Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Yes; obviously if you eat ALMOST NOTHING, you can maintain a lower weight as a post-menopausal woman. That's not really feasible for most of us.
Post-menopausal here...I hated the weight gain so I switched out my diet to be the DASH diet (which also helps with my high blood pressure)--and have become a regular gym goer.
By doing so, I'm happy to report:
--have maintained the same weight for past five years. BMI 23.
--eat til I'm full so not hungry
--BP is under better control
By eating little meat (I do eat some chicken, fish, eggs, and low-fat cheese) and eliminating pizza and burgers and fries, etc., and focusing on loads of fresh and roasted vegetables seems to do the trick for me.
My fluid intake is one cup of coffee in the AM and lots of plain water. One glass of red wine/day. One square of dark chocolate/day.
Snacks? A cut up apple, grapes or some pistachio nuts.
Not bragging, just sharing that weight gain can be challenged by being willing to change our way of eating.
My metabolism had slowed so much I found I could not eat the same as pre-menopause, without feeling constantly hungry if I tried to cut calories.....and that just led to failure...
I've maintained a BMI of 21. I would like to see that go down a bit.
Can I eat like when I was in my 20s? Absolutely not.
I'm lucky because I've always liked healthy foods and tend towards vegetarian. I also like to cook, and because I'm retired, I have the time.
So my diet gets tweaked to account for my slower metabolism.
I'm also good at separating out what is WORTH the extra calories, and what is not.
Worth it, every once in awhile? A slice of flourless chocolate cake, French triple cream cheese, cocktails, a top notch burger, etc.
What is not worth it? Soda, fast food, canned meals, rice, noodles, etc. (though I DO buy things like pasta made from garbanzo beans, super high fiber pasta, or make home made whole wheat noodles when the craving hits.)
Cardio and weights help keep any extra weight in a more..... flattering composition.
I DO have to pay attention to being full, as opposed to finishing my plate.
__________________ ____________________________________________
My posts as a Mod will always be in red.
Be sure to review Terms of Service: TOS
And check this out: FAQ
Moderator: Relationships Forum / Hawaii Forum / Dogs / Pets / Current Events
I enjoy food; it's one of the pleasures of life. Yes, I suppose you can eat enough "healthy" food to not feel like you're starving, but I would still feel deprived. Apparently a lot of women are willing to do this and claim not to mind, but I would. As for exercise, I'm naturally very active (again, considering my activities one of the pleasures of life). I basically eat and move like I always did, and there's no question that it NOW leads to weight gain whereas it didn't before meno. Oh, well!
I'm not "claiming" not to mind, that is such a weird thing to say. It doesn't matter if you were directing that comment to me or other posters, if they say they don't mind... I wouldn't accuse them of being disingenuous.
When I was about 8 my parents left me in a casino restaurant so they could go gamble, and told me to order anything I wanted. I ordered a salad, because that's what I like.
You give me any mass produced cookie and an artichoke, and I will pick the artichoke every single time.
Healthy food doesn't have to taste bad, we make all kinds of bougie meals. Even my carnivore husband doesn't mind, he likes what I cook even if it's vegetarian. I've got him totally hooked on all types of Buddha bowls.
__________________ ____________________________________________
My posts as a Mod will always be in red.
Be sure to review Terms of Service: TOS
And check this out: FAQ
Moderator: Relationships Forum / Hawaii Forum / Dogs / Pets / Current Events
As already stated, it's very possible to change your diet in such a way that you are eating fewer calories, but don't feel hungry. Whether or not one feels psychologically deprived is a different question.
Of course it comes down to a choice for each individual. For myself, although I also enjoy food very much, the benefits of cutting back on high-calorie foods far outweigh the drawbacks of gaining weight, which range from the merely inconvenient (having to buy new clothes) to the increasingly serious (stress on joints, risk of diabetes/heart disease, etc.)
Well, the human palate naturally prefers not-so-slimming foods (evolutionarily speaking for survival purposes), but okay; I believe that you really prefer salads - presumably without all the highly caloric dressings and fattening add-ons that make salads delicious IMO - if you say so.
Well, the human palate naturally prefers not-so-slimming foods (evolutionarily speaking for survival purposes), but okay; I believe that you really prefer salads - presumably without all the highly caloric dressings and fattening add-ons that make salads delicious IMO - if you say so.
That is exactly the opposite of what I said. Read more carefully.
That is exactly the opposite of what I said. Read more carefully.
I was replying to Mikala43. But to address what you said, it was basically that it's worth it to you to do without certain foods to weigh less. What I said was that, at present, it isn't for me. I'm simply making the point that it IS much harder to not gain and to lose weight as a post-menopausal woman, which at least one poster was denying.
I was replying to Mikala43. But to address what you said, it was basically that it's worth it to you to do without certain foods to weigh less. What I said was that, at present, it isn't for me. I'm simply making the point that it IS much harder to not gain and to lose weight as a post-menopausal woman, which at least one poster was denying.
Many people use food as comfort.
If the weight gain doesn't bother you - then great! I mean that in all seriousness.
It IS irritating when people complain about being overweight, but don't put in an effort to change it.
But I don't think it is a problem if a person who is overweight still feels good about themselves. More power to them.
Any possible medical issues is a different subject.
__________________ ____________________________________________
My posts as a Mod will always be in red.
Be sure to review Terms of Service: TOS
And check this out: FAQ
Moderator: Relationships Forum / Hawaii Forum / Dogs / Pets / Current Events
"Food as comfort" implies pathology, as if it's a maladaptive coping strategy. Some people simply enjoy eating and food and prefer food that happens to be highly caloric over salads. Others honestly prefer low calorie foods; you couldn't pay my sibling, for instance, to eat candy as a kid - he'd rather have a raw carrot. Lucky for me, because I got his share! Still others don't care about eating and have little appetite, so it's not an issue. However, other people (I happen to know some) DO deprive themselves to be stick-thin, and I would call that "dysfunctional." Different strokes!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
