How much weight have you put on/dress sizes gained in perimenopause?

[whimsygoth]

I am 43 and absolutely in peri with lots of symptoms and a recent diagnosis of adenomyosis. I was always a slim size 10 and even after my son 13 years ago I got into size 8-10 clothes. In recent years I have gained and gained and was a size 12 for about 5 years and now I am a size 14. I know that is not huge by any means but I feel my whole shape is now so much more bloated with a right gut. How much have you all put on? I was 8 and a half stone then 9 and a half for most of my size 12 years and now I am 11 stone. Ideally want to get down to 10.

I went up a size and then was almost bursting out of that, needing another size up again, before I reined it in and took control.

You need up to 300 calories less per day during peri/menopause unfortunately. It only takes overeating by 100 calories per day to put a stone on in a year-that’s just a banana or a slice of bread!

I logged onto My Fitness Pal and started weighing and logging everything I ate and drank and got things under control. I’m now a size smaller than I was before peri. I still log on My Fitness Pal to track maintenance calories to keep me on track, it helps me make better food choices and see where hidden calories are.

I’m 42 and the same- for years been a comfy size 10-12 depending on the shop and last year resigned myself that I am very definitely a 14 now… weight is a steady 12 stone- I don’t feel that big (apart from the belly!) as I am tall but despite running/weight training, nothing has been shifting it for the past few months, in the last 6 weeks I really started watching my calories more, sticking to no sweet treats/snacking and only alcohol at weekends (I can only handle 1 glass of wine now anyway!) and still nothing was working … then suddenly last week I dropped 6 lbs out of no where. Would love to get do to anything starting with a 10!! It is depressing but this bit of weight loss has given me hope! I know I’m going to struggle with calories coming into autumn/winter though…

Thought I'd got away with not gaining any but got to about 46/47 and put on about a stone and one dress size, going from a 10 to a 12. Have a lot of other stresses jn my life so I just bought some bigger clothes. It seems to have settled there for a couple of years but I'm sure more will be gained in the future if I don't make some changes.

calories calories calories & slower metabolism.

It was a 5 year gain, and that inc through menopause, I gained over 6 stone, got high cortisol, which was a real part of the issue then high blood pressure and sleep apnea. Size 10 to an 18, although I told myself I was a 16.

im now an 8, took mounjaro to help me reduce, and on a maintenance dose, maintaining for over 18 months,

I’ve gained 3 stone in the last few years. I’m 49 now and had been a size 10 all the way through adulthood (apart from pregnancy) and then it just piled on and I can’t shift it!

I’ve gained about 1 stone. It’s not the weight mind so much as loss of muscle tone, I feel and look very flabby with loads of cellulite.

About four stone over twenty years since my early forties.

3 years post menopause and gained none.
So the “you wait until menopause” isn’t always true.

I'm early 40s and finding my weight wanting to creep up. But I'm determined it isn't going to because I have a lovely, relatively new, wardrobe of clothes.

So I weigh myself daily and cut back in real time to stop the pounds creeping on. E.g. I'm not long back of holiday, and realised when I got home that I gained 4lbs over two weeks. So now I am cutting right back until they're shifted. It's harder than it used to be, and rather dull. But for me personally it is worth it as I enjoy being a small size 10.

I peri must be pre menopause, then I lost a bit of weight/went down clothes sizes during this time.

I wax lyrical about the following approach: The Human Being Diet by Petronella Ravenshear. She devised this specifically for a post menopausal client who was quite simply not responding to normal attempts to lose weight. Ive befitted, so many friends have benefited. Totally refires your metabolism (I put on 20 kg between 40-50)

Does anyone ever just sail through? is it genetic? All the women in my family just became rounder and rounder, then most developed diabetes post 60, so I’m feeling it’s a bit of a losing battle if I’m going to have the same.

I went to my GP for my HRT review recently and to complain generally about it being unfair that I’m eating very healthily and still gaining, she said she’s going through it too! Very slim but said she’s struggling with the way her body is clinging onto fat in new places. For me it’s the lbs creeping on my hips, tummy and somehow my back. This is despite working harder than ever before to strictly calorie count and really upped my exercise, plus the lack of muscle tone is making everything look looser on my skin and extremely flabby. My gut suddenly looks pregnant! I was thinking my cellulite didn’t look too horrendous just a month or so ago trying on a bikini, but a quick glance in the mirror today sadly tells me it’s now looking really widespread, which seems to have come on overnight.

I've put on about a stone that I'm struggling to lose. I've gone up a size on the top half, mainly due to my massive boob growth - from a 36D to 36GG. That's the worst part. I find it utterly depressing and demoralising that I'm stuck with these monstrosities.

I put on a stone between the ages of 45 and 55.

Some people are luckier than others, but it's like with blood pressure/vaccine response etc etc-age affects most. It seems like a perfect storm, as you're more likely to get injuries/illnesses so can't exercise as well, and there seems to be a lot more pressure to stay looking like a 30 year old. I know a lot of people hate the respect your elders phrase, but societies that do that tend to treat older women better, where too many people in the UK now feel they have to spend a fortune and take risks instead of allowing natural change.

I struggle to keep weight on, and I eat a lot but mainly healthily.

On HRT and do a load of exercise. I weigh 3 stone less than almost 20 years ago before I had a hysterectomy.

I’ve gone from 14/16 to 18/20, despite doing nothing different over the last 4 years or so. It has all gone on around my middle! I’ve always had big boobs (38H a couple years ago) but I am now a complete apple shape - skinny legs with a big round body 😭. It’s awful - even my armpits feel fat! My dr says it’s a combination of changing metabolism with age and premenopause.

About half a stone, from eight and a half to nine. I’m 5’6”. I’m 60 and never taken HRT.

True there’s such a pressure to stay ‘youthful’ which is so weird. It’s not that I want to look 20 forever but I’d quite like to just look my own age rather than looking and feeling haggard. I know it’s good to work out as I want to stay as strong and self sufficient as long as possible, but still a shock to look in the mirror some days!

I didn’t actually answer the OP, sorry. I was about 15 stone after having my kids around 10 years ago, lost 4 over the years, and since peri hit have gained almost a stone back. Age 40 I was about 11 and a half stone which was good, I was heathy bmi and felt and looked decent. At 43 I’m now steadily creeping past 12 and a half stone which is a real shame after all the work I put in to maintain. Dress size is variable depending on store, I can be anywhere from a 12 to a 16.

I've put on 2 kg but still a size 10. Whatvi weigh isn't that important to me but as long as I stay a 10 I'm ok with that.

I’ve put on a stone and gone up a free size between 45 and 50.

I had been a stable weight all my adult life until peri hit. V annoying.

I was very slim my whole life and even after I had three kids, I was more or less the same. Then I hit 40 and started gaining. I ended up with around 15kg extra. I am 56 now and really struggle to get back in shape. Problem is, it just is not coming off.😩

This is true. Since I was about 30 I've gained 1 stone and I'm mid 50s now so that gain has been very gradual over 25 years and 3 children. I started out very slim and with the weight gain I'm now just under 10 stone and 5ft 10. No dieting, but I don't eat much junk food or drink a lot of alcohol because it makes me feel awful.

I didn't notice any sudden menopausal weight gain but my tummy sticks out a little bit more than it used to 😂

Also I come from a long line of tall slim people who like to walk everywhere which I think helps.

I gained 2 1/2 stone in peri and it piled on when I started HRT. I went from a 10 to a 14 as I’m short.

I’ve lost most of it while on 10mg Mounjaro, 1200 calories a day and gym 4/5 times per week. It’s taken 2+ years of battling.

I tried to wean down to a lower dose (5mg) and gained 7 pounds in two months.