Menopause, weight loss, exercise question

[Guest guest]

Hi,everyone!

I took a break from this list, but was an active member for years

before that. I hope some of the folks I know are still around!

I was someone who had a lifelong obesity problem who lost almost 200

pounds over around 4 and a half years by doing Atkins using whole,

nutritious foods very influenced by Dr. Price's work and " Nourishing

Traditions, " and lifting weights.

I am now 49, and around a year ago started having irregular periods

(by which I mean, very light and very infrequent), some insomnia (more

early morning waking than trouble falling asleep, but I've had both at

different times), and trouble continuing to lose weight.

A few months ago I began to GAIN weight for the first time since my

initial loss. At first it was 4 pounds -- no big deal, I sometimes put

on that much with PMS. I just exercised a bit more, was more strict on

my portions, and took it off.

Every time I took it off, it would come back the next day NO MATTER

HOW I ATE OR EXERCISED. The minute I hit that weight, the next day,

the entire four pounds was back. I kept losing and gaining that same

four pounds, week after week.

Then it turned into 7 pounds, and it would take me a month to lose it.

I tried what I consider to be everything on earth. I increased my

exercise. I increased my walking, and I'd not only be starving, I'd

gain weight.

I increased my weight lifting, and was so hungry I could eat the

wallboard, and I gained weight AND INCHES, mostly in my waist.

I'm not going to go into a long litany about everything I tried --

including careful calorie counting, more and less carbs (I definitely

cured my hot flashes and the worst of my insomnia by dropping back to

induction levels of carbs on Atkins, but it did nothing for my

weight/hunger problem), more and less exercise, restricting eating

after 8 PM, and a huge variety of things -- because this post would be

forty pages long. It's just that I hate it when someone asks for help

and then morosely intones, " I tried that, it didn't work, " no matter

what is suggested.

In a nutshell, I'll say this: Increasing my exercise seems to do

nothing but make me ravenous, decreasing my calories makes me obsessed

with food, and even if I strictly control what I eat in response to

that hunger and hold my calories steady, I gain weight anyway.

I know there is less prejudice against low-carb here than out there in

the " real world, " but I did experiment with a fairly high carb count

for me, the highest I've consumed in nearly 6 years (I went to around

55 grams a day NOT counting fiber), and that was the worst I felt; my

hot flashes came back, I had horrible insomnia, and I gained weight.

Here is an interesting bit of information, which suggests some kind of

deranged metabolic/cortisol/hormone thing: Even though I have gained

20 pounds, all my measurements have stayed the same except my waist,

which has grown by FOUR INCHES. I know this is not uncommon in

menopausal women.

What I'm hoping for are ideas on how to use food, macronutrients,

supplements, and times of day for exercise and eating to regularize my

hormones as much as possible, lose this weight I've gained, and at

least hold steady until I'm through menopause -- if not be able to

resume my weight loss.

I know someone will ask, and no, I do not eat ANY soy products, and

haven't for years. I was also checked up as much as humanly possible

given the crappy idiotic health care system, and all my doctors assure

me I'm going through a perfectly normal menopause and just need to

" eat less and exercise more. " Yeah, right. But I have no pain other

than some breast tenderness, and no heavy bleeding that might suggest

cysts, growths, endometriosis, etc. I'm a lesbian and have never taken

any kind of birth control pills or other hormones.

Does anyone have any insight or suggestions for me on any of this? I'm

really incredibly unhappy and willing to do almost anything healthy, I

just don't know what the hell to do next!

Thank you very much,

Christie