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  #1   ^
Old Sat, Mar-25-23, 10:18
Nemaste Nemaste is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 179
 
Plan: South Beach Stillman QWL
Stats: 226/214.6/140 Female 5ft10 3/4
BF:
Progress: 13%
Location: London, England
Default Menopause and what worked for you?

Hello
I’m a lady of 52 and I had a radical hysterectomy two weeks ago. I’ve been taking HRT for around a year. I’ve found it really hard to lose weight over the last few years which is frustrating as I’ve a fair bit to lose. I’m wondering if anyone here has had success in losing a large amount of weight during or after the menopause. If you are happy to share, I’d love to hear your experience.
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  #2   ^
Old Sat, Mar-25-23, 13:10
JEY100's Avatar
JEY100 JEY100 is offline
Posts: 13,370
 
Plan: P:E/DDF
Stats: 225/150/169 Female 5' 9"
BF:45%/28%/25%
Progress: 134%
Location: NC
Default

I lost 75 pounds after menopause, half of it with a low carb, Atkins style diet. Then a decade of stall & regain. Then lost the last half 2-3 years ago switching to higher protein, lower fat, higher fiber, more moderate carb diet. But you already know that part 😊 Early in your new journal I posted this about the new Menopause and Weight Gain study:

You mentioned hormonal challenges for "women of a certain age" in your post on my success story. This article is based on a recently published paper by Professors Raubenheimer and Simpson, a good explanation of why protein becomes more important as we age. It even wasn’t out yet when I lost the weight, but explains a lot!

Menopausal Weight Gain: The Problem and Solution Explained
https://optimisingnutrition.com/menopausal-weight-gain/

There are a number of success stories on DietDoctor of women using the higher protein, lower fat approach https://www.dietdoctor.com/succeede...-higher-satiety
And quite a few successes in Marty Kendall's ON Community with women in their 60s and 70s, by increasing our protein up to 40%. Sue is one of the early success stories that inspired me..not only lost weight but manages her MS symptoms! https://optimisingnutrition.com/mul...osis-nutrition/

Last edited by JEY100 : Sat, Mar-25-23 at 13:28.
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  #3   ^
Old Sat, Mar-25-23, 14:27
cotonpal's Avatar
cotonpal cotonpal is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 5,283
 
Plan: very low carb real food
Stats: 245/125/135 Female 62
BF:
Progress: 109%
Location: Vermont
Default

I lost a total of 110 pounds, almost all of it after menopause. I started low carb eating when I was 55 years old. I am now 74 years old and have no trouble keeping the weight off. I too lost the last 10-20 pounds by adopting the higher protein diet recommended by Marty Kendall.
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  #4   ^
Old Sat, Mar-25-23, 14:50
Demi's Avatar
Demi Demi is offline
Posts: 26,664
 
Plan: Muscle Centric
Stats: 238/153/160 Female 5'10"
BF:
Progress: 109%
Location: UK
Default

I'm also post menopausal and have recently lost just over 80 pounds following a higher protein, low carb diet combined with intermittent fasting.
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  #5   ^
Old Sat, Mar-25-23, 17:36
Ms Arielle's Avatar
Ms Arielle Ms Arielle is online now
Senior Member
Posts: 19,177
 
Plan: atkins, carnivore 2023
Stats: 200/211/163 Female 5'8"
BF:
Progress: -30%
Location: Massachusetts
Default

Im post menopausal.....ovaries removed late 40's. Now early 60's.
After years of struggling, yo-yoing, have found my groove.
I am dropping weight. Finally. About 8-10# per month. For details, see my j.
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  #6   ^
Old Sat, Mar-25-23, 23:22
Rosebud's Avatar
Rosebud Rosebud is offline
Forum Moderator
Posts: 23,882
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 235/135/135 Female 5'4
BF:
Progress: 100%
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Default

I was well and truly post menopausal when I lost my 100 pounds. Now and then I think I'd like to lose a bit more but I'm basically pretty happy with how things are.

Oh, and I did that primarily eating low carb, enough protein and highish fat.
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  #7   ^
Old Tue, Mar-28-23, 03:38
WereBear's Avatar
WereBear WereBear is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 14,606
 
Plan: EpiPaleo/Primal/LowOx
Stats: 220/125/150 Female 67
BF:
Progress: 136%
Location: USA
Default

I lost about 70 pounds pre-menopause, on Atkins. After a disastrous experience and years of inadequate HRT (I don't respond to the pills and they didn't believe me) I lost my remaining excess weight by going carnivore to address my autoimmune issues. Which it did, though it remains a work in progress, keeping that in remission with diet.

All without exercise, because of the illness. It can be done. It's 90% about getting the right nutrients that satisfy our hunger. While many people lowered their fat intake for success, I had to ramp mine up. So it's very individual, and takes some experimenting, but I'd say the most important thing is to be willing to give up anything our culture claims is more important than health.

For many, it's the social issues which trip us up because we all struggle with being the only one eating this way. In conference settings I only eat the guts of a sandwich or the top of a pizza slice, and the pile of discarded bread on my plate always disturbs some people.

Sometimes the biggest challenge isn't changing our food. It's needing to stick with our own food in the middle of a group who finds it... some kind of challenge to accept that we are coloring outside the lines this way.

But it is infinitely worth the effort. As we get older, we need more nutrition, and less junk, to perform as we'd like. And that, along with disease remission, is worth far more than "fitting in."

Yes, I'd like to fit into my PANTS.
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  #8   ^
Old Wed, Mar-29-23, 14:19
Nemaste Nemaste is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 179
 
Plan: South Beach Stillman QWL
Stats: 226/214.6/140 Female 5ft10 3/4
BF:
Progress: 13%
Location: London, England
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by JEY100
I lost 75 pounds after menopause, half of it with a low carb, Atkins style diet. Then a decade of stall & regain. Then lost the last half 2-3 years ago switching to higher protein, lower fat, higher fiber, more moderate carb diet. But you already know that part 😊 Early in your new journal I posted this about the new Menopause and Weight Gain study:

You mentioned hormonal challenges for "women of a certain age" in your post on my success story. This article is based on a recently published paper by Professors Raubenheimer and Simpson, a good explanation of why protein becomes more important as we age. It even wasn’t out yet when I lost the weight, but explains a lot!

Menopausal Weight Gain: The Problem and Solution Explained
https://optimisingnutrition.com/menopausal-weight-gain/

There are a number of success stories on DietDoctor of women using the higher protein, lower fat approach https://www.dietdoctor.com/succeede...-higher-satiety
And quite a few successes in Marty Kendall's ON Community with women in their 60s and 70s, by increasing our protein up to 40%. Sue is one of the early success stories that inspired me..not only lost weight but manages her MS symptoms! https://optimisingnutrition.com/mul...osis-nutrition/


Thank you so much for reply! Yes, I learned about your story a little while ago, you did an amazing job! Thanks for pointing me in the direction of other success stories, there is so much negative info on the internet regarding menopause and weight loss, I felt like giving up before I started.
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  #9   ^
Old Wed, Mar-29-23, 14:25
Nemaste Nemaste is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 179
 
Plan: South Beach Stillman QWL
Stats: 226/214.6/140 Female 5ft10 3/4
BF:
Progress: 13%
Location: London, England
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by cotonpal
I lost a total of 110 pounds, almost all of it after menopause. I started low carb eating when I was 55 years old. I am now 74 years old and have no trouble keeping the weight off. I too lost the last 10-20 pounds by adopting the higher protein diet recommended by Marty Kendall.


This is music to my ears! I’ve been feeling really disheartened… I was searching YouTube for success stories but couldn’t find anyone that lost a considerable amount of weight after menopause and most of the comments are negative with most claiming it is virtually impossible t9 lose weight. I’m now determined! Thanks for sharing.
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  #10   ^
Old Wed, Mar-29-23, 14:26
Nemaste Nemaste is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 179
 
Plan: South Beach Stillman QWL
Stats: 226/214.6/140 Female 5ft10 3/4
BF:
Progress: 13%
Location: London, England
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Demi
I'm also post menopausal and have recently lost just over 80 pounds following a higher protein, low carb diet combined with intermittent fasting.


Thank you for replying. Excellent results, well done! I hope to follow suit!
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  #11   ^
Old Wed, Mar-29-23, 14:27
Nemaste Nemaste is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 179
 
Plan: South Beach Stillman QWL
Stats: 226/214.6/140 Female 5ft10 3/4
BF:
Progress: 13%
Location: London, England
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ms Arielle
Im post menopausal.....ovaries removed late 40's. Now early 60's.
After years of struggling, yo-yoing, have found my groove.
I am dropping weight. Finally. About 8-10# per month. For details, see my j.

That’s great news… will def take a look at your journal! Thank you!
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  #12   ^
Old Wed, Mar-29-23, 14:29
Nemaste Nemaste is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 179
 
Plan: South Beach Stillman QWL
Stats: 226/214.6/140 Female 5ft10 3/4
BF:
Progress: 13%
Location: London, England
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rosebud
I was well and truly post menopausal when I lost my 100 pounds. Now and then I think I'd like to lose a bit more but I'm basically pretty happy with how things are.

Oh, and I did that primarily eating low carb, enough protein and highish fat.


I’m so glad I made this post because there are very few stories of people losing considerable amounts of weight after menopause…I was obviously looking in the wrong places. Thank you and well done!
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  #13   ^
Old Wed, Mar-29-23, 14:39
Nemaste Nemaste is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 179
 
Plan: South Beach Stillman QWL
Stats: 226/214.6/140 Female 5ft10 3/4
BF:
Progress: 13%
Location: London, England
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by WereBear
I lost about 70 pounds pre-menopause, on Atkins. After a disastrous experience and years of inadequate HRT (I don't respond to the pills and they didn't believe me) I lost my remaining excess weight by going carnivore to address my autoimmune issues. Which it did, though it remains a work in progress, keeping that in remission with diet.

All without exercise, because of the illness. It can be done. It's 90% about getting the right nutrients that satisfy our hunger. While many people lowered their fat intake for success, I had to ramp mine up. So it's very individual, and takes some experimenting, but I'd say the most important thing is to be willing to give up anything our culture claims is more important than health.

For many, it's the social issues which trip us up because we all struggle with being the only one eating this way. In conference settings I only eat the guts of a sandwich or the top of a pizza slice, and the pile of discarded bread on my plate always disturbs some people.

Sometimes the biggest challenge isn't changing our food. It's needing to stick with our own food in the middle of a group who finds it... some kind of challenge to accept that we are coloring outside the lines this way.

But it is infinitely worth the effort. As we get older, we need more nutrition, and less junk, to perform as we'd like. And that, along with disease remission, is worth far more than "fitting in."

Yes, I'd like to fit into my PANTS.

Thanks for this Werebear… I suffer with chronic fatigue and thus am not as active as I once was. I plan to incorporate exercise but it will be limited so always good to hear stories from those that didn’t exercise during their weight loss. Well done!
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  #14   ^
Old Wed, Mar-29-23, 15:17
Ms Arielle's Avatar
Ms Arielle Ms Arielle is online now
Senior Member
Posts: 19,177
 
Plan: atkins, carnivore 2023
Stats: 200/211/163 Female 5'8"
BF:
Progress: -30%
Location: Massachusetts
Default

Sorry for asking. Have you had thyroid levels tested?? Thyroid as well as other areas, affect activity level. Keto v SAD also affects my energy level. A day of fasting ramps up my energy level.

Having thyroid meds has made a difference for me. Im hoping to not need supplements forever.
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  #15   ^
Old Wed, Mar-29-23, 15:40
JEY100's Avatar
JEY100 JEY100 is offline
Posts: 13,370
 
Plan: P:E/DDF
Stats: 225/150/169 Female 5' 9"
BF:45%/28%/25%
Progress: 134%
Location: NC
Default

I corrected my low thyroid symptoms with a combination of weight loss and adding more nutrients through improved diet, esp. selenium, iodine, and all the vitamins and minerals from vegetables I had been restricting.

Quote:
DDF FAQ 8.11 Is my thyroid stopping me from losing weight?

Many people who have excess stored fat and metabolic syndrome have some level of thyroid dysfunction. However, similar to insulin, this is often a result of obesity rather than the cause.

If you are taking medication for your thyroid, you should continue to have your thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) monitored by your health care team and adjust your medications as required.

Your thyroid is a central governor of your metabolism. Like insulin, your pituitary gland will ramp up production of thyroid-stimulating hormone to rev your metabolic rate if you have more energy to burn off. As you lose weight and reduce your blood glucose, your body won’t need as much thyroid-stimulating hormone to keep your metabolism elevated. Thus, your TSH levels may decrease. Many people have had to decrease their medication to accommodate their normalising TSH levels as they make progress with Data-Driven Fasting.

It’s also worth noting that consuming adequate amounts of nutrients like selenium, iodine, niacin, histidine, and tyrosine is critical to healthy thyroid function.. Hence, prioritising nutrient-dense meals from whole foods is also a crucial part of the equation.

If you find your blood sugars are low and stable and your weight loss has stalled later in your Data-Driven Fasting journey, an occasional small bolus of carbs can boost thyroid function and metabolic rate to restart weight loss when your blood sugars start to bottom out. See Metabolic flexibility: How to give your body what it needs when it needs it for more info.
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