Metabolism and Gaining Weight

L

Lollie61

Cathlete
Hi Cathe,

I would like to know if you have any recommendations for weight gain for someone whose metabolism took a nose dive this year. I'm 42 and the workouts that would reduce my weight are not working. I have all of your workouts except for one step workout. I do have the last three series you put out.

My eating is pretty clean. I know I don't drink enough water, I like flavor, but I have increased my intake. My son's friend's mother asked me a couple of weeks ago if I was pregnant. She said I use to be so thin. That was hard to hear since I have been working hard at trying to get back to what I was since June.

This is very frustrating, my mid section seems to be getting wider, not sticking out.

If you have any suggestions on what I can do or post some links that may give me some ideas I would greatly appreciate it.

TIA

Lollie
 
Hate to say it, but maybe you are starting the big M - as in menopause. I'm 39 and also used to be rail thin. I've gained weight, even though I'm eating cleanly and exercising harder than I've ever been. My sister went through menopause at 42 and was done by 45. She said you gain weight at the beginning, but lose it at the end, and there isn't a damn thing you can do about it in the meantime.

Bottom line, go see your doctor. They can check your thyroid and do bloodwork to see what's up.

Good luck.
Shopgirl
 
Yup, Shopgirl. Sounds like what I am going through and coincidentally, this started for me around age 42 as well. I don't know that you lose it in the end either. The big M seems to affect each person differently...even in the same family.

The best weapon is working with weights. Cardio definitely, but the weights made a HUGE difference for me.
 
Thanks for the reply everyone. Yes, I think it might be the big "M". I am not the same as I was in '99 or '01. It is frustrating for me though.

Candi, can you tell me which Cathe weight workouts you use? Also cardio. How many times a week did you do both? I do like circuit training.

Thanks,

Lollie
 
Lollie,

As far as weights, I get the best results alternating the Pyramids with Pure Strength. Then I would do a short rotation with Muscle Endurance and Power Hour. Then back to the heavier weights again. Right now, I'm alternating CTX upper body split with Pure Strength. The recommendations here are to mix things up so that's what I try to do. It also helps the boredom factor.

As far as cardio, IMAX is a great interval workout. I am more partial to Hi/Lo and kickboxing though. I think Maximum Intensity Cardio is fantastic also and I love Cardio Kicks and Kick, Punch and Crunch. As far as Circuit Training, I love Circuit Max and the Power Circuit workout in the CTX series. I consider Boot Camp a circuit workout and I definitely saw more definition, especially in the ab area when I included this in a rotation. Oh, and I can't leave out Step, Pump and Jump and Cardio and Weights.
 
Thanks Candi, may I ask how long you do each rotation? For example, Pyramids one week and PS the next? I LOVE cardio and I like strength. MIC is good, but my achilles always bothers me after that workout. Love KPC, CTX and BC. I do like the HSTA workout.

So these workouts help the mid section. I will try a rotation using them. I also spin, so I will incorporate that.

I have only done SPJ premixes. I will try it in it's original format.

My workouts are a little off and on right now, my nieces are visiting from the states so we are visiting alot of places. Off to Florence and Rome this weekend and Austria week after next. Next week I should be able to get some of these workouts in.

Thanks again.

Ciao!!

Lollie
 
Candi,

My mom is 44 and has been going through menopause for a few years. She always says that she must be the only one who started so young. Do you happen to have any suggestions for dealing with hot flashes?

Thanks:)
Gina
 
Gina,

A lot of people don't like the route I've chosen to deal with perimenopause symptoms, simply because many women are afraid of hormones, and rightly so.

My symptoms progressed to not only night and day sweats, inability to sleep through the night and mood swings, I actually started to become very anxious and was not too much fun to be around. My gynecologist prescribed low dose birth control pills to add more estrogen because my symptoms showed my estrogen was rapidly depleting and my body was under a lot of stress because of it.

Many women I know swear by Estroven. It's an over the counter product that contains black cohosh. Black Cohosh has been used in Europe for years for M symptoms. I have read that it does work but should not be used for an extended period of time. But, I believe there are people on this forum who have used it for years with good
results...

I will recommend a very good book, "The Power of PeriMenopause" by Stephanie DeGraff-Bender. There is a lot of great information in that book that may help you.

HTH:7
 
Lollie,

I will use the Pyraminds and Pure Strength alternating them in the same week. Meaning, I do two upper body workouts in one week and then two lower body workouts in the same week, giving me four days of weight work for that week. As I like to do at least five days of cardio, I will include one weight workout with a cardio on two days.
On the days I also do cardio, I will do just 30 minutes of cardio as time is always a factor for me. Hope that makes sense to you.

It appears you live in Europe...Oh how I envy you. The last time my husband and I were there was in 2000 and I so want to go back. Our five year wedding anniversary is next year and I want to visit Venice and Florence. My grandmother was from the Avellino(sp) area of Italy, near Naples.
 
Candi,

I live in the Fruili region (northern) of Italy. I love it here, it's beautiful. I can see the mountains from my house.

I went to Naples in April. We visited Mt. Vesuvius (sp?), Pompeii, Capri and Sorento. I have decided that when I become rich I am going to live on the Island of Capri.:D Absolutely beautiful!!

My husband is in the Air Force, that is why we are living in Europe. This is our second time. We were stationed in Germany 10 yrs ago, southern Bavaria. Also Japan and Korea. Germany and Japan are special to us....our children were born in those countries.

Hope you make it to Italy. If so, go to Capri!!

Lollie

Thanks for the workout info. I am going to see if they have the book in our book store. If not, I will see if I can order it from Amazon.
 
Hi Lollie,

Italy Hu? It is my husband's dream to go their. I am thinking about surprising him for our 10th anniversary next year. :)

May I recommend Dr.Lee's book, "What your Dr. May Not Tell You About Menopause. He talks about unexplained weight gain could very well be a sign of estrogen dominence. You can also take a Hormone test on his web page. I have a link to his site on my web page. It is under "Hormone Imbalance", then go to the bottem and click on his link. :)



www.healthforlife.myarbonne.com
 
Teresa,

The think I don't like about Dr. Lee's book is that he implies that there is overwhelming evidence for estrogen dominance, when in fact hot flashes are caused by not enough estrogen. Also, according to two gynecologists I went to, these horomone tests are a waste of money if you're in peri-menopause because hormones are fluctuating dramatically in this stage. The results you have on one day could be dramatically different the next day. The test means more if you're already at the Menopausal stage. I should have bought stock in progesterone cream when Dr. Lee's book first came out. I'd be rich!

The reason I recommended the other book is that it gives a lot of factual information without being biased.
 
Hi Candi,

I don't think Dr.Lee is 'biased' in anyway. (hmmm, maybe I misunderstood you saying that). Anyways, Dr.Lee was a strong advocate for Natural Progesterone Cream, vs HRT and other synthetic products. Dr.Lee says in his book that hot flashes happen when estrogen decreases and when progesterone is already low (not when we have too much estrogen). Withdrawl of estrogen causes an increase in the levels of the hormones called FSH and LH. There is an area in the brain called 'hypothalmus' that monitors estrogen and progesteron levels. And when this level falls it causes the pituitary to make these hormones.
Most post menopausal women continue to make estrogen but little or NO progesterone and so the progesterone cream has been known to help.
However, not all hot flashes are related to estrogen levels. It could be from hypothyrodisism, alcohol intake as well as out of control diabetes.
Also, caffeine, chocolate, hot drinks, stress are the most common triggers. Sometimes regulating sugar intake is enough to successfully control hot flashes. So there are many areas to consider.
I just like to recommend people to Dr.John Lee's website because he was such an advocate of a "natural" source vs going to the Dr. and getting put on HRT (synthetic drugs) and of all the wonderful testimonies I have heard and read about is unbelievable!
Plus, I know what the progesterone cream has done for me :)
 
Here are a few more good books. :)

Hormone Balance: A Matter of Life and Health by Kristine Klitzke(R.N)

Hormone Heresay: What Women Must Know About Their Hormones by Sherril Sellman

Hormone Deception: D.Lindsey Berkson
 
That's exactly what I mean about being biased...his advocacy for progesterone cream. It's wonderful that his suggestions worked for you but using progesterone cream did absolutely NOTHING for me except make me think there was something wrong with me that the cream did not work. That's why I think that unbiased factual data is a better approach.

Also, you stated most POST menopausal women continue to have traces of estrogen and no progesterone...that is true, but I think we're talking about the PERI menopausal period here were horomones are continually fluctuating. Once your in the POST phase, the fluctuations have pretty much ceased.

Actually, the reason I'm on synthetic hormones is because of the fluctuations. The low dose birth control pill regulates the level of hormones that are going into my system. I cannot wait to be through this nasty period and be POST M so that I can start natural HRT....but I will take estrogen as well as progesterone and probably a little testosterone too.

As strong as your positive feelings about progesterone because it worked for you is same reason I feel so negative...it didn't work for me. I also sunk a bunch of money into REVIVAL Soy based on another book...I could have spent it so much better.

I read several books and then made my decisions......that's all I'm trying to say.
 
Candi,

Well there are many different types of progesterone creams on the market and that's why one really needs to know if it is soy, wildyam, usp grade ect. I am sorry that the one you tried made you feel like there was something wrong with you. Gosh, that would be a horrible feeling!
But I am glad you found something that does work for you :)

I hope I didn't come across as sounding negative about HRT's, and if I did, please forgive me. I guess that is where my 'passion' is, in helping women find a safe and natural alternative since HRT's has been known to cause breast and uterine cancer. (that's why they stopped the hrt studies). But I also know that I will come across many women who choose to use HRT and I respect their decision. :) ( I may not understand it haha but none the less, I do respect it. :)

So I do apologize if my wording came out wrong and like I said, I am glad you have found something that works for you :)
 
Hi, Lollie. With the amount of exercise you do, I doubt that your drop in metabolism is due to perimenopause. It's true that metabolsm decreases with age but maintaining muscle mass through exercise circumvents the muscle loss and subsequent weight gain. I agree that your thyroid may be the culprit. If you aren't working out less or hitting the Oreo on the sly, your thyroid could very well be out of whack. I am inspired to get my rear in gear regarding my strength training! Too many vacations have me on a bare bones minimal program and I need to kick it up. School starts tomorrow. Yay! :) I can workout with no interuptions or fighting for the TV. Woo hoo!

Good luck! I hope you discover the reason behind your plunge in metabolsim.
Bobbi http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif "Chick's rule!"

Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

- Mary Oliver
 
Hello Bobbi

I have been on the go for a couple of weeks and haven't gotten around to posting a reply. I had my thyroid checked for something else and the results were normal. I am frustrated. Right now my nieces are visiting and my workouts have not been consistent. I was making gains, but not as fast I use to.

We were looking at pictures the other night and I noticed how different I look. My arms were a nice size, toned, now they look massive. I look like a linebacker. I didn't have the middle that I have now . These pictures were from 4, to 10 years ago. I thought about what type of workouts I was doing. Ten years ago, I was doing mostly cardio. A little endurance strength work. Four to five years ago, I was doing more strength workouts-not as heavy as I am doing now. I keep reading how people have had great results w/ heavy weights. I know I have the tendency to bulk, but I thought that heavy weights may shock my system and I would eventually start slimming down. Also, the cardio I do now is harder then what I did 10 yrs ago.

I don't like oreos so that is not a problem, but I do treat myself to Gummi Bears. :9 Can't help it. Once I moved back to Europe and saw my favorite brand in the Commissary (they're the ones from Germany) I had to have them. They are the only non healthy thing I eat, that I can think of. I buy them every two weeks.

In the fall I wasn't as consistent with my workouts as I had been. I also stopped running. It bothered my achilles. But, when I would get back on track before, I would see changes very quickly. Not now.

Oh well, I will keep plugging away. That's all I can do

Lollie
 
Hi, Lollie. I can imagine your frustration! When you workout and watch your diet and still your weight won't budge, it's discouraging. I do admire you for sticking to it and there has to be an answer for you. Your hormones could indeed be causing your problems. And like thyroid problems, hormone problems can be tricky to treat. Have you had your blood levels of hormone checked? When was the last time you had a physical? I think we experience many more perimenopausal problems in this modern age due to environmental factors. We have an abundant food supply but much of the animal products are treated with hormones and even the way food is packaged can change it's molecular makeup if it's microwaved in plastic. I encourage you to work with your doctor and keep working out until you get a handle on the situation. I think your gummy bears are a very safe indulgance. LOL! One more question, do you do circuit training? If you bulk, heavy may not be the way to go. I know Cathe recommends it as a great way to shock the system and she has many wonderful workouts to back up her advice. Boot Camp, in particular, is diabolically shocking and so tough it makes me cry. :D Ok, I don't cry but it is a mean one. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress!
Bobbi http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif "Chick's rule!"

Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

- Mary Oliver
 
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