear you. I have joined a gym but seem to have attracted God's weirdos as my breasts are bloody huge.
I just want to get rid of the belly

Finding this thread really motivating, can you keep it going whilst I turn down snacks and seconds for the rest of my life.

I agree!

Today I have been very motivated. Firstly, I added some cardio to the end of my normal weights session this morning. I ate within a 6 hour window - tuna salad for breakfast and then fish pie for tea. I have eaten 0 snacks and 0 sugar. Hit my 15k steps target. And mid-afternoon when I was feeling a bit low and lonely I journaled and did some gardening rather than hunting out food.

The only way to lose weight is to reduce intake. You simply can’t eat much.
Exercise doesn’t have much effect on weight loss when you are peri menopausal.
I

I'd disagree with exercise not having an impact on weight loss. It certainly helps me maintain my weight.

From the Mayo Clinic discussing benefits of exercise in peri menopause.

Try brisk walking, jogging, biking, swimming or water aerobics. If you're a beginner, start with 10 minutes a day and gradually increase the intensity and duration. Strength training. Regular strength training can help you reduce body fat, strengthen your muscles and burn calories more efficiently.

Whatever latest diet or theory, I've always found it to be as simple as calories in, calories out, with some variation for metabolic rate, and it really doesn't matter to weight loss if the calories come from carbs, vegetables or Easter eggs, provided you've identified your daily requirement to lose/maintain weight. As I've got older, and lighter, my daily requirement is 1800, rather than the 2200 I used to be able to eat. If I eat more than this and take no additional exercise to burn it off I gain weight. Less, and i lose. Exercise is of some benefit in that I can burn 200 calories on a brisk walk, so can slowly lose weight without cutting calories. I believe building muscle through weight training helps speed metabolism, but I've never managed to get into it. My vegan diet has caused weight loss because so many of the high calorie foods I used to eat, chocolate, cake, meat, are no longer an option, so my meals naturally contain less. I believe the same to be true about low carbs. Carbs are not magical weight gainers (other than temporary bloating) it's just that if you cut them out you are taking so many high calorie foods out with them. I do think food types can influence where fat is stored though, with high animal products, high sugar more likely to cause belly fat than calories from whole foods. I'm no expert, but I have managed to get and stay slim and lose my mid riff fat almost entirely, despite my age, so this works for me.

I've always found it to be as simple as calories in, calories out,... I'm no expert

So what do you make of the work of experts such as Dr Satchin Panda, Dr Jason Fung and Dr Pradip Jamnadas who say otherwise?