Fellow Menopausal Fatties

[FlameRise]

Anyone care to join me in trying to lose some weight.

I really need to sort myself out but I seem to have zero willpower. I would love some company.

I will weigh myself tomorrow. There will be tears.

I've now taken the plunge and started the Fast800. Day 3 done - so far so good! Hunger was worst yesterday morning, I woke up starving and then had nearly all my daily carb allowance for breakfast! Not going to make that mistake again! Energy is good so far, but I am going to bed earlier to get away from temptation 
The weekend will be tricky, we're going to stay with DH's sister in London, not sure how I will manoeuvre that...

Morning everyone, great to see so many of us here.
I’ve lost 4.5kg already and just about nudged into the top of the healthy weight/BMI range. I still have a pot belly that is basically pizza dough. Not sure if will ever shift but will see. I have another 2-3kg or so to lose. I’m feeling so much better and my energy levels are better, I’m running twice a week and not hating it. I’m tracking religiously in MFP and because I’m replacing most sugary or high GI carbs with protein and fats I’m genuinely not hungry. Keep it up everyone, it really is worth it to feel like “you” again.

A little breakthrough am down 2lbs. Coincidentally ( or not) after taking a probiotic supplement. My sticky out belly has reduced significantly. Will see if I lose anymore. It's only taken a bloody month .

This weight just isn't moving. I've not lost a thing for 4 weeks. I feel like I might aswell just eat all the shit food and be this weight. What's the point of eating cereal and seeds and fruit and salad every day instead of bread and cakes and biscuits if I'm still going to weigh the same? I'm so disappointed and disheartened, I've tried so hard 😪

@JaffaCake70 it is so difficult isn’t it. The only way I lose weight is the fast800 but I have to do it 100%. No way do I lose weight by cutting back here and there, my body just shrugs and nothing happens. Currently working up the determination to start again for the trillionth time.

My Husband reminded me that we've just been away for the weekend and I did eat a fair bit of 'naughty' food (chips, pie, cake...).

But I've been watching my diet for eight weeks now and I've only managed to shift 4lbs. Back in the day I'd have lost that by skipping a meal 😭

I have plateaued at 68 kg because I had family visiting, and ate out a lot. Back to IF and upping my protein from today.

@JaffaCake70 losing 4 lbs is something, not gaining 4 lbs is something at this point in our lives. I was slim until age 50, weighed between 7.5 and 8.5 stone. Now I am 11 stone of blubber. No point in looking back, I am trying to think of women in their 60s and older who look great, Lesley Manville is one. I think we need to accept this is going to take a lot longer than it used to, a lot slower than we want. And also to be honest when we don’t stick to it. I am drinking far too much white wine on the sofa and far too little time on the cross trainer.

Well done @23usrnm and @ThePoshUns

Though Lesley Manville is slim?
ive just had a hideous day of pain, GP said gastritis (though no d or v, weird), apparently need more carbs!!!

Piling in here because you guys are totally feeling my pain.
@JaffaCake70 everything you said is how I'm feeling and it wrecks me.
In 2019 I was nearly 15 stone and I started Noom towards the end of the year. I lost half a stone fairly easily and then weight crept off as we went through lockdowns as I was doing a lot of walking.
By this time last year I was a little over 13 stone. I'd stopped Noom because of the expense and lack of progress. Their target calories was 1600-1800.
Gradually weight crept back on again to about 13s12 and then in January I got cracking again. I tried a calorie calculator from a no bullshit PT on Insta which suggested 1600 was too high and I should be aiming more for 1200 to 1400.
So I have been consuming around 1000 calories per day in order to achieve a 500 calorie deficit and doing that I have managed to lose about 1lb most weeks.
This is with daily walking and gym three times a week.
It's been slow and really hard but worth it for that 1lb weight loss and I am down to 12s9 but for the last three weeks, maintaining that same regime I've lost nothing and it's killing me.
It doesn't make any kind of scientific sense. To be consuming 1000 calories whilst burning (according to my Fitbit) 2,500 to 3000 calories daily and not lose weight is not supposed to be possible.
And it's so disheartening to be going through all that pain and see no results.
I'll be 53 in June and this month will be 12 months since my last period. I do feel like the menopause doesn't help and contributes to my huge belly.
I've been really strict this week but still lost nothing. Am taking Fybogel because eating so little (usually no breakfast, soup for lunch, salad for dinner most days) is making me constipated. But that also makes me really bloated with gas.
So yeah, it's really tough and this week, not losing anything just makes me want to cry. I can live with the effort and deprivation if I get the 1lb weight loss win, but going through all that and losing nothing is heartbreaking. I don't know what the answer is but it helps to know I'm not a freak and others know what it's like.

Does HRT make you fatter? I took stock of my 11 stone status and started to watch my diet 29/12/22 and I went on HRT 25/1/23 so it's hard to know, my weight loss had already stalled at that point I started taking HRT.

I plough on. As another poster said, this is supposed to be impossible. The scales is depressing. I know I've done so well, the way I'm eating is so healthy compared to 2022, but the scales shows no change. I'm reminded of those shows like secret eaters, where nobody believes them! ha! a camera could be on my shoulder 24/7 and I have nothing to fear. But still, no change on the scales.

@Z0rr0 the only way for me to get motivation now is to look at what I weighed a whole month ago and so far my weight has been less (but not much less) than it was a whole month ago. It goes up and down though, and I can never just get on the scales and count on a lb per week. I might risk a weigh this morning just so I have something to check against on the 6th June! SO FAR this has worked but the amount of effort going in to the tiny losses.... it's a modern day tragedy.

then I end up feeling guilty about the one small slice brown soda bread I had with my soup, weighed, measured, and logged. I enjoyed it so much but when you see no results what do you cut next.

I was keto 3 years ago and it worked for me but I do not want to do keto again as I had a kind of crazed feeling the entire time. I had an 'omg I'm resisting I'm resisting bread'' feeling the whole time, and when I did fall off the wagon I rolled around in carbs for a year and put on two stone. It messed with my head.

I started hrt a couple of months ago and while I don't have weighing scales in the house, I know I'm bigger because my clothes are tighter. I hate being bigger as I don't feel like myself, I feel uncomfortable, however the hrt is really helping other perimeno symptoms that were really getting me down, like aching painful joints, night sweats and badly fluctuating moods! Among other things! I walk a lot every day but it doesn't seem enough to help manage my weight.

Hi everybody 👋 I'm still here! I've managed to lose 1.9lb this week - have been to the gym 3 times, not calorie counting but have cut out alcohol, bread and junk and making a conscious effort to drink water instead of endless cups of tea.

Re HRT - I've been on it about 6 months, my weight did creep up about half a stone I guess but honestly that could just as easily be down to my diet/lifestyle. I put on at least 2 stone in the pandemic and I was already overweight.

I'm happy the weight is coming off, it just feels like such a long road ahead with 3 stone to shift - I want instant results dammit!

I'm so sorry @xPaz. I don't know what to advise you because I'm in the exact same boat.
I had blood tests last year because I thought maybe my thyroid was off. Never been so disappointed to hear there was nothing wrong with me. (I know that sounds ridiculous and selfish because I should be grateful to be healthy but I was so desperate for an answer.)
My GP just said 'Can't you just be you and be happy?' But I'm not happy.
Everyone / everything says a calorie deficit like this you should lose so I just don't understand it.
I really struggle when friends make fairly minor lifestyle changes and the weight flies off them because I have to fight for every pound. And I don't know what else I can do because there's almost nothing left to cut out.
I think maybe I eat too late in the evening and perhaps that doesn't help but also if I'm hungry at night it risks me snacking.
Ugh. I hate it so much.

I’ve had an interesting 4 weeks as I finished listening to the audio book version of “Why we eat too much” and at the same time had to take an acid suppress med with antibiotics which killed my appetite. I realised the excess stomach acid feeling I was interpreting as “I’m hungry all the time”. Plus I’ve gone wheat free eating potatoes and brown rice instead of pasta / bread and no alcohol. No calorie counting what so ever just focusing on 3 meals, and the odd oat cake for snack. I’m 3st overweight. For the first time in over a year I not only lost weight but lost 7lbs in 3 weeks! Interesting I’ve slowed to a 0.5-1lb a week loss but the main thing is I feel so much more in control of my eating it’s been life changing. I’m still on the acid reducing meds.

@Twoshoesnewshoes yes Lesley Manville is slim, I meant she is inspiring, age 67 and still has a waist. Currently watching her in Citadel with Stanley Tucci, she also starred in Mrs Harris Goes to Paris and Magpie Murders recently and looks wonderful. She also seems full of energy and just has her shit together, I am 11 years younger than her but I am pretty sure she could run rings around me. Trying to channel her vitality.

@ThePoshUns would you mind sharing which probiotic please? There's so many out there I haven't a clue.

3lb lost this week. I've tried to behave but I'm always so tired, which makes me hungry.
Interesting conversation about HRT. I'm still on the mini pill and wonder if some of the weight is due to that?

Been out today on my bike. I do a lot of the End to End Challenges. This morning was the 26.2 mile Coronation marathon. Now that's got to have burnt some calories!

For what it’s worth I am 56 and never been on hrt, I’m about 2 stone overweight.

Hi I just went for this one. Didn't do much research

www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/holland-barrett-live-friendly-bacteria-20-billion-capsules-60031614

Just out of interest, how much exercise is everyone doing?

I've joined the gym for the first time in my life. I'm trying to go 3 times per week (I'd like to go more but it's difficult with work and family commitments).

Today I did 25 mins exercise bike, 30 mins treadmill (set to an incline) and about 15 mins of weights.

I also play badminton once a week and intend to start swimming once a week as of this coming Tuesday (not looking forward to wearing cossie with my massive gut but needs must!).

I'm almost 53, and about 4.5 st overweight.

P.S. After all of my good work in the gym this morning, I came home and had a massive 'Coronation Day' binge.

I ate onion bhajis, quavers, trifle, dairy crunch chocolate, babybel, a MASSIVE pizza, drank 2 Coronas, ate more trifle...... and I'm not finished yet!

I'll start again tomorrow. I'm blaming the Coronation for today..

Oh God! Posted all of this on wrong thread.

How embarrassing!!

Sorry all.

Oh, no I haven't 😂

It's the right thread.

Sorry all, I've had 2 beers and I'm losing the plot!!