Hi,
I am so happy i found this forum as I have been boring all my family and friends with my ongoing battle with my weight. Let me give you some info on myself: I am 51, have not had a period in 9 months,and also have been diagnosed with Hasimoto's thyroid disease, i have also in the last 5 months put on about 10 pds(could be more as I don't own a scale and everytime I go to the Dr. i refuse to look!). But most of my pants no longer fit me,my rings are tight around my fingers and even my feet look fatter!..I am on a thyroid medication but that is having no effect on my weight(and I wonder is it actually putting the weight on me?)all I know is I am miserable,I don't even want to get out of bed in the morning. I retired last year and in a way am glad I don't work right now as I can spend the day in my yoga pants or sweats. I have always exercised and dieted and still do. I eat about 1200 calories a day(if that) and walk,do Jillian Michaels exercise tv workouts,go on the elipitical for 40 min,lift weights etc..I am pretty much a vegetarian have been for 27 years( I do eat fish and some chicken),don't drink soda,one cup of coffee a day and take vitamins(C,calcium,multi,kelp,evening primrose oil and lately that estroven vitamin)I also rub progestorone cream on me twice a day for 21 days. But with everything I do nothing is working,I cannot lose a pd and keep on gaining,it feels like I am bloated and PMS's but no period is coming. I am cranky and miserable, not to mention the horrible hot flashes,and total lack of any sex drive. I am seeing my Dr. soon to discuss HRT,I feel that I am estrogen dominant right now,most of my fat is still on my hips and thighs and butt,some in my stomach,but I have always been a "pear shaped"girl and still am. One of my girlfiends told me she actually lost weight when she started HRT,and I am hoping that will be the case with me,but then I read a lot of women actually gain weight,so I am confused. I just want to get back to my former self and have my size 8 pants fit me again,at the rate I am going I will be a size 12 in no time,and I have never been that big. Well I just wanted to vent,and also am hoping someone will shed some light on this situation and maybe give me some pointers on what I can do,or what combination of hormones I can take to lose this weight. Thanks in advance!
Full Version: Weight gain please help!
Hi Coco,
Welcome to PS.
I think that it is very difficult to give advice about weight gain because we are all so individual but I will try to address your problem using my own experience. I am 53 and coming up to 2 years post.
They do not call this period the change for nothing. It looks as though you have done well to reach the pause itself some ladies find that stage pretty unbearable! I think that you now sit in 'No man's land.' That is; neither peri nor post. I can remember it well. I felt very slobby and fat and seemed to be craving a start to my period. I have always been a size 8 and suddenly my size 10 clothes were feeling restrictive and I thought, oh no where is all this leading? I was well aware that at this stage the body deliberately takes on more fat in an attempt to be able to store oestrogen more effectively. For the first time in my life my tissues seemed to be retaining fluid. I would get marks from a tight cuff or a pair of elasticated socks. This all added to the feelings of being fat and horrible. My clothes all felt very uncomfortable and I just kept wearing elasticated track suit bottoms and baggy T shirts. I think that at this stage it is important to try and hold your nerve. The gain in weight is natural and your body is doing it for a reason. I now no longer feel bloated and uncomfortable and my weight has settled albeit about 10 lbs heavier. My figure is better than it has been for ages which hubby finds very sexy which is difficult since my libido went on holiday! You, of course, have the added problem of Hashis. If you are hypo you will most definitely gain weight and it is important that before you do anything else you get that area controlled as best you can. If you are still gaining weight, it may be that your dose of thyroid medication is too low. Finding the right dose may take some time because you are still in the middle of the hormonal upheaval of MP. I think that it takes 2-3 years for everything to settle after the pause itself. If you rush round throwing in additional hormones at this stage you could confuse the hell out of a body that is desperately trying to adapt to the new order. I will warn you that there is no magic way to lose weight and many woman find that hormones will add weight to the equation.
I just think that you need to give it some time..........
XIII
Welcome to PS.
I think that it is very difficult to give advice about weight gain because we are all so individual but I will try to address your problem using my own experience. I am 53 and coming up to 2 years post.
They do not call this period the change for nothing. It looks as though you have done well to reach the pause itself some ladies find that stage pretty unbearable! I think that you now sit in 'No man's land.' That is; neither peri nor post. I can remember it well. I felt very slobby and fat and seemed to be craving a start to my period. I have always been a size 8 and suddenly my size 10 clothes were feeling restrictive and I thought, oh no where is all this leading? I was well aware that at this stage the body deliberately takes on more fat in an attempt to be able to store oestrogen more effectively. For the first time in my life my tissues seemed to be retaining fluid. I would get marks from a tight cuff or a pair of elasticated socks. This all added to the feelings of being fat and horrible. My clothes all felt very uncomfortable and I just kept wearing elasticated track suit bottoms and baggy T shirts. I think that at this stage it is important to try and hold your nerve. The gain in weight is natural and your body is doing it for a reason. I now no longer feel bloated and uncomfortable and my weight has settled albeit about 10 lbs heavier. My figure is better than it has been for ages which hubby finds very sexy which is difficult since my libido went on holiday! You, of course, have the added problem of Hashis. If you are hypo you will most definitely gain weight and it is important that before you do anything else you get that area controlled as best you can. If you are still gaining weight, it may be that your dose of thyroid medication is too low. Finding the right dose may take some time because you are still in the middle of the hormonal upheaval of MP. I think that it takes 2-3 years for everything to settle after the pause itself. If you rush round throwing in additional hormones at this stage you could confuse the hell out of a body that is desperately trying to adapt to the new order. I will warn you that there is no magic way to lose weight and many woman find that hormones will add weight to the equation.
I just think that you need to give it some time..........
XIII
QUOTE (XIII @ Sep 26 2009, 04:25 AM) 
Hi Coco,
Welcome to PS.
I think that it is very difficult to give advice about weight gain because we are all so individual but I will try to address your problem using my own experience. I am 53 and coming up to 2 years post.
They do not call this period the change for nothing. It looks as though you have done well to reach the pause itself some ladies find that stage pretty unbearable! I think that you now sit in 'No man's land.' That is; neither peri nor post. I can remember it well. I felt very slobby and fat and seemed to be craving a start to my period. I have always been a size 8 and suddenly my size 10 clothes were feeling restrictive and I thought, oh no where is all this leading? I was well aware that at this stage the body deliberately takes on more fat in an attempt to be able to store oestrogen more effectively. For the first time in my life my tissues seemed to be retaining fluid. I would get marks from a tight cuff or a pair of elasticated socks. This all added to the feelings of being fat and horrible. My clothes all felt very uncomfortable and I just kept wearing elasticated track suit bottoms and baggy T shirts. I think that at this stage it is important to try and hold your nerve. The gain in weight is natural and your body is doing it for a reason. I now no longer feel bloated and uncomfortable and my weight has settled albeit about 10 lbs heavier. My figure is better than it has been for ages which hubby finds very sexy which is difficult since my libido went on holiday! You, of course, have the added problem of Hashis. If you are hypo you will most definitely gain weight and it is important that before you do anything else you get that area controlled as best you can. If you are still gaining weight, it may be that your dose of thyroid medication is too low. Finding the right dose may take some time because you are still in the middle of the hormonal upheaval of MP. I think that it takes 2-3 years for everything to settle after the pause itself. If you rush round throwing in additional hormones at this stage you could confuse the hell out of a body that is desperately trying to adapt to the new order. I will warn you that there is no magic way to lose weight and many woman find that hormones will add weight to the equation.
I just think that you need to give it some time..........
XIII
Welcome to PS.
I think that it is very difficult to give advice about weight gain because we are all so individual but I will try to address your problem using my own experience. I am 53 and coming up to 2 years post.
They do not call this period the change for nothing. It looks as though you have done well to reach the pause itself some ladies find that stage pretty unbearable! I think that you now sit in 'No man's land.' That is; neither peri nor post. I can remember it well. I felt very slobby and fat and seemed to be craving a start to my period. I have always been a size 8 and suddenly my size 10 clothes were feeling restrictive and I thought, oh no where is all this leading? I was well aware that at this stage the body deliberately takes on more fat in an attempt to be able to store oestrogen more effectively. For the first time in my life my tissues seemed to be retaining fluid. I would get marks from a tight cuff or a pair of elasticated socks. This all added to the feelings of being fat and horrible. My clothes all felt very uncomfortable and I just kept wearing elasticated track suit bottoms and baggy T shirts. I think that at this stage it is important to try and hold your nerve. The gain in weight is natural and your body is doing it for a reason. I now no longer feel bloated and uncomfortable and my weight has settled albeit about 10 lbs heavier. My figure is better than it has been for ages which hubby finds very sexy which is difficult since my libido went on holiday! You, of course, have the added problem of Hashis. If you are hypo you will most definitely gain weight and it is important that before you do anything else you get that area controlled as best you can. If you are still gaining weight, it may be that your dose of thyroid medication is too low. Finding the right dose may take some time because you are still in the middle of the hormonal upheaval of MP. I think that it takes 2-3 years for everything to settle after the pause itself. If you rush round throwing in additional hormones at this stage you could confuse the hell out of a body that is desperately trying to adapt to the new order. I will warn you that there is no magic way to lose weight and many woman find that hormones will add weight to the equation.
I just think that you need to give it some time..........
XIII
Thanks so much for anwsering my "rant"..and you are right I need to stop obsessisng over this and realize that its just "nature taking its course". And I have hope now since you said that you are feeling much better since you passed the "pause". If I don't get another period this year then I to will be "post",and am hoping to start feeling a little better and maybe loosing some of this "water retention and bloating" feeling. Now this is something I have read that estrogen dominance can actually affect your thyroid inhibiting it from producing thyroid hormones and that is the reason that many women get a thyroid disease when they start perimenapause,is that true? And if it is I am wondering once your hormones settle down,will the thyroid disease go away? I am on 25mg of levoythoxine,tried the 50mg but that gave me really bad hot flashes,and like I said I don't see any change in my weight at all..but I won't give up and will continue to exercise and eat healthy I just won't expect any weight lose at this time. 
I do think that the thyroid can really suffer at this time. I showed every symptom of having a problem with my thyroid but nothing showed in my blood results.
How did your doctor diagnose Hashimotos?
XIII
How did your doctor diagnose Hashimotos?
XIII
Did your doctor test for free T3? From what I've read, this is the hormone that determines metabolism. I believe levoythoxine is only T4 but I'm just learning all this stuff so I could be mistaken. You might want to ask your doctor about that. Also, many people seem to have good luck with Armour. I've not tried either of the Armour or levoythoxine. I've just started taking cytomel and to be honest, it isn't doing any good so I couldn't reccomend it. I had heard good things about it but for me, nothing! nada! Zilch! I'm waiting to talk with my Endo on the 16th to see if he has other ideas.
Good luck!
PS.. I personally have had no luck in losing weight with hormone replacement (E,P or T) but it has resolved many other issues. I believe that until you get the thyroid corrected you (me too!) will have trouble losing weight. I have noticed that I don't continue to gain, which is good. But I also eat clean and exercise as you do. That's the key. If we were fast food junkies, we would surely have a bigger problem as I keep reminding myself.
Good luck!
PS.. I personally have had no luck in losing weight with hormone replacement (E,P or T) but it has resolved many other issues. I believe that until you get the thyroid corrected you (me too!) will have trouble losing weight. I have noticed that I don't continue to gain, which is good. But I also eat clean and exercise as you do. That's the key. If we were fast food junkies, we would surely have a bigger problem as I keep reminding myself.
My regular gp diagnosed my Hasimoto's back in january just from a routine blood test and at first told me to wait and do another blood test because she said my hormones were out of control due to perimenopause and this happens to a lot of women and to see if they "settled down". So 4 months later in May took another blood test and she said I definetly had Hashimotos but still she was hesitant to give me medication,but I told her all my symptons and she agreed to start me on 25mg of the levo and then to take another blood test in 3 months. Well I did and my TSH went from 4.0 to 2.35. But I wanted to see an endochronologist to get an expert opinion. He looked at my labs and said my TSH was ok but I could stand a little improvement so he upped my dose to 50mg,..he also told me it is no "magic pill" and I might not lose weight on it and that my hot flashes would become worse..well he was right they did,so I stopped the 50mg and went back to the 25. I just took another blood test a few weeks ago,this time my gp is also checking my hormone level so we will see where I stand. I might ask her to switch me to the Armour. But now I am unsure about asking her for HRT, i would like to try those "Bio-identical" hormones but am unsure about those as well,has anyone had luck with the Bio-identical hormones in losing weight? I rub progesterone cream on me and that has not done a darn thing, and from what I have read in other posts it could actually put weight on, so I am stopping it for awhile to see if I lose a few pds. Also is it true that women with a "pear shaped'figure are more prone to Estrogen dominance? I have a definite "hour glass" figure with a small waist and larger hips..waist 26 hips 37 those were my measurments months ago but who knows now! plus heavier thighs.. finding jeans has always been a problem!! 
QUOTE (coconut1 @ Sep 26 2009, 05:10 PM)
My regular gp diagnosed my Hasimoto's back in january just from a routine blood test and at first told me to wait and do another blood test because she said my hormones were out of control due to perimenopause and this happens to a lot of women and to see if they "settled down". So 4 months later in May took another blood test and she said I definetly had Hashimotos but still she was hesitant to give me medication,but I told her all my symptons and she agreed to start me on 25mg of the levo and then to take another blood test in 3 months. Well I did and my TSH went from 4.0 to 2.35. But I wanted to see an endochronologist to get an expert opinion. He looked at my labs and said my TSH was ok but I could stand a little improvement so he upped my dose to 50mg,..he also told me it is no "magic pill" and I might not lose weight on it and that my hot flashes would become worse..well he was right they did,so I stopped the 50mg and went back to the 25. I just took another blood test a few weeks ago,this time my gp is also checking my hormone level so we will see where I stand. I might ask her to switch me to the Armour. But now I am unsure about asking her for HRT, i would like to try those "Bio-identical" hormones but am unsure about those as well,has anyone had luck with the Bio-identical hormones in losing weight? I rub progesterone cream on me and that has not done a darn thing, and from what I have read in other posts it could actually put weight on, so I am stopping it for awhile to see if I lose a few pds. Also is it true that women with a "pear shaped'figure are more prone to Estrogen dominance? I have a definite "hour glass" figure with a small waist and larger hips..waist 26 hips 37 those were my measurments months ago but who knows now! plus heavier thighs.. finding jeans has always been a problem!!
Hope Armour works for you - didn't work as well for me, but who knows? Do hope things get better for you!
Zelma
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