Long time low carber…. But struggling with peri 😞

[Nutsaremynemesis]

I’ve been following the bootcamp way since January 2016. It’s been a revelation! I lost around 3st on my first bootcamp and have kept it off easily and effortlessly …. Until about 6 months ago 😬

A stone has crept on and I’m not sure how as I’m eating the same and doing the same exercise. It’s nearly all around my middle / waist. I’m in my mid 40s and have been struggling with odd symptoms for about a year (brain fog, joint pain, rage, crying, period pain throughout the month - none of which are normal for me at all). I mentioned it to my aunt one day and she laughed and said it was peri … so I chatted to my fabulous GP who agreed and has prescribed HRT. Two weeks on and I’m still waiting for my prescription (supply issues) - she’s prescribed me everol sequi patches as a first stab but says we may need to experiment to find what suits me best. I’ve not been on the pill since my early 20s as I didn’t like the way it made me feel (though I can’t now remember what exactly I didn’t like about it as it was so long ago!) so I’m a bit apprehensive that it won’t be the magic bullet I’m hoping for.

What are peoples experiences of peri / HRT and LCHF? Do I need to be stricter? Up my fat? Or have I been doing it for too long and has it messed up my metabolism? I do bootcamp pretty much 100% of the time bar birthdays / Christmas / rare treat meal. I do wonder if I have too much dairy…. But it’s so tasty I find it hard to give up.

I do a lot of exercise but it’s all cardio (cycling and walking). Should I be doing weights? I have zero experience of weights and live in the middle of nowhere so don’t have an abundance of PTs / gyms around (our nearest gym is 20 miles away!!).

Does anyone have any similar insight / experience? And advice? I’ve joined bootcamp for the first time in years as I am hoping the weekly weigh will help. Adherence isn’t the issue, I’m thinking maybe it’s volume of food 😬 but one of the things I’ve loved about this WoE is the fact I don’t have to count or weigh or feel deprived.

My quantities are definitely my undoing. I'm a shocker for fridge snacking too - all LC but just way way too much.

Have you tried proper intermittent fasting?

That's my magic bullet for sustained loss - when I'm in the zone I was stopping food from
6.30 / 7.00 pm and fasting until 13.00 which gets you an 18:6 pattern and it was really effective. Plus I never felt hungry.

The only thing that stops me is the mental obsession with food and snacking which I will continue to work on!

Yes it is purely volume I think…. I’ve downloaded an IF app and will have a got with that 👍

We eat quite early so it should be easy enough. I think if I can just stop the evening nibbling it’ll help!

I’m a low carb fan too, but since peri I’ve found it has to be low carb and low calorie to lose weight. I’m not mad about fasting, but cutting out snacks and 5:2 is helping at the moment. Low carb alone hasn’t worked in the last year or so.

There is a good menopause thread here that will happily discuss hrt matters. Lots of people find estrogel better than patches, but see how you get on. Good luck!

Sorry, just saw your post was a couple of weeks ago, but hope it still helps!

Ah thanks @Lonzo - I only just saw your replies. I am having a lot of problems with the patches and am planning to ring the GP and ask for the gel and utrogestan instead of the synthetic hormones. My body is taking very badly to them (insomnia, vomiting and severe kidney pain!). I had a big cry in the shower the other day - I feel like I was already on the raggedy edge of coping before the HRT and it has made things so much worse. It worries me that this process will take years so I am keen to persevere and find an HRT regime that works. I will head over to the menopause board and check out the threads there :-)

@FusionChefGeoff I am trying to reduce my eating window and it is working pretty well so far. My weight is all over the place with the bloating but as far as a new habit goes I think it will work. Evening snacking is my undoing so once I have had dinner I start my app timer and know I can't eat until mid morning the next day...

@Nutsaremynemesis how are you doing now? x

Hi @Jezzballs2000 I am so much better now thanks. I am very lucky to have and amazing GP. She was happy for me to try oestrogen gel and progesterone instead of the patches. I’m nearly 3 months in and the difference is huge. Joint pain / insomnia / brain fog / rage / tears are all pretty much gone and I feel great. The downside is that I’m always hungry and I’ve put on a stone and a bit 😬 I’m not blaming the HRT because ultimately it’s me that’s choosing to eat the food but I do think it’s probably the progesterone that’s triggering it. I have to take a 3d break from it each month and my weight drops by 2-3kg and I lose the pregnant bloated belly. However in those three days I hardly sleep and feel rubbish so I don’t want to give up taking it! Being a bit heavier is a price worth paying for me, my family and my employer…!

I am still low carb but I eat way too much. I have toyed with the idea of an egg fast to kick start the weight loss and I might try it this week - it’s half term so I have the week off work so it would be easier than normal to do (I work away from home a fair bit). The weight does stick around my middle so I’m quite barrel shaped …!

If you’re contemplating HRT I’d say go fir it but be willing to try some different types. It’s a slow process because it does take 2-3 months to feel the benefits.