Weight gain after menopause.

Don't give up Daisynance, if you grit your teeth and keep going the weight WILL shift. It's probably not scientific, but I found that sometimes my body seemed determined to keep me at a certain weight, and I had to be even more determined not to let it. After a few days or weeks of being extra careful, suddenly the weight would shift, sometimes quite a few pounds all at once. Another thing I decided was not to try to be too ambitious, but to aim for the top end of my BMI. This is heavier than when I was younger, but as I can now fit into my clothes, climb over stiles & cut my own toenails..that's enough for me.

My younger sister has just lost over 3st with the help of Slimming World and she's 62, I just need to get some of that self control now. I eat healthily but am a bit too fond of wine and do very little exercise so I know what I need to do - it's just doing it isn't it?

The 5-2 worked for me. After years of dieting and putting the weight back on, about 3 years ago I started 5-2 ,went from 11st -5 to 8st6 . Glad to say I am maintaining this weight give or take a few lbs increase but am able to lose them with a bit of effort.
Give it a go and good luck!

The constant, relentless pain of arthritis , particularly in my back and knee , have made me bite the bullet as far as dieting is concerned and a month ago embarked on a strict regime.
Today,for the first time,I weighed myself, only to find that I'd lost just 2lbs!!
I feel so dreadfully discouraged and wonder why I'm bothering.
When you can't get around and be active , losing weight is so difficult and am close to giving up the diet. I'm 70 by the way

I too put on over 3 stone after the menopause....took it off with WW, then yo effect and tried again with SW and yo yo again! So tried the Low Carb diet...welll it is miraculous ...only be doing it for 6 weeks and i am a stone down, sleeping....yes sleeeping again, do not feel hungry and wow...i nearly have a waste again. I googled it and went from there....good luck on your journey i really hope you find something that works for you.

Lyndie, don't' think your attitude' s really a helpful answer to a poster who's obviously keen to be healthier. My tip is just too cut out between meal snacks- not easy but will help.

Don't give up on Slimming World, it works! Try a different group,they aren't all so judgmental, or do what I do, use the recipes in the magazine, stay occasionally to the sessions but go regularly to get weighed. I'm in my 70s and didn't find it difficult to lose weight using their plans.

I lost a stone at the beginning of this year due to being poorly and decided at that point to take up the free 12 weeks of Slimming World offered by my GP. Oh my goodness, those awful ‘happy clappy’ sessions!! I just cringed through a few and then decided not to stay to any more. I now just go to be weighed and 8 months on I have lost a further 2.5 stone, just 6lbs to go to my target weight and I am so proud of myself! I am 63

I just stopped eating sweet stuff, chocs, cakes, biscuits. The weight/bloating slid off slowly over a few months & after the sugar cravings had gone (took about 2 weeks) all was good.

Elrel. I just think we can be too hard on ourselves. I am sure you look lovely!

Just a thought .... Have you have your thyroid levels checked? As for a weight loss diet, I would up the protein & reduce the fat and carbs. Good Luck.

My mother always used to say "keep your figure or lose your looks". She was right! Yep I'm slim but it shows in my face and is not a good look from the neck up!

I decided to lose weight 5 years ago when I was approaching 60 as the weight had crept on and DH joined me. We used an App called My Fitness Pal to log all we ate and the exercise we took. We both lost 2 stones in 4 months and have managed to keep most of the weight off. We have two dogs so that helps but the main thing we learned was to keep portion sizes down. I think it's a case of finding the way that works for you.

I hate group slimming diets- all that posing and guilt and you're paying for it too! If I want to lose weight quickly to get into a dress for a wedding etc. I do the juicing diet for a few weeks ( check out Jason Vale online). They are easy to make and freeze to store. It's hard at first to deprive yourself of real food but you are encouraged by the weight loss and often miss it when it's over. While dieting, I also don't have any thing in the house to tempt me- crisps/chocs/cakes etc. I put bread straight in the freezer and take out the odd slice for toast. Luckily, I love all fruit and veg and don't drink alcohol. I'm waiting for a knee replacement so can't do much physically so the weight does go back on if not careful.

I'm 61 and went up two sizes after the menopause.
I felt unhealthy and frumpy as I couldn't wear the clothes I like.
Tried several diets nothing seemed to work well and I found them hard to stick to.
I then cut out excess sugar - sweets, chocolate, desserts, cake and sugary drinks etc. The weight started to go slowly and I have adjusted to the new way of eating. Ate a dessert when with my DGD and now find it too sweet! Hope you find a way that suits you.

Has anyone any ideas about how to lose weight from your bust? I am a size 12/14 bottom half but a size 22 top to fit my bust in. I was always bigger on the top half even when I was a size 10 as a twenty something ! If I diet I lose weight from my face first making me look quite gaunt and ill then from my bottom and legs - my bust seems to have a life of its own and stubborn refuses to shrink! A friend had her bust surgically reduced but it did leave scars - not sure if I want to do that!

I was slim when young and the weight gradually crept up on me as I became middle-aged. I've succeeded in getting down to 9st 9lbs (from nearly 11 stone) by eating smaller portions and not treating myself too often.
It's a bit miserable - fruit and All Bran for breakfast with Yakult, no sugar; salad for lunch - don't be over generous with the mayonnaise; fruit and All Bran again for tea with a nice low-cholesterol yogurt. Lashings of tea with fully skimmed milk, no sugar.
I try to take a brisk 10 minute walk each day. It's helped but progress has been very slow. If I fall off the wagon by not resisting a cream cake I don't beat myself up about - I might miss the next meal to make up for it. I try not to make food the main focus of my day.
As I'm widowed I don't have to please anyone else or watch them eat more and feel envious. If I'm out and am asked, "Is that enough?" as they look askance at my small portion I insist that it is indeed and don't let them persuade you otherwise. Willpower is the order of the day - if I can lose weight so can you. Good luck.

If you don’t eat enough then you won’t lose weight. Your body goes into starvation mode. Look up the GL Diet my friend has just lost 3 stone and counting after struggling for years on other silly diets

I did the Atkins diet in my early fifties and dropped from size 14 to size 10. I have continued to reduce the bread and potatoes from my diet weekdays and indulge at weekends occassionally and have kept most of the weight off, (still size 10 clothes) My husband wanted me to stop the diet when he did, but my daughter told him I eat more on the diet than I did before which was true. I have tried other diets in the past, but this was the one that worked for me. As previously mentioned write down what you eat, and when you eat it. You may not be eating enough and the body is storing fat

Hi Dianic thanks for the feedback on 5:2, the links would be great!

....whoops it went before I was ready. Face or figure... I'm aiming for somewhere in the middle.

A few years ago I became allergic to milk and everything made with milk and gave up all dairy foods and gradually lost weight. I went from 12 stone to 10 and a half but now I have found a cheese alternative and having been starved of cheese for so long am binging on it, and of course the weight is going up again!

My advice is cut out all dairy if you can. There are dairy free spreads and milk(I like Hemp, which my grand daughter tells me is related to Cannabis!) but don't fall for Tesco's "free from" cheese, like I have.

Just like Inisnowen says - like it or not it's what you eat and drink that tells the true story at our age! If you're really serious about weight loss start by cutting out and not cutting down on the wine. And after that huge commitment that tells your system that your serious about losing weight you just have to knuckle down to the 5 veg, 3 fruit and a protein regime each day. Try and eat a good size bowl of porridge oats for breakfast which will help you from snacking on a muffin or a couple of biscuits with mid morning coffee. We haven't lived this long without knowing in our heart of hearts that we are what we eat!

I did WW on line a couple of years ago and went from a 16 to 12. It suited me as there was no need to attend meetings. I've crept back up to a 14 now and really neeed to address this, so I'm reading all your posts with interest. Somebody said you have to choose between your face or figure as you get older, but a

I too have tried every diet out there. Usually I managed to lose weight and then regained some or all of what had been lost. However, more recently I have had success with the 5:2 diet. Knowing that I can eat that cake or have a glass of wine tomorrow works for me. At least for the moment!

humptydumpty - it worked for me, although the first couple of weeks are hell. There's loads of help and advice on how to do it (and stick to it!!) I used to fast on days where I was busy so I didn't think about food all the time. I had a very light brunch and then usually some sort of ready meal or stir-fry in the evening.
The best thing is that once your 2 days are done, you can eat what you like the other 5 days. IMO, it requires discipline and organisation in the beginning, but you can achieve so much in a short space of time, so it's well worth a try!
I'll be happy to send you links to the books I still use if you like? HTH