Menopause is a fact of life. So is the weight gain that comes with it. Hormones are going crazy and your metabolism seems to come to a standstill. What do you do? Well, if you're not happy with this weight gain, you need to do some work to either stop it or reverse it (depending on how far you let it go in the first place).
I've been through it. I conquered it (twice).
In my teens, I was the girl everyone hated. I was able to eat anything and everything in huge portions and never gain an ounce. No matter what I ate, I couldn't get my weight over 90 pounds and usually hovered around 85 pounds. Some people thought it was a blessing. It was really a curse. At 5' tall, it was very difficult finding clothes that fit. Even petites were too big. Also, don't forget that back in the 70s, there weren't the sizes available that we have today. If you needed a size 0, you had to find a specialty shop.
Fast forward to my 20s. I got married and was pregnant for the first time at 23. For the first time in my life, I had hips!!!! Clothes actually fit me (except for the length) I gained 60 pounds with that first pregnancy and shortly after my son was born, I was down to 105 pounds. I had my second son a month before I turned 26. After he was born, I weighed 125 pounds, which I was happy with.
When I hit 40, I stopped smoking for good (I had stopped during my pregnancies and while nursing my sons, but stupidly started again). Let the weight gain begin. I believe I got to about 145 pounds when I couldn't take it anymore. I decided to lose the excess weight. I started eating mostly chicken and fish and would walk about a mile every other night. I lost the weight and kept it off until menopause hit at around age 48.
Once I hit menopause, the weight came on. It seemed that all I had to do was look at food and I would put on 10 pounds! I kept thinking how unhealthy I was (I couldn't walk up a flight of stairs without becoming winded), but kept putting off actually doing something about it. I procrastinated my way all the way up to 173 pounds.
I had been thinking about going to Weight Watchers, but never made the call. One day, a co-worker came to me and asked if I wanted to start Weight Watchers with her. I took it as a sign that I should go.
I was never a "meeting kind of girl", but I have to admit that I looked forward to going every Saturday morning for weigh-in and the meeting. It took 9 months, but by October of that year, I was down to my goal weight of 125 pounds. For the first time in a long time, I didn't feel uncomfortable in a bathing suit and actually went to the pool during the day when I was on vacation. I even found a Weight Watchers meeting near my condo in Florida. I watched what I ate and walked about 5 miles every day. I lost more weight.
I got down to 116 pounds, which was way too thin for me. I was happy with 120 pounds. I noticed that as long as I walked at least 3 times a week, I could eat more and maintain my weight. Things went great for about a year.
After a year at a respectable 120 pounds, I got a new job further from home. The hours were longer and the commute was about a half hour, so it was hard to find the time to walk. On top of that, my new boss was causing so much stress in my life that all I did was eat. I ate myself all the way up to 163 pounds.
Now menopause is firmly in place. And so was the weight. I tried cutting portions. Didn't lose an ounce. I needed incentive. I needed Weight Watchers.
I took what I learned at Weight Watchers and made it my own. I have zero will power, so I had my own little incentive. Every time I wanted to cheat, I would think about how mad my boss would be when I lost the weight. She was loving the fact that I gained so much because she was now the smallest in the office. Somehow, that was important to her.
I cut back on portions and also cut back on red meat. I substituted ground turkey breast for ground beef in a lot of my recipes. I started walking again. It hasn't been easy, but so far, I've lost 35 pounds in 9 months.
I'm going to relive my journey with you. I now realize it's an ongoing battle and I can't let it get to me. If you're trying to lose weight and are at that magical age of menopause, I hope you can learn from my experience. I also hope that we can form a bit of a support system for each other. Enjoy.
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