Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => Personal Experiences => Topic started by: Shazzie on June 22, 2014, 05:34:23 PM
-
How many of us feel really heavy around our middle since menopause.
I have been doing fine but today I feel pregnant (if you know what I mean) My boobs feel swollen and my tum looks bigger too. Mind you, it might be the hot weather but worried it is the HRT. I have been on Evorel 50mcgm patches for the past couple of months. Hope this is not a side effect of the HRT.
Hope you are all doing ok.
Shazzie xx
-
Middle - What middle?
It's all an amorphous blob.
Boobs, tum, waist and..........
I'me bigger but I do feel better in myself, really
-
Hi Limpy
I know what you mean about what middle. I had to chuckle. But it's not funny is it? I feel better on the HRT too but hate the huge stomach and boobs.
Thanks fr replying.
xx
-
Hi Shazzie
I not only take HRT but Gabapentin as well.
Gabapentin has as a "very rare" side effect "increased breast size"
Trust me, I'me now reducing the Gabapentin
But, the weight is not restricted.... ::)
-
Middle >:( >:( I have gone from a size 14 to 18 in 2 years........can't shift it......grr
But to be honest this journey has been a bloody nightmare.I really would be happy to continue as an 18 if I felt well, unfortunately I just haven't got it quite right...........
Just joined a gym so fingers crossed, I would like to lose a stone for September.
W ;)
-
I am not on hrt and my middle has changed this year. I currently look 4-5 mths pregnant so I would say its just a stage of meno that we all must face :( I have bought some exercise equipt but have yet to use it ::)
-
Does anyone know what causes this 'redistribution' of weight around the middle?
Just curious, as I notice this in many of my contemporaries. I've had all sorts of hormonal onslaughts over the past few years and am now effectively an "oestrogen-free zone". However, I have been the same weight for many years and the distribution of this hasn't changed either. Still have small waist for which I'm thankful.
-
I've got a spare tyre too. Not fair is it!? No matter what weight I've lost, it's still there. Mind you mine isn't helped by my hernia, but still. My grandmother always said we put on weight in middle age so we have reserves for future ill health. ???
-
Horrible isn't it?
I too take Gabapentin Limpy for nerve pain down to my MS. It also gives me bad wind. How attractive!!
Thanks all for replying. I feel better now that it is not just me walking round feeling like a blob.
xx
-
Hi Shazzie - I've always carried any excess weight around my stomach... I could do with it migrating to my butt! Even when I was below my WeightWatchers target weight I still had a spare tyre ::)
I take statins due to a genetic fault which means I manufacture more cholesterol than I need... it too gives me epic wind on a morning :o
-
Here is the info on this site about weight gain and distribution:
http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/weightgain.php
It is thought to be reduced oestrogen which causes the re-distribution - because this is the hormone which gives us our female shape and makes us attractive to men! Taking HRT sometimes can reverse this a little but external HRT is no substitute for the real thing and often the progestogens anyway cause bloating which counteracts the benefits of the oestrogen on our shape. Also the oestrogen dose isn't anywhere near as high as we experience during our fertile years.
The best we can do - whether or not we take HRT, is keep our overall weight down and do lots of exercise - inlcuding those to pull our stomach and waist in, hold yourself upright, keep your chest high - and make the most of what you've got. I don't have much of a waist (it's only 6" smaller than my hips!!) but I try to give the illusion of slimness through the above, and posture etc!
Hurdity x
-
I too take Gabapentin Limpy for nerve pain down to my MS.
Shazzie -That's exactly why I take Gabapentin!
I am currently reducing the dose, was on 900mg a day, went down to 500 now trying 400.
It's trying to get the balance between pain and "blob" control.
Spoke to GP with a brain, who pointed out that both Gabapentin and the Oestrogen in HRT cause us to feel better in ourselves and hence increase appetite. A double whamwy really. It's true I have been eating more, not much but enough to develop the fetching blimp shape. ::)
-
From today, I've cut out potatoes from my evening meal. They've have been making me feel hot, heavy and overstuffed if I eat them in the evening. We've just eaten tea and for a change, I don't feel blown up around the middle. My clothes size has gone up too (I've never had a weight problem before) but I'm convinced my slowing metabolism hasn't been coping with the starchiness of potatoes, especially at that time of day. If I have them at lunch, I can use the calories up as energy and they don't seem to sit around my middle. I've often wondered how French women manage to be and to keep so slim - from my experience of staying with French people, they don't automatically add potatoes to every evening meal. That has to help with the meno, and with adult weight generally. I will experiment!
-
Oh me too. In fact I have a doctors appointment booked because I was certain that there had to be some sinister reason for my gross belly. However, I've managed to lose a few pounds since I made the appointment (just shows how long I had to wait to get an appointment ::) ) and although its not much, it has made me feel much more comfortable. I'm going to cancel the appointment now and try to lose a bit more
I've been feeling so very uncomfortable in all my clothes and sitting down all day at work in over tight waistbands has made me thoroughly miserable. I've felt quite disgusted with my shape and had convinced myself that no normal woman of my age has a stomach that looks as big as mine.
I find myself comparing stomachs when I'm out shopping! If I see someone my age with a nice flat stomach I feel so cross and then when I see someone else with a bit of a belly I feel somewhat comforted. Isnt that silly ::)
Thing is, the rest of me is slim and I'm not overweight. But I have to lose some weight if I'm to reduce the belly size.
I swapped my porridge breakfast for boiled egg, stopped having sugar in my tea, swapped my sandwich and crisp lunch for tuna salad and have just generally tried to put less on my plate. But its a struggle I have to say and I find it hard to resist when someone offers cake or sweets at work but resist I have. :ange:
Ariadne xx
-
Well done! Yes, I too was slim, but my tummy was about the same measurement as my hips, yet my weight was ideal for my height on paper. I was warned I was insulin resistant and just as much in danger of becoming diabetic as someone more obviously obese. As I have a very strong family history of type 2 diabetes, I took notice. I have followed a low carb diet and cut out sugar as much as possible, apart from some naughty moments. I rapidly lost a stone, feel much better, look better. The bottom half of me has gone down a size , but my top half remains the same. Not much I can do about my boobs! Lovely discovering clothes that were too tight now fit and I had a great excuse to buy new trousers.
-
Trousers are a problem for me and yet I'm always in trousers ::) I need a big waist size for my belly but I have no bum so they end up being too baggy round the hips. I often have to take them in a bit at the sides.
Well done JuJu you have done well to lose a stone. Don't think I'll manage that much.
Ariadne xx
-
I have to buy trousers that sit on the waist, because any lower, they start slipping down. I avoid clothes that are shaped for hips, as they look very silly and baggy on me. Now I have lost some of that roll of fat, I can comfortably get into a size smaller, so there is not all that extra material around my hips and bottom.
-
I've started doing yoga (the physical, stretchy sort) and my intention is to do it twice a day! :ange:
Years and years ago, I did that for two weeks and lost half a stone.
-
I've started yoga classes this term, but only do it in the class. My daughter put an app on my iPad so I can do it everyday. Well the good intentions are there.....!
-
Good luck with that, Ju Ju!
I find the problem is finding the time and floor space to do it, and making sure hubby isn't around to feel a bit silly in front of. But where there's a will, there's a way...........!!
-
Thanks Hurdity and all you other lovelies.
I am a bit restricted as my MS stops me from exercising too much. I do try but I have terrible balance.
I've got an exercise bike so will have to use that every day I reckon. Could put it in front of the tv when something good is on lol.
Limpy. Do you get any probs on the Gabapentin. I find it makes me so windy but it does help the nerve pain.
Thanks again for replying.
Shazzie xx
-
Hi everyone! Lindyloo here
I got terrible fast round me middle, am fed up with it!!
Soooo I've decided to give the 5 2 diet a go, believe Philip Scoffield
Has lost over 2 stone on it, you pick 2 days aweek to fast ( 600 cal) then other days you eat normally!
I wonder if any one else doing it?
Love Lindyloo
-
Shazzie - the main problem I have with Gabapentin, apart from the podge, is sleeping too much, I find it very difficult to wake up in the morning. No real stomach problems, but I did get stomach ache when I first took it, that passed after a couple of months.
-
Shazzie, the yoga exercises I do are all ones where you either lie or sit on the floor, with no standing/balancing required. (This suits me fine, being of a lazy disposition! ::)) They're all from "Wake Up To Yoga" by Lynne Marshall.
-
Hi lindyloo
Good luck with that diet. Some feel it's not ideal for women because of our hormones and blood sugar levels - but if you can cope with it I'm sure it works. I tried it ( well the alternate day fasting one) and I found it awful - felt ill with hunger and couldn't sleep. I thought about the 5/2 one but couldn't think of two days spaced out in the week when I could do it - when I wasn't working or taking exercise - or it was the weekend!!!
Hurdity x
-
Lindyloo, I know someone who did the 5 2 diet. She lost 2 stone.
-
Thanks dulciana. I will have a look out for thatg and give it a go.
Shazzie xx
-
Following a diet just to lose weight is incredibly difficult to follow long term, even when the weight lost initially is substantial. Hence yo yo dieting, which is detrimental to health. The only way that I was motivated was for health reasons. Cutting out sugar is not easy, but this is how it will be for the rest of my life. I do feel better, thanks to HRT, diet, feeling well enough to do exercise ( gentle yoga and walking) therapy and coaching. Looking better is just the icing on the cake.
-
Lindy Loo
the 5: 2 is really good for targeting fat around middle, I did it ( and am still on it ) 18 months ago and the weight just fell off. Initially I stuck to 600 cals 2 days a week , Mon and Thurs, and its better to do it while working as it takes your mind off food. I did suffer from dizzy/ weak feelings so upped the cals to 800 and weight still came off though a bit slower.Drink a lot of water and hot marmite or 100 cal soups are just great.
Now I do about 900/1000 two days a week and this maintains it, will probably do this for the rest of my life. Its so easy to incorporate into daily lives and you can switch days around to suit. Came off it for 3 weeks over Christmas and weight started to creep on a little . Whats great is that 5 days a week you can have your cake ( and I do as I make cakes all the time) you do notice though you dont overeat and our portion sizes have come down, diabetics do really well on it .
Any eating plan to work has to be forever and this really does tick all the boxes for me. 2 weeks on holiday without following it worked fine too as long as you get straight back to it. We used M & S Calorie counted meals to start with and steamed lots of broccoli to got with it. From those you learn about portion sizes. I buy them when they are reduced, There is a good one with venison meat balls and red cabbage and mashed potato - eat it slowly and really its no problem. let me know how you get on. I promise you within 3 weeks you wil see weight disappear.
:D
-
Ta girls for the replies
Got me 600 calorie day tomorrow ( Mon and Thurs) just got to get used to what I can have!
Think I'll have usual brek cereal an soya, will have to eat reg or I'll get heartburn!😉
I do like the idea of returning to normal ish next day😇
Will have to keep busy got loads gardening etc needs doing
Let you know girls got no will power!
Love Lindyloo
-
Also perhaps some prunes as I got constipation, keep some cucumber and hummous or similar ready for your weak moments and dont be too hard on yourself as better to eat a little bit more than blow the whole days effort, :D
-
The only thing that works for me is to eat lightly in the evening and cut out carbs then too. It works every time.Thing is although I live In Essex I was born in Lancashire and was brought up on stodge, so crave it all the time. Cakes, bread, pies, potatoes, puddings all on my favourites list. I just have to say no after 6pm to them all and stick to salads and very light desserts. I don't count calories I just stick to this - you can do it anywhere, any time even on holiday - just eat the treat foods earlier in the day in moderation.
The loss of progesterone means you need 300 calories a day less after menopause - if you eat the same way you will gain weight slowly - sad but true!
-
Well this subject caught my eye. It's the worst thing about menopause. As I said in my intro post, I no longer recognize myself. When I'm out shopping and see myself in a window or mirror I just can't believe what has happened :'( Should I throw my clothes out? I haven't fit into my shorts for two summers. Shopping is a nightmare. Add insomnia, hot flashes and all the other gems and people wonder why we're moody.
I hope this thread continues. I'd like to hear how everyone is doing. I'm thinking of giving 5:2 a chance. Someone posted a link that suggests while 5:2 wasn't good for younger women, the over 50 crowd seems to benefit.
Best wishes everyone!
-
Thanks for all your replies.
It really helps to know that I am not the only one suffering like this. I keep getting summer clothes out of my wardrobe and putting them back as they don't fit this year. Oh dear. Time to get the exercise bike out and dish up on a smaller plate
I've got a wedding to go to at the end of August. What am I going to wear???
Shazzie xx
-
Hi Shazzie - yes that's the time to start - that's how I keep more or less to the same weight. If I've put clothes away for a season and they don't fit the next then I've put on weight and need to lose it, so I'm less than a stone heavier than when I was 18 - still need to lose a few pounds though! Good luck with the 5:2. I might be able to do it myself after Sept as I am working one less day -(my work is active and uses a lot of energy!), so could do it on a Weds and then a weekend day.
Shazzie you could easily lose weight slowly by the end of August - depends on how much you are overweight. For sustained weight loss - should lose no more than 1-2 pounds per week, but if very overweight then I think more may be lost in early weeks. Make sure you do more exercise along with the calorie cutting, so that the weight lost is not muscle. To get a bit of a better shape round the middle then exercise targetting this are is beneficial - abdominals etc. At least you will develop the strength to hold it in then!
Yes smaller portions - I've been using a smaller plate for many years - ever since I became aware my metabolism was slowing.
And yes get out that exercise bike!!
Good luck!
Hurdity x
-
Shazzie
The 5:2 targets the weight around your middle, its the only "diet" i have tried that hasnt reduced my boobs and made them saggy. Ease yourself into it, cut down to 1000 cals for your diet days twice a week , go out for some walks and see how you go. i did about 800 -1000 and still lost weight, first 2 weeks nothing much happened and then it started coming off. Buy some calorie counted meals and steam lots of broccoli with them until you are confident with portion size, allow yourself carbs if you feel weak. Its all about finding what works for you as everyone is different. What is your weight now and what would you realistically like to achieve by end August?
I have a very physically demanding job and still manage my diet days , in fact the busier I am the easier it is. However I would nt run up a mountain on a diet day. :D