Weight Loss And Menopause How To Lose Weight
About two years ago I was feeling pretty low about myself and I wasn’t in the best of health.Weight loss and menopause I wish that went hand in hand but the truth is that menopause will be the beginning for most of us women to start gaining weight. Issues with my stomach and numbness in my legs started. I thought it was my age (48) and it was how I was supposed to feel. My hot flashes were horrible and I had low self esteem. At 48 I was falling apart. Then I read an article on Whole30 and decided to check it out. But after reading all I had to give up for 30 days I was like… no way! But my weight gain continued and I finally decided to get my health back on track.
You’re probably wondering what foods were on the list of things to give up. One of the first listed was sugar. You see I was hugely addicted to sugar going back to when I was a little girl. I had to have sugar of some sort every single day. This is why weight loss and menopause was a struggle for me. It caused me to have weight issues most of my life. When I was in my 20’s, 30’s it was easy to take those pounds off. But turning 40 was a total game changer for me. I slowly started putting on weight and I had stomach issues that no doctor could explain. I was tired all of the time and in my mid 40’s I started getting numbness in my legs.
My husband’s brother had a mild heart attack and he shared why he decided to become a vegetarian. My husband and I decided to do the same. As soon as we changed to a vegetarian diet the weight was dropping off of us fast. My stomach issues went away but I still felt tired and my leg numbness did not go away. Hot flashes were at a all time high for me as well. Then I slowly started putting the weight back on. I had a checkup and my doctor told me that I needed protein for loss of muscle mass and I needed to exercise more. Not what I wanted to hear. I hate exercising. I do it.. but I hate it!
As I was searching for weight loss and menopause I stumbled onto Whole30 but after reading what I couldn’t eat for 30 days I decided to pass. The weight kept creeping up. On my 48th birthday I decided enough was enough. I hit rock bottom and thought if I really wanted to change the way I felt and looked I needed to change the way I was eating. I wasn’t looking for a quick fix this time but an overall lifestyle change.
Starting Whole30 wasn’t easy. I gave up most of the things I love. The biggest and hardest thing was giving up sugar. No sweets for 30 days. But I was determined to make this work for me. The first week was hard. I kept getting cravings for sugar. I didn’t give in. As each week went by it got easier and easier. I finally felt there was hope for all of us struggling with weight loss and menopause. By the end of 30 days I got on the scale and lost 6 pounds. I was pretty happy to see that. But better than that I felt so much better. Those sugar cravings were gone, my stomach felt better and my hot flashes disappeared during the day. I still have flashes at night but I only now have them at night.
That was over two years ago and I’ve kept my weight off and I’ve finally figured out what works for weight loss and menopause. I haven’t had any sweet treats but I do enjoy a glass or two of wine each week. I stick to eating healthy foods but occasionally I’ll eat junk food like a hamburger or fries. Another food I rarely eat is bread and pasta. Every Saturday we have pizza and it hasn’t caused any issues for gaining weight or feeling sick. The entire week we stick to a protein, vegetable and fruit diet. I don’t eat grains as they have carbs and cause weight gain for me. My husband has a hard time digesting them so we keep those out of our house.
If you are a menopausal women struggling with weight I highly recommend checking out Whole30. I lost over 20lbs on this plan and it changed my life. Do your research and check with your doctor first. I feel like I finally got off the hamster wheel and I’ve kept my weight off. I don’t think that I could have lost the weight if I still was eating sugar treats, breads or pasta. I don’t even eat artificial sweet treats because I know that would trigger me to go back to the way I was eating. If you want to check it out here’s the LINK. I am in no way associated with Whole30. I’m asked all of the time how I lost weight so I decided to write this article. I know how hard losing weight is at my age. But I believe anyone can do it if you can find a program or a lifestyle that works for you. Watch the short video below of me sharing my story.
I recommend Whole 3o also! But you have managed to really incorporate it into your lifestyle…we tend to slip back into old habits and then do a kick start and do another whole 30 again. The no cream in the coffee was a biggee, no alcohol, no bread….but it can be done with great results. You sleep great at night and I lost 8 pounds, my hubs lost 18!