Menopause

L

Loreenie

New Member
I'm 48 and my doctor has just told me that it's likely that I'm in peri-menopause. I have worked out for years, avidly for about 10. 5-6 days/week, 45 -70 minutes/day, doing programs like XTrain, STS, P90X, Insanity, etc. I follow your advice on lifting heavy. I was fairly proud of my body. I do all my own cooking, I eat CLEAN. I have recently put on 7 pounds and my doctor says it's due to "the change". When I ask her what I can do about it, she says things like, it's inevitable, try acceptance, you may have to increase your workouts a bit, eat healthier. Is she SERIOUS?? I truly don't know how much more I can do, if you look at what I already AM doing, how can I reasonable do any more than that? Cathe, I can only assume that gauging by the fact that your bio states you've been in this business for 30+ years, you're either approaching menopause or have already been there. And you look beautiful, ripped! So how can this be inevitable? I'm so frustrated with my body, as I sit here and write this I can't stop crying. PLEASE tell me what more I can do to get back to where I was. I just refuse to accept this as inevitable.

Lori
 
Loreenie said:
I'm 48 and my doctor has just told me that it's likely that I'm in peri-menopause. I have worked out for years, avidly for about 10. 5-6 days/week, 45 -70 minutes/day, doing programs like XTrain, STS, P90X, Insanity, etc. I follow your advice on lifting heavy. I was fairly proud of my body. I do all my own cooking, I eat CLEAN. I have recently put on 7 pounds and my doctor says it's due to "the change". When I ask her what I can do about it, she says things like, it's inevitable, try acceptance, you may have to increase your workouts a bit, eat healthier. Is she SERIOUS?? I truly don't know how much more I can do, if you look at what I already AM doing, how can I reasonable do any more than that? Cathe, I can only assume that gauging by the fact that your bio states you've been in this business for 30+ years, you're either approaching menopause or have already been there. And you look beautiful, ripped! So how can this be inevitable? I'm so frustrated with my body, as I sit here and write this I can't stop crying. PLEASE tell me what more I can do to get back to where I was. I just refuse to accept this as inevitable.

Lori
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I am really hoping Cathe will reply to this thread! :)
 
43 here and despirite to lose 25 pounds before it gets even harder to lose... Its llike i probly dont need to eat at all at times.
I myself just wish to look normal at least not this little basketball in cloths i see in the mirror!
I can feel ur pain.. I feeel like crying about it .. I have . I wish i could go to,a fat camp of sorts for women in there 40-50! I wish there was such a thing, id go to learn what i need to do or they can see im trying and see what is wrong.
Cathe i hope u see this question.
 
Loreenie said:
I'm 48 and my doctor has just told me that it's likely that I'm in peri-menopause. I have worked out for years, avidly for about 10. 5-6 days/week, 45 -70 minutes/day, doing programs like XTrain, STS, P90X, Insanity, etc. I follow your advice on lifting heavy. I was fairly proud of my body. I do all my own cooking, I eat CLEAN. I have recently put on 7 pounds and my doctor says it's due to "the change". When I ask her what I can do about it, she says things like, it's inevitable, try acceptance, you may have to increase your workouts a bit, eat healthier. Is she SERIOUS?? I truly don't know how much more I can do, if you look at what I already AM doing, how can I reasonable do any more than that? Cathe, I can only assume that gauging by the fact that your bio states you've been in this business for 30+ years, you're either approaching menopause or have already been there. And you look beautiful, ripped! So how can this be inevitable? I'm so frustrated with my body, as I sit here and write this I can't stop crying. PLEASE tell me what more I can do to get back to where I was. I just refuse to accept this as inevitable.

Lori
Click to expand...

I hope Cathe responds as well!
 
53 going through it. Body does not like flour alot. It LOVES to retain it the carb, swell up in my body so I now tend to consume wholemeal bread and no more than 2 slices a day. Forced me to clean up diet. Made scales my pal as it indicates how much room I have to play with. Not lost weight but have not put any on.
 
I would be very interested in this also. I'm in my low 40s and am already experiencing peri-menopause. I swear I woke up one morning and my midsection was thicker than it's ever been in my life. I work out 6 days a week, watch what I eat and the scale has not budged. I've got 8 extra pounds that simply will not go away. I'm sure something has to change either in my diet or my workout regime, I'm just not sure what that is.
 
I'm 43 and also gained about 10 lbs out of the blue in sept/oct. I've now lost 13 but its taken 6 months. I started writing down what I eat and changing up my workouts. I was just doing my same favorites that I probably knew by heart. I increased my cardio to 6 days and increased from 30 min to 40 (which meant days I did bis and tris I was also doing a HIIT). And it still came off very slow. But it did come off. I also started weighing myself in the morning and night so I could see the days where I my diet caused water retention ( my weight would increase a couple of pounds depending on what carbs, how much water I drank, etc). For right now that's working. I can't cheat on diet, water or sleep anymore. And Cathe's HIIT and tabatacise were the only thing that moved the scale down. I actually thought she was trying to kill me with the tabatacise at first but I gutted it out and I can do the whole thing now without pausing. I agree though, soooo frustrating to gain without the fun of cheating - which for me would be French fries! I hope she answers also I'm interested how she stays looking so great!
 
Me Too!

49 and spreadin through the middle.....if I lose weight it's in my legs and butt.....I don't need to lose butt I suffer from the NAAD (No Ass At-all Disease):)....Please Cathe tell us how you look so good.
 
I am no Cathe but I am 51 and have lost 15-20 pounds in the last year.

For me it was mainly diet. I was eating healthy but my portions got out of control so I cut down on portion size, cut out one snack and limited my complex carbs a bit. I eat veggies, lean protein (salmon and chicken), fruit and some complex carbs. I do incorporate green smoothies at least 5 days a week. I try to stay away from processed food as much as possible.

For exercise I run 2 days a week - one long run of 8-10 miles and another run of 4 miles. I do one day of running mixed in with other exercises. On the days I don't run I do workouts that involve weights and I go as heavy as possible. By weights I mean anything that is weighted...sandbags, kettlebells, med balls, dumbbells, barbells, etc.

My workouts (except for running) are 30-45 minutes in length and I will workout either 5 or 6 days a week. So far this has worked for me. It's hard but it's doable but you really have to watch what you are eating.
 
Ditto what Lioness said. I'm vegetarian (with very occassional salmon, shrimp or whitefish). I've started going veg/fruit Nutribullet drinks often. I've cut pasta from a couple times per week to a couple times per month and then only the Barilla Plus or gluten-free types. No sandwiches - occassional wraps or english muffins, but no actual bread at all - ever. I don't really like it anyway, so that's easy. Cutting way back on cheese and other dairy. Organic yogurt a couple times per week max. Lowfat org milk in my coffee. I am doing the Xtrain/LIS rotation. Subbing in Spinning for some of the step-y workouts or Slide and Glide. I've started upping to include cardio on weight days, whenever I have time. I'm 47. It's working! And honestly, it's not that hard - I prefer the diet, have way more energy, etc.
 
Thank you all so much for your input! I'm glad to know I'm not the only one dealing with these specific issues. And thank you for all the wonderful suggestions. I'm just not sure how much more I can tweak my diet. I stick to no more than 1200 calories/day during the week, with absolutely no processed foods. I have always allowed myself leeway on the weekends, but still within reason. Just like all of you, I'm still hoping to hear from Cathe.

Lori
 
Loreenie said:
Thank you all so much for your input! I'm glad to know I'm not the only one dealing with these specific issues. And thank you for all the wonderful suggestions. I'm just not sure how much more I can tweak my diet. I stick to no more than 1200 calories/day during the week, with absolutely no processed foods. I have always allowed myself leeway on the weekends, but still within reason. Just like all of you, I'm still hoping to hear from Cathe.

Lori
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Lori,

The catalyst for losing the 15-20 pounds for me was going to the doctor. I remember her telling me that I needed to lose weight and I was thinking Seriously? I'm already eating practically nothing. I'm a swinging 53# kettlebell!! What more could I do? But then I got home and I started looking at my diet and I thought...Ok..my portions are too big...I need to cut down on the cheese...I can get rid of this snack. I don't count calories but I found ways to makes changes...changes that I didn't think I could make but after looking at my diet I was able to tweak it a bit more than I thought I could. After making those small changes, the weight started to come off. BTW...I eat one cheat meal a week on Saturday night.

I lost 40 pounds when I was 37 and I eat totally different than I did then. Sometimes we need to step back and take a closer look at the diet especially as we mature.
 
Repo said:
49 and spreadin through the middle.....if I lose weight it's in my legs and butt.....I don't need to lose butt I suffer from the NAAD (No Ass At-all Disease):)....Please Cathe tell us how you look so good.
Click to expand...

I know Cathe's secret.....She really isn't human. She is a machine.:)
 
Facts of life I'm afraid

Loreenie said:
I'm 48 and my doctor has just told me that it's likely that I'm in peri-menopause. I have worked out for years, avidly for about 10. 5-6 days/week, 45 -70 minutes/day, doing programs like XTrain, STS, P90X, Insanity, etc. I follow your advice on lifting heavy. I was fairly proud of my body. I do all my own cooking, I eat CLEAN. I have recently put on 7 pounds and my doctor says it's due to "the change". When I ask her what I can do about it, she says things like, it's inevitable, try acceptance, you may have to increase your workouts a bit, eat healthier. Is she SERIOUS?? I truly don't know how much more I can do, if you look at what I already AM doing, how can I reasonable do any more than that? Cathe, I can only assume that gauging by the fact that your bio states you've been in this business for 30+ years, you're either approaching menopause or have already been there. And you look beautiful, ripped! So how can this be inevitable? I'm so frustrated with my body, as I sit here and write this I can't stop crying. PLEASE tell me what more I can do to get back to where I was. I just refuse to accept this as inevitable.

Lori
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, Lori, your Dr. is right. I'm 63 now so I know what you are going through. I've been an athlete my entire life-in high school and college I skied, played tennis, ran, climbed mountains, canoed, kayaked. I took up actual weight work in my 30's along with strenuous training for marathons, etc.. Met Cathe tapes when she first started producing them and have used hers and other advanced programs since.
I was anorexic twice in my life but came to terms with eating and maintain a pretty comprehensive plan that does not allow for much in the way of junk. When I hit my mid-4 0's and the waistline became tight in all my favorite outfits...I knew it meant war! That's what I pictured in my head-me with a club chasing a blob of fat.
It has been a struggle ever since...I've accelerated and increased my workouts to the point of absolute exhaustion, cut back to 800-900 calories etc.. but have found if I want a life that means more than keeping my waistline, I can't live like that.
I'm afraid these are hard facts of life....it happens. Just stay as healthy as you can, relax, get outside as much as possible and keep up the exercise....but not as a means to maintain an impossible youth, but to keep you happy and healthy.
I hate preachiness, so I'm hoping this does not sound that way. No preaching here, but only stating my experience. Frustrating, yes, but know you are not alone.
 
What I've read/heard is that the dreaded "meno-pot" is supposed to be the body's way of protecting your bones. Accumulating fat is the abdomen is normal. Let's face it, it's better to have a little bit of belly than weak bones.

Don't be so hard on yourself. You are healthy, beautiful, and strong! Probably in better shape than the average 25 year old, too (even the skinny ones).
 
An option to consider

Hello to fellow 40 somethings.

I'm 47 and went through early menopause. I have been post menopausal for the last 2 years. In March 2012 I began bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) and this has been a godsend for me. No more night sweats, mood swings, sleeplessness, low libido etc.

I'm not a doctor so I don't feel comfortable saying too much but I can send you to the website of the Doctor who provides the therapy to me in Maryland. It is very informative: Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) Dr Mark Richards.

These hormones are not synthetic and are not bio-identical creams that you slather on your arms and legs. They are pellets, each the size of a grain of rice (I have 2-3 inserted every 3 months). I pay $500 every 3 months for the insertion in the doctors office. He sterilizes all instruments as well as the fatty part of my upper buttocks then he makes a tiny incision, inserts the pellets and then covers with surgical tape. I typically lift weights for the following 4 days as you are not allowed to run or do heavy cardio to let the incision heal closed so the pellets won't dislodge.

I don't know if this is for everyone, but it has been the one thing that has worked for me after almost 5 years of symptoms during peri-menopause and then post-menopause.

NOTE: My gyno is not very cutting edge and seemed skeptical SOOO be aware this is not likely to be something a doctor/gyno who does not keep up on new treatments is going to be able to weigh in on. I feel very confident that the doctor I'm working with for BHRT knows what he's doing as he trains others.

If you go to the website you'll get my doctor's contact information and he himself has been on BHRT for last 8 years (men have menopause too believe it or not) and he may be able to connect you with someone in your area.

All the best,

-Michele
 
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