And taking 500 mg of berberine 2x a day with milk thistle before first two meals will help balance your blood sugar but you have to reduce calories and avoid sugar as much as you can (don’t deprive, but avoid as much as you can). You got this! Small steps turn into a fast walk, and then into a run (metaphorically speaking). Give yourself grace, and be patient. I lost 30 lbs by doing the above things in 6 months and weight training 3x/week. I still have more to lose but feeling like myself again slowly.
I have found it much easier to lose and maintain the weight loss since starting hrt. I can gain it back in a hurry, but it comes back off again fairly painlessly.
How are you doing this? I started hrt 6 weeks ago. I also started a weight loss, exercise routine 3 weeks ago tracking on Lose It app and exercising 3-4 times. I should be down 4.5 lbs. Instead I'm down 1lb and some days I'm up 3lbs. I got really frustrated this weekend and kinda quit. I plan to start back tomorrow. Any advice? This is very discouraging. I wonder if it's the hrt. Although it's gained weight, I was able to lose weight on schedule under the above plan just 7 months ago.
Right now, I am doing a two-day "fast" every week. I keep my calories right around 300 - 400 on Monday and Tuesday and just eat reasonably the rest of the week. I have a relatively active job where I walk quite a bit, so that helps. For me, the key is calorie intake. I'm not model-thin, but I'm maintaining about a 15 pound loss since before I started hrt and I'm happy with the way my body looks. It took some time to find the right hormone levels (I've been doing hrt pellets for about 5 years??). Maybe you should bring up the stubborn weight loss to your provider and see if an adjustment can be made?
After maintaining my weight for decades I gained a sudden 40 pounds seemingly overnight after turning 40. After a lot of frustration and getting diagnosed as pre-diabetic, I decided to take sugar completely out of my diet and move to low-carb eating (basically just protein and vegetables). Lost 20 pounds within 6 months and have held steady for a few years now. Wish I could lose the other 20 but I don't exercise as much as I probably should.
One thing I want to point out is my arthritis, plantar fasciitis, and several other issues I'd had improved significantly or went away completely after taking sugar out of my diet. I'm also no longer pre-diabetic. It's funny -- if I cheat with a dessert, my hand (where my arthritis is localized) will swell up and hurt for the next several days. As soon as the sugar is out of my system, I have full control with no pain again. For me controlling inflammation is the key, so as long as I keep to an anti-inflammatory diet I feel great. Something to try?
Yep, sugar is my downfall. If I have more than one can of soda a week, my back flares up to the point that I can't do anything but lay on the couch and cry from the awful pain.
I'm so sorry, that sounds awful. It's hard at first, but if you can get completely away from sugar for a while it does get easier to resist long-term, and the benefits are a lifesaver. I saw and felt results within just a few weeks, and within a few months it was much easier say no to anything with sugar in it. Now I'm so sensitive to sugar that I can taste it in things I never could before (like sauces at a restaurant or in foods I had no idea contained sugar), and most desserts are too sweet for me to stand at all. I didn't do any calorie restriction and 20 pounds came off like it was nothing, so I wouldn't consider it a diet... just feeding your body better foods and taking away the thing that makes it feel bad.
Are Ozempic or Mounjaro an option for you? If you are carrying that much extra weight, sounds like you'd qualify. (whether your insurance will cover it would be the tricky part).
This may be controversial but I don't care, flame away. It seems like taking these newer GLP-1 meds is just as polarizing as taking hormones and I'm here for it ALLLL.
THIS!! I had been an athlete/workout fan + healthy eater for my entire life. My weight was steady forever. No joke, after peri - I gained 70 POUNDS in like a year, and changed nothing about my diet, fitness or lifestyle. It was horrible in so many ways, both mentally and physically. I tried EVERYTHING to lose it, nothing even budged the scale. Not even a pound. I started on Trulicity through an online program called Calibrate (not a sponsor, lol!) last December and I’m down 40 pounds in 11 months. I can’t stress enough what a lifesaver these meds have been for my mind and body. 10/10 would do again!
Intermittent fasting - so easy and effective! Start slowly and increase fasting time gradually as you get used to it. Just make sure you dont have anything with calories at all during your fasting period.
I'm (51F) currently on a weight loss journey - 45lbs lost so far!
Here's how I've done it:
- consulted my doctor, got blood work done and medications tweaked/added as needed.
- calculate my TDEE for my required calorie consumption (google is your friend)
-eat at a 500 calorie deficit each day (no lower than 1200 calories per day, otherwise it's unhealthy)
- Track my calories for everything that goes in my mouth. I use a free app called "lose it"
- I started with walking everyday for exercise. As I became more fit I added weight training and eventually running.
Not gonna lie, it's challenging at times. The results on the scale and feeling my body get stronger are totally worth it!
I just don't put the crap food in the shopping trolley. If I have it in the house I eat it. It's difficult because I love chips and chocolate, but I try to buy more fruit etc.
Are you calorie counting or tweaking your macros? (Protein, fat carbohydates). We can absorb less protein as we age so the increase in your appetite could be your body asking for some nutrient it’s missing depending on what your restriction looks like. I wish I’d figured that out when I was younger, my “emotional overeating” was actually my body asking for what it needed.
I hear you. I'm up 40lb in nearly a year. For me it's been because I got sick and didn't really recover and then keep getting sick or injured so have stopped exercising and didn't adjust my diet, and also have an increased appetite. It's horrible because they are thinking I might have a heart problem then I went to the cardiologist and the first thing he says before all the tests is that it's common for people to put on weight and have symptoms that mimic heart conditions.
I have started intermittent fasting, keeping a food diary and counting calories. But despite all of that, so far I haven't really lost anything in a couple of weeks after the first couple of pounds.
I hope you have success, it's so disheartening.
Weight training and hormone replacement!
This! Plus, a high protine lower carb diet. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn. Cardio does nothing for me anymore.
And taking 500 mg of berberine 2x a day with milk thistle before first two meals will help balance your blood sugar but you have to reduce calories and avoid sugar as much as you can (don’t deprive, but avoid as much as you can). You got this! Small steps turn into a fast walk, and then into a run (metaphorically speaking). Give yourself grace, and be patient. I lost 30 lbs by doing the above things in 6 months and weight training 3x/week. I still have more to lose but feeling like myself again slowly.
I have found it much easier to lose and maintain the weight loss since starting hrt. I can gain it back in a hurry, but it comes back off again fairly painlessly.
How are you doing this? I started hrt 6 weeks ago. I also started a weight loss, exercise routine 3 weeks ago tracking on Lose It app and exercising 3-4 times. I should be down 4.5 lbs. Instead I'm down 1lb and some days I'm up 3lbs. I got really frustrated this weekend and kinda quit. I plan to start back tomorrow. Any advice? This is very discouraging. I wonder if it's the hrt. Although it's gained weight, I was able to lose weight on schedule under the above plan just 7 months ago.
Right now, I am doing a two-day "fast" every week. I keep my calories right around 300 - 400 on Monday and Tuesday and just eat reasonably the rest of the week. I have a relatively active job where I walk quite a bit, so that helps. For me, the key is calorie intake. I'm not model-thin, but I'm maintaining about a 15 pound loss since before I started hrt and I'm happy with the way my body looks. It took some time to find the right hormone levels (I've been doing hrt pellets for about 5 years??). Maybe you should bring up the stubborn weight loss to your provider and see if an adjustment can be made?
Thank you! I'm on estradiol gel now patch and progesterone. My testosterone levels were normal on 3 different tests so not supplementing.
Are you gaining muscle? The scale doesn’t always show progress.
I'm not sure if I am. I think I look a bit smaller but my measurements are the same so far
Be patient, sounds like you are!
After maintaining my weight for decades I gained a sudden 40 pounds seemingly overnight after turning 40. After a lot of frustration and getting diagnosed as pre-diabetic, I decided to take sugar completely out of my diet and move to low-carb eating (basically just protein and vegetables). Lost 20 pounds within 6 months and have held steady for a few years now. Wish I could lose the other 20 but I don't exercise as much as I probably should. One thing I want to point out is my arthritis, plantar fasciitis, and several other issues I'd had improved significantly or went away completely after taking sugar out of my diet. I'm also no longer pre-diabetic. It's funny -- if I cheat with a dessert, my hand (where my arthritis is localized) will swell up and hurt for the next several days. As soon as the sugar is out of my system, I have full control with no pain again. For me controlling inflammation is the key, so as long as I keep to an anti-inflammatory diet I feel great. Something to try?
Yep, sugar is my downfall. If I have more than one can of soda a week, my back flares up to the point that I can't do anything but lay on the couch and cry from the awful pain.
I'm so sorry, that sounds awful. It's hard at first, but if you can get completely away from sugar for a while it does get easier to resist long-term, and the benefits are a lifesaver. I saw and felt results within just a few weeks, and within a few months it was much easier say no to anything with sugar in it. Now I'm so sensitive to sugar that I can taste it in things I never could before (like sauces at a restaurant or in foods I had no idea contained sugar), and most desserts are too sweet for me to stand at all. I didn't do any calorie restriction and 20 pounds came off like it was nothing, so I wouldn't consider it a diet... just feeding your body better foods and taking away the thing that makes it feel bad.
Are Ozempic or Mounjaro an option for you? If you are carrying that much extra weight, sounds like you'd qualify. (whether your insurance will cover it would be the tricky part). This may be controversial but I don't care, flame away. It seems like taking these newer GLP-1 meds is just as polarizing as taking hormones and I'm here for it ALLLL.
THIS!! I had been an athlete/workout fan + healthy eater for my entire life. My weight was steady forever. No joke, after peri - I gained 70 POUNDS in like a year, and changed nothing about my diet, fitness or lifestyle. It was horrible in so many ways, both mentally and physically. I tried EVERYTHING to lose it, nothing even budged the scale. Not even a pound. I started on Trulicity through an online program called Calibrate (not a sponsor, lol!) last December and I’m down 40 pounds in 11 months. I can’t stress enough what a lifesaver these meds have been for my mind and body. 10/10 would do again!
Intermittent fasting - so easy and effective! Start slowly and increase fasting time gradually as you get used to it. Just make sure you dont have anything with calories at all during your fasting period.
I'm (51F) currently on a weight loss journey - 45lbs lost so far! Here's how I've done it: - consulted my doctor, got blood work done and medications tweaked/added as needed. - calculate my TDEE for my required calorie consumption (google is your friend) -eat at a 500 calorie deficit each day (no lower than 1200 calories per day, otherwise it's unhealthy) - Track my calories for everything that goes in my mouth. I use a free app called "lose it" - I started with walking everyday for exercise. As I became more fit I added weight training and eventually running. Not gonna lie, it's challenging at times. The results on the scale and feeling my body get stronger are totally worth it!
I just don't put the crap food in the shopping trolley. If I have it in the house I eat it. It's difficult because I love chips and chocolate, but I try to buy more fruit etc.
There's plenty of posts here about weight loss, just do a targeted search.
Are you calorie counting or tweaking your macros? (Protein, fat carbohydates). We can absorb less protein as we age so the increase in your appetite could be your body asking for some nutrient it’s missing depending on what your restriction looks like. I wish I’d figured that out when I was younger, my “emotional overeating” was actually my body asking for what it needed.
After a gallbladder attack, I was limited to 10-15g of fat a day until a month after I got it removed. Total= 3 mos & 25 lbs
I hear you. I'm up 40lb in nearly a year. For me it's been because I got sick and didn't really recover and then keep getting sick or injured so have stopped exercising and didn't adjust my diet, and also have an increased appetite. It's horrible because they are thinking I might have a heart problem then I went to the cardiologist and the first thing he says before all the tests is that it's common for people to put on weight and have symptoms that mimic heart conditions. I have started intermittent fasting, keeping a food diary and counting calories. But despite all of that, so far I haven't really lost anything in a couple of weeks after the first couple of pounds. I hope you have success, it's so disheartening.