Morning all. You know what's funny? When my body followed an atypical weight loss pattern, I would get frustrated because no matter how well I ate or worked out, the weight would only come off in a 5-8 day period between ovulation and getting my period. The rest of the month I saw no weight loss or gains... it would take 3 weeks until I could see what the next month's losses would be. I lost like a wavy up and down pattern, with it slowly working it's way down.

Now that I don't get my period as regularly, I'm even more frustrated as now I don't know WHEN to expect a loss or why I am seeing a gain. In the "good old days" I would see the scale climb as I got near ovulation (without fail) hold there for 3-4 days and then a week of WHOOSH for the month... then hold steady and then a slow steady climb again until the next month's whoosh.

Now? I lost for a 10 days, held steady for 2 days, climbed for 3 days and then a mini whoosh today - for no apparent reason at all. WHY do I weight 2.5 pounds less today than yesterday?

Have to say... I think I prefer the "good old way" because at least I knew what to expect - good or bad. I'm not as "down" with this random up and down stuff that is more typical! Ah... middle age.....

With that said, the scale is down .8 from it's previous low from about 5 days ago. But who knows what tomorrow will bring because my body's new norm is a total mystery to me.

Nice to have you back Berry! I wondered what happened to you. So sorry about the gain! You can do it! You did it once, you can do it again.

Ah, female weight loss patterns...... I certainly identify. Because of fluctuations, I think of my weight as a weight range, not as one number. I have learned to be content as long as the range's high and low numbers go down, not up!

Hang in there sista. Perimenopause is the pits. I am now postmenopausal and I find weight loss easier. Hormone fluctuations wreck havoc on your system and play mind games with you. I know I got so frustrated doing everything "right" and seeing the scale going the wrong way.

Hopefully you can find a pattern of which foods help you lose and which cause stalls. Even low carb foods such as nuts and cheese caused stalls for me. Anything with a high sodium content was also a horror show.

Thanks Sum... I went totally off the wagon after several injuries and just getting frustrated and then going into a depression (of which I am now out of - which is why I'm back with the program)... Stinks to have to relose, but I will NOT give up! And, hopefully, I've learned to deal with signs of 'falling", so that when (yes, I say when) it happens, I have better coping skills that stuffing my face with simple carbs.

Glad you are still plugging away and doing great!

Well, it definitely is a range and if I'm eating right, even when it goes up, I know it will come down as it's just a fluctuation, but this randomness is a whole new experience for me!

You know... I never really factored in perimenopause as being part of the reason I might have been depressed! Hello!?!? Duh!!!! Throw in more hormone mess on top of Seasonal Affect Disorder AND I stopped taking my thyroid medicine (which I just read can also lead to depression) Gee whiz, it was a triple slam!

Still here. Lost 25 pounds last year and hoping to lose the rest of the 25 by the end of this year.

I am still regular what comes to my period. Helps to have a teenager DD; we cycle the same. I follow your old pattern. A big whoosh after TOM, a few pound loss the week following, gain at ovulation and usually nothing happens between ovulation and TOM.

You know, I was just thinking about how I would probably be more regular if I had a daughter. I remember my mom saying that for the last year or so she only got her periods when us two girls were home on long breaks - that stuff is AMAZING and still we don't know WHY that is!

But... I have two boys - a teenage (graduating in a month) son is not going to help with that.

My mom was through menopause at the age of 42, so being in the throws of it at 44 is no shock I suppose.

Maybe you will just have to have more patience this time as if you are in perimenopause, i believe weightloss is actually more tricky during this period. I read that the other day.

but that issue aside, there are really quite a lot of reasons why the scale goes up and down in its own apparently irrational patterns.

So far i've noticed:
not going to the loo every day
exercise
lack of activity or more activity
certain foods which are higher in salt especially bought food like takeaways and asian
other processed foods
the weather
the amount of sleep i get
alcohol
dehydration in general

and there's also variations in metabolism caused by a whole lot of mysterious processes which i certainly have little conscious awareness of.

Apparently stress affects this too.

yes... this list is true for me too. Asian food doesn't make me spike (as we don't eat out Asian, but I make at home) but typically mexican food (homemade) makes me gain - salsa makes me gain. Oh, and standing on my feet all day will make me hold water.

But, yes, I do and have noticed these things will make me gain overnight and I don't sweat it...

But not having a pattern to weight loss is SUPER odd to me. Like WAY odd.

And, I totally, totally wish I would have been more "in the know" with trickier weight loss during perimenopause because I was very, very, very slowly losing last winter/early spring and it really frustrated me (then throw in injuries that were keeping me from the gym). I was finding that if I ate 1500 calories a day and DIDN'T make it to the gym... I didn't lose at all. That got extremely frustrating as I was still HUNGRY, but not losing - months on end... finally I just caved and got depressed.

Funny. When I volunteer all day, I sit 8 hours and I always gain. Even though I fast on my volunteer days. Standing makes me lose.

It's so odd how our bodies all react differently.

berryblondeboys, I wonder how often you weigh yourself. Would it be easier to do it less often? Maybe the downward trend won't be so muffled by all the hormone-related shifts. Your triple-whammy sounds like a doozy! Glad you're feeling better. There IS life after menopause.

For what it's worth, my experience has been that while I gain weight more easily, losing is about the same rate as before. (Most recent loss & first time ever reaching goal wt. was age 59-60). Perimenopause was mercifully short : )

Aaaah, so I'm not the only one that holds on to weight during ovulation week. It took me a while to figure out it was ovulation week causing my gains that wouldn't go away until ovulation was over (woosh afterwards). I had to start using Pink Pad to figure that out lol