My problem with success stories....

[AZY]

Enjoyed reading all the posts and could have written many of them - at 52 have been through the continual hot flashes (day and night), insomnia, fatigue, insatiable cravings for junk food that seemed like alien possession, irritability, and the dastardly weight gain. The good things I managed to do (I think) - take a good MVI (I use the packs from the women to women website and they really seem to improve my mood - could be placebo, but probably not hurting either). Kept exercising even though I felt bloated and yucky. lastly, and maybe some will be horrified ,have gotten fantastic results with doctor prescribed diet pills. I take low doses which curb my appetite - I've lost 14 lb so far and think I'll be able to keep it off now that I'm on the backside of it all. I seem to have snapped out of the cravings and do okay when skipping a day or two, but want to get through this holiday season continuing to lose. This could be sacrilege , but I feel much better without so much of a spare tire and look forward to getting back to baseline.

Again thanks everyone for sharing - it really helps to hear how others have coped. Anne Y

[Barbara P]

I do think everyone is different, and what works for one may or may not for another.

I just turned 60 on Nov 5. I decided to do something I'd never done before...I took the train to NYC by myself (which I've done many times, I live about 100 miles away) but I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, which I've never done. All in all, I walked 16 miles that day (I have a fitbit...).

I have found that since entering menopause (8 years ago) things have changed a lot with my body, and some days it seems like I notice something new daily. I have had hotflashes for probably 12 years now, still have them. Like Joni O, I am on bio identical hormones. They help. I have to go several times a year and the dosages are tweaked. I just had the blood and saliva tests and will go again in a week or two to my hormone doctor.

I don't have a weight problem,, however - it is easy to gain weight and harder to lose than ever before.

Like Jeanne Marie, I run 3 miles, maybe 4 times a week, plus swim and lift weights...but even that is getting harder.

My mom is 82, is a lifelong exerciser and in great shape.

[KellyMarie65]

Originally Posted by Barbara P

I do think everyone is different, and what works for one may or may not for another.

I just turned 60 on Nov 5. I decided to do something I'd never done before...I took the train to NYC by myself (which I've done many times, I live about 100 miles away) but I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, which I've never done. All in all, I walked 16 miles that day (I have a fitbit...).

I have found that since entering menopause (8 years ago) things have changed a lot with my body, and some days it seems like I notice something new daily. I have had hotflashes for probably 12 years now, still have them. Like Joni O, I am on bio identical hormones. They help. I have to go several times a year and the dosages are tweaked. I just had the blood and saliva tests and will go again in a week or two to my hormone doctor.

I don't have a weight problem,, however - it is easy to gain weight and harder to lose than ever before.

Like Jeanne Marie, I run 3 miles, maybe 4 times a week, plus swim and lift weights...but even that is getting harder.

My mom is 82, is a lifelong exerciser and in great shape.

That's great! I hope to stay active my entire life and have the ability to do so.

[Leela]

I gained 17 pounds about 3 years ago due to hormone changes. I'm close to 47 now, but I'm also skipping periods a lot and heavy into the hot flashes, etc. Clearly menopause is knocking.

I'm very cautious now about success stories in anything - I want to see a woman who carries her fat mostly in her lower body, who is in my age range/stage of life ... and then we'll talk

I did lose 11 pounds last year. Moslty my workout was my 1x a week weight lifting with my trainer - lots of metabolic circuit stuff. The rest was all eating lean and clean. I have a lot more to go. I normally am satisfied with 10 pounds lighter from where I am now, but 20 would be ideal (I'm 5'4 and have very small bones. I weigh 142 right now)

[Apryl]

Originally Posted by Erica H.

It's not always a mindset. In my case, I just don't have a signal in my brain that says I've had enough or I've had too much until it's way too late. It's not psychological because I've been this way since I was a baby. My mother took me to the doctor when I was three weeks old and told him that her baby was always, always hungry. I was a chubby baby, toddler, child and have struggled with my weight for my whole life and developed eating disorders.

What's foreign to me is to see someone with one bite left on their plate and they say they are too full to eat it. That would never, ever happen to me. I can't imagine being too full to eat one more bite. My husband and kids all stop eating when their bodies say they are full and I'm just in awe of that because I don't understand it and wish that I felt that way. I try to eat by what I think is a portion size or I see the amounts that others are eating and figure that's the right amount, but it certainly never has anything to do with feeling full or satisfied. I just don't experience that.

Hope that made sense.

Erica

Ohmygoodness! I could have written this! I want to learn to stop eating sooner. Thankfully I'm not really overweight, but can also afford to lose a few pounds.

I've been experiencing perimenopause, and So Appreciate this thread.

[Apryl]

Originally Posted by susan p

Some people do have an easier time of it than others when it comes to aging. Most of that is genetic. For instance, my mom has bad osteoarthritis and would never have been able to exercise through menopause. One 50 year old might have osteoarthritis in her knees or feet and not be able to run, while another doesn't, and can run. The fact that some people who are FORTUNATE enough not to be awake all night with hot flashes is great; but if you're up all night with hot flashes, what they have to say isn't going to work for you.

It is nearly impossible to lose weight in a sleep-deprived state for several reasons: when you're that tired it is super hard to have the self-control you need; when you are sleep-deprived, your cortisol is high which is going to promote fat storage in your abdomen; your ghrelin/leptin balance is going to be off due to lack of sleep, which is going to mess with your satiety signals, etc.

So if you're sleep deprived with insomnia or hot flashes, it's going to be a much rougher road for you than for someone who sleeps peacefully through the night for sure.

And that's just ONE variable!! There are so many more.

I'm in this boat with everybody else and all I can say to you is, you ladies who are NOT giving up, who are struggling and trying and working out and playing with strategies, GOD BLESS YOU ALL for not just giving up!! (I mean, we all give up and skip the workout and eat the donuts on the occasional day, but you wouldn't be HERE if you weren't still struggling through and for THAT I think you all deserve a big commendation. Hat tip to you all!)

And if you're among the fortunate, thank your lucky stars, that's all.

Amen.