Medical menopause weight gain help- any good apps or tips

[Hopefulblogger]

Hello,
I have just turned 38 and have been in medical menopause for 13 months due to breast cancer treatment. I can cope with the sweats but the weight gain is really getting me down. I don’t really know what my calories should be now etc and I’m just wondering if people have some useful tips or good apps or resources to help!

For context, pre cancer I exercised 6 days a week and was very lean and I exercised because I loved it! I didn’t eat extremely clean and enjoyed boozing and partying. I’m now finishing cancer treatment, zero fitness and don’t like what I see in the mirror (hair loss doesn’t help make you feel glam either, I’m in a crazy regrowth phase!) Don’t get me wrong, I am extremely grateful to be alive and pray i stay well but feeling quite deflated after a long hard year. Any help would be much appreciated!

This was my friend and neighbour 6/7 years back - medical menopause because of breast cancer and seriously suffering from cancer fatigue

Me, was in menopause and really piling on the beef

We started to walk together - we have a mile and a half lane which is mainly farm traffic. The first few walks we would only make it about a quarter mile before we had to turn but we kept at it , small increments. We walked at her pace, some days she was better then others, but we kept going, got a routine we fell into . She found it really helped her just getting out of the house and pushing herself - not to the extent that she was washed out for the rest of the day - but pushing herself to walk

3 years later we did our first half marathon and climbed the highest peak in NI

Oh and I personally found the night sweats were less when I walked that evening

Weight loss is possible at menopause , it's slow but very achievable . I find Ive had to knock white bread on the head , and only eat wholemeal or rye - very rarely . I do cook from scratch , rarely eat takeaway and avoid UPFs to the best as I can - Im not totally obsessive. Ive really upped my fibre intake and protein .

I eat a lot of lean meats - turkey and chicken, lots of eggs and fish - tinned oily and fresh , lots of beans and lentils and veg - lots of veg - veg with everything - a bacon butty is now a BLT - absolutely stuffed with lettuce and tomatoes for example. I also make loads of great yoghurt and pile it high with frozen berries

I still enjoy a drink or three. Took me about 8 or 9 months to shift the weight and Ive been maintaining since

Thank you @suki1964 and congrats on your half marathon, this gives me hope that I will someday be closer to my old self again. 😀

Just a heads up @Hopefulblogger - watch out for symptoms of GSM and seek appropriate treatment if you get any e.g. vaginal estrogen like vagifem or intrarosa.