I had a hysterectomy when I was 50, (I am 53 now) kept ovaries but they quit working after the surgery and never started working again, so I had, in effect, a surgical menopause. Once I got through all the horrible symptoms of low estrogen, I felt better, and I lost weight. I got down to 128 pounds and was really happy at that weight. My weight stayed stable until the last few months, when the pounds have started to creep back on. I have gained 12 pounds according to my scale at home and the scale at the drs. office. Here is the weird thing. My clothes are not tight, they still fit perfectly fine. I don't think I look any heavier at all, and yet the scale says I am. I eat healthy, very little red meat, no sugar at all, no candy, cakes, cookies. I don't drink soda. And of the food I do eat I don't eat much. And yet according to the scales I am gaining weight. I have cried my eyes out over this. My thyroid is fine, just had that checked so can't blame it on that. I don't know what to do. I can't eat any less that I already do or I will starve. I walk on my treadmill five days a week. This is very frustrating. I don't want to be fat again. Any advice?

Maybe from walking the treadmill, it is muscle weight. Muscle is heavier than fat, however you can still be the same size. Just a thought.

"Muscle and Fat both weigh the same. It is the volume that is different. good ex: of volume - 1 pound of feathers versus 1 pound of butter....The pile of feathers will be much bigger than the small block of butter." This quote and comment came from a surgeon I dated. He was tired of hearing exercise trainers, dieticians etc. saying that Muscle is heavier when it is not. Another thing he said (ok this is gross but....) If he were to cut off a pound of fat or a pound of muscle in the OR, BOTH would weigh the same. ewwwww

Anyway, nuff said on the above regarding volume versus weight. Sooo, if your clothes fit the same its due to the exercise firming up/reshaping your muscles mass. As for additional weight gain, unfortunately when ovarian estradiol is gone then the body shifts its hormone needs to estrone which is produced by additional body fat. Unfortunately, diet and exercise doesnt work in peri or meno like it used to when our ovaries were optimal. Only helpful way of alleviating extreme weight gain is continued exercise (more), eat even less and add HRT. However, the key with HRT is finding the optimal balance of hormones for your particular body. P makes me gain, not enough E makes me gain..... So, for me, while still in Peri I supplement my E and will only cycle in a limited amount of P (body hates it, also gives numerous side effects.) when I skip 2 or more periods. Good luck and keep up the good exercise. JZZ

Oh, and one more thing...without adding T we continue to lose muscle mass and no amount of exercise will bring it back.

I agree muscle is heavier than fat. Thats why . As long as your clothes arent tight dont worry ......

Sorry you are so frustrated. I'm curious, what does your doctor think about the weight gain? I would like to add that while it could be possible for you to add a pound or two of muscle in the last few months, (especially if you've been weight training, also) anything close to 12 pounds would be impossible. Below is a quote from bodybuilding.com. from one of their board experts:

"Now for the additional 15-20 pounds of pure meat AKA muscle mass, well unfortunately, this will take a few years. For a natural bodybuilder like myself, now mind you that I live for the sport, you can expect about five pounds of muscle each year."

Others here may not agree with me, but I have learned over the years that cardio is not the best exercise for weight loss. It takes too much time to burn enough calories to lose weight. Though you should still do it for heart health and other reasons, weight control is better managed with strength training. The more muscle you have, the more calories you can take in. Also, strength training can burn around 210 calories per hour for a 138 pound woman. I do both. Running/walking, about 3-4 hours per week total, and strength training about 3 hours. (but not this much lately, shin splints!)

Make sure you are eating enough calories on a daily basis. Eating too few will result in your metabolism slowing down, as your body will think it's starving. Google [i]resting metabolic rate[/i] to find out how many calories your body needs just to survive. Then you add for your activity level to determine your daily calorie needs. Finally, you can generally subtract 500 calories from that total for weight loss.

Now, if I could just follow my own advice and start counting calories! I've gained a good 6 pounds in the last 10 months. No, it's not muscle, my clothes are tighter. I think my body wants the fat in order to produce estrogen. I do all this working out, and it is very frustrating!

Good luck!
jem

I agree with runr.
Cardio is fine, but best when combined with some strength/resistance training...preferably at least 3 times a week.

Also, you commented that you don't eat much...that could be part of the problem. If you don't give the body enough calories to fuel you, it will take those calories that you do ingest and convert them to fat. Your body goes into starvation mode, and you are unable to lose any weight. therefore, like runr said, it is important to know your BMR and RMR and adjust accordingly.

Women our age CAN lose weight...it just takes much more time, dedication, and effort in order to do so.

Good luck,
Di

Maybe someone has some advice for me. I spend 10 minutes getting up to 4.2 on the treadmill with a 1.0 incline and then maintain this for 45 minutes. I slow down to about 3.4, remove the incline, and maintain it to rest for for five minutes. Then I increase the speed again to about 3.7 and put the incline at 6.0 and maintain that for five or (on a good day) six minutes, and then it's been about an hour and the treadmill automatically goes to "Cool Down" and I just go with that (I'm always dripping with sweat and winded by then anyway). Absolutely no holding on to the handles ever; I swing my arms high but no holding on even though I see other people, all the time running and holding on. I've been doing this for 2-1/2 years, five days per week. I've lost maybe 20 pounds just from that. I don't weigh myself, but based on the way my clothes are hanging and several outfits are too big, I know it has to be close to 20. I'm almost 58 and completely through meno, by the way.

Okay, here's my question: Lately I've noticed a slight muscle development in my inner thighs. Nothing that anyone else can see, but I've felt it myself when washing. I thought it was said that cardio does not contribute to weight loss nor build muscle, but I don't lift weights and just do what I described above, yet I'm noticing slight muscle development. My ankles used to be fat and puffy-looking but that's gone, too. I eat a lot; three meals per day and lots of snacking on fruit and vegetables all the time. I probably take in over 2,000 calories per day.

So actually I can attest to muscle development from slow running and I can feel it in my legs all the time; they feel "harder." Is this just in my head or what?

CSugar,
Hi, you asked for advice, here it is!
I don't know where you read that cardio doesn't lead to muscle development, because it does. Not as much as weight lifting, of course, but people do firm up with cardio. Your inner thigh muscles are called the adductors. The purpose of the adductors is to stabilize the body during hip flexion and extension. Walking requires hip flexion and extension, so you probably have firmed up your adductors. I would guess that your hamstrings (back of thigh), quads (front of thigh), calves, and glutes (butt) have also become more firm from your walking, especially because of the incline work. I don't know if you are overweight, but if you are, fat could be hiding your muscles, but maybe not as much at your inner thighs.

Having said that, I can't tell from your posting what your goals are at this time. (Sorry, I don't remember if you strength train at all. If you do, you can ignore some of the following! ha ha) Are you wanting to lose more weight and/or firm your legs? What about your upper body? I would suspect that even though it's really great that you've been walking for 2 1/2 years, 5 days per week, you probably have hit a plateau. Any time we do the exact same exercise day in, day out, our body will adjust and after a while (about 6 weeks) it's not a challenge anymore and you stagnant at that level of fitness. (yes, even though you are sweating and becoming winded, your body needs to be challenged in order to improve, fitness wise.)

So, if your goal is to lose weight, I would recommend that first of all, you replace a couple days of your treadmill walking with a different type of cardio such as walking outside on hills, bike riding (stationary bikes are good, also) running, swimming, hiking, tennis, aerobic classes, whatever you enjoy. Your body needs a different type of movement, but if you just want to stick with walking, I think that 30 minutes per day of walking plus 30 minutes of strength training would be good. (don't know how much time you have to spend working out.) Secondly, like I posted before, strength training is very important for weight loss, and it makes us look so much better! You won't get big and bulky from lifting weights. Also, it's great for our bones, makes us look fit, and best of all, you get stronger! How about strength training a minimum of 2 days per week. (3 is better). You might want to focus on upper body strength training at first to balance out your body, as your legs have been getting the workout from walking.

OK, I know it sounds like I harp on strength training, but I am very passionate about working out, and I believe people can not be truly fit without it in their workout program. ..down off my soap box!

Hope this helps in some small way!
jem

Hi Jem, Thanks for that post . I knew all that stuff but it has been so long I forgot a lot of it. It has been very helpful to me . May I ask you ..... I am looking for an excerise to get rid of back fat and my boobs ,I know I need to work out other places but these are my biggers problems at this time. Thanks again . Cathy

Hi, I just wanted to add that since I have added a very small amount of testosterone I have been losing weight slowly, without really trying. I was on Weight watchers for a time, and did lose weight. For the last few weeks I have been working on painting the interior of my house and have stopped walking. I will work on painting for 4 or 5 or even 6 hours during the day. This isn't real strenuous, although I am pretty exhausted at the end of the day. I haven't been sticking to the WW eating plan particularly and yet I continue to drop weight. I am down a total of 20 pounds so far, looking at another 7 at least. I can't help but wonder if the T has helped me continue to lose weight, even though I am not "dieting" anymore, per say. I am post meno, and do use BHRT.

It the hormones Float. But, yes exercise can be a part of the equation. Soooo, proud of you..... Regards, JZZ

Floater,
Sounds like that painting for 5 or 6 hours is a great workout! If you're like me, when you're that busy, you probably don't have much time for snacking. I would think that the testosterone could be helping with the weight loss as it helps to build muscle. Congrats!

I want to go on T, I've been on it before and loved it! My Gyn didn't prescribe it back in January since my blood level was a 42. (range: 20 - 70) I didn't ask for it though, so don't know if she would let me have it or not. Also, she didn't check the free T. I'm seeing her soon and will ask about it.

jem

Hi, Cathy,
Glad to help! You might have already heard this - unfortunately, it's not possible to spot reduce. (I wish it was that easy!) For example, no amount of crunches/sit-ups will get rid of a fat belly if you don't lose weight. You might develop strong abdomen muscles, but the fat will still be covering them. The problem is that when we start to lose weight, we lose fat from the last place that it was added it to, first. So, not knowing you, I don't know how much weight you will have to lose in order to get rid of the back fat and boobs. If you want, you can follow my advice for CSugar, as far as exercise, and then of course you will need to adjust your eating for weight loss. I've heard that approximately 80 percent of how we look is based on what we eat!

jem

Hi jem, Thanks again and yes I now do remember hearing what you are saying and agree . Why does it have to be so hard . *sigh*

Hi Jem,

You are very knowledgeable! Thank you SO much for that info. I know you're right about the muscles, too, because I can feel something when showering (now I know they are ADDUCTORS!) and also when I'm working on my incline--I can FEEL pulling in my butt and legs, so I know that something is happening.

I've lost over 30 pounds doing this in the last two years and I really don't have a lot more to lose; my ribs are showing and I don't have any weight on top at all. I always tended to carry excess weight in my butt and legs, but those are firming up and I really don't care if I lose more weight or not. I'm almost 58 and in better shape than I was ten years ago--it all depends upon working at it, no matter how old you are, and middle-age does not mean you have to be overweight or out of shape. You can be in better shape than someone 20 years younger if you want to--and if you work. I never knew that, and thought that middle-age caused weight gain automatically.

I do 60+ minutes on the treadmill four days per week, and on weekends I run with my three dogs on nature trails, which are harder to navigate than a treadmill because of the uneven terrain. I do need to do some weight lifting and I know I'm in a rut with the treadmill, but time is so hard to come by since I'm working full time.

I just do have one question, though. I have trouble with what I think is "restless legs" at night, usually right before I go to bed and then after I'm trying to get to sleep. Since I'm slow-running four miles in an hour on the treadmill, I don't understand why I have the restless legs (I think it's that). It's not every night; maybe every other night or something. Sometimes it's so bad I can't go to sleep. I don't want to take any more medication--I'm already on an antidepressant, a low dose of BP medicine, and Boniva for osteopenia.

Hi. CSugar

Glad to help in any way I can! Congrats on your weight loss! It sounds like you're doing great with your cardio, and I can understand why you don't want to change a good thing. Trail running is awesome for your core muscles, for improving balance, and ankle strength. You already know that you need upper body weight training. For anyone reading this, running and walking is great for bone health in the legs and hips, but it doesn't do a thing for your upper spine, shoulders, arms, wrists. Just get yourself some 5 pound dumb bells, sit them where you will see them on a daily basis. Do some bicep curls, shoulder presses, tricep pull backs for about 10 minutes a day if you can. Here is a great website for exercise examples:


http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/exercises.htm


To try to answer your question, I don't know of any association between running and restless leg syndrome, which I also have. It's genetic in my case, my mother, brothers, and my son all have it! Mine comes and goes, and I haven't figured out if it changes with my menstrual cycle or what. I've read on this board that it can be caused by anemia. (of which I'm near borderline anemic) Have you had blood work done lately?


I agree with you 100% about staying in shape during middle age. I look around the gym that I go to, and I'm in better shape than most if not all of the women who go in the mornings. (mostly middle age and older go at that time.) People are always surprised to hear that I'm 51 years old. I'm in better shape than I was as a teenager/20 something year old. (I was a skinny-fat person...thin, but no muscle) Just wish my skin looked like a teen's! I hope to be able to work out for the rest of my life.

jem

Jem,

You truly are an inspiration. Thank you so much again for the valuable info. Most people with whom I try to discuss exercise are disinterested, so it's refreshing to hear from someone who is in shape and proud of it (and you should be).

Since I posted about restless legs, I tried looking it up and also found something about iron deficiency, as you had mentioned anemia. I haven't had any blood work done for years, but I do take a vitamin supplement so I assumed it was sufficient. I no longer have periods, so the amount of iron in the vitamin should be enough. Maybe I should get some blood work done to see if I'm anemic, too.

I do have osteopenia and again, you're right about something. I've been taking Boniva for three years (and I know there are some people who feel it's not good, but it's been fine for me). I had a bone scan after two years of Boniva and my hip reading is back to normal but my spine is still just a bit low, so that would speak to the recommendation of upper body strength training. I'll definitely try to get some of that in. I think I'm just procrastinating about doing it; the gym where I go has plenty of equipment I could use.

Congrats on being in good shape--I found out that it's a myth that we have to be overweight in our fifties and beyond. I used to believe it, though. Take care!