Perimenopause & weight

[Honey1975]

I'm 43 perimenopausal and am watching my waist slowly disappear. I do some exercise but am guessing I need to pay more attention to my diet as I can clearly no longer get away with eating what I like! Anyone else feel the same? Any tips welcome.

Same boat. Permanent diet and exercise regime is the only way I've found. I try to exercise for 30 mins each day and I restrict the carbs. It's hard but doable and for me I prefer the pain of exercise and missing out on puddings to being overweight.

Same here.

Your calorie needs drop so theoretically you need 1600 instead of 2000 calories to maintain your weight.

That’s almost a whole meal less! I am trying to reduce but it’s bloody hard.

Borridge really, I had no idea about that! Trouble is I feel anxious alot of the time and I think I comfort eat as a result. Then I feel horrid, it's like a vicious circle.

Rcat I know I feel that way too, like my body is changing beyond my control and I don't like it. I feel frumpy. I know several mums at the school who are the same age as me but are so slim. I don't know how they do it.

Me too op.
I’m 44 and peri. I’ve started buying different clothing to compensate for my waist thickening.
I really seem to feel more hungry during the day as well.

Me too and where on earth does the sweet tooth come from?

Ihatethecold I keep trying to work out what clothes I can wear that will flatter this new strange shape I have. If anyone knows please tell.

Awks I know! I seem to crave sweet things & wine!

I'm 45, fat, knackered more anxious than ever, miserable and would rather eat my weight in cake than anything healthy. Sleep is massively evasive as well! I'm shattered in the day and wide awake at night.....feel like a teenager!

I am 46, and have started having the same sort of carb hunger I had in my teens or when I have PMS

Am fighting it by doing 1 hr sport daily (how long will I be able to keep that up?! One injury and it's fatsville for me )

Am also training myself to have a cup of tea when I have the craving, tea is a treat and always nice, yet not calorific. Hmmmm tea! See, it works

Honey, all the fashion is for loose fitting knits, perfect! Look to Hush for baggy yet nice clothes inspiration

Following as I feel the same.....not sure if I'm perimenopausal or just experiencing middle aged spread....just cannot shift weight like I could even say 1 year ago....I'm coming 40

Thanks Peanut I've always steered clear of baggy as i'm short & feel swamped but now thinking it would be a better look than clingy round the middle.

I'm almost 45 and have gained a stone over the past few years. I'm only 5'2 and a size 16 and feel a frump in everything I wear. I have a mumsy hairstyle now as my hair just won't grow, my eyelids have disappeared into the folds of my eyes so they are all hooded and when I do put makeup on I look like mutton dressed as lamb.
It's not helped by the fact I work with a load of smart young early thirties people who flirt and laugh all day, wear smart and stylish clothes as they are all 10ft and a size 8. Sigh...

Yoga! It works for me on lots of levels. Clears my head, helps me sleep and definitely helps keep some sort of waist. (Mind you below the waist leaves a lot to be desired)

I do hot yoga and I swear it has kept me somewhat sane through the death of my father and some unpleasant teenager incidents.

Flipflop sorry for your difficulties. Glad you have found something so beneficial to help. What is hot yoga?

I was going to
Say yoga as well. It keeps me toned and supple and helps me sleep. I also Cycle about 10 miles a day.

That said my waist has definitely thickened aged 44 and I crave carbs and sugar all the time. I’m just hungry and am at the point where a nice bit of cake cheers me up much more than it used to.

I’ve been feeling like this at 44, and teetering on the edge of perimenopausal I’m pretty sure. I swear the moment I hit 40 my shape just changed, my waist thickened and my thighs too.
I have to say though, I’ve gone on the blood sugar diet recently (no sugar, low carb) and the weight has just dropped off me, it’s the way to go!

I try low carbing but it’s not sustainable for me. I have to walk my dogs for 45 mins 2 times a day and I’m exhausted if I don’t have any carbs at all.
I do try to eat better carbs.

Soya and linseed bread or a whole meal bagel.
I do have eggs every morning to help fill me up and I do have fruit and vegetables a plenty.
I also have sore joints especially my hip. I take magnesium glycinate to help.
This also helps my headaches and insomnia.

Wonder supplement for peri menopause.

I also recently started taking Maca, that’s helping my diminishing sex drive and dryness!!!

Maca? Sounds interesting. There is no need to out on weight as you get older! You can still be slim - don't give up. I lost a done a couple of years back (at age 51) and am still maintaining at around 7.5 stone (currently trying to lose a bit more - am very short!). Just exercise and eat healthy - and obviously not too much.

I’m 48 and highly perimenopausal. Been overweight since early twenties, very much so the last decade or so. Needed to lose weight to have gallbladder removed and also wanted to get on top of things before menopause as heard it gets harder to shit weight.

Started in November 2016 and am now on the Home run having lost just over 100lbs. Exercise has helped me hugely as boosts my TDEE by a lot so gives me leeway to eat a decent amount. I also find I generally need carbs or am knackered and with the last half stone or so to go I don’t even attempt to lose a pound a week, very happy with a couple a month.

Last to go is that bit round my middle but I think it slowly is. I have heard the 5.2 is good for this but my body minus gallbladder can’t cope with that but can with one or two lower calorie days (so far, touch wood). I’m experimenting with two days this week of around 1000 to see how I get on - one sorts any weekend excess out, the other creates a deficit to lose is my logic. Once I’m maintaining I’m hoping once a week will do the job.

Can relate to sore joints and sleep problems. I just try and do what I can when I can and am trying to ride it best I can.

@ihatethecold

When you tried low carbing, how long did you do it for? And did you make sure you were eating plenty of fat?

In the early days of low carbing what you're doing is switching your body from burning carbs for fuel to burning fat. It takes a couple or a few weeks for this to happen, and in those early days you can feel more tired, and exercise can be harder. This is why fat is important, as it provides the energy you need instead of from the carbs.

But once you're fat-adapted, you have plenty of fuel - from your body's own fat stores. Even elite athletes who have very low body fat have enough fat stored to do this!

How long does the peri last for? I'm just starting to notice changes at 43. I have seen my colleague suffering with symptoms for at least a couple of years now.