Weight gain

[Woolftown]

Since menopause I have gained 7lb. It seemed to happen overnight. I used to maintain my weight relatively easily. I am fairly fit and have a reasonably healthy diet and just cant shift this. Do I have to accept this middle age spread is permanent or does anyone have some tips of what worked for them.

I don’t think you need to accept it. I put on 10lb and put it down to menopause but when I started being more mindful about my diet(portions really as I eat healthy foods) I lost the weight. I think you need fewer calories as you age unless you are very active.

I’m 5ft 5 and need around 1500 cals per day, not 2000. This is easily achieved on 3 meals per day. Sometimes I’m under but then this evens out with more cals at the weekend. Works for me.

Thanks. I try to be careful about what I eat but can’t face the thought of being on a permanent diet.

Most certainly you do not need to accept this.

Two things:

1. Exercise. Absolutely vital as you enter the menopause, especially weight training (to protectyour bones...). Look up Caroline Girvan on YouTube and get some dumbbells. It's tough to begin with, but absolutely worth it.

1. Diet

Lots of vegetables, moderate amounts of lean protein, small amounts of healthy/unrefined carbs. Intermittent fasting works for many to get to goal weight. Cut out bad carbs a d sugar as much as possible - especially alcohol.

Me neither and I’m not on one.After a week or so of realising what an actual portion should be(quite shocking really) and measuring/weighing, you get to know how much you need.

You don't need to be on a permanent diet, but you'll find it easier if you focus on healthy, unprocessed foods. Look at Mediterranean diets, especially Middle Eastern. (A Lebanese Feast is an excellent vegetarian cookbook. Just add chicken and fish if you don't want to be full on vegetarian. )

Don't drink calories.
Cut out sugar as much as possible as it's addictive and doesn't fill you up.
Fill up on vegetables before starting on the protein, and leave carbs till last.
Boiled eggs are very filling but only have c.70 calories - I always have some in the fridge.
limit snacks to healthy stuff, such as fruit and nuts.

And exercise - weights 2-3 times a week, HIIT/cardio 3-4 times a week.

I just walk daily with my dog for 45 mins and 1.5 hrs at the weekend. I do dumbbells a couple of times a week.

It does seem inevitable that your metabolism slows up.
I've never worried about weight but I have menopause leading into covid and have put on a lot of weight.

Whether you want to limit what you eat and stop having things you enjoy etc because maintaining a certain weight or dress size is really important to you or
whether you accept you've had 30 years of never having to worry before, but now you are older you are happy to be a different shape and weight from what you are, is up to you.

It's not a question of stopping eating things one enjoys, but to learn to enjoy healthy foods.

If you weight train, you'll gain muscle.
Muscle weighs more than fat.
So, you may end up looking slimmer even though the weight stays the same.

Win win 😎

Thanks everyone. I will definitely look into weights and check portion size. I walk at least 90 mins a day with the occasional run and I do eat a pretty healthy diet - I think that’s why I’m finding this quite hard.

I'm similar. I've had a BMI of 21-22 pretty much all of my adult life. I'm now in peri and since January have piled on 10 pounds from nowhere. I eat relatively well and exercise. It has all gone on my middle too, where I used to have a nice waist.

Same here

Would you consider intermittent fasting, either 16:8 or 5:2. Then you won't feel like you are on a diet, you just find other things to do than eat at the times you're fasting.

Thanks for the Caroline Girven rec, she looks great.

I found increasing the number of batch cooked vegan curries helped a lot as they're full of fibre and plant protein.

One of the issues I've had is extreme fatigue which doesn't help, and insomnia. Extreme joint pain - practically a cfs state.

For me personally only hrt has helped that. It's a v good idea to get regular exercise going as you enter your 40s as it helped sleep etc. diets can help that too; limit caffeine, alcohol etc.

Sounds like you’re doing everything right op. I’d just check portion/cals. I’ve always eaten healthy food and love a Mediterranean diet but avocados and nuts are calorific for example. I was surprised at how small a 30g serving of oats is. Portions can creep up. I was ldd as I find being strict about eating Dc in between meals helps a lot.
For me it’s as much to do with health as looks. Being overweight increases risk of disease in middle age.

Lol I don’t know what happened there. I don’t snack on DC 😂.
I try to not eat between meals.

Exactly the same here.

I am on hrt and I have found it helps to start to loose weight but that may be as much that I've more energy.

I don’t take HRt but a 50+ daily vitamin helps with fatigue for me.

Will check portion size - I may well be eating more than I think. I don’t snack between meals and I’ve been struggling to think about what I can do.

Also op 7lb could be 3lb of water. I’ve dropped as much overnight before. I find if I’ve eaten pasta I hold onto water for a day or two.

Years before Michael Mosely started doing regular health and diet programmes, (well over a decade ago) he did a new year's programme which looked at some basic science of cutting calories .

A few basic tips were thick lumpy soups as they fill you up and take a while to pass through, porridge (also thick and fills you up, cooking it to release the gloppy glucan also helps cholesterol etc ) and snacking on almonds (apparently they provide so much filling they end up being calorie neutral and curb hunger.) adding protein to any of the above (skyr to porridge, nuts and seeds, lentils) will also help.

I agree eggs are really useful.

This works for me much to my surprise. All my life I'd needed to eat within about 10 mins of waking up, but I tried intermittent fasting so not eating til noon and I got used to it within two days. I haven't looked back and shifting the extra weight was straight forever. Menopause changes so much!

I agree that intermittent fasting works.

I usually just have a cup of tea after I wake up, then do my workout. After I'm done, surprisingly, I'm not really hungry, but I drink lots, and I mean lots! of water. Then break my fast - usually an omelet or other egg dish plus some vegetables, salad or fruit - at around 10-11 am. Maybe have a small lunch - often leftovers - at around 1-2 pm, though quite often I just snack on fruit and nuts and/or yoghurt during the afternoon. Dinner, which is my main meal and consists of protein plus vegetables (such as chicken stir-fry or pan-fried fish or a lentil dish) at 6-7 pm.

I don't count calories unless I've gained weight (which happens usually when I've been naughty or on holiday...). However, as PPs mentioned, portion size is key and it's definitely useful to work this out to start with.

But cutting down on 'useless' calories is also crucial - especially things like crisps, chocolate, icecream, booze.

For me, though, weight training has been what has made all the difference. Now that I've gained strength i enjoy it so much. Quite addictive really. And no more bingo wings, even though I'm in my 60s. I credit Caroline Girvan's workouts, which I and many others have found life changing.

One more thing: having a strong core definitely helps. This means training your abs and doing planks. Try these short workouts - the Bowflex 3-minute planki do virtually every day:

Davina McCall says that HRT didn't help her lose weight but it was so good for her physically/ mentally/ emotionally that it gave her back the will and the energy to eat well and enjoy exercise again. And consequently keep her weight under control.