A weighty subject....
I recently had a doctor tell me that if you change nothing about your diet and exercise regime, you will gain 10% of your current weight every decade after 50. No matter what. 10%!
So if I weigh 150 pounds at 50, by 60 I will weight 165. By 70, 181.5 and so on until you die. If I do nothing, make no changes.
Why I didn't know this before I ever hit menopause is mind-blowing to me, because if I had, I certainly would have made sure I weighed waaaaaaaaaaay less than I did when it hit me!
I think I mentioned once before in this blog that I was on Nutrisystem when menopause hit me full force. I'd lost 30 pounds in three months. The second menopause reared it's ugly head, I gained 32 pounds within 1 month... and still while on Nutrisystem.
Yes, you read that right: I gained 32 pounds on a weight reduction program.
It wasn't the program's fault. I did everything I was told to do to the letter. It was that my body had suddenly been thrust into a cauldron of swirling hormones, effectively destroying the poor metabolism I already possessed.
So, the first thing I did was go to my doctor because I was convinced I had a rapidly growing abdominal or intestinal tumor, or that my thyroid gland had gone wacko. I mean, come on: who gains 32 pounds in 1 month while on a reduced calorie weight loss program?
Um, me. This girl here, that's who!
After he assured me I was fine - trying not to laugh out loud at my craziness, I'll add - he attempted to explain the reason my already poor metabolism was being a pain.
One of the main reasons women gain weight during this time is because we tend to be less active and our muscle mass decreases and our muscles turn to fat. ( I fought with him about this one because I was - hello! - on a weight reduction program and hitting the gym 5 times a week!)
He suggested increasing the poundage of my weights during training to keep my muscle mass high.
Did that - looked like the Incredible Hulk for a few months and still kept gaining weight!
He suggested trying to eat a normal diet not a calorie restricted one in an attempt to get my body to realize it was going to be fed and not starved. That whole starvation cycle is what causes people to gain weight more easily once they go off a restricted diet. Did it. Gained 10 more pounds that I still haven't lost 3 years later.
He suggested I try going on estrogen replacement to stabilize my hormones. Okay, this one I did, and had one good result with: no more hot flashes - 6 more pounds gained, though.
Right now, today, I weight what I did when I was ready to deliver my daughter 28 years ago.
Yeah, I'm not happy.
This is a continuous struggle, folks. But I'm a fighter by birth, so I'm ready for the battle. The only thing I have to discover is how bloody I'm gonna be during - and after - I take up the weight loss sword!
Le sigh. Menopause is not for the weak-willed.
When I'm not writing about menopause issues I can be found here writing about...all things romance . Tweet Me//Read Me// Visit Me//Picture Me//Pin Me//Friend Me//Google+Me// Triber// Book Me
So if I weigh 150 pounds at 50, by 60 I will weight 165. By 70, 181.5 and so on until you die. If I do nothing, make no changes.
Why I didn't know this before I ever hit menopause is mind-blowing to me, because if I had, I certainly would have made sure I weighed waaaaaaaaaaay less than I did when it hit me!
I think I mentioned once before in this blog that I was on Nutrisystem when menopause hit me full force. I'd lost 30 pounds in three months. The second menopause reared it's ugly head, I gained 32 pounds within 1 month... and still while on Nutrisystem.
Yes, you read that right: I gained 32 pounds on a weight reduction program.
It wasn't the program's fault. I did everything I was told to do to the letter. It was that my body had suddenly been thrust into a cauldron of swirling hormones, effectively destroying the poor metabolism I already possessed.
So, the first thing I did was go to my doctor because I was convinced I had a rapidly growing abdominal or intestinal tumor, or that my thyroid gland had gone wacko. I mean, come on: who gains 32 pounds in 1 month while on a reduced calorie weight loss program?
Um, me. This girl here, that's who!
After he assured me I was fine - trying not to laugh out loud at my craziness, I'll add - he attempted to explain the reason my already poor metabolism was being a pain.
One of the main reasons women gain weight during this time is because we tend to be less active and our muscle mass decreases and our muscles turn to fat. ( I fought with him about this one because I was - hello! - on a weight reduction program and hitting the gym 5 times a week!)
He suggested increasing the poundage of my weights during training to keep my muscle mass high.
Did that - looked like the Incredible Hulk for a few months and still kept gaining weight!
He suggested trying to eat a normal diet not a calorie restricted one in an attempt to get my body to realize it was going to be fed and not starved. That whole starvation cycle is what causes people to gain weight more easily once they go off a restricted diet. Did it. Gained 10 more pounds that I still haven't lost 3 years later.
He suggested I try going on estrogen replacement to stabilize my hormones. Okay, this one I did, and had one good result with: no more hot flashes - 6 more pounds gained, though.
Right now, today, I weight what I did when I was ready to deliver my daughter 28 years ago.
Yeah, I'm not happy.
This is a continuous struggle, folks. But I'm a fighter by birth, so I'm ready for the battle. The only thing I have to discover is how bloody I'm gonna be during - and after - I take up the weight loss sword!
Le sigh. Menopause is not for the weak-willed.
When I'm not writing about menopause issues I can be found here writing about...all things romance . Tweet Me//Read Me// Visit Me//Picture Me//Pin Me//Friend Me//Google+Me// Triber// Book Me
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