I've been trying to maintain a healthier lifestyle by changing my way of eating, drinking more water, and exercising. Over the last couple of weeks I've been able to lose 7 pounds !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Within the last two weeks I have noticed the return of my hotflashes, which were nonexistent since I began to take my compounded hormones on a regular basis. It's been a looooooooong time since I've had to deal with the sweats and hotflashes.

Not only am I having flashes, but I'm also lightheaded and anxious. Not a constant anxious feeling or internal shakes, thank God, but more like occasional waves of anxiety for no apparent reason. This is another symptom I've not had awhile. Also, the hotflashes seem to make me lightheaded which is also something new.

Could this be related to the weightloss? Do I need to increase my hormones?

Mother nature does not make us gain weight for nothing during menopause , all those pesky fat cells are little estrogen factories. May be you need increase your hormones, or examine your diet, may be you not eating enough calories, protein and fat, any crush diet or fat free diet can cause symptoms.
HTH

I have been running again for about a month and notice if I am even a little hungry, I feel off kilter. I can't really describe it, but I have to eat instantly or i get shaky and feel really sick to my stomach and then it takes a long time to recover. Lightheaded too. Maybe there's a connection.

Sounds like you might be having hypoglycemic events--low blood sugar. Do you have a way of testing your blood sugar when you get these symptoms?

J

Interesting question. I know when I suffered my hormonal crash, I lost weight...but I know it was from the anxiety, lightheadedness, dizzies and panic that made me lose my appetite. I also checked my blood sugar and found that it was perfectly normal....
These days I find if I get REALLY hungry, I get lightheaded and dizzy...but if I eat it goes away. I know that extra stress, even physical stress (ie: exercising) will up your bodys demand for estrogen. And as hot flashes are generally caused from low estrogen...well you get the picture.

Congrats on losing the weight!! That is fantastic, so many just can not seem to do it during this time in life. Give yourself a pat on the back, you deserve it.

Have you been for hypoglycemia, it can make you shaky and hungry, as well as light headed, I would do a oral GTT if you haven't done one yet. Just a thought. if you are not hypoglycemic and have no problems with blood sugar, then try to eat something before your workout, like healthy carbs with some protein: banana and peanut butter, or oatmeal and cottage cheese, helps to stabilize blood glucose.

MyFaith,
Your weight loss (and loss of estrogen holding fat cells) could definitely be causing the return of your symptoms. Also, increased exercise metabolizes more of your estrogen. You should probably talk to your doctor about increasing your hormone doses. I exercise a lot and have low body fat and, as a result, I need high doses of estrogen to feel good. Also, that "low blood sugar" feeling you have could be a result of the drop in estrogen. I experienced that feeling regularly last summer (usually when I was on a leisurely hike or bike ride) when I was also having problems getting my hormones balanced. I thought I might be hypoglycemic, so I had all the testing and everything turned out normal. I even checked my own blood sugar and it was always normal and steady. Like Iradan and Floater said, I have to make sure I eat before and during long exercise sessions. Something that combines protein with complex carbs (like the snacks Iradan suggested) seems to work best for me.

Also, a seven pound loss isnjust a couple of weeks sounds like a lot to me. Maybe it was hard for your body to adjust to that rapid of a weight loss. Just a thought!