So I'm something like a year and half into maintenance. I had held at 148 lbs. effortlessly for the longest time, eating around 75 carbs per day and this Fall, my weight started to creep just a little (of note, I'm 41). I never cheat on my eating plan, it's just not something I do... So it wasn't just good old carb creep.

I down-carbed & added more veggies to see if that would help, added more walking, and no, it didn't help. I have been bringing my carbs down steadily, eliminating any possible weight gain triggers, and my weight is still climbing (up to 155 this morning, a new and scary high). I am gaining about 2 lbs. per cycle, right after TOM...

Based on my compendium of symptoms, I am pretty sure I'm highly estrogen dominant at the moment... New issues for me since this all started are extreme salt sensitivity, caffeine and alcohol sensitivity, tension headaches, constipation, bloating, anxiety, waking at night! Sheesh, it all hit me like a ton of bricks. NEVER thought I'd give up coffee, of all things!

I am trying to get into see a naturopath and get my hormone levels checked. I added an indole supplement hoping that would tame the estrogen. Started having a flax minute-muffin daily. I switched to decaf (water processed and organic!), quit alcohol, I am not sure of anything else I can change!

At this point all I can try is dropping my calories, and I'm slowly bringing those down. I had lost and maintained on about 2200, and am down to about 1800-1900. I do farm chores twice a day, and walk/hike - so fairly active.

If anyone has gone through this and has sage advice or is in the throes of this with me, I could sure use some support. After making LC my permanent WOE it's sooooo scary to see things crumbling.

Definitely get the hormones checked, including thyroid (Free T4 and Free T3) -- yes, the FREE part is essential. There's T4 & T3 tests but they're not the same.

I also have to pay heed to calories. It isn't that difficult. I just kept track for a few days then figured out what things in my diet were just TMC (too many calories). I limit those and choose lower calorie things. I started a thread on it in General LC discussion.

Thanks - I can get into the naturopath on the 22nd and the person checking me in mentioned full thyroid panel and salivary hormone test... So that's sounding good. I will be sure the test includes the free's.

I will check out your thread in the main forum, thanks Nancy!

I'm sorry. I don't have much to add, other than to say that it seems that I see this a lot around here. Usually it has something to do with thyroid or estrogen issues. Some women find that using the progesterone cream seems to help with the estrogen dominance.

I'm glad you're getting in quickly to see someone knowledgeable. Some people wait until they've put on quite a bit more weight before they become desperate enough to find out what's going on. I'd probably be one of those. I'm glad you're not. Get it taken care of while you're still close to your goal weight!

I'm sorry that I also can't be of any help, however I am curious to know the outcome. Due to a genetic disorder I will not be able to take hormones for menopause and I have been very concerned what will happen since I'm probably getting close to that time of my life. I hope that you find answers soon and that you will update here.

freckles

Thanks for the support, ladies!

I wanted to update with a couple of things... First was a great article I came across that explains the IBS symptoms (constipation) that occurs with hormone changes.

http://www.weillcornell.org/pdf/ibs...troHORMONES.pdf

This was of particular interest to me, because it explains WHY I'm both bloated and constipated all at once...

"This estrogen-dominant environment
can occur even in the presence of hot flushes, and
leads to irritability, breast tenderness, and bloating.
Bloating can occur when estrogen induces nitric oxide
synthetase, which relaxes the smooth muscle in the gut.
This nitrogen oxide synthetase induced smooth muscle
relaxation clinically results in bloating."

My gut basically goes to sleep from the nitric oxide!! And then water seeps out of the gut and into surrounding tissue, and voila you are bloated AND constipated. And no amount of cutting salt helps, in fact, cutting salt can make it worse (Dr. Peat has a great article on salt).

Salt is needed for thyroid function, and if you don't have enough salt in your blood stream - - - it can't draw in the excess fluid from your body tissues and send it off to the kidneys!

http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/salt.shtml

So I have added a bit of salt and find it helps some with the bloat. Fitday tracks my normal sodium intake at around 1300-1500 mg per day, and I find a pinch of salt here or there actually helps more than it hurts. It's exactly backwards of what I expected!

And next, I started reading up on IBS-C in Pubmed (I like to read ) and found an obscure study on Yakult probiotic drink and how it helps senior citizens who are bedridden to have more normal bathroom habits (they tend to be constipated).

So I read a bit more and decided to try mixing the sugarfree version of Yakult in to my smoothie. Yakult contains l. casei sharota as the culture. Studies link it to increased water volume in stools and it stimulates the colon to MOVE.

I have used it for just a couple of days and OMG, FINALLY regular and comfortable bathroom habits AND I have shifted off about 3# of water weight! WHOOSH.

The cool thing about l. casei sharota is that if you are a home yogurt maker, you can reculture it and make your own (it prefers 99 deg., a bit cooler than normal yogurt cultures). So I brewed up a batch of it in whole raw goats milk and will be trying that tomorrow instead of the bottled stuff. I am inclined to make myself a batch of yogurt with activia cultures and l. casei sharota together and that may be very very helpful in managing the GI symptoms. I already consume kefir on a daily basis, so this would simply be an add-in.

I know it's possibly TMI, but seriously I thought this is information that might really help someone else who is going through the same thing.

The last thing is Dr. Peat has a lot of info about thyroid function being better if there is some sugar in your body, so I have resumed my previous eating habits of ~50-100 g. of healthy carbs per day, and I have to say I do feel a lot better physically.

I am tracking calories and not going crazy with it, will just have to eat mindfully and see if this works in the longer term or not and be ready to adjust.

Anyway, hope that was interesting or helpful, even if it's waaaay TMI!

Hi Freckles! Long time, no see!

I wanted to mention one of the supplements that you might find helpful in the transition period to menopause is indole (AKA DIM). It's derived from cruciferous veggies, and helps your body metabolize estrogen. It might be something that helps manage things, even if you can't use hormones. It also shifts your body to producing less toxic metabolites from estrogen, and reduces estrogen dependent cancer risks. It's just something that might be worth looking into...

Hope everything is going well on your low carb journey.

Salt is a very important part of a low carb diet. Lack of salt might be the chief cause of constipation. See the thread in my signature.

Before I had any peri symptoms, I ate a lot of salt - always have because of my low blood pressure. Then I started getting horrendously bloated (and constipated) and I gradually cut down my salt over the next month or two thinking I was just becoming salt sensitive...

After reading Peat's article, I had started adding in salt (that was about 10 days ago) and found that if I go over a limit, it increases bloating, and if I am under the limit, it helps to some degree. Hopefully my thyroid is 'happy', that's the main thing.

But the biggest relief by far seems to be from Yakult. It made an immediate and franky a little bit astonishing difference. The study said it does not have a lasting effect, you basically have to consume it daily. That is very do-able for my situation, esp. if it helps to this large of a degree.

Time will tell...

This is SO interesting, though a bit overwhelming at the moment.

Very curious about the constipation/thyroid/hormone connection. I had my thyroid removed in September (can't believe I actually remember the month!). I've been working on getting my thyroid meds optimized and getting on a good regimen of vitamins to support T3/T4 production and use. However, I have begun to notice that I'm having bouts of constipation. In all my years of lc I've never had a problem with this, so I really don't think it's my woe. I've been wondering if it's connected to my thyroid issues.

I do use salt fairly liberally on all veggies, salads, soups, etc. Maybe not enough? One of my next additions is going to be Maine Coast Sea Salt because I've heard great things about it as relates to health and thyroid function.

Also interesting about the probiotics. I've been meaning for some time to add them in pill form (acidophilus - spelling?), but don't remember since they have to be kept in the fridge and <all> my other meds/vitamins don't. (all my tests so far with yogurt - Greek and otherwise, not sweetened - causes bloating/gain, but only tried bought not made).

I <most> definitely do better at a higher carb level. I just feel more well mentally and physically and my weight seems to stay steadier. I'm probably coming in around 50-100 carbs per day as well most days (some days MUCH lower).

I've never tracked calories. That may be a factor for me, but I'm really praying I don't have to go there. Tracking carbs is enough.

Thanks for the suggestion re: indole/DIM. I will check it out. With all my research and talking with others on blood thinners I've been left feeling like there's not much I can do and just praying menopause will not affect me much. Yeah, right.

About the thyroid. I'm SO confused about the recommendations - whether they will even help someone who has had their thyroid removed. It seems like much of what I'm reading (mainly on Stop the Thyroid Madness, but also from Paul about the T3CM method) applies to peeps trying to save their thyroids, so not sure that it all applies to peeps who have had theirs removed????

I'm doing the best I can treading in rough waters, but seem to be doing okay right now, thankfully.

Nancy, thanks for the link re: salt. Going to check it out.

Whoops! Meant to say that I haven't participated much on the main boards here this past year - my health problems took over my time. Just been trying to keep up with my j and a few other's j's. Guess I had never subscribed to yours. Trying to get back into the loop here slowly now. This thread encourages me that it's time.

Nancy, I read the salt thread with much interested. I am working to ramp up my salt intake and see how it goes. Thank you.