Help me lose menopause weight!

[Zofloramummy]

I’m 49 and have been in perimenopause for 4 years now and my periods are very infrequent.

l have put nearly 2 stone on, it is all around my stomach. I haven’t changed what I eat or my activity levels but having been slim for most of my life I am now a size 16.

I am limited in what I can do in terms of exercise as I have pins and plates in my ankle and don’t have full mobility.

I was thinking of trying the 800 diet, what have other people tried?

I'm in a similar situation to you - though without the ankle thing! Also considering the 800 diet, and starting weightlifting if my shoulders and elbows stop hurting long enough for me to do it.

I'm following your thread. I'm finding that if I as much as sniff a processed carbohydrate these days, I put on weight.

I try to be fairly consistent with 16:8 intermittent fasting and eating a LCHF diet. I've got very little time to exercise due to caring responsibilities, but I suspect that would make a huge difference. I'm doubling down on the calorie-counting now and hoping to feel a bit trimmer before the summer holidays.

I’m glad I’m not alone, I’m ordering the 800 books this weekend and putting batteries in the scales (eek!).

I’m sure I’ve heard that weight lifting is better than cardio when you are a bit older.

@Zofloramummy I do a reasonable amount of cardio, and can walk for miles and miles. But it no longer helps me in weight management 😭 There's an old saying: you can't outrun what you eat!

Hello - I’m following as I too have been piling it on. I was v strict w myself for a few months but it made no difference. So I’ve given up and had a pain au choc for breakfast.
I am thinking of trying the Jo Wicks app, as I need to start somewhere with some weights and higher impact movement. I’ve been doing lots of yoga and Pilates but maybe moving a bit faster will help my mood and low energy levels. I’m 50 and permanently exhausted.

I'm in the same boat too - am alarmed at the amount of fact that has appeared around my middle - I used to be a natural size 12 and now am easily a 16 around my waist.
There is so much advice out there about excerise and diet that I don't know where to start. Have downloaded the wall yoga app which I hope will improve my joints, strength and flexibility, but I feel I need more. I also came back on a long-haul flight yesterday and my legs and ankles swelled up, which freaked me out a bit, so am worried about my weight now.
Have heard that protein is the answer, so going to give up wine and buttery toast, soft cheese and crackers and pasta, and eat more pulses, fish and eggs and hope that does something. My DD is in recovery from an ED so I can't calorie count, or do anything too obvious.
I hope someone knowledgeable comes by.

@Bluebootsgreenboots I have found the 'well woman 50' supplements have stopped me feeling so tired and listless - I am positively perky some days 😊

I'm in the same boat. 56 but now on tablets for cancer which hopefully will stop it from back. These are oestrogen blockers but that's a whole other thread. The lack of oestrogen has loads of debilitating side affects which I try to ignore.

Ive lost 6lb over the past month using Nutracheck which is an app like my fitness pal but so much better. I find I need to eat very little and really carefully track what I eat.

I also started swimming twice a week for 30 minutes and walk whenever I can. I have painful joints but find once I get moving it's easier.

I've got 1.5stone to lose.

"I haven’t changed what I eat or my activity levels"

This is possibly why.

I read that you need less carbs as your oestrogen levels drop because your the carb/glucose cells that were put to use storing oestrogen become redundant, and that the drop in oestrogen slows your metabolism.

I'm having some success after several years of hating my scales for lying to me replacing a third of my carb intake with protein. It's slow going but I've lost 6lbs since the beginning of March but now the lighter nights and nicer weather is here I've been increasing daily walking distance/duration (not intensity) which I think has helped too to keep my metabolism up for longer.

For me, what works is very few carbs and when I do have them I stick to wholegrain (brown rice, pasta and oats.) But I usually only eat one of those in a day. The rest of my food is mainly fish, veg, pulses, fruit, dairy (loads of plain yoghurt) and nuts. I did put on quite a bit of weight (for me) round my middle when I was about 50, and had to make a real effort to cut back. It may sound boring, but cakes, biscuits, pastry, anything with added sugar, aren't things I eat except as a 'treat' (maybe once a week.)

The 800 cals isn't sustainable long term, unless you're meaning do it as a 5:2, for 2 days a week.

One thing which does help is the 16:8 eating window (an overnight fast) or as close as you can get to that. I manage 14 hours, which is why I'm posting this waiting to eat!

I had always been slim due to exercise.

However it was a shock that once I hit tbe menopause I went up to a size 18.
I am back down to 12.
What worked was less cardio, although I still do some cardio for stamina, and ifting heavy ( for me)weights. I do a full body routine 4 x a week.

Just a word of warning though, I have always loved doing Romanian Deadlifts but have been strongly advised to stop due to vaginal prolapse. Even if you haven't had a prolapse yet, RDLs aren't your friend as you get older.

I also spend time doing flexibility and functional moves daily. Nothing massive, maybe 10 mins in the morning as part of my get ready routine. I wish I did this years ago, it really makes a difference to how I feel.

Diet wise I have more or less stopped drinking alcohol and sodas. I never have orange, pineapple or any other juice unless im on holiday.
I have found it difficult to give up chocolate bars( I love Picnic bars!) so still have them but only occasionally.

I know it's a controversial topic but I have given up UPF as much as I can ( except Picnic bars!!!) It has made me think about what I'm eating and has definitely made a difference.

The other things that have helped is drinking more water, especially at work. There's a big tea/ coffee/ chocolate culture going on there but I've got into the habit of asking for a glass of water. It's not always fun of course.

All these things meant lifestyle change which isn't always easy but once you get into the swing of things you will definitely see a difference.
I'm 60 in a couple of weeks and I'm not going to bullshit saying that I look 10 years younger or anything, but I definitely look better. I also feel like I've got my pre menopause mojo back which is great.

@notacooldadwould that apply to any type of deadlift? I love doing deadlifts but will stop if it increases prolapse risk.

I had a prolapse repair almost 30 years ago. I was advised never to lift anything more than 14lbs (about 6 kgs.) , preferably seated if lifting any weights at all, and no high impact exercise (eg running, jumping, anything where both feet are off the ground) as well as no deep squats.

I worked out my TDEE so I could accurately work out how many calories I actually needed to eat to lose weight -shocker, it’s a lot less than you’d like! (Especially once you take 20% off the total tdee amount to get your weight loss calories).
I then logged on to My Fitness Pal and weighed and logged everything I ate. It helped me see where I was going wrong and enabled me to make effective swaps.
I also cut out alcohol completely, it wasn’t doing me any favours anyway.
I went from nearly 13 stone down to 9 stone. I’m slimmer now, post meno, than I was in my thin 20’s, all with no exercise (due to chronic health issues).

Thanks, I’ll give that a try!

Cut out/limit UPF, sugar and refined carbs
Mediterranean diet - eat food, not too much, mostly plants (÷ some protein)
Intermittent fasting - 2 meals ÷ 1 snack (apple, carrot, boiled egg)
Some form of exercise - walking, Lucy Wyndham Read, Livinleggings - 30 minutes a day.

Thank you for the information and the inspiration @notacooldad and @GroupDiscountOnTheBusToHell! Do you mind sharing the age you were when you made these changes?
I had worked out that carbs were the problem. I was making myself dhal and rice for lunch thinking that the protein and fibre were good, but actually the rice just gave me a crash at 4.

@JinglingSpringbellsIm a runner and not giving that up as love it too much and I’d great for mental health and weigh reduction. But I’ve started to add in weights to maintain muscle and don’t love that so much so will think about what is essential to do with that

Definitely.

start with 3-4 kg dumbbells and work your way up.

check out growingannanas and Caroline girvan. Life-changing.

Duplicate post…

@Zofloramummy it not the food or the exercise as women it the menopause they process carbs differently. As hormones decline we process sugar different, high sugar carbs will lead to fat gain.

@Zofloramummy It's not one or the other.

Building muscle through weights means your muscle tissue uses energy even when you're resting. That's why having more muscle uses more calories.

You don't need to use heavy weights as these can cause prolapse.
The late Michael Mosely did some research with a group of older people and small weights were as effective, as long as enough reps were done.

Exercise also uses calories. I've tracked mine and my 3 mile walk uses around 200 cals.

That gives a deficit of 200 cals in itself and they say to lose a pound a week to need a deficit of 3500 cals- 500 a day.

So half can be exercise and the rest reduced food.

You also need cardio for heart health, to reduce BP, and to keep your bowels moving and healthy.

Thank you for the information and the inspiration and ! Do you mind sharing the age you were when you made these changes?
I had weight trained since I was in my 20s and it wasn't a thing for many women to do.then.
I always liked, cycled etc but in my late 40s I stopped everything due to low mood and my weight piled on. The less I did, the less ss I wanted to do

I regained my mojo about 2 years ago. I cut out as much upf a year last January and started my weight training gagain about 12 months ago. It's made a huge difference to my attitude and outlook as well as physical changes.
However you do have to lift heavy and commit

Just catching up with the thread and there is some great advice on here!

I can’t walk long distances (ankle problem) but I’m looking at buying a static bike for cardio. Thanks for the recommends for weight lifting.

I definitely eat too much carbs, and probably upf’s too. I was planning to use the 800 diet plan as a kick start and then a 5:2 pattern.

I take calcium with vitamin D and Magnesium Glycinate which helps with sleep.