Losing my Menopause Weight Gain

Not long after I reached "the Big Five-O" several major, life-changing events took place in my life. It was a time of immense sadness and also a time of great joy . Sadness because I lost both my parents, and joy because I met and married the love of my life - my one and only marriage!

In the meantime, and not long before my wedding, I hit the dreaded menopause. By the time of my wedding day, my weight had gone up by 15 pounds and the dressmaker had to let out my wedding dress. My usual strategy of going on a quick diet to get back to my preferred weight just didn't happen for me at this most important of times. Little did I know that far worse was to come!

My new husband and I went on a Caribbean cruise for our honeymoon and it was wonderful in every possible way, including the food! I never once gave a thought to my weight, although I did notice that my clothes were getting quite tight. When we returned home I had too much on my mind to even think about my weight. Not only was I a new bride, I also had to cope with my mother becoming very seriously ill and needing constant care.

With so much going on, I scarcely noticed the onset of the menopause, and I certainly didn't pay attention to my weight. It was only when my best friend gently told me that I seemed to have gained an awful lot of weight and that it was quite "ageing" that I actually began to pay attention. When I did, at last, get round to checking my weight, I found, to my absolute horror that I had put on about 30 pounds in the few months since my wedding! Now I wasn't just overweight, I was borderline obese. I was devastated. I talked to my husband about it - after all it didn't seem fair that he'd got far more woman than he'd bargained for! I told him that I needed to go on a diet at once and that I wanted to be, as soon as possible, the weight I was when we first met. I couldn't believe it when he told me that I would just have to accept that I was larger now and that I couldn't expect to be able reach the weight I was in my thirties or forties. Well that upset me so much I decided I'd show him! You see, I still hadn't associated the menopause with my weight gain.

Throughout my adult life I have struggled with my weight. I was never obese but much of the time I've been overweight. I found the ideal weight range for me was between 140 to 145 pounds. I'm 5 feet 8 inches tall, so at that weight I found that I could easily wear US size 10 (12 UK) clothes and I was happy. The problem is that I'm a real 'foodie' - I love cooking and I love eating out. That makes it very difficult to maintain a steady weight at the best of times. Often weeks or even months would go past without my checking the scales until my clothes started getting too tight. Then I'd be shocked to find that I'd put on 10 to 15 pounds. That would call for drastic action and I would go on a diet immediately! Weight Watchers, Slimming World, the Cambridge Diet, the South Beach Diet, Atkins Diet, Cabbage Soup Diet (yuk), high fibre, low fat, low carbohydrate, etc - you name it, I've probably tried it. Each time, I'd eventually lose the pounds, start eating 'normally' again and the whole cycle would start again - hence the "yo-yo" dieting. I always found it relatively easy to shed the extra pounds when it wasn't menopause weight gain.

I was determined to stick religiously to a diet plan and lose that weight gain. My husband was very supportive and put up with diet meals in order to help me because he didn't want me to be so unhappy. However, in a way, he was right in what he said to me. Although it isn't impossible, it is extremely difficult to lose that menopausal weight gain. This time I just didn't seem able to shed those pounds at all.

I was on the point of giving up when I came across a new diet, Strip that Fat, while I was searching the internet. I don't know why I thought this would work for me (after all nothing else had) but I decided to give it a go. I particularly liked the idea of the Diet Creator which will generate a 14 day diet plan for you in an easy to print document (they even provide a shopping list for you!). They also give you a calorie guide and they show you how to burn more calories while doing less. How great is that! Also there was a one-time fee for the diet, unlike the monthly fee charged by so many of the online diets.

I'm not exaggerating when I say it's changed my life. I've been following the plan for a several weeks now, and I'm delighted with the results - particularly as I'm losing fat from my waist and my tummy which is where most of my weight gain had settled . The first week I lost five pounds. Since then I've been steadily losing about 2 pounds a week. That's fine with me as I didn't want too rapid a weight loss. As we age, our skin becomes less elastic, so sudden, drastic weight loss could lead to an increase in wrinkles and I certainly don't want that! Strip That Fat makes everything so simple to follow. I particularly like the personal Diet Generator which makes it easy to plan and shop for meals.

I'm delighted that I'm losing my menopause weight gain at last. In fact I'm so thrilled about my weight loss I want to tell everyone about Strip That Fat. If it can help me, it can help you too!

Why not visit Strip That Fat and check it out for yourself? Just click here.

Why not visit Strip That Fat and check it out for yourself? Just click here.