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.

At least 2 dress sizes but more likely due to depression than peri. What I did notice though was that I tried calorie counting once I’d started HRT and found that the weight just didn’t drop off me like it has all of the other times so I definitely find it much harder to lose the weight when on HRT

I went from a size 8 aged 39 to size 14 aged 46, then dropped back to size 8 aged 47 (now) thanks to Mounjaro. Not sure what my weight was at those times, but bmi is 20 now.

I've put on 1.5 stones and the majority of that is boob. Why do boobs expand at this time, when they're actually no longer needed?

I've gone from a 34D to a 34FF. The fact the band size hasn't changed shows how much my actually boob flesh alone has expanded.

Pretty much identical story to yours op (except I'm 51)

At the turn of this year I was a size 14 and weighed 11st. I'm only 5ft 1 so was a wee podgy thing with most of my weight around my middle. I've been 9st-ish since having kids then started slowly piling it on during lockdown (which coincided with the start of peri).

Since late Jan I've changed my eating habits and I fairly consistently lost 1lb per week for about 21 weeks. Since then it's slower to come off but most weeks I'm either maintaining or losing maybe 1/2lb.

I’m in Peri and have been on hrt for about 5 years now. Having generally been quite slim
(outside of significant weight gain when pregnant - 4.5 stone still to lose a few months after the baby was born…), I started to put on weight over the last year or so. I struggled to stop eating so much and so upped the exercise to add in one long run a week on top of what I normally do and now I have to consciously eat more to maintain my weight. It’s not for everyone but it seems to be working for me - in peri anyway… As an aside, when I was on testosterone I became really lean - to the degree I stopped taking it because of it, but I am now reintroducing a reduced dose on the advice on the consultant. Good luck - the changes in peri aren’t easy…

Ten years ago I was a size 6/8. Since having a baby and in my mid-40s I've been up to a 12 but then back down to a 10.

Size 6 isn't healthy for me. I don't feel much difference as a 10 compared to an 8, but I do notice that the weight is distributed differently now I'm older. My waist is much less clearly defined and I have more of the weight there, as opposed to my hips/bum.

I’ve gone up a couple of dress sizes during my 40s.
Worked out my BMI and I’m just at the border between normal and overweight.
My waist however is in the very unhealthy zone according to the tape measure.

I'm also 43. I was a size 10 (top) and 12 (bottom) a few years ago; now I'm a 12 (top) and 14-16 bottom. I've had to completely restock my wardrobe and I think I might have to do it again as I seem to be getting bigger and bigger. My willpower has gone, too - it used to be easier for me to watch my weight but now I can't seem to find it in me to care the way I used to. I have no idea what I weigh - I want to focus on getting strong and hope it's not too late.

I was a size 8 before having DD1 at 29, size 12 before having DD2, size 14-16 usually after from the age of 33 to 50, occasionally going up to an 18 or down to a 12. Since taking Mounjaro and losing two stone, a size 10-12.

My weight crept up a bit in my early 40s but I took up running and strength training in my mid 40s and as I turn 50 am less than half a stone heavier than I was in my 20s. Losing muscle and moving less really contributes to weight gain, and calorie restriction can make that into a vicious circle by making you lose muscle faster and have less energy. It's a really difficult cycle to get out of once it starts so I know I have been lucky.

I have adenomyosis and regular periods still and am 53. The weeks before my period I weigh 1.5kg more and have to go up a dress size. I have a ridiculous wardrobe with 3 different sizes in because my stomach becomes so large and then shrinks again. Apparently the adenomyosis can cause this so don’t assume it’s just the perimenopause!

I didn't, I lost weight during that time, became fit and lean.

I’ve put on 8kg so far. I was hoping starting HRT would slow it down but from the responses on here it seems to have the opposite effect. Damn.

This is a really helpful post.

I’m early 40s and have gradually gained a stone over the past couple of years from 8st to 9st (I’m quite short). I’m still a healthy BMI but look far too big for my frame and all the fat has gone on my tummy.

@UnaOfStormhold May I ask how you found the right balance of calories (not restricting too much?). Do you eat at or under your maintenance calories? I do dumbbell workouts at home and walk a lot. I’m trying to find the balance of eating enough to build muscle but at the same time, I’d really like to lose this stone I’ve gained.

I was slim my whole life then put on 4 stone quite quickly after starting HRT. I’ve always exercised daily including strength training, and there was no change in my diet.

l’ve only been able to lose it by eating 800-1000 calories a day. I gain if I eat more than 1200, and I’m not short either (5’6”). I have to weigh daily to keep my weight in check now.

I've been slim all of my life, I am 53 and have been in peri for about 8 years. I still have slim arms and legs but I do not like my middle, I too have adenomyosis (I also have endometriosis and IBS) and I get very bloated which makes me feel huge. I am certain the adenomyosis is contributing to this. I am due a hysterectomy soon, I follow lots of adenomyosis support groups and many say they lose weight after their hysterectomy often because their uterus weighed a fair bit.

I hold on to that as I hate my bloated tummy it makes me feel very unfeminine.

I don't actively monitor calories, just calcium and protein (about 1.6g per kg BW). But I just checked with the app where I track protein and my calorie intake is generally about or slightly above maintenance before you take exercise into account. I have very little UPF and about 8 portions of fruit and veg a day. I need carbs to support my exercise (I get crazy cravings if I don't have enough!) but I watch my blood sugar through having complex carbs, eating carbs with protein or before going for a walk. I also give myself a twelve hour overnight break from eating which basically means no snacks before bed!

Body recomposition is a difficult balance and everyone is different so it's really about experimenting to find what works for you. I would generally prioritise building up muscle as this is so important for physical and mental health, burns extra calories and helps with blood sugar control. You may find your weight drops naturally in the process particularly if you add in a good amount of cardio, or if needed you can do a bit of a cut once you've got a good base of muscle and cardio fitness.

From what you say I would look at building up to getting some more intense exercise in if you can - it's hard to challenge yourself enough with the equipment you're likely to have at home and walking is pretty slow burn. I lift fairly heavy weights, getting close to form failure in the 6-8 rep range. You can't outrun a truly bad diet but if you have a reasonably healthy diet and do enough cardio (I run 30-40k per week) it can tip the balance. I had a few months off with an injury and my weight definitely started to creep up again but it's coming back down again now I'm able to move properly.

Definitely not too late to get strong. I found a women's only weight lifting class last year at the age of 44 and I am loving getting stronger. Hope you can find one, too.

Early 50s (so heading out the other side) and I've found that it not about the numbers on the scales but where it now sits. I'm the same weight but it's all gathered round the middle and I look at least a stone heavier than I am 😔

I’m 53, I don’t weigh myself but have gone from a 10/12 to a 12 since starting HRT. I started doing reformer Pilates in January and it has honestly been transformative, so I try to focus on strength, tone etc rather than the fact I am buying a 29 waist jeans now. (I go to minimum of one class a week, preferably two but it is expensive.)

I don’t weigh myself (disordered eating as a teen) but do measure my waist/hip and waist/height ratios. I’ve put on 5inches (28 to 33) in the last 5 years (from 46 to 51) and have started roughly tracking calories to keep to around 1,500 a day. I also excercise more aiming for 150minutes of cardio and three strength sessions a week. I’m on week 4 have told myself I am not allowed to measure until week 12 but am feeling better and my bloated belly has reduced which may just be less carbs and sugar but is making me feel like it is worth it.

All on my stomach too so living in stretchy leggings as refuse to size up my wardrobe 2 sizes.

To just stay the same I have to eat very little which is incredibly depressing. Especially over the summer with the kids and hot weather. I’ve literally declined every single ice cream and just about managed to stay the same. Miserable!!!

Im fighting hard to be in 12s.I take a low dose of moutjaro because without it my hunger has no limits.

Lots - don't know how much but I went from size 12/14 to realistically size 18 in most things. It coincided with covid which reeeeeeaaallly didn't help. Work became 100 percent from home, I took on more difficult tasks and eventually went full time and up a pay grade, which was great but the cost was much less time to exercise, coinciding with hormonal shifts causing extra weight gain and stiff achiness that makes me feel a hundred tears old when I exercise. Incredibly psychologically hard to push through.

I can still lose weight with calorie restriction but I just can't function while doing it and I don't want to put my life on hold for that so I just feel incredibly depressed about my appearance instead.

Edited to add: I'm 50 and still no idea how far through the perimenopause I am. What other horrors await??

Thank you so much for replying @UnaOfStormhold. This is all really very helpful.

I do a lot of things similar to you - high protein, high fibre, 14 hour overnight fast, hardly any UPF, etc. However, from reading your response I think the main things I’m doing ‘wrong’ are probably not eating quite enough, not doing enough cardio and not lifting heavy enough. It’s tricky, as I’ve found a routine that works around family life to enable me to do strength workouts at home. (I can’t quite see how I could make it work to get to a gym.) But you’ve given me a few things to think about and you’ve also given me hope. Thank you!