Menopause Anyone?

[Mithril]

I'm just wondering if there are other women here in the menopause phase of life. It's been almost 2 years now since my last period and I have steadily gained weight. I haven't been very good about my pplp, so I am back and joining this forum in hopes that I can get back on track and still lose the 50lbs Ive gained over the last 30 years! I worry that it will be impossible given my age and the changes in my body. When I was younger or premenopausal, losing weight was easier. I'm not so sure now!
Thanks for being there!
Mithril

[Relief]

Let's hope it's not impossible!! there are several of us here in the same stage of life, and know well the struggle. I am 54, have been on PP for over 6 years and have had both weight gain issues and inability to lose issues due to the changing hormonal climate of perimenopuase. I too have not had a period for about 2 years ( with a small blip this year after I started bio-identical hormone replacement!)

I bellieve that controlled cargb eating is the ONLY plan that can help get your metabolism under control to have the best possible chance of gaining health and a normal, healthy body fat percentage. but it can also take much more than that alone!
thyroid can be an issue and hormone imbalances can interfere too. ( I have both)

the first step would be to get yourself thoroughly on a good PP WOE and see how it goes! this BB can be soooo helpful in that.
welcome welcome we are here to help anyway we can.

[Gaelen]

Mithril, welcome in. There are several of us either in or past menopause, or perimenopausal, and yes--it does complicate weight loss. But it's not impossible, and the better you eat, the better you'll feel, whether you're actually losing or not. When you feel better, you'll be able to exercise more easily, which will help you be stronger--so even if the pounds don't fly away anymore, you can take steps to be more in control of your health.

Glad you've joined us--and make sure to check out the 'Working the Plan' forums for daily support in menus, activities, plan basics, challenges and exercise.

[Malainie]

Low-carbing is the only way to lose post-menopausally. Plus, a lot of problems that come from being overweight disappear or, at the least, are mitigated. Hopefully, with your advancing years, comes wisdom and patience. Because the pounds do not come off as quickly as they did when you were younger. How do I know all this? I'm 58, 6 years past my last period and down 23 pounds since I got back to my low-carb lifestyle last October. :) Slow but sure, and, of course, I measure. Some months, that's the only indication I have that things are progressing. And, I only weigh myself once a month. I don't look at this as a diet, but a way of eating, like when I was a vegetarian for several years.

[Bonnie]

I'm 57 and been post-menopausal for several years, and I agree with Malainie. I cannot lose weight unless I low carb.

Bonnie

[Shadow]

Welcome Mithril and Malainie!

Mithril - I am in menopause and I think it's only the low carb eating that has made it easier for me. Yes, I still have issues - especially with the waist line - but nothing compared to what I'd be going through if I still ate high carb ;). I am also a regular exerciser which has helped - but not as much as the eating. I do think that's the key :).

[Mithril]

WoW! Good to be among my peers! Thanks for all the encouragement and support. I started PPing today but I'm a sugar addict too.....major major chocoholic! are sugar free low carb candies ok?
I will search around the forums to see what others do to satisfy cravings.
Thanks again.
Mithril

[Gaelen]

Mithril, just be a little cautious with the sugar free candies...for some people they can provide more gastric distress than anyone will ever need. Try to skip the need for chocolate if you can for the first couple weeks, and then, when you've got your head around low carbing, try a single piece of a very intense chocolate like Lindt 85% Cocoa Dark. Make sure you only have a small, 1g ECC piece available, and 'test the waters.' If you give your sweet tooth some time to dial itself back, you may find that you don't experience as intense cravings as you thought you were in for, and that one piece of really intense good chocolate (I mean really well-made chocolate ;)) is all that you need.

Failing that--I satisfy my chocolate craving by making a daily mocha protein shake for breakfast. ;)

[Relief]

I am a sugar addict/chocoholic too and find that even a little sugar is too much, the 85% chocolate suggested above doesn't send me into cravings but I can't eat it either --too bitter for me. But even the 70% cocoa--which seems to work for many people --keeps my cravings alive and I can't stop at just one; plus find myself combing the cupboards looking for my next fix!

I have had great success using this chocolate at http://www.lowcarbspecialties.com/choco_bars.html
it is sweetened with inulin, a fiber, and erythritol which is the best of the sugar alcohols in terms of gastric issues and insulin response and it tastes and cooks FANTASTIC-- like the best belgian chocolate you ever ate! I can be satisfied with just a small piece.

I have experimented over and over with trying to do without sweets and It just does NOT work for me. I end up feeling so deprived and just cannot sick with it. a variety of sweets-- whether it is a low carb blueberry muffin or some sugar free chocolate--keeps me content and on plan.

[realruth]

Hi Mithril...
I'm just in the beginning of the menopause rollercoaster....
Gained a few lbs last year after reaching goal and still being on 30ecc daily...have lost most of it now with added hormones...but the waist is still bigger and the thighs....

The periods have just gone haywire....
I started to have long gaps and light flow....But after taking some soy protein daily for the last 2.5 weeks I suddenly have had an early period with extreme flow... Well I put it down to the soy ;)

But without doing PP I would be suffering like crazy.....I was in a real bad way before PPand this WOL has been a real life changing deal

[Always]

Welcome Mithril!!!!!
And it's good to know that we're not alone on the menopause rollercoaster. I had a hysterectomy in 2000 and since I stopped Premarin last year at age 50, I've had my share of mild hot flashes (stress is my trigger). The older I get the harder it is to lose the weight, but since I started PP in 2000 I have never felt better. I don't see myself eating any other way.

In my opinion journaling what you eat is a valuable tool especially when you first start PP. You need to know what you eat. Oh and don't forget to drink water.

And Relief is right about ChocoPerfection...it is the best chocolate I've tasted.

[hawk]

Yippeee I skipped a month . I have been waiting for this. I have very mild hot flashes. Have had them for a few years and did not even realize it. Very mild. I excersize them away. My mother told me that God made us this way and it is perfectly normal and natural .I know some of you take hormones. I don't know what I will decide. My doctor does recommend a natural pharmacy. I have picked up about 5 pounds this last two months. I could not figure out why and now I believe it is the fluctuating hormones. I am alot more hyper than ussual and then again alot more tired. I decided to lower my carbs even more and see what happens along with my excersize. I had lost 10 pounds at the beginning of this year. Carb cravings and family parties do not help.
All in all, I have less mood swings. I was expecting more. I have noticed changes in my skin. Not as firm, but hey.. I'm a granny... and a darn good one at that.

Anyone know a good site to read up on these things ? Or some good books to get??

[Relief]

I recommend: anything by Christiane Northrup-- "The Wisdom of Menopause" being right up there! her web site is here: http://www.drnorthrup.com/

also Anne Lousie Gittleman is very good ( not my favorite but some really respond to her style)

current fave book is " What is Your Menopause Type" by Joseph Collins N.D.

I also like a book that was given to me by the compounding pharmacist that makes the progesterone and DHEA creams I use. It is called "You've Hit Menopause, Now What?--3 simple steps to restoring hormone balance" by George Gillson MD, PhD and Tracy Marsden BScPharm. This was published in Canada. you can buy it from their wesite at http://www.rmalab.com/index.htm

I am a big fan of natural remedies and bio identical hormone replacement therapies as opposed to traditional HRT. and all of these books address this type of help through "the change" It has really, really helped me.

I too , like your mom, think this is all normal and natural, but our enviroment, diet and lifestyles are so far from natural and there are big consequenses from that, that really manifest when we reach these physical milestones. Cleaning up our diets via PP is one way that we can really help ourselves to normalize and optimize our health and let us just sail through these changes. But I'm not opposed to helping things normalize if homones have become so unbalanced that we are suffering uncomfortably. All of the authors above have a similar consciousness.

[Gopherhead]

Anyone know a good site to read up on these things ? Or some good books to get??

Power Surge (http://www.power-surge.com/intro.htm)is a great place for meno-peri information.

[Shadow]

Hawk - Just had to pop in and tell you I love the new avatar! Gus looks like such a sweetheart - as does your grandbaby :D! Okay... everyone can get back to the topic now :lol:...

[Mitra]

Has anybody come across any good books that aren't primarily about using hormones - I'll use them if I have to, but don't want to start out that way. Like Ruth, I'm just starting to see irregular cycles, and I'm wondering what to expect over the next year/s.

[Relief]

Mitra--the book I mentioned above--the one by Collins--gives a whole range of natural options, including homeopathic and herbal rememdies, in addition to hormones. The emphasis is to use the least intervention possible and only resort to hormones if the above doesn't help enough. What is so great about the book IMHO is that there is a questionaire to help diagnose which hormones could be out of whack--not just assuming you need estrogen or progesterone for all symptoms. There are 12 different types of menopause profiled depending on which homones are low or high--and suggestions for foods and remedies for each specific type. BTW Anne Louise Gittleman is also very much into remedies short of actual hormones.

What was great for me was that the questionaire was as accurate in identifying my imbalances as was the saliva testing--one validated the other. I was initially a little low in estrogen, and out of balance in progesterone ( progesterone is within "normal" limits but too low relative to estrogen, which creates certain symptoms) and low in testosterone. Right now, several months after startin treatment things have shifted slightly-- I'm too low in estrogen and ok in progesterone-- so I use a DHEA cream everyday which is a precursor for both testosterone and estrogen. But I also take Dong Quai, licorice root extract, and siberian gensing --which helps with estrogen and testosterone production, I also have used progesterone cream--there were times when I was VERY low in that and it helped enormously in the past (symptoms of extreme breast tenderness, heavy periods, weepiness, cramps) I need it less now-- the thyroid I'm taking now seems to help with balance and some of the herbs also help. ( though I'm having a hot flash as I type right now, :rolleyes: I got complacent and haven't been religeous about taking my meds!) but the book also details what herbs and remedies help with that balance as well.

I think if you start looking at it early, it is very possible that herbal and homeopathic treatments would be all that is necesary. Using the above resources would assure that the remedies you choose are appropriate for your particular symptoms.
Example: hot flashes can be a symptom of low estrogen OR low progesterone OR low testosterone.
Over the counter menopausal remedies for hot flashes often contain black cohosh and/or vitex( chasteberry) Now, black cohosh is great if you are low estrogen but counter indicated if you are estrogen dominant and need progesterone. Vitex stimutates progesterone production but can lower testosterone so is contra-indicated if you already are low in testosterone--see what I mean? Knowledge is key!
hope this helps.

[Mitra]

That's very helpful - thank you. I also copied a previous thread where you talked about all this stuff, but it's on my other computer, I think. I'll have to go back and look at that, too.

[Missy]

A perimenopause girl peeping in here....:o I wonder? Do they have a similar book to the one you mentioned Relief about "Types" for perimenopause??

I'll probably get this one...just because it's information...that I can begin to relate too or will relate too?

I don't have the hot flashes...but do have (sometimes) the low progestrone symptoms.

Oh...the balance of it all!!!! :jawDrop:

[Relief]

All of these books apply to perimenopause--and actually (IMO) ought to be requried reading for all once you reach adulthood. hormone imbalances can affect you long before you reach some magic point, and there is so much that can be done--no one should just suffer. I think the labels are counter-productive the "official" definition of menopause when you have had no periods for one year--but I had 3 periods in a row after not having one for a year and a half.-- and the symptoms can start up to 10 YEARS before you actually stop having periods! It is all a process. and actually once periods stop, most women (though not all) are past the worst symptoms anyway--the real challenges are leading up to that point.

[Mitra]

I've ordered the Collins book. I managed to do his questionnaire on the amazon preview, and he thinks I'm normal :evil: . So it seems that not taking hormones is the right decision for now. I'll see if he has ideas to keep it that way :) .

I've also read some of the Susun Weed stuff. Of course, her approach and writing style isn't for everybody, but I liked the staged approach - doing nothing, then starting with things like adequate rest, nourishment, moving to mild herbs, then stronger herbs/drugs, with very strong things or surgery if the others don't work. I also found the very extensive lists of possible menopause experiences comforting - it made it all seem more normal, and made me feel less alone in it, which is really the main thing I needed at this stage.

[Gopherhead]

All of these books apply to perimenopause--and actually (IMO) ought to be requried reading for all once you reach adulthood. hormone imbalances can affect you long before you reach some magic point, and there is so much that can be done--no one should just suffer. I think the labels are counter-productive the "official" definition of menopause when you have had no periods for one year--but I had 3 periods in a row after not having one for a year and a half.-- and the symptoms can start up to 10 YEARS before you actually stop having periods! It is all a process. and actually once periods stop, most women (though not all) are past the worst symptoms anyway--the real challenges are leading up to that point.

I agree 100%. Hormones. This is a subject you need to be proactive about and well educated in.

[Missy]

Yep, I agree...I see what you mean...really there isn't much difference other then the before or after...or even DURING the transition other then perhaps changes in symptoms.

I researched this subject heavily when I decided that bio-identicals was the "way" for me to go...but I pretty much stopped looking into this subject when I felt I was on my way to being "treated"...but, I think it's time I revisit this subject, and never allow myself to think that it's all smooth sailing...I don't think the hormones/age would allow us to feel too comfortable...just "managed"...OR at times not managed. :rolleyes:

As you mentioned Relief, you can get lax with yourself and not follow the prescribed treatment to the letter...and sometimes that bites you back. So, I'm going to do what I did in the beginning and track everything on the calander again. You know...like I'm SUPPOSED TOO! lol :D So I make sure I start my progesterone on the RIGHT DAY instead of a couple days late!!!...I think that's what got me in trouble last month!!! :eek:

I'll go dig out my "books" and reread them again...and look into the ones you suggested. There are alot of good books out there on this subject...and for the most part they are similiar. As always, there is something to "gain" in each author's views.

[Mayflowers]

Cripe this forum is annoying. I get logged out after a minute if I don't post! I log back in and then I lose my whole post!:mad:

I wanted to say that I'm in menopause too and I haven't been able to lose. At best I'm holding steady. I lose the same 5 pounds over and over! I hope low carb can help. I am very fatiqued while in menopause. I'm tired all the time. Makes it difficult to exercise. Is anyone else having this problem? Insomnia too. :(

[Mitra]

Sorry you're struggling to post - I'm not sure why that's happening, because usually you don't get logged out for 15 minutes.

I'm having a lot of tired times too, and my exercise has definitely been less intense because of it. I've kept up my exercise sessions, but haven't been able to work as hard as I was a few months ago. I don't know what the answer is, other than to keep on doing what you can, and if the kind of exercise you're doing doesn't lend itself to adjusting up and down, maybe you need to have a range of different options to choose from. Forcing yourself to exercise to exhaustion doesn't sound like a good idea.

[Relief]

I have never had an issue like you described above UNTIL JUST NOW!!!! I logged out to look for a setting I remembered about how long to stay logged on. couldn't find it, but after I logged back In I came here to post and after writing a lengthy reply got just the result you decribed what the heck???? do you check the "remember me" button on your log in?

[Mayflowers]

It works better if I use the reply button and not the quick reply.

I think my sleep habits are whats making me so tired. I wake up every 2 hours and of course getting up to go to the bathroom doesn't help. I stopped after dinner tea and that really helps. I also started taking a natural sleep aid with melatonin in it. That gives me more sleep time. I'm feeling better without the sugar in my diet. I think my body likes the low carb way. If I can just get over the temptations...:cool:

Diana

[cmcole]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/womenfamily.html?in_article_id=405835&in_page_id=1799&in_a_source=

Carol Barnes: How alternative remedies helped me beat the menopause

Last updated at 14:48pm on 19th September 2006

I have always been interested in alternative health - not as an 'instead of' but as something that could complement conventional medicine. I went to my local health store and was recommended Red Clover, which contains phytoe-strogens (plant oestrogens) and can help minimise menopausal symptoms; and sage, for the hot flushes and sweating.

'Sage really did the trick'
The sage, which I took as a daily capsule, really seemed to do the trick. It was quite incredible - after just a week, the hot flushes and sweating went. It also seemed to help with all the other symptoms. I slept better, probably because I no longer had the night sweats, and it seemed to put me on an even keel mood-wise.
I'm well past the menopause now, yet still take the sage capsules because they are supposed to be good for other things, too, such as keeping your memory healthy.
I also take glucosamine supplements for my joints, as a preventative, to keep them healthy; ginkgo biloba, for the brain and circulation; and milk thistle when I felt a bit 'liverish' (it has a detoxifying effect).
I'm also thinking about some homeopathic remedies. A while ago, I had a problem with my elbow. I play a lot of golf and developed 'golfer's elbow' (like tennis elbow, where there is painful inflammation through repeated action).
I have a friend who has just qualified as a registered homeopath and she gave me some remedies - I can't remember which but the pain and inflammation disappeared. Some people might say it was a coincidence, but I'm keeping an open mind. In some ways, I wish I had tried the alternative route sooner. But when I first started going through the menopause, there wasn't as much information on the subject as there is now.

[Gaelen]

Catching up on some of my journals today, I found this article in a SparkPeople digest that came earlier this week. Here's the link to the full article (free site membership required to read it...)

An Active Approach to Managing Menopause (http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/Fitness_articles.asp?id=438&page=1) by Rebecca Pratt

Some of her suggestions regarding managing menopause with exercise really hit close to home, and are things I'm noticing as I'm slowly able to exercise more. I'm especially intrigued about her mention that a certain level of exercise can benefit those who are in some level of adrenal fatigue:

An Active Approach to Managing Menopause
Get Moving to Relieve Discomfort
-- By Rebecca Pratt, Staff Writer
... Physical activity, the most effective alternative therapy available for women suffering menopausal symptoms, allows women to manage both their bodies and emotions. When you exercise, your adrenal glands are stimulated to convert the male hormone androstenedione into estrogen. Just four 30-minute exercise sessions per week are enough to keep you "topped off" with estrogen. ...
Regular exercise can benefit you in a number of ways as you pass through menopause: strengthening your heart and bones, avoiding or minimizing weight gain, improving your mood and sense of overall well-being. It also reduces the duration and intensity of those infamous hot flashes. In a recent Swedish study, researchers found that postmenopausal women who exercised were able to handle menopause without Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT); in fact, some of them did not experience hot flashes at all. Other studies have found similar beneficial results, including mood elevation in pre-, peri-, and postmenopausal women. Indeed, studies have shown that regular physical activity benefits not only women going through natural menopause but also those on HRT. ...
Physical activity also raises the level of endorphins in the blood, enhancing your mood and allowing you to respond positively in the face of stress. Partly the result of estrogen in a woman’s body, these "feel-good" biochemicals also help regulate body temperature—which in turn can diminish the frequency and intensity of hot flashes. In one study of postmenopausal women who were physically active, severe hot flashes and night sweats were only half as common....
You may still have those flashes— but they may be warm rather than hot, and a lot easier to endure!

[Bangs]

Thanks for posting this article, Gaelen. Very interesting connection between menopausal symptoms and exercise, one which I wasn't fully aware of. This really heightens my desire to get off my tushy and get back into a regular program. I don't know about you, but I could use the estrogen, and oh yeah, could really use the endorphins :D

I'm taking bio-identical HRT now, but I don't want to take it forever. I'm intrigued by the idea of using sage, too :)

[wareone]

Hi, I am new...
Started PP WOE in 2000 not long before my 47th bday. I found all the right stuff in the Eades' book, and did some research on my own.
I also started jogging, running later that year and after having lost 50lbs...you couldn't tell me anything.
Pounds stayed off, I'm enjoying life and my new way of eating--when boom, hormones started switching around, I ate almost anything eventually.
Then I gained about 11 lbs in a year This past year. With menopause in its 3rd year w/o a period and my being a bit fed up--I continued to exercise, but not at the rate I was.....I want to know if I can go on the strict 2 week beginning again and start from there.
Has anyone done that? How was it?
I am tired of looking at delicate meals--I want to go straight meat eggs and cheese, but I am afraid of that and haven't seen it addressed anywhere. Is it in the PP book? I loaned my out so I cannot reference it.
Any help is appreciated.

[Gaelen]

Hi, I am new...
Welcome in. ;)

Started PP WOE in 2000 not long before my 47th bday. I found all the right stuff in the Eades' book, and did some research on my own.
I also started jogging, running later that year and after having lost 50lbs...you couldn't tell me anything.
Pounds stayed off, I'm enjoying life and my new way of eating--when boom, hormones started switching around, I ate almost anything eventually.
Then I gained about 11 lbs in a year This past year. With menopause in its 3rd year w/o a period and my being a bit fed up--I continued to exercise, but not at the rate I was.....I want to know if I can go on the strict 2 week beginning again and start from there. Has anyone done that? How was it?

Protein Power doesn't have any 'strict 2 week beginning.' That would be Atkins induction, which limits carb intake to 20 grams and is a totally different plan. PP's first phase is called intervention or Phase I, and is at between 30 and 40g ECC (effective carbs, or carb grams minus fiber grams), which are eaten in quantities of between 7-10g ECC per meal/snack. Also important in Phase I is making sure that you calculate and get, each day, your minimum daily protein intake. You stay in Phase I until you've resolved any health issues which are affecting you (bad lipid ratios, high blood pressure, high fasting blood sugars, insulin resistance...and yes, the hormonal craziness that can be menopause)...or until you are close to your goal weight.

Then you move into Phase II which is between 40 and 55g ECC per day, and up to 15g ECC per meal, which eventually helps you transition into maintenance carb levels. For some people, that stays between 30 and 55g ECC. For others, their carb level in maintenance is equal to or slightly less than their recommended daily protein grams intake. However, the Eadeses' are pretty straightforward that going lower than 30g ECC is not really demonstrated to be of much benefit for most people. YMMV.

I am tired of looking at delicate meals--I want to go straight meat eggs and cheese, but I am afraid of that and haven't seen it addressed anywhere. Is it in the PP book?

Nope. There are other boards where some people follow their own version of eating low carb which they call the 'meat and egg life plan,' but that's not Protein Power. Not sure exactly what you mean about 'delicate' meals, but you don't have to eat 'delicately' on PP...and you don't have to eliminate vegetables or fruit, either. You can eat up to 40g ECC and you can choose pretty much whatever you want for those carbs on the most hedonistic variation of the plan.

I loaned my out so I cannot reference it. Any help is appreciated.

At the top of the forums, in the 'Getting Started' section, are some posts and downloadable files that describe PP--one favorite is called 'PP in a Nutshell.' Until you've got your own copy of PP, or The Protein Power Lifeplan or any of the other Eadeses' books, PP in a Nutshell and the other files in that section can be a good reference. Hope this helps, and again, welcome in!

[wareone]

thanks. i read pp book from front to back. i remember the 2 week interval for phase 1. i never saw the atkins plan. whatever it was, it worked.
delicate meals are the light salads, fruits, they're all good, but if i eat portions of meat because i want them, it seems to slow me down.
i'll look over the getting started again. i'm glad to be welcomed...i think i'll like it===looks like a lot of great stuff here.