Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I would've asked on a women's health forum, but I don't see one...
Why, after menopause, do some women lose their figures (get saggy boobs, flat butts, barrel shape, belly fat, disappearing waist) while other women of the same age look EXACTLY like they always have since puberty? Thin, even skinny, everything still in the same place and proportionate with no discernable change in their bodies? Maybe some loose skin, wrinkles and gray hairs, but not the whole body gone to pot.
When I was young, I thought it was childbirth; then I thought it was whether one took HRT or not. But I've seen exceptions in both cases. Good genes? Smoking? Diet? Exercise? I'm seriously struggling with my weight - and shape - as I age and am curious how some women stay stick thin and unchanged by time.
Curious and jealous!
Last edited by otterhere; 07-20-2020 at 02:03 PM..
I'm not there yet (51 and still having regular cycles), but I think it's a combo of genes and diet/exercise. I still weigh about the same as I did in my 20s; actually, I weigh less (I'm 5'6" and 118 lbs). I've had three children. I'm thinking a lot of this is genetic. My mom and three older sisters all stayed slim through menopause. I would not say they were exactly the same as when they were younger; all of them complained about a little excess weight in the abdomen, something no one but them would notice, and my oldest sister bemoaned that she was no longer as curvy...but she was never very curvy to begin with. Since we all have different diets and lifestyles (one sister and I exercise a lot; Mom and the other two sisters very little), I have to conclude we are genetically not inclined to get heavy.
On the other hand, not all, but a good number of my female friends started putting on weight WELL before menopause. Some never did lose all the weight after childbirth, but just sort of kept putting it on year by year. I was at a meeting once where two women were agreeing that they were starting to have trouble climbing stairs and no longer liked taking walks unless the road was flat rather than hilly. Sure, they were both on the heavy side but they were also only in their late 40s. I can't help but think doing a bit more in the way of exercising would have made a difference, even if they did have more of a natural tendency toward weight gain.
It's not JUST weight gain, though; it's a loss of the feminine shape and the acquiring of more of a masculine shape. Hormones? Natural excess of estrogen even after menopause (but shouldn't HRT remedy/equalize that)?
Personally, I think mother nature is demanding that both men (Adrenopause) and women change and adapt to their new status (not going to be having children). Their body changes in ways that, we now see, may be protective and aimed at long life... and some women do not comply and try to a act exactly the same, and their bodies change for the worse.
Your body is demanding that you eat less... it is demanding that you eat less sugar and junk... if you don't... your body has changed... hormones.. and those hormones combined with eating the same will result in body changes.
Well, men naturally lose testosterone with age and become more feminine; women lose estrogen (if not replaced) and become more masculine. Both, if their caloric intake exceeds their energy output, will gain weight. Only some women don't, and I'm wondering what their secret is.
It's not JUST weight gain, though; it's a loss of the feminine shape and the acquiring of more of a masculine shape. Hormones? Natural excess of estrogen even after menopause (but shouldn't HRT remedy/equalize that)?
Yeah, I'm sure hormones are involved. A lot of women who are not even overweight talk about how when they went through menopause, fat "migrated" from what would be considered more desirable areas to less desirable ones. But I still think diet & exercise are involved. If you look at photos of women who are past menopause but very athletic, they still have a reasonably trim and nice shape even though they are obviously no longer young. Being toned (rather than just skinny) is really important.
Personally, I think mother nature is demanding that both men (Adrenopause) and women change and adapt to their new status (not going to be having children). Their body changes in ways that, we now see, may be protective and aimed at long life... and some women do not comply and try to a act exactly the same, and their bodies change for the worse.
Your body is demanding that you eat less... it is demanding that you eat less sugar and junk... if you don't... your body has changed... hormones.. and those hormones combined with eating the same will result in body changes.
This is correct. When we had a cat spayed recently, the vet reminded us that she does not need as much food any more, as she no longer needs to maintain her reproductive system. Why would it be any different for people?
Well, men naturally lose testosterone with age and become more feminine; women lose estrogen (if not replaced) and become more masculine. Both, if their caloric intake exceeds their energy output, will gain weight. Only some women don't, and I'm wondering what their secret is.
Maybe because their caloric intake is not exceeding their energy output?! Maybe they're eating less, or maybe they're eating the same but moving even more. In which case they will not gain weight.
So, maybe because this is under the "Diet" heading, what you're all saying is that it's a question of weight management. I gather the assumption is that if weight is gained, it will be distributed differently (in a more stereotypically manly fashion; in the abdomen versus the boobs and hips) in post-menopausal versus pre-menopausal women.
Of course many women and men claim to eat whatever and as much as they like and NOT gain weight, at any age, but that's yet another mystery.
Well, men naturally lose testosterone with age and become more feminine; women lose estrogen (if not replaced) and become more masculine. Both, if their caloric intake exceeds their energy output, will gain weight. Only some women don't, and I'm wondering what their secret is.
I suspect it is not only that... I suspect it is hormones causing weight gain in both men and women.
Loss of sex hormones allows sugar / insulin regulation to to slip.
If you eat less / less sugar / not as many times.. your insulin stays within perimeters of where it was when you were younger. Your body pretty much stays the same.
If you don't.. insulin is released in ever increasing amounts leading to body changes (just like PCOS has physical features for younger people)
It isn't necessarily just a measure of weight management but hormone changes that are supposed to happen and humans are supposed to heed... but in our society, they don't any longer.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
