Perimenopausal and can't lose weight. Anyone managed to???

[Literallynoonecares]

I am 50 and perimenopausal and over the last couple of years, despite not changing the way I eat or exercise, I have steadily gained 2 stone and an unsightly apron belly. After Christmas I decided to do something about it and try and lose the weight I have gained but it literally WILL NOT SHIFT!!

I am counting calories, walking daily, doing several workouts a week and nothing is happening. I make healthy choices and eat plenty of fruit, vegetables, salad and fibre and cut down my portion sizes and nothing has worked.

Am I destined to just be 2 stone heavier now for the rest of my life?? I don't feel comfortable at this weight and feel self conscious of my belly fat and it has started to affect my sexual relationship with my DH because I feel fat and ugly.

Has anyone actually managed to shift weight at this stage of their life? If so how did you do it??

If you find weightloss stalls, eating more calories for a few days won't undo your work to that point and cutting back again will then restart the weightloss.

How many calories are you eating, how many steps per day and what exercise are you doing? I would recommend upping your protein intake - you should be aiming for around 0.8g protein per pound of body weight. Also look to start weight training as increasing your muscle mass will burn more calories even when not exercising. Aim for at least 2l water per day. How are you sleeping and how are your stress levels? Poor sleep and stress can often impede weight loss too

Have you worked out your TDEE? There are several calculators online where you input your age, height, weight, gender and level of activity. It gives you how many calories you need just to maintain your current weight. For example mine is about 1800-2000 so I know if I want to lose weight I eat less calories than that. I follow the Michael Mosley Fast 800 mainly for the recipes but aim to eat around 1200 calories, if I go up to 1400 as hungry I don’t beat myself up too much about it. I try to wait as long in the morning to eat and have something like plain Greek yoghurt with berries, then lunch about 3pm and then dinner about 8pm.

Thanks. Have just been looking at higher protein/lower carb way of eating and I am going to give this a try I think.

Thanks, I will do that now and see what it comes up with. Someone else recommended the Fast 800 so I am going to look that up to.

Great, that is good to hear. I am going to try lowering my carb intake and increasing my protein intake and see what happens. Thanks

Hi, do you weight train or do a mixture of weights and cardio? I used to weight train years ago when I was much younger and loved it then got swept up the running craze and was a runner for over a decade until I started with arthritis which made it difficult. I am keen to get back into it again as I know I can still manage this with my arthritis. I think the calories I set myself have been incorrect and looking at my TDEE I have actually been consuming 'too few' and I think I may have actually been encouraging my body to hold on to the weight rather than lose it. I weigh out all my food so I know I do stick to my daily calorie intake. As for exercise at the moment I have been just doing long walks with my dogs, twice a day, so I rack up lots of steps but outside of that I don't do anything which I think I need to address. I sleep generally well but my stress levels have been pretty high the last few months as I have recently become an empty nester and my Dad has been diagnosed with a terminal illness AND we have our house on the market!!! Thanks for your tips.

Look up the Human Being Diet. It has a big following on Insta from older women for whom it’s worked when the simple ‘calories in/ out / move more’ strategy stops working around menopause.

It’s not faddy - it’s a ‘way of eating’ and based on real food, etc. All you really need is the book (Amazon) but the Instagram community is really useful for support and recipe ideas. There’s a new subscription based ‘club’ online, but it’s not necessary.

I put on a stone last year (I’m 49 and in menopause) and just couldn’t shift it the way I used to. I lost it in just over 2 months on HBD

I know I sound like an evangelist but I’ve got no skin in the game! But I feel like I’ve found a way of eating I can stick to for life and that works for me and that has finally helped me get a handle on my sugar addiction!

Oh and exercise is not helpful for weight loss at this age. I mean do it for other reasons (mental health, heart health, bone density) but not to lose weight. It’s all about diet (I lost that stone when I was immobile with a broken bone)

Great, thank you so much, I will look this up!

I'm in perimenopause and recently managed to lose 3 stone. The way I did it was by counting fat as well as calories. I now don't eat more than 50g of fat per day unless its a very special occasion. The weight has stayed off.

In the past I've calorie counted only and it was fine , but I was younger and naturally far more active due to my job at the time.

Try lowering your fat intake and see how you go.

Good luck!

@mamdwdml

The thing about low carb is, it can mess up the metabolism longer term.

Not so. A low carb diet has an increased metabolic effect. It's calorie counting that affects the metabolism in a negative way.

Could you be insulin resistant?

my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22206-insulin-resistance

I’m 57 and op I feel your pain!

I have, however, lost 7lbs since new year (feeling very proud of myself!) going high protein, low carb, in a calorie deficit, working out 4+ times a week.

it’s definitely tougher the older you get.

Sadly at this age I don't think walking alone cuts it. I'm now working out 5 times a week, 2 runs and 3 f45 classes. F45 is amazing as there's a lot of weights plus cardio.

I also fast. No booze which is a game changer but I know you don't want to hear this: and less calories than you probably want. It's the only way. How many are you working to?

I’m another that porked out at 50, having been really slender my whole life. And I used to be able to eat without even thinking about calories. I’ve always done loads of exercise, that hasn’t changed.

I’ve lost 3 stone on mounjaro and I’m now slimmer at 52 than I’ve been in 10 years. But I’ve had to face up to the fact I need very few calories and will always have to be strict with what I eat.

Thank you. Unfortunately I think I am starting to realise this. For years I went to the gym and lifted weights, then I became a runner for over a decade. Arthritis stopped me being so active and I have been great maintaining my weight and fitness with long hilly walks and hikes with the dogs but sadly I don't think its cutting it anymore. I think its becoming apparent that I need to find another form of exercise to slot into my life and I will go back to lifting weights I think.

Fasting, lower carb/higher protein also seem the way to go so I am going to make some further adjustments to my diet and up the exercise and see if this helps shift things along.

I have been working to 1400 calories but on doing my TDEE I have been given 1650 so I think I may not be eating enough, which seems weird. 🤔

I lost all my excess creeping weight via fasting - not eating for periods of time.

Strength training (lifting weights) is crucial during peri and menopause and it will help to keep your metabolism up. Eating too few calories and doing loads of cardio will have the opposite effect.

Whoever said up thread about upping your protein and eating lots of veg and good fats is spot on. Keep really refined carbs and ultra processed foods to a minimum, for treats.

I follow Rebelfit on Facebook and do some of the monthly missions that he puts on. It's been a game changer for me. Learning about body composition and why stress and other factors will actually prevent you from losing weight is a real eye-opener.
You don't need to count calories once you understand all this. Good luck!

Some studies suggest that low-carb diets can lead to a slight increase in energy expenditure, particularly in the short term. This is sometimes called the "metabolic advantage," but the effect is usually small and varies between individuals.

But ong-term adherence to low-carb diets can sometimes reduce thyroid hormone (T3), which plays a key role in regulating metabolism. If carbohydrate intake is too low for too long, some people may experience fatigue, cold intolerance, or sluggish metabolism.

The body may also adapt over time by becoming more efficient at using fewer calories, potentially leading to a plateau in weight loss.

Hi there - I weight train 3 or 4 times a week and try to get 10,000 steps in a day (that doesn't happen very regularly at the moment) I have a walking pad for days when the cold and wet does not appeal.

You won't be eating too little to lose weight I'm afraid. That's a myth. What's your weight, height and general activity level? What kind of job do you have? Don't overestimate your activity when setting a TDEE.

Look at macros, not just calories, and you can eat more food volume than you perhaps realise - so lots of veg, lean protein at every meal. Protein and fat fill you up and take the body longer to process than carbs.

I will add that I've had a few injuries and there is always a work around in the gym. It's important to keep good form as I'm sure you know and to challenge yourself by lifting heavier/doing more reps/changing things and not doing the same handful of exercises without mixing it up.

The gym I go to is all small group sessions where you go around the room doing several different exercises in a session and there are different sessions on different days of the week which then change monthly. It's not cheap, but it's like have a personal trainer shared amongst a small group.

A hideous divorce has done it for me in no time at all.

Calories counting religiously, (1400) high protein (140g), weight training with a PT twice a week. 15000 steps minimum per day.
Down 11kg since October.
I'm 58.