Unable To Lose Weight After Menopause

If you are in peri-menopause or full blown menopause then you understand what a challenge it can be to lose weight during this time of life. You know that all the normal things you do to lose weight, like cutting out sugar and bread and exercising more, are no longer working. You feel like you losing the battle and you can’t understand why. Your body feels almost alien… like you don’t have control over it anymore. No one seems to know anything about this… not even your doctor who likely gives you the old, “

1) Declining estrogen means you store visceral fat around your stomach. Hence the spare tire that magically appears. I could no longer button my jeans (

Everyone is different and everyone has different symptoms and issues. There are 35 symptoms of menopause…everything from hot flashes to weight gain to heart palpitations. I’m going to walk you through MY journey. This is what worked for me. You should always consult your doctor before taking anything and make sure you get a plan that will work best for you and your body.

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The first thing I did was schedule an appointment to see a hormone specialist who recommended a TON of bloodwork to get a full and complete picture. This is how I found out I also have mild hypothyroidism which leads to weight gain as well.

Hormone replacement therapy is NOT for everyone. You should consult with your doctor about the risks. It is especially risky for women who have had cancer or are at risk genetically of getting cancer.

I take Liothyronine for my thyroid, Progesterone and Estrogen are the two hormones that I take. Progesertone is a compounded hormone that I take orally once daily. Estrogen is administered by patch and I apply a new patch once a week.

Why Is It So Hard To Lose Weight After Menopause?

There are some other things you can take to help with the symptoms you are experiencing and keep you healthy. Talk to your doctor about Vitamin D, Omega 3, B-Complex, Adrenal Essence, Evening Primrose Oil, etc. For a full list of supplements that help with the symptoms of menopause be sure to read this post. 

Again, consult with your doctor first. You may even want to hire a nutritionist who specializes in menopausal women. If you hire a “regular” nutritionist, you might hear the same “eat less” mantra.

In the past, I have tried Intermittent Fasting, KETO, and of course my normal go-to of giving up sugar and carbs. IF (Intermittent Fasting) didn’t move the needle. I got really tired of the KETO foods after three months, which you can read more about here. And, my typical go-to’s were no longer working as I mentioned above.

Why Weight Loss After Menopause Feels So Challenging

To lose my 15 pounds I gave up a TON of things. I basically became vegan with the exception of eggs.  I ditched sugar, gluten, dairy, meat and alcohol.  I followed the plant-based, vegan diet for 6 months and that helped me lose 10 pounds.

Recently, I started incorporating meat back into my diet. I am still mostly dairy and gluten-free. I definitely indulge in some sugar every now and then. I opt for organic, dark chocolate mostly. And, I love the Daily Harvest dairy-free ice cream here.

Mixing up my exercise routine was also KEY to losing the extra weight. Initially, I tried all the ‘go-to’ workouts including: running for a year straight (

Menopause = Weight Gain? Stop Blaming Your Hormones And Do This Instead To Lose Weight. Dr. Yvi Schroeder, Cpt

A 17-mile mountain pass run/hike, some heavy weight training, P.Volve, BBG, Pilates, Barre. You name it, I did it! The heavy cardio worked, but it was not sustainable and it wreaked havoc on my body.

How I actually lost the last 5 pounds…? Doing the Tracy Anderson Method 6 times per week. I do Tracy’s aTAin online studio workout at least 5x per week now. It changes the game! Look at my legs in the before and after pictures above. You can see how much thinner my legs are! You can also see what my estrogen patch looks like… Ha! I could have edited that out, but I thought it might be helpful to see it. Tracy’s workouts have shaved inches off my body and given me more energy and flexibility. I recommend turning her music off and listening to your own playlist while doing the workout. I think you should also start with the Mat DVD, which is FREE on YouTube to see if you like it. Try it for 6 weeks!

Did I get super shredded like a badass fitness guru with zero body fat? Nope. But I feel SO much healthier and stronger! To me…that is what matters. Oh, and I can button my jeans again!

Women Who Successfully Lost Weight After Menopause

If something IS working for you, it is likely to work for someone else. PLEASE share your tips with us in the comments below. Are you doing Intermittent Fasting and losing weight that way? Have you been on KETO for a year and found great success?? Please share below.

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Erin Busbee of Busbee Style is proud to lead a community of well over one-million vibrant women over 40. Through her platforms, Erin shares a unique inside / out approach to her style, fashion & beauty content, honoring the natural power, radiance, and beauty within. Erin believes that life over 40 is one of the best times of your lives…a Midlife Awakening!

How To Lose Weight During Menopause: 10 Ways

Sign up and you instantly receive… FREE Wardrobe Basics Checklists, Closet Editing & Organizing Checklists, Zoom Call Tips, Capsule Wardrobe Shopping Suggestions and a Lookbook of outfit ideas! You can download and print all of these.I’ve been overweight my whole life. My earliest childhood memories revolved around food—chocolate cake at birthday parties, pizza at bowling league, ice cream at sleep away camp. For every major childhood event (and most of the minor ones, too), I have a memory that involves food. As an only child of a single, working mother, I was home alone a lot. Growing up, I turned to food for comfort, for companionship and as my source of entertainment and “fun.” But, in the end, relying on food for comfort and companionship would cost me dearly. I was overweight or obese for my entire childhood and most of my adult life. But, then I did something I had not been able to do successfully for decades. I lost the weight, going from 240 pounds to 178 pounds in my early-to-mid 50s. I think losing more than 60 pounds is impressive at any age, but what’s especially significant is that I did it at a time in my life when so many people (including myself) were telling me it was too hard to do. I lost 60 pounds during menopause.

As I entered menopause, I developed nightly hot flashes, itchy skin and very heavy periods. Bedtime became a nightmare as I anticipated my hot flashes. But what happened next was a turning point. I developed nightly heart palpitations. My heart rate didn’t increase much, but it beat with such force that I felt it might jump out of my chest. It was very scary, and as I got into bed each night, I dreaded the oncoming wave of pounding that kept me up, worrying late into the night.

I went to a cardiologist. He told me things I knew—I was obese, my normally low blood pressure was starting to creep up into the hypertension range as I aged. Tests revealed that nothing was wrong with my heart. I left the doctor’s office with this vague diagnosis: heart palpitations possibly due to fluctuating hormones. It was common for my blood pressure to be low, especially during my period when my hormones were fluctuating. I’d fainted several times in college with what was called a vasovagal syncope (fainting caused by a sudden decrease in heart rate and blood pressure).

How To Lose Weight During Perimenopause

I felt trapped by the news. I didn’t consider hormone replacement therapy an option. As it turns out, I found a natural alternative.

. I read it over my Christmas holidays in 2016. I didn’t follow all the book’s advice, but I did strictly follow the food plan. It was a whole-foods diet with no sugar, caffeine or processed foods, and its simple, rational guidelines made sense to me. The plan called for giving up sugar and processed foods for a period of time and then slowly adding some or all of them back to determine how my body reacted to them. Something about eating whole foods resonated with me: I like to cook, and I had always eaten healthy food in addition to processed food, so I was willing to give it a try. I didn’t know what, if any, effect it would have on my heart palpitations, but I thought I’d lose weight.

I did. I lost two pounds most weeks. After seven months, I’d lost 40 pounds. For someone who had been on and off every major diet imaginable, losing weight

Weight Loss After Menopause