Moments from Menopause

I've been talking about my never-ending struggle  to lose any/all/something of the weight I've gained during the time I started menopause until this moment in time. Nothing has worked so far, in fact, my weight keeps creeping upward. Creeping ? Jiminy crickets, it's on the fast track! So, in an attempt to try something different, I went and got Hypnotized this past Saturday. Yes, me, little Miss Naysayer, actually went to a seminar where you can get hypnotized to lose weight. It was....interesting, to say the least. One of the best things about it is that I was the thinnest person in the room except for the hypnotist. And I realize how horrible I sound saying that, but anytime I can be the thinnest person ANYWHERE is a major plus for my fragile ego. So. The seminar was 2 hours. One was devoted to a detailed, medicine-backed lecture on why dieting doesn't work, the way our bodies process sugar and fat, and the ways we've slowly been killing ourselves w...

In my never-ending battle to rid myself of all the menopause and middle-aged weight I've gained, I've been very diligent of late going to the gym. Here's a disclaimer: I absolutely, positively, without exception HATE exercising. I always have. I don't like to sweat. It makes me feel... gross/dirty/slimy/smelly. And I especially hate sweating in front of other people. I know...weird. But that's me. Anyway... Because it's been drilled into me by every single person - professional and non- that I've spoken to about my weight struggles, I am now becoming a devotee of gym-going. I still hate it, but I recognize I need to do SOMETHING. The fat is not going to magically slough from my a**.  I'm not going to wake up tomorrow and my arms will no longer jiggle like congealed jello. And I'm sick and tired of investing in Spanx. So...to the gym I go. Since I hate it so much, I've found I am very anti-social when I am there. I have a headset ...

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 sw...

Bleck! That's the only way I can describe my mid-section now that I am BFF's (NOT!) with Menopause. I used to have a waist. Really . It dented in and everything! My pants buttoned without straining in agony and looking they were going to rend at the seams; my skirts clasped in the back without closing off the circulation to my abdominal area; and when I wore a fitted shirt - it did! Not anymore. No, now I've got an actual roll - and I don't mean bread, although it is doughy - around the area I used to fondly refer to as my waist. When I was a kid I  heard references to "middle aged spread" and didn't understand the term. Now, I have a first hand view of what it means. The experts will tell you it occurs because of the hormone changes. Your body tends to store fat more when your female hormones go wonky. Conventional wisdom might tell you to stop eating fattening foods and the spare tire won't happen. I'm here to tell you NO! NOPE! Won't d...

I read an article recently that stated " Postmenopausal women are at greater risk for heart disease, so redirect your diet toward low-fat foods and lower your salt intake — this reduces the risk of heart attack and atherosclerosis." Great ! The one part of my health that has always and - I mean ALWAYS -  been good, has been my cardiac status. Resting pulse of 68 and blood pressure that is routinely 90/60. Never a worry, never a care about heart attack, etc. Except now. Another factor that plays heavily into heart disease in women is weight. I resurrected this blog because I wanted accountability to get rid of the 35 excess pounds my poor heart and knees are carrying around. If post-menopause is now a time where cardiac issues pop up, then this weight needs to be taken out of the equation for good. For the next few months I am going to stick to a regime of diet and exercise that I'll be documenting and sharing here. Because I know menopausal and post-menopausal weigh...