Alysia Korelc: Menopaused Weight -- When Mid-Life Slows Down Metabolism

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That's what I've been calling it! Sometime in my mid-40's, I started going through the "change of life." Whereas I had weighed 110 lbs at most, the weight started creeping up. At first, that was okay, because, well, let's just say my childhood nickname (that stuck through college) was "Bones."

However, by the time I hit age 50, I had ballooned to 135 lbs, topping at 156 by age 54. My primary care physician suggested I eat more fruits and veggies. Since I was already on a whole foods/organic regimen and eat so many fresh fruits and veggies that I feel like a walking garden, the advice made no sense. To top things off, I cannot tolerate HRT, the hot flashes and night sweats were driving me nuts and nothing I tried to lose weight was working. I even joined a weight loss clinic (totally unsuccessful).

The last resort was to up my physical activity, so I joined a marathon training program. The funny thing was that the nutritional requirements collided with the weight loss clinic's plan, so guess which one was dropped, hahaha! Now, although I haven't yet reached my goal weight, and it has taken the better part of the last 3 years, I am finally seeing the scale drop. Nowadays, I fluctuate between 144 and 139, depending upon how indulgent I've been at the sushi bar or how well I've hydrated. My goal weight is a comfortable 125.

So, I'm still having a hard time getting the weight under control. My body shape has changed a little, emphasis on "little," with all my training, and I have been able to drop a size (although it's still more comfortable to wear the double digits than the single digit size jeans, stretch of course). Other mitigating circumstances, like lupus, are contributing factors, I'm sure. But, it's very frustrating to be told to do what I'm already doing and not getting the results I want. I call myself the slow fat runner!

What's a slow fat runner to do?