Perimenopause & Weight Gain

[ResistingResistanceUK]

Hi all,

i‘ve recently found out I’m in perimenopause. I’m battling some gnarly symptoms. Started HRT on Sunday (so far so good).
I eat low carb and because I’m post surgery , I’m trying to lose a bit of recovery weight. So I’m on 1500 cals a day and initially it did work and i lost 3lbs but weighed myself last week and i gained 0.4lbs and i just weighed myself this morning a few days early (just to see) and I’ve gained 1.6lbs.
Has any body been through this and has any tips?

 

[Lainie71]

Why are you counting calories if you are going low carb? I only ask as I went low carb, didn't count the calories as I found it too time consuming and counter productive and lost weight fine just eating low carb and exercise.

 

[Outlier]

Menopause is a b**** for many of us, though an easy ride for some (I wish they'd be grateful instead of patronising) and, like diabetes, hits differently for different people, situations, time of day, phase of the moon etc. etc. So I'd say hang on to your hollyhocks and do your best but try not to fixate on the ups and downs. I wish you all the best with your HRT (I didn't take it so no personal information) and remember to be kind to yourself.

 

[ResistingResistanceUK]

Why are you counting calories if you are going low carb? I only ask as I went low carb, didn't count the calories as I found it too time consuming and counter productive and lost weight fine just eating low carb and exercise.

I use the carb & Cals app - so I’m not doing it, it is. But I wrote it to show I’m in a calorie deficit.

 

[ResistingResistanceUK]

Menopause is a b**** for many of us, though an easy ride for some (I wish they'd be grateful instead of patronising) and, like diabetes, hits differently for different people, situations, time of day, phase of the moon etc. etc. So I'd say hang on to your hollyhocks and do your best but try not to fixate on the ups and downs. I wish you all the best with your HRT (I didn't take it so no personal information) and remember to be kind to yourself.

Thank you, I appreciate that! It’s been so awful . As I’m under 40, my GP has advised hrt so I’m trying it for 3 months. I hope it helps because , my goodness! Great advice and I’ll try not to be so obsessed

 

[HSSS]

Measuring lbs in decimal points is pointless. The scales are rarely accurate enough for this to mean anything and the difference could be having a wee or not before weighing. Not to mention swings in hormones etc can make as much as 7lb difference in a day worse case. I personally have gained 6lbs within 24hrs (and lost it again).

Set up a more reasonable comparison. Day 1, or day 10 etc of your cycle to get a more realistic comparison how you are doing. I’m not saying don’t weigh in between but be realistic about what it means.

 

[ResistingResistanceUK]

Measuring lbs in decimal points is pointless. The scales are rarely accurate enough for this to mean anything and the difference could be having a wee or not before weighing. Not to mention swings in hormones etc can make as much as 7lb difference in a day worse case. I personally have gained 6lbs within 24hrs (and lost it again).

Set up a more reasonable comparison. Day 1, or day 10 etc of your cycle to get a more realistic comparison how you are doing. I’m not saying don’t weigh in between but be realistic about what it means.

Ok thanks. I usually weigh every week. I thought that was sufficient.

 

[Lainie71]

I use the carb & Cals app - so I’m not doing it, it is. But I wrote it to show I’m in a calorie deficit.

Oh right

 

[lovinglife]

Even though I’m post menopausal and do keto I too have to count calories or I gain very easily. I disagree slightly with the statement that no one on low carb has to count calories, some people can still eat a large amount of calories on low carb. We sometimes see advice here to those needing to gain weight on keto/low carb to eat more fat, so who/what is correct?

I have to stil to around 1300 cals a day, which is easier to do low carb because of the satiety of the food I eat. If I was on a low fat diet then that’s a sure fire way to be starving on 1300 cals.

Weighing oneself- there are 2 ways to go about this in my humble opinion 1) weigh at the same time every day, write it down, after 7 days add them up and divide by 7 - this gives you an average which indicates your weight loss/gain. 2) weigh yourself once at the same time every month, this is what I do, I weigh on the 1st every month, this gives a truer picture of weight loss for me personally

 

[Lainie71]

Oh right

Perhaps the app is wrong?

 

[ResistingResistanceUK]

Even though I’m post menopausal and do keto I too have to count calories or I gain very easily. I disagree slightly with the statement that no one on low carb has to count calories, some people can still eat a large amount of calories on low carb. We sometimes see advice here to those needing to gain weight on keto/low carb to eat more fat, so who/what is correct?

I have to stil to around 1300 cals a day, which is easier to do low carb because of the satiety of the food I eat. If I was on a low fat diet then that’s a sure fire way to be starving on 1300 cals.

Weighing oneself- there are 2 ways to go about this in my humble opinion 1) weigh at the same time every day, write it down, after 7 days add them up and divide by 7 - this gives you an average which indicates your weight loss/gain. 2) weigh yourself once at the same time every month, this is what I do, I weigh on the 1st every month, this gives a truer picture of weight loss for me personally

Think I’ll switch to monthly! Thank you!