metabolism help!!!

N

Nomad

Guest
For me, the number one thing by far is exercise. If I did not exercise, I would not lose weight. I would have to starve myself (I suspect) for the scale to budge since my early 40s. And each year, it gets a tiny bit worse. :pouting: I read somewhere that health wise, it is best to aim for 200 minutes of cardio work per week and this is what I do. However, I am constantly mixing things up (mostly to prevent boredom). At the moment, I work out 40 minutes, 5 times a week. Most days I do the treadmill and some days I do half the treadmill and half the ellipitical machine. I very slowly built up to this. I can't emphasize this enough. Most days I work out very hard...but if I am not feeling well, I take it easy on myself.

It is best (ideal) to also do some weight training as well. I don't think a lot is needed. For a period of time I was doing 20 minutes twice a week and I got great results. I really don't care for the weights, so I have stopped, but I plan on going back to it by March 1st.

Two more things:
I also think that eating the proper amount of fiber (I think its 25 ) for women is helpful. Most people don't get the right amount. Just bumping it up and being mindful of this is a good and helpful thing. Getting in plenty of water is also helpful. in my humble opinion, after menopause it really is harder and it takes diligence in these three areas to speed things along.
 
Although I haven't hit 50 yet, I am in menopause. And, I agree with the suggestions that Nomad has given you. Like Nomad, I exercise regularly - I like to run/jog when the weather is cooperative. During the winter months, I use the treadmill and elliptical faithfully. And, also like Nomad, I really don't enjoy weight training. However, I also believe weight training is necessary, especially once in menopause. I recently ordered some resistance bands on line and plan on using them twice weekly once I receive them.

And, I also believe that healthy eating is absolutely necessary. I make sure I eat plenty of fruits and veggies daily, drink lots of water, and get enough fiber. Even on the days when I eat too much "junk", I still eat lots of fruits and veggies and drink lots of water. in my humble opinion, this is extremely important!

I read that once we start taking in less calories, it is harder to get in enough protein. We need protein to maintain muscle mass. I don't remember how much protein we need daily. I think we need about half our body weight in grams of protein but I'm not really sure. For example, if this is correct, then a 125 lb. person would need about 62.5 grams of protein per day.

I'm glad you started this thread. I'm also interested in what others have to say about metabolism after menopause. WFEN
 

trinityroyal

Well-Known Member
Small, frequent meals.

Instead of sitting down to a big meal three times per day, break it up into smaller quantities and eat more often.

I eat about 6 to 8 "meals" per day. I suppose in reality they are more like snacks than meals, but each one consists of fruit or veg, protein, dairy and grain, so they have all of the components.

Here's an example:
- In the morning, I have a cup of tea with milk, a handful of nuts and half an apple or orange
- Mid-morning, I finish the rest of the apple or orange, and have a few slices of cheese with high-fibre crackers
- Lunch, I have a bowl of soup and sometimes a salad
- Mid-afternoon, I have a low fat yogurt and a handful of nuts or sunflower seeds
- Dinner I will have a small serving of meat or fish, with rice or noodles and some sort of vegetables
- Evening I will have another apple or orange and another handful of nuts
- Right before bed, I have a drink of 1/2 juice, 1/2 water and a half-handful of nuts or seeds

I tend to eat mostly fruit and vegetables, some meat, and very few carbs (all whole grain, high fibre carbs), and I focus on eating when I get hungry, and stopping the moment I am satisfied.

When I eat like this, my weight tends to stay within the healthy range and I don't have to think about it too much. My grandmother swore by this, and at 67 she was a knockout.

Hope this helps,
Trinity
 
Yes this helps. It is frustrating to me because i have exercised since I was born! I always did Jane Fonda and then aerobics for years and then I started walking about 4 miles a day with a friend about 7 years ago and then I moved and so I continued walking but I get bored - so I took up Pilates. We belong to a gym but I find that outside is more relaxing for me. So today I did my 50 minutes Pilates workout and didnt walk beacause I just didnt want to! I try to eat oatmeal for breakfast, salad for lunch or yogurt and something like chicken for dinner - I just dont eat a lot of stuff but I love sweets. It is my addiction. But I cannot lose any weight it seems. No matter how hard I try. I take synthroid for my thyroid. It seems it is very slow. So I just wondered if drinking vinegar would help!!!! Just kidding. Thanks for all the advice. If you come up with anything else let me know.
 

Sue C

Active Member
I am also 50+ and my metabolism seems to have practically shut down. I am going through menopause right now.

There are photos of my mom in the years she was in menopause and that was when she weighed the most. It seemed she lost the weight years later. Does anyone know if that was just her....or is this something that naturally happens once you are done with menopause???

sue
 

trinityroyal

Well-Known Member
Sue, my grandmother also got heavy for a while during menopause, and then lost the weight once she got through it. Looking at old pictures, this seems to have been a pattern with her sisters as well.

I don't think it's just you, and I think that once menopause is over, your body has a chance to adjust to the new state of affairs, and you can get things back on track.

I'm just pulling ideas out of the air, though. I'm not sure and can't speak from experience (yet)

Trinity
 

scent of cedar

New Member
I just turned fifty-six. I think things are getting better now, but getting through this has really been the pits. I agree that the metabolism changes, but I think it might come back to normal once we are through menopause. What I noticed was an increased craving for carbohydrates ~ bread, sugar, cookies, pasta...YUM. But I also found that eating any of these things led to water retention, increased depression and lethargy, and further cravings.

These measures helped me:

First and foremost, understanding what was happening to me was crucial. Forgetfulness, using the wrong word and not, for the life of me, being able to come up with the right one, sleeplessness and heart palpitations, night sweats even in broad daylight, unexplained sadness, lethargy, or irritability, absolutely missing sense of self-regard or efficacy ~ all these things were happening to me, and more. Had I not asked enough women enough questions to learn that this stuff was all a part of menopause and that it would stop happening once I was through it, I don't know what I would have done.

Pamprin, with its diuretic and slight mood elevator, got me through many an occaision that I would otherwise have considered cancelling because I was never sure where I was going to be, emotionally.

Estroven, a mixture of herbs (including black cohosh), B vitamins, and a metabolixm stabilizer has helped so much with the hot flashes and mental fogginess ~ but when things were at their worst, even that was not much help.

I found an over-the-counter diuretic which contained the same ingredient found in Pamprin. That was extremely helpful, as I was retaining so much fluid it wasn't even funny.

Benadryl, also over the counter, would sometimes help me sleep ~ but there were times when nothing helped. Then, I would recite poetry. Pick something before you go to bed to remember when you cannot sleep. If all else fails, say the Serenity Prayer.

I stopped eating carbohydrates. Soon enough the craving went away. The extra pounds I had put on (probably ten pounds) melted effortlessly away. When I really want to eat something sweet I do, but I know darn well it is going to set up a chain reaction kind of thing where I want more and more.

So then, I stop all carbohydrates for two or three days.

This has helped me very much.

Someone here on the site told me once that, once we get through it, we become our own best, gentlest selves again.

I was always afraid I would get stuck in one of those terrible hormonal places and be there for the rest of my life.

But I think the lady who told me we come back to our best selves once we are through it was right.

Hang on.

Everything will be okay.

Appetite, mood, and metabolism do return to normal.

Barbara

:)
 
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