Here I am talking about being penaiied for use it or lose it, when it comes to our reproductive organs. Going back to work with a young family is not cheap with travel and childcare costs, then everyone is talking about menopause, but I don’t hear our health boards coming up with any kind of strategic plan helping to educate young women, which I what I am striving for.
So anyway.
This post could be a bit of a trigger so if weight loss or weight gain conversations do that then please don’t read on.
I am a member of a website with workouts on it, and the website also has a private Facebook page.
One of the the most common comments I read on this have the following:
I am doing all the workouts, and I can’t lose weight.
I’m eating really healthy and I can’t lose weight
I’m feeling so down because I’m working out so hard and I step on the scales and nothing has changed.
It truly is one of the most awful things about menopause. The unexplained weight gain, and it’s definitely top of the list when I think about the ‘things that made me cry the most’ list. The reason for that being that the weight gain directly impacted my confidence as well, and I seriously didn’t know how to dress.
Recently, a good friend in her early 40s commented to me that her appetite had gone through the roof, and she couldn’t stop eating, and I thought ‘oh oh’, I know this one too well.
How awful to try and think how to explain to my gorgeous friend that this was because The Cookie Monster has moved into her brain. It really is a nasty thing to think about, saying to a woman that she needs to watch her food consumption. The best way I could think of wording was ‘well… 52 year old me, would tell 40 year old me to think about whether it was hunger or hormones’. That really is what it comes down to.
As women get older, 2 hormones in our body start having a party.
Ghrelin tells your body to keep eating, Leptin tell the brain that you are full up and to stop eating.
What happens in menopause is that Leptin goes on holiday ,and leaves Ghrelin in charge.
The best thing you can do is to keep your fluid intake up, and when you feel hungry, have good think about whether you ARE hungry or if its just your brain playing tricks on you.
What an awful thing to say I know, but having this information now will save you a lot of scrolling and ugly crying later on, I promise.
One of the best things I can say, is follow an eating plan, and don’t starve yourself.
I cook from the slimming world magazine, and make all my own lunches and dinners because it keeps me out of Greggs at lunchtime. Also, the more protein I eat, the less sugar I crave.
I get my chocolate fix from protein chocolate shakes. Winner.
I went through an awful time with bloating and sweating and not fitting into my clothes which would increase my stress, and make sweat a lot more. It was the worst 18 months ever. I'm telling you all this to help spare you from that ordeal, or at least make it a bit easier to bear.
I host menopause workshops, and I also have a menopause workbook on my website here . I don’t give advice about medication, thats for your GP to do, but what I concentrate on is reducing stress which ultimately is the best thing you can do for yourself full stop.
Please get in touch if I can help you further with any menopause advice. If I don’t have the answer, I can signpost you where you need to go.
Onward!
Elizabeth
So anyway.
After a few years of studying and researching menopause, turns out I need to listen to myself more often.
Oh boy.
Like everything in life, I think I have worked something out, then the plot twist happens.
Don’t worry, it’s nothing more than simply overeating, but its amazing how it can get out of control.
My amazing 50 something body has changed tack again, going in another direction that seems to be very fond of making all my cloths feel a bit nipped.
Lockdown has affected us all, in many different ways. I have started wearing my fitness tracker again as I was more than aware of not moving enough, over the last couple of months, especially not working at the moment.
The overeating was very subtle, and it took my sister to flag it up to me.
Would you believe that having a period actually uses up a lot of energy, so when in menopause, and your period stops, the amount of calories you need daily/weekly/monthly drops too. It does’t help that during this process, our leptin levels also drop. Leptin is the hormone that tells you to stop eating as you are full, so the menopausal munching continues! Oh my!
I also noticed that I wasn’t doing myself any favours at all, by eating light during the day, then having an enormous dinner. So have switched it up, and am now making my evening meal lighter.
So I really have had to go back to basics. Get outside walking daily for at least an hour. Revisit my beloved Toned in 10 Davina McCall DVD, and start eating delicious homemade soups in the evening.
If you are trawling the internet looking for menopause advice, look no further than my Menopause Workbook, available for £4.99 from my website. I wrote it, and it’s jam packed full of helpful information to help you take steps towards better menopause management.
There is no magic pill to make the symptoms completely disappear, but there is great deal you can do, to turn the volume down, including a focus on stress reduction.
Find out more here.
Onward!
Elizabeth
