to be fed up with how little I can eat now I’m menopausal?

[menno]

Since hitting menopause my metabolism seems to have just given up. I have to live on salads and protein twice a day to keep my weight stable.

I do weight training 3–4 times a week and exercise regularly. I guess that helps otherwise I would gain weight.

Last week I went out for a birthday dinner and also had afternoon tea and cake and I’ve put on 2kg. Now I have to go straight back to being super strict, like fish/meat and vegetables every night just to shift it again.

Pre-menopause I could eat more without watching everything. If I did gain, it would drop easily. Now it is hard work.

DH and teen DC put away huge amounts of food and I have to watch everything I am eating.

AIBU to find this really depressing and restrictive?

I very quickly clarified what I meant!
1.5 grams per kg of body weight.

i just think I weight around 60kg so I need 1.5 times that in grams in protein.

I am not surprised, 1800 calories sounds more like an amount for maintenance.

Eat what you like (or don’t)! I think the problem is people who eat like small birds love to boast about it and make others feel guilty by constantly commenting on how much they’re eating. My parents couldn’t possible eat more than two meals a day and even and were contenually negging me about how much I was eating (I’m breastfeeding so probably eating many more calories than a normal adult, I’m also losing weight as I can’t seem to eat enough to keep pace with it, so last thing I need is someone trying to make me loose weight!

What a miserable existence

Move more

I have done over 14,000 steps today and a session with weights. How much more can I move with work, family and everything else?

I’m disabled.

If you burn more calories than you consume it's not.possible to gain actual weight. Basic science

My worrying conclusion from this thread is that too many menopausal women are surviving on 1,200 calories for fear of gaining weight without worrying enough about the longer term risks of sarcopenia and osteoporosis that are more likely in under fueled women.

Well exactly. This is always how these threads go. We’ve had a new low of someone eating 800 calories though!

I have had my bone density checked twice and it is fine.

Back to school for you.

Are you for real?

But these low value nutritionally - if you want to hit nutrient targets on slightly lower calories there isn’t space in diet for these sorts of food. But either way I was saying what I do…

Because as you said you are at the top end of BMI. The risk is at the lower end. Also muslce mass requires a different dexa and I’m not sure it’s done on nhs.

For now!

I'm not aiming for low calories, I enjoy my food.

I was doing 13k to 15k steps most days plus weight training 4 times a week and just got heavier and chunkier. I was actually the heaviest I had been in years

I also started noticing the only ladies losing weight in my womans weight training classes were also doing HIIT classes or cardio focused work outs elsewhere. I reduced my weight training classes to 2 a week and added HIIT classes instead and started losing weight. I am 45 and have realised purely weight in the gym fattens me up

Of course. I had it checked in the last few years and will again to keep an eye on it.

My nana was under 5ft and a size 6-8, barely ate dairy and ate a limited diet. She had osteoporosis. Probably due to diet and not much dairy. Died in 2013.

If I did that the weight would just keep creeping up.

Same. A little but chunky means less healthy - higher RHR, more achy joints, slower and less mobile. It's a slippery slope to I'll health.

That doesn't answer the question though. There isn't the time in the day to burn any more calories (and tbh - over exercising can do more harm than good) so fewer calories need to be consumed. Which is what we are all complaining about!

Build more lean mass and pay more attention to the quality of calories you are consuming. Work to ensure your workouts are as impactful as possible using compound movements and working close to failure. Ensure adequate sleep and rest days.

There is plenty you can do, none of which includes undernourishing yourself.

I am the same. I eat a fraction of what I did and have gained 2 stone over the last 4 years despite not changing in terms of exercise.

I eat a healthy range of food and have swapped out some heavier red meat for fish options etc, but tbh I can't live a miserable life so have to a degree made peace with being a bit bigger (just shy of 12st - I am 5ft 7, with quite big boobs). I love to cook & eat well and I don't want my kids seeing mummy constantly on a diet.

The only plus side really is that i do think being a bit bigger protects your skin/face/hair. I get a lot of comments on my skin & lack of lines and I don't do anything at all to it.