The HRT weight gain

[YorkshireMandy]

I'm back again since posting about my HRT belly last autumn. I've been off my HRT since then due to the uncontrollable weight gain. This gain was also exacerbated in late summer due to an achilles tendon injury which prevented me from running.

Whilst I knew I'd gained a lot in the 16 months on HRT I'd been actively finding lots of ways to exercise and cut calories. I've been resistance and cardio training 5 days a week for many months now. In the past 9 weeks I've started my running program again alongside other exercise and I've definitely lost a lot of inches. I thought I had a stone to go before I got back to my October 2021 weight, that is until I went to the GP on Monday. Their scales rather than the ones at my pals house that I've been using occasionally, reveal that it's almost 2st to go! I mean how depressing is that? That also means between the HRT and the tendon injury I probably gained 3st plus! To add insult to injury, to get well into normal BMI I'd need to shed a further half stone. The nurse did say that they don't actually use BMI anymore at my surgery and that my activity level, usually 90 to 120 mins a day would indicate that my muscle level is also high, something I'm inclined to agree with since I take a UK size 12 trouser. It's all belly and boobs for any fat gain with me and I do have a slightly protruding tummy.

I'm trying to forget about the numbers on the scale tbh. I don't own scales at home because I get obsessed with numbers having had an eating disorder that almost finished me off when I was a teenager. I spoke to the nurse about the HRT gain because I literally ballooned from a UK 10/12 to a 16 which at 5'3" looks big. Nothing else had changed at the time as my 5 days of exercise regime and nutrition had stayed the same. She said she hears the same from many women in my age group and that HRT does not suit everyone. The advice is to keep doing what I'm doing and the rest will gradually come off. HRT weight goes on so fast but comes off so slowly. My BP is raised because of the extra fat in my boobs and tummy which is something I never had before either.

The problem I'm having at the minute is that my estrogen is suddenly pretty high naturally or at least it feels that way. My breasts get really sore and swollen from mid cycle onwards and the bloating around that time is also pretty crazy. Resultantly I almost feel like giving up. I'm putting in so much effort to shedding the fat that when this happens it makes me so depressed. I know one thing, I won't touch HRT again with a bargepole!

I haven’t gained any more weight while on HRT, and I find that the reduced joint aches helps me to be more active. I suppose it’s an individual thing.

DustyLee123 I guess it is. I have friends who have maintained or lost and others who have ballooned like I did. Who knows but it's certainly not a one size fits all medication

i haven’t gained weight in HRT

i think you’re assigning way too much blame to HRT Op

you havent even been on it for 8 months or so

Another one who's not gained weight. (16 years on hrt.)
I am very careful over what I eat.

Someone posted here last week on how she was unable to lose weight and when she posted what she ate in a typical day, there were a lot of suggestions about what she needed to do (because, basically, she was eating too much still including sweets as snacks.)

It was a helpful thread rather than a pile-on, so maybe you'd like to do the same?

Which HRT are you using? Or have you now stopped? (Not sure if you've given up on it?)

If it's combined continuous for women post menopause, that seems to be linked to more fluid retention compared to sequential where using progestogen is limited to 12 days a month.
My breasts get really sore and swollen from mid cycle onwards and the bloating around that time is also pretty crazy.

This is the effect of progesterone not estrogen.
You maybe need a lower dose of estrogen as well- what dose are you on?

You're also possibly underestimating the effects of exercise. I know you say you do 4 workouts to a video, but that won't use many calories.

Do you do any walking? Or strenuous hill walking?

While I had a Mirena for the progesterone element of my HRT, I gained 1-2lb of water weight, which went after a hysterectomy meant I no longer need progesterone. I have continued with Oestrogel.

But my weight has been fairly stable, though I have to be far more careful now at 60.

So other than the Mirena water weight, any weight gain is probably not down to HRT in my case.

Sorry- so you're NOT on HRT now and haven't been for some time?

I misread and thought you'd gone back to it after the break.

It's your diet.
Sorry but the bottom line is you're eating either too much or the wrong type of foods.

Interestingly the poster last week who asked for help on weight, was eating more than some posters do who aren't dieting . She was definitely eating more than I do on my normal 'maintenance' intake each day.

I was on HRT for a few years. Never gained weight, wasn't aware it did cause weight gain?

I’m now tapering off HRT, the weight gain and depression wasn’t worth it.

Doctor said that HRT increases breast cancer but keeping a healthy weight and reducing alcohol consumption reduces it. I found I was more depressed, drinking more and fatter, not for me.

Hi OP I'm in the exact same camp as you, 5'2 always sat around 60-65kg weight training and fairly active, low carb by choice and happy as Larry with my 10-12 sizing with curves.

HRT entered the mix 8 months ago, nothing else changed and I'm now 73-74kg that weight came on over 3 months I could literally see it and it's not water "bloat" it's full on rolls, I'm in a size 14 and loose dresses, but clearly look more round and tubby.

I've switched to intermittent fasting, upped my walking and exercise, cut out some sugar and the scales and measurements won't budge. Increased my water as well.

I'm debating coming off to see if the weight goes? Just to check I'm not going mad. But the HRT stopped my 15 a day hot flushes in a matter of days, controlled my anxiety, night sweats and made me feel more human.

So I'm trying to figure out what's best.

But the frustration is real especially as it seems based on this thread most people don't have the same issue and imply that we are all stuffing our faces with cakes!!

No implication of that from me! We’re all different.

My post states I was on HRT 16 months. My workouts include resistance training, walking, cycling and running. I track everything I eat. All of you who are saying HRT hasn't affected your weight, well lucky you.

Have you had your thyroid checked op, that can also cause issues similar to menopause symptoms.
Seems odd that the weight gain hasn’t gone when you stopped hrt, if that was the cause.

I've come off HRT and am losing weight - I've no idea if the two things are related!

I really needed the HRT when I was taking it so I'm not sorry I did. And was worried when I had to come off it...but it's been OK so far.

But I need to eat far less then I have been eating....

I have lost inches but not as much physical weight as I'd hoped. My diet is healthy, I track everything religiously and I even go to bed hungry sometimes. Why should we have to knacker ourselves out and starve? The HRT caused the gain and now I'm struggling to lose it. Most of you are just having a go at me and my diet. How do you know what I eat? I'm on 1400 kcal per day on average with 90 to 120 mins exercise every single day. If I do any more I will collapse

Hey OP you mentioned the nurse said you had more muscle, and you're saying you are losing inches, so doesn't that mean the exercise is doing its thing and your weight isn't dropping due to muscle?
The only way I lose weight now is cutting carbs, sugar and junk apart from very occasional treats, it's hard

Are you running again? I do strength training and find that can add some weight—partly because of tissue inflammation, which eases when I take breaks. I now also run because that seems to help. If I major too much in weights, my thighs get bigger than I like. I’ve dropped my weights on lower-body days too.

sorry, just saw you are running. Missed that!

Yes I'm running again. I had to drop the weights I use in resistance training because my legs and glutes were getting stupidly big. My resistance training now is actually combo workouts of strength and cardio. I am wearing smaller trousers now but I had hoped I'd dropped more in weight. The inches went off my waist and I was then hoping for lower belly but nope, arms and legs started reducing instead. My main issue is why is it taking so long to drop? I enjoy exercise but I'm sometimes exhausted by it all. I've cut alcohol to virtually none, I don't buy takeaways, cakes, biscuits or sweets. Eat only wholegrain bread, mainly wholefoods more veg than fruit and I buy any meat or fish in an unprocessed form mainly from farm shops and fishmongers. I actually felt good about myself until I got on those scales! Now I'm depressed although apparently when I was very slim 3 years ago my weight was still over the BMI recommendations so yes I must carry a lot of muscle

We bought one of those scales that tells you what your percentage of body fat is - I can see mine reducing and percentage of muscle increasing as I do more exercise. So I've dropped a dress size and have much less body fat, but my weight loss is a stone....

Don't get bogged down by the numbers, I hear of proper fitness people being higher weights when they're slim due to muscle but smaller sizes. It's hard to make sense of that when we've always thought smaller number = thinner. But you are in a smaller size, it's working

Many women gain weight on HRT just like many women cannot tolerate the progesterone element and get horrific anxiety. There are strong advocates of HRT who always pop on these threads to tell those of us having adverse reactions that we are imagining it and it is not down to HRT but to us!!

I have gained over 1 stone on HRT, I have switched to very low carb and am still running and walk daily. 2 of my friends are the same. Interestingly, my weight gain is the same as I experienced at puberty - my breasts, my stomach and my thighs. I’m not sure whether or not to continue on HRT and really the weight gain will determine if I stop it.

Would it be helpful to buy some scales that show fat/ muscle percentages?
Or go to a gym where they can do it with calipers?
Your weight isn't really the issue, but it's visceral fat that's the problem so why not have it measured?

It's also very hard to track calories carefully. Your post is almost identical to one last week. Unless you're religious about weighing everything it won't be accurate.

Some suggestions (for the poster last week) were that 1400 cals may be maintaining weight but not low enough to lose weight. (I reckon my daily intake is less than that.)

This is meant to be supportive, by the way not critical.

When that poster listed her day's food, she was eating carbs at each meal (rice, potatoes, cereal) plus afternoon toffees etc.

Some of us (and this again isn't being 'holier than thou') said that if we ate that we'd gain weight, not lose it.

I put weight on very easily round my middle and have to be hugely disciplined. The only way for me is to have carbs at one meal only and only wholegrain. So for example, it we have a stir fry I won't have the rice.

Again, not saying I'm 'great' but I'm a lot older than you and do have to eat very carefully (with the occasional treat.)

Does any of this help?

How about listing what you ate yesterday? and the portion size?

@Iloveshihtzus I was confused here at first- the OP isn't on HRT now and has been off it for months.

I definitely gained weight on HRT. Nothing else in my life changed, diet exercise regime, nothing.
I gained nearly 2 stone, my boobs ballooned and I lost my waist.

It might just have been menopause related but I am convinced HRT played a part. The same thing happened when I was younger and first went on the pill.

I was on HRT for 10 days - I blew up like a water balloon. I concluded if that was the cure the malady wasn't too bad!

I've lost weight on HRT as I feel so much better than when I wasn't on it. I find weight more difficult to move than when I was younger though. I do a lot of sports but I don't do quite as much high intensity excessive. I used to do hour and a half spinning classes several times a week. So when I needed to shift weight I could.