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[lily]

Interested to know if anyone not on hrt has gained weight during meno? One of my reasons for not wanting to take hrt was the associated weight gain, but I have put on over a stone in the last year without being on it. Makes me wonder if hrt being blamed unfairly for weight gain when maybe just meno in general that causes it?

[jgr]

Hi Lily, i have been on hrt (patches) for 5years and have put on no weight. I have always been aware of weight gain during this time and although i eat what i want i always have it on a smaller plate (tea plate) and never overdo it with anything bad for you. Works for me so much so that if i get served a meal on a large plate i never finish it. xx

[Annie0710]

Been in hrt for years with no weight gain, reached post meno and gained 1 stone x

[clare663]

I gained weight on the tablet form of HRT over 2 stones in 6 months whilst peri but lost most of it. Now im 5 yrs post, put on weight and it doesnt make a difference to my weight either going without HRT or with patches and gels.

[nothappybun]

More than weight gain I experience bloating and water retention which makes me look fuller and also got cravings for sweet stuff! I think it is a question of balancing meals with the right food and trying not to eat between meals.

[Kathleen]

Hello lily.

I am six years post meno, with the last three being on HRT. I haven't gained any weight but I have changed shape and have more of a  belly now but my BMI has actually gone down. I also don't have a spare tyre or large bottom so it seems the belly has taken the biggest hit lol.
My trusty meno book includes a photo of a naked post meno woman to illustrate how our bodies change. I was shocked and appalled when I first saw it but now I don't think she looks too bad. I guess our expectations change along with the rest of us!

Take care all.

K.

[Hurdity]

As others have said - weight gain is likely during peri-menopause and beyond due to changes in metabolism (ie slowing, and loss of muscle mass I understand too) irrespective of whether you take HRT or not. I weigh less now than I did when I was peri-menopausal and before going on HRT - but I've had to work at it. Like others I eat less and different foods and exercise more than I did in the past, to stay slim (ish!). Many women find that progestogens cause permanent bloating - and when I am on the prog phase of my HRT I defo have some sort of bloating or water retention. Therefore this may well become more apparent when on continuous combined HRT - and also the phenomenon ( of bloating and water retention) may differ with the different synthetic progestogens and from woman to woman.

I am lucky that I still have a more or less flat stomach but like Kathleen my shape has changed dramatically as it does with most women - fat disappears from our thighs and butt and goes onto our waist and mid-section. Gone are the small waists of our youth!  I am only a few pounds overweight but it's all round my middle!

Agree with Stellajane - don't let that thought put you off - but make a conscious effort now with your diet and exercise (as well as posture!)

Hurdity x

[lily]

Thanks for the replies ladies. I am heavier than I have ever been and was not prone to putting a lot of weight on - have always stayed much the same give or take half a stone. So detest being this heavy, will need to try to lose it. Hoping to try hrt in January when it will be a year since last period, don't want a monthly bleed.

[Dana]

I've gained weight since being on hrt, but I have to admit it was my fault, not meno or hrt. I have also now lost 20 pounds this year (and still losing) and I'm still meno and still taking hrt. I will bloat a bit when using the progesterone, but that disappears when I stop it.

In most cases weight gain is a choice, just as losing it is.

[SarahK]

I put on 1stone with HRT- but when I stopped it, it didn't come off. Really depressing, especially when you've got all the flushes etc to cope with..

[elainediva]

me too, i put on 3 stones without hrt
hoping to get back on track soon i think i am at a good place
with my meno at the moment

[lily]

Thanks ladies, sounds like it might just be all we go through during meno that can lead to weight gain and not necessarily the hrt. Good to know.

[flutterby]

I hardly gained an weight during the 16 years I was on HRT, I have been off it 3 weeks and I am monitoring it carefully. I thought I was able to keep my weight down as I was an anxious person. The last couple of months I have been relaxed but no weight gain. I do some exercise but probably not enough, I don't think I overeat.
As my sleep is now becoming more disruptive I am wondering if that might have some effect, as leptin the satiety hormone is dependent on sleep duration. Flutterbyx

[Mary1962]

I'm not on HRT and have gradually put on 7-9lbs across the last 18 months.  Partly because foodwise at times I appear to have no off switch so am trying to curtail that a bit and also trying but sometimes failing to keep off the more fattening foods (cakes, biscuits, crisps, puds!) as during menopause I think I'm right in saying we process fats differently.  The fat has definitely headed to the bits they say it does during menopause - ie, stomach! I'm sure healthier eating is the way to deal with it but for me that's still work in progress