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Hi, Smanonb,

Welcome to EmpowHER, and thank you very much for your question.

I hear you on all counts. I am 52 and am also menopausal. I didn't have the horrible time with hot flashes that you are having -- mine were calmer and farther apart, though it came and went for a couple of years, which got tiresome. However, I have the same weight-gain issues, and I also was used to being lean and fit and not really worrying about my weight.

Metabolism bites us all in the end, doesn't it?

Here are some things that might help. Here's a thread of posts that began when I asked other women to write about their experiences with menopause without hormone treatment. There are some natural remedies for hot flashes that might be able to work with the medicine you're already taking (but be sure to ask your doctor about interactions):

https://www.empowher.com/community/ask/menopause-no-hormone-treatment

We also have some things in our library that might help:

https://www.empowher.com/media/article/weight-loss-not-exercise-helps-night-sweats-and-hot-flashes-during-menopause
https://www.empowher.com/media/article/ongoing-debate-value-black-cohosh-hot-flashes

In terms of the weight gain, can you tell whether the extra eating you're doing is because you're really hungry -- or because it's comfort eating? (In other words, I'm wondering if the meds you are taking might have a side effect on your appetite). But menopause seems to be somewhat of a weight-gain party: the body puts it on more easily and it's harder to get off, especially around the middle.

There's a book out from the editors of Prevention Magazine that helps with this. It's called "The Flat Belly Diet" and it's based on calorie control AND monounsaturated fats (the good fats, which the authors call MUFAs.) I write about it here, and give you a lot of links:

https://www.empowher.com/community/ask/i-had-complete-hysterectomy-6-years-ago-and-i-am-now-44-i-battle-belly-fat-even-after-

And have you ever tried to just get in 10,000 steps a day with a pedometer? It's a fast-growing accepted way of getting some weight-loss in for folks who just plain don't have a lot of time. Basically you wear a pedometer, see how many steps a day you take, and then try to increase it over time until you're walking 10,000 steps a day. That pedometer has the effect of making you see all the little things that add up: parking farther away in the parking lot, chasing those two little kids around the house (!), taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking around the block once for a breather. Get a good one -- a cheaper one won't count your steps consistently.

And do you have Dr. Christiane Northrup's book, "The Wisdom of Menopause" ? It's a fabulous book. Thorough, well-written and easy to understand. Divided into sections so that a woman can look up something particular. And very current. She writes a lot about all of our menopausal symptoms, ways to combat them and ways to see the good in them. (Well, not hot flashes. She just helps us cope with that part.)

I hope some of this helps!

January 8, 2010 - 8:48am

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