The FastDay Forum

Hi all, I found out today that I am definitely menopausal. My blood tests from my last two tests were interpreted properly for me and show that yes, I am one of the many.

I am lucky though that I am not having many of the classic symptoms. Any hot flushes (flashes) are due to eating too many carbs (if you get them try cutting your carbs drastically for a week).

What I am hoping for is hints and tips on weight loss when menopausal as I have been stuck on this plateau since September and the hormones may play a part.

Well, I'm very definitely menopausal and have done well with weight loss so far.

I'm virtually vegetarian and am now pndering about veganism as it seems that I am pre-diabetic and I've recently read that cutting out all animal fats and dairy products together with a low Gi diet helps to reverse the metabolic promlem.

So, at the moment my diet is low carb, relatively low fat, a little fish and a little dairy, but I'll drastically reduce the fish and dairy. I eat some soya, but try not to eat processed soya products, and try to keep up my calcium intake. I used to find black cohosh useful in reducing symptoms.

Hi Julie. I started my menopause in my early forties and at 51 I'm still having some symptoms but no periods any more. I didn't need any HRT but my GP remains concerned about long term issues such as osteoporosis due to early menopause.

It is very possible to lose weight, but you don't have alot of leeway.

I have been using natural progesterone (progesterone.co.uk) for years now. I attribute this to getting me through it relatively unscathed apart from the 'dryness' (sorry TMI), but you may as well know.

Cutting out coffee and booze stops flushes/flashes but it takes a few weeks until they clear your system. So focus on keeping the liver cool with goodies such as beetroot juice (its nice juiced with apples and lemons). Keep your green leafy veg count very high. Weirdly, these actually work too but be careful to remove them at the airport or it can be embarrasing. http://www.boots.com/en/Ladycare-magnet_122270/

I cannot comment on fat because at the moment I am eating quite a bit of it but I think it is important to take it because your skin needs all the help it can get, and I'm blessed with few wrinkles. However my dairy levels are very low and my diet is relatively clean with meat, fish, veg and nuts. Since I kept my grain levels right down, my bloating/water retention has just about disappeared.

Many women have quite an emotional time too. On the one hand, I don't think I did, but on looking back, I can recall times when I have reacted over the top on relatively stupid things, leading to anxiety (especially at work). So it is good to be mindful around that. I gave up sugar this year for health reasons but not having it has really improved my moods. Yoga has been a lifeline for me in this regard as I do think it is important to get time alone and to give yourself a bit of a break.

I tried herbal supplements, but I'm not sure they helped me. Sage is often recommended, but it can make dryness worse, but I know agnus castus and black cohosh is frequsntly recommended.

If I were to suggest only two things to help it would be a)give up or reduce coffee and b)give up booze. The book I can recommend is Lesley Kenton's Passage to Power. It's been around a while now, but I found it really helpful.

I think I have been really lucky going through the menopause; I went to the Drs a couple of years ago because I felt incredibly moody and as I work in a school I was worried that I might be horrid to the children! They only offered me HRT which I did not want but strangely after that one episode of extreme moodiness it didn't happen again. I also had a month of non stop heavy period so again went to drs and was given medication but it sits unopened in my cupboard as I never had another period and that was just over two years ago. I occasionally get a bit hot at night but if this is the only problem I have then I consider myself very lucky. I have cut down on coffee - down to 2 cups a day instead of 6 or 7 I hope that you are as problem free as I have been

My goodness RawKaren, you look about 30 not 50! If ever there was an advert for the no sugar/alcohol/coffee lifestyle, you'd be it.

To be honest, I think I will take the moody old hag with coffee, beer and chocolate route though.

Thanks @peplum41 but not given up the red vino as yet . However joking aside since I quit sugar and started to eat a lot more healthy fat, my skin has indeed improved. Even my feet!

[Debs]

Hi there julieathome. I took a different route when I found out I was peri menopausal in my early 40s. I went on to HRT as I researched the risks and decided the benefits outweighed the risks for me. I'm glad I did as I have been working in a very hot environment and massive hot flushes were just so uncomfortable, along with appalling night sweats which left me drenched each night. Obviously it is different for everyone but I wasn't prepared to put up with it as I have seen a friend persevere with natural therapies that clearly didn't work for her and she has been a mess for years. I am takings HRT on alternate days to minimise the dose and it seems to be working ok. I will get tested again in the near future.
It differed drastically for everyone, let's hope you are one of the lucky ones! I am losing weight very slowly but that is due to other factors and when I get back on the exercise wagon it should help!
Good luck with what you decide to do!

[Betsysgr8]

Thank you Julie for starting this thread as it's something I've been wondering about. At 51, I've not experienced any symptoms and wondered if I ever would. My periods have been steady at 28 days for last 6 months but for this month at 32 days and counting has yet to start. I have noticed that when I'm losing weight I'm regular but when maintaining or gaining they are irratic.

Thank you to everyone replying and sharing your experiences.

[carieoates]

I love the way us ladies share everything. My mums just been taken off HRT as she's been on it for years. Ovaries out with her hysterectomy. So glad I kept mine. But I've now heard that I may get there sooner anyway due to hysterectomy. Source not very reliable though. Men do have it easy!

I don't drink coffee, except occasionally when out, so make that two a fortnight. I rarely drink alcohol, so am pretty clear on that front too. I can't take HRT as my Testosterone levels are too low and out of balance as it is, I would have to take even more testosterone. I haven't had a period for 10 years as I had a TCRE then, which stopped my periods, but didn't stop the ovaries working (well actually one ovary, the other was removed during an ectopic pregnancy).
As @carieotes has said, men have it easy.

Apart from the hot flushes, which have a distinct carb cause and effect, and probably a shortness of patience (especially with the Autistic child) I do seem to be getting away relatively easily. Plus I think the plateau may be a thing of the past, for now.

I was in menopause early (age 43) 18 years ago. It was horrible and remained horrible for a few years. I tried non-hormonal treatments - they did NOTHING for the drenching night sweats, hot flushes, dead libido, and general crankiness. Did I mention the 30 lb weight gain that seemed to occur overnight?
I went on hormone replacement and felt better almost immediately. It was a miracle. Shortly afterward, all the negative research data came out about estrogen therapy. I again tried to go with "natural" therapies but they were useless for my symptoms. I decided if estrogen might shorten my life, I would rather a shorter, more comfortable life than a longer, sweat-soaked, sex dead, miserable one.... I went back on HRT... and remain on it now at age 61 and will so until I die. BTW, I am a physician and it took some discussion with my own family MD for her to agree to continue me on HRT at that point..

Like obesity/ weight problems, everyone has a different story. Some( ?most) women adapt to the menopause symptoms over time and do not require treatment of any kind. Others find them debilitating for years and it becomes a question of quality of life, same as if you had cancer. You need to ask yourself " Do I want to live like this for the rest of my life?"

Also BTW, I drink 3-6 cups of coffee a day and don't see it affects my symptoms.
Alcohol...not sure but I love good wine and again, QoL. I quit smoking about 2 years after menopause and that was good for another 10-15 pounds gained, but now after 4 months on 5:2, I have lost approx. 20 lb (From my fattest)
The bottom line(s) for this long, rambling post is(are) that :
1) Everyone is different in their symptoms, degree of discomfort and requirements for medical treatment.
2) You will likely gain weight
3) 5:2 (or 4:3 and/or 16:8) probably will be helpful for you if you do. It is working for me and I am continually amazed.

I should mention (as many women are not brave enough to say), I have just started taking the lowest dose possible of oestrogen pessaries for dryness. I'm still young so this is important to me. They are like a miracle. If you are struggling, don't be afraid to ask your physician. I don't take anything else.

Thanks julieathope for starting this thread & THANK YOU rawkaren for mentioning the dryness, I didn't know that was menopause related & have never spoken to my "male" doctor about it (although he did comment, when he struggled during a recent smear test, that I was "like a 15 year-old" - I'm thinking that's probably related) - do I HAVE to go to the doctors for the pessaries????

Other than the above ....... I started my menopause aged 38 (confirmed by a scan), I then nearly had a nervous breakdown before the age of 40 which no-one, (not even me or my doctor) ever connected to the menopause so my husband sold his business, I handed my notice in & we went to France. Drastic!! but the alternative was anti-depressants & I didn't want them. We have no regrets about coming to France (fortunately!)

I was never offered HRT so I never took it. The night sweats (& to a lesser degree the daytime hot flushes) lasted a few years & I found them more intriguing than annoying. My moods, well I don't know if they're any different to before, it's been so long now (12 years) that I don't really remember before!!! Weight was ok until I stopped smoking then I put a couple of stone on, that with 5:2 I've now lost

My husband thinks that the Menopause is the worst thing inflicted on mankind. What a wimp, he wanted HRT, was weepy, moody, blew hot and cold, in fact he was a total nightmare to live with so it's just as well I sailed through it with no problems, other than him of course.

Well, that was a nice fairy tale, now for the truth...........

I never took anything as I considered that I was not ill, even though I felt it some days, I was most reluctant to ingest any chemicals as my life was not in danger, unlike my poor husband whose existence was often on the edge, and I do understand that for some women it is just too much but I did come out of it OK. I tried my best to ignore the bad bits and carry on and I'm glad I did. We all have to do what suits us, a bit like 5:2, and hope for the best. All I can say is that it does pass, eventually, sorry if that is not exactly encouraging but it is what it is. It won't last forever, it will just feel like it

Ballerina x

I have had a horrible time for the last 10+ years! Horrendous hot flushes, night sweats and mood swings. I was on HRT for 7 years I think which was wonderful but I put on a lot of weight so reluctantly I stopped the HRT this summer. I have the option to go back on it but haven't needed to as yet.
It's been ok to my surprise. I didn't turn into a wrinkled old bag overnight! The hot flushes and night sweats have come back but they are just a bit annoying now instead of debilitating. I missed having periods in a way but now can hardly remember them. I still get 'period pains' now and again but they go pretty quickly.
I have been bothered by dry skin for years and years probably from a lifetime of 'low fat' diets but since I started 5:2 and am eating butter and more oil that has improved immensely. The other dryness bothers me a lot but as I am not sexually active it isn't an issue.
The things I have noticed the most are how my body is changing. Things shrink.. by which I mean the vulva area. Well mine has! And things can be a bit dry but that's what lube was invented for! My pubic hair has thinned (and is going grey) as has the hair on my head although my chins hair production has been making up for that for years lol. My tweezers are my best friend. I have been very lucky to have exceptionally good skin but this year the texture and elasticity is noticeably changed. It makes me sad but I try to accept the ageing process and embrace it.
I took anti depressants for years and years and came off them this year too. The side effects were too much on top of the menopause!!! I am virtually drug free for the first time in decades lol. I take quite a lot of ibuprofen sometimes because of the pain I get from Fibromyalgia but it's not all the time thankfully.
I won't give up coffee but then I only have a couple of cups in the morning. And Alcohol isn't the pleasure or the hobby it used to be for me lol. I have also found I don't eat much bread or pasta since being on 5:2.
All in all the menopause has been a thoroughly rotten,miserable time for me and I am hoping it will finally be over in the next few years. It's early days with 5:2 but I think it has made a big difference and improved my life in that respect as well as losing a lot of weight.
I would not wish the symptoms I have had to endure on anyone! I hope everyone has an easier time than I have x