Does perimenopause/menopause negatively affect weight maintenance?
I turn 40 next year so I've been reading a lot about the symptoms, especially the dreaded "menopot" belly. Unfortunately, I do not have any older fit women that I can ask how perimenopause/menopause affects them. Usually I get unsolicited advice basically stating all woman are doomed to gain weight especially around the middle, it's all downhill once you turn 40 so you might as well eat anything you want blah blah blah. Naturally, these women are overweight, diabetic, heavy drinkers, & unhappy. I believe secretly they want me to follow their same path because it'll validate their reasoning.
I feel like I'm in better shape & have more energy than I did in my 20's & early 30's (especially since I started lifting weights to help melt the fat away). I'm counting on exercise & eating healthy to help me counteract the symptoms so I can fit my size 6 jeans for many years to come.
It still amazes me how rewarding weight maintenance can be yet how mentally draining it is to especially when it comes to dealing with all the naysayers.
My always slender mom gained weight when she turned 60. She had to watch what she was eating for the first time in her life, it was a little traumatic for her! She has since lost the weight (and her little belly) and has the slim figure she always has had.
I turn 40 next year so I've been reading a lot about the symptoms, especially the dreaded "menopot" belly.
Hi working mom! I'm pushing 60 and went through menopause at about 53. I obviously am still heavy at 217, but I have *never* had a potbelly, so I don't think you are doomed to have one. Even at my highest weight my stomach was relatively flat.
I guess I come from a time or place where I never even thought much about menopause, and it did not really bother me, aside from a few hot flashes which were more funny than debilitating (as in -- turn off the a/c, turn on the a/c, turn off the a/c, etc.)
My basic body shape is still about the same as it has always been. My advice would be not to worry about it, whatever happens is going to happen, and your thoughts on eating right and exercise will serve you well.
No, I don't think you're doomed to gain weight or have a larger belly. I have a roll around the middle, but I've always had that. At 57, I'm thinner and in better shape than I was in almost any previous decade. My stomach is flat--no pot belly whatsoever.
I do encourage you to lift weight or do resistance training. It really helps shape your body.
I'm 41, I decided to get healthy and lose weight when I turned 40. I lost weight just fine, my age didn't affect it a bit. But I am afraid as I get older it is going to be harder to keep the weight off, the metabolism slows. I think as long as you eat healthy and exercise you'll do fine.
I went through menopause at around 47 and am now 53. Yeah, I have the little menopot but my waist is 26 inches and I wear size 8 jeans comfortably. I'm in great shape as far as I'm concerned!
I'm quite a bit past menopause. I do have fat around the middle, but that's where I always gained.
I don't talk about weight loss or weight maintenance with people in real life, except for my SO and a couple of friends who are like-minded. So I don't care what other people say. All I care about is living right for me.
I'm 53. Been in full blown menopause for about 3 years. I quit eating refined carbs (white flour and sugar) over 2 years ago and lost about 27#. My stomach is almost totally flat. I've maintained my weight and waist (about 25-26 in.) for almost 2 years. I exercise a little, but not excessively. I think if you eat right and exercise, it can be minimized. I know that if you gain weight after menopause, it tends to accumulate more in the abdominal area, due to lack of estrogen, but I certainly don't think it is inevitable.
Last edited by murphmitch; 03-12-2010 at 06:05 PM.
OK - on the same general topic as this thread - did anyone have difficulty losing weight while peri-menopause or menopause?-
I am just perplexed as to why i have been on plan for 7weeks now....lost a few (albeit sloooowly) and now they are creeping back on.
I have tried more food - less food - no carbs - low carbs - and have been off wheat and dairy for almost a month???
I just can't figure it out?
...and no, my clothes don't fit any differently either?
Any insight would be appreciated.
I went through menopause in my early 40s. I gave into my cravings and gained the potbelly. I lost the menopause weight after I went through it. I am now changing my eating with the SBD and exercising; weight lifting and pilates.
Be gentle with yourself and try to stick to your food plan even if you gaining some weight. It will come off when the hormones settle down.
OK - on the same general topic as this thread - did anyone have difficulty losing weight while peri-menopause or menopause?-
I am just perplexed as to why i have been on plan for 7weeks now....lost a few (albeit sloooowly) and now they are creeping back on.
I have tried more food - less food - no carbs - low carbs - and have been off wheat and dairy for almost a month???
I just can't figure it out?
...and no, my clothes don't fit any differently either?
Any insight would be appreciated.
S
I started this weight loss project at age 49, and I'm now 50 and so far I don't think my age has been a huge factor, but it's been more than 20 years since I tried to lose weight. I suspect it's coming off slower, but it is coming off.
However I do note that your current weight is my goal weight and you're taller than I am so maybe it's harder because you don't have much to lose?
I've been done with my periods for 4 years now, I'm 53... am in in menopause or perimenopause, not sure but I am done with it and I love it
I find that if I eat refined sugars and carbs I will gain in my waist area first rather than in my thighs like I did when I was younger. If I eat clean unprocessed foods I have no menopot but it seems that as soon as I eat refined carbs my stomach bloats. It also takes me forever to lose weight, a snails pace of 1 lb / month ... it is doable but it's hard work, eat right, exercise, etc..... Oh well, that's life and I keep plugging away, I'm used to it by now
I'm 46 and still have regular periods - my cycle has actually got shorter over the last few years (this time a 23-day cycle, which is the shortest ever). I think my mum said this happened to her too in the last few years before menopause. My sis is coming up to her 50th this year, though and she is not menopausal yet.
My weight loss has been slightly slower compared to when I was 37, but at this stage in my journey I've not dropped my points as much as last time and am eating slightly more than WW recommend for my height and current weight. It's getting slow enough that I'm considering dropping a point per day though. I would like to think that the slower pace is because of the extra points and not my age, but I can't be certain.
I guess I'm a little worried that I will need to eat less on maintenance than I did last time, but I'll have to cross that bridge when I come to it.
I know one thing though - with the amount of weight I've lost so far, and with increased exercise, I feel younger. I felt older than my years previously because of the weight, worse eating/drinking habits and my very sedentary life.
Does perimenopause/menopause negatively affect weight maintenance?
... it is doable but it's hard work, eat right, exercise, etc..... Oh well, that's life and I keep plugging away, I'm used to it by now 
