51 year old, 5ft 2, Hypothyroid, Peri-menopausal & disgusting 12 stone!

This topic contains 12 replies, has 7 voices, and was last updated by rustybucket16 3 years, 8 months ago.

Viewing 14 posts - 1 through 14 (of 14 total)

Parker50

12:12 pm
2 Mar 20
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So, i am a 51 year old woman, Hyperthyroid in 2001, now Hypothyroid after radioactive treatment, peri-menopausal and gaining weight just by looking at food. I used to be a runner and was very fit, flat chested almost with a flat stomach – i loved myself.
Now, i look shocking, i struggle to look in the mirror, i have had 3 knee surgeries due to bad knees and i am exhausted all the time. On current medication that the GP’s are struggling to regulate too. I am trying the 5:2 diet today :-). My self worth is shockingly low, its affecting my moods, my appearance and my size. I cannot get rid of a single pound, when i met my husband 7 years ago i was always 10 to 10.5 stone.

I just dont stop i am on the go all day from 7.30am until i sit down in the evening around 7pm – if i am lucky! I dont go to the gym as i am shattered, although i did finally walk to work today – about half a mile. My two 500 days are Tuesday and Wednesday, i have also done a menu planner for the whole week and done all the shopping to support it. I have got two of Moseleys books the 5:2 and the Fast Fitness book. I have had a bagel this morning and got celery sticks and humus for lunch tonight is pasta (Jamie Oliver 633 calories), I have small portions that will fit on a side plate so i dont fill my face.

Any tips would really help as this is a huge battle for me that i feel i am only sinking in? I dont take HRT as apparently i am not there yet and its not safe for me as i have cervical issues, I have been put on antidepressants tho. What has happened? I used to always have a spring in my step …I am desperate to do this 5:2 and I am really praying it works.

Cinque

6:37 am
3 Mar 20
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Hi Parker,
Welcome here.
Sorry to hear of the rotten time you are having with your health. Menopause can be a shocker.

How did your first fast days go?

There is a good chance that 5:2 is just what you need. If you can make it easy and sustainable it will be your friend for life.

If two fast days in a row are too hard, put them apart.
It may take a week or so of adjusting things before you get 5:2 working nicely, but once you do you can know that you are set for life.

You will love it as the excess weight starts to fade away and you get to wear smaller clothes again, and all the good things.

Be kind to yourself, your body has been doing the best it can. If you are anything like me, 5:2 is the tool you have been waiting for. Get your fast days working nicely, and then you can start working on good habits for the other days too.

Best wishes and all good things.

Sarah57

7:04 am
3 Mar 20
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Parker, I can only echo the excellent advice you’ve been given from the lovely Cinque. I felt a little sad for you when I read the word ‘disgusting’ in your title. It is so easy to feel that about yourself when your weight and health aren’t what you want. 5:2 has helped many through and beyond menopause. It does work and it gets easier. It’s likely to help you too. The feeling of being in control may well impact on many different aspects of your life. Take care. Good luck.

Parker50

9:40 am
3 Mar 20
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Hi Cinque & Sarah57,
Thank you for the lovely words x Today is my day 1 of fast. I started the 5:2 this Monday, so am having Tuesday & Thursday as Fast days 1 & 2. Yesterday although eaten normally i didnt even get to 1600 calories (my allowance), i was about 200 off. Again i walked to work today – about a mile. This morning i had the Mosley porridge menu with big oats and berries, i am writing down the calories on everything that goes in my mouth, as with my weekly menu. Any idea when i see any sign of weight loss? I do try be positive and i was so excited writing out the weeks menu, calorie counting & weighing the porridge oats this morning – i feel like i have made a start. But thats just it, i can commit but nothing happens other than the weight goes up.
I do sound like woe is me, but i think that i am having it really tough at the moment and everything is being thrown at me it is hard to stay peaky.

Sarah57

9:57 am
3 Mar 20
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Hi Parker

I weigh once a week in the morning after my second fast day. Psychologically I prefer to record what is likely to be the lowest weight of the week. I only calorie count on days I am fasting. I do two days of 500 calories or under and I don’t calorie count at all for the other days but I try to be controlled and mindful about what I eat. I found the non fast days harder than fasting to start but that has go much easier. Once you’ve cracked the fast days you will soon find that the non fast days make a big difference so if you do calorie count on non fast days don’t see the tdee as a target, it is a maximum. People do it differently and I know a lot do count on non fast days but for me I hate doing it and like to think I can eat normally, even though you have to keep it in check. I tend to lose about a pound a week, sometimes a little more.

You say your allowance is 1600, is that your tdee as calculated on this forum resources? I might be wrong but that sounds quite high for someone of your height. People on the forum often say calculate your tdee using your target weight.

I am excited for you. Good luck today and if you get hungry remember it will pass and tomorrow you can eat normally. It really does get easier after a few weeks.

Parker50

10:54 am
3 Mar 20
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Hi Sarah,
The allowance during the week of 1600 calories was calculated on here, so have i got it wrong? I am 5ft 2, and 12 stone 2lbs. I currently only lightly exercise eg walk the dog, walk to work etc due to my sore knees and tiredness. I have a desk job but i do get up often do around 7,000 steps just at work alone sometimes. If you can recalculate or tell me where i went wrong that would be a great help, but yes i am tempted to take your advice and not calorie count on my 5 days – just be sensible like you say. I dont eat big portions for my evening meal in fact less than half of a normal meal, never a mountain of food!

Fasterplease

2:16 pm
3 Mar 20
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You are not “disgusting” you are beautiful and wonderful.

I am into fasting, I am also into bone broth. I just have a very strong hunch that incorporating bone broth into your meals everyday will help you. It’s the collagen, glycine will regulate hormones, and most people lose weight on it.

Sarah57

4:00 pm
3 Mar 20
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Hi Parker

I checked the calculation and you are quite right your tdee comes out at 1600. Your steps sound quite good for someone with a desk job, add a bit for the journey to workplus dog walking and that sounds very reasonable. I found tiredness decreases with 5/2 esp after you lose a few pounds. The weight loss does vary from week to week without apparent cause sometimes so don’t worry if it doesn’t show on the scales some weeks. Measuring can be helpful or you will know anyway because of how you feel in clothes.

Don’t be afraid to play around with it a bit ie many people find having breakfast doesn’t help and they delay eating as long as possible. You will soon find what works for you.

Rooting for you!

Cinque

10:03 pm
3 Mar 20
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Hi again Parker,

Lovely to hear about your great start.

Enjoy the excitement stage, but don’t forget to make 5:2 so easy and sustainable that you can still do it when it feels boring and same same. (I’ve been on it for 4 years as I use it to maintain my healthy weight now).

I hate counting calories and don’t have scales in my house. So once I had worked out what I could eat on fast days to stay under 500 calories, I just ate the same every fast day. Still do.
On non fast days I gradually became better at eating more serves of vegetables, whole grains, good protein etc, more water, less snacks, and still don’t know the exact calories (I know I am in the minority here). Instead of having scales (apart from medical appts or visiting my daughter) I measured my waist once a month. I could also tell I was losing weight by how my clothes fitted.

Just don’t give up and you will work out how to make it suit your life. It is a wonderful feeling to have some control over your health again. Occasional binge eating still happens (if you tend to it) but you just get back to 5:2 again and it is ‘onwards and downwards’.

Cheers.

Parker50

10:25 am
5 Mar 20
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Hey ladies,
So today is Thursday – my 2nd fast day! I weighed myself this morning and already lost 2lbs – i was so so happy! I haven’t lost an ounce for such a long time so to see this change was such a boost – But i am keeping an open mind too! Tonights meal is a tuna steak, red pepper and courgette (and not much of it either!). My husband has given up already and said that he cannot cope with the 500 days – he just did Monday!!!! But he doesnt have to loose weight as he is 6ft 1 and like a rake.
I think today is going to be hard because i am so tired, my eyes are burning at work – even had comments asking why my eyes are so red! Good thing is i have my water and apple, i walked the mile very briskly this morning to work and I am not hungry.

Thank you for your comments, they are very valued and it gives me hope 🙂

Cinque

11:27 pm
5 Mar 20
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Hi again Parker,
I’m in Australia so completely different time zone, but figure you will be very pleased with yourself at the end of your fast day.

The friend who introduced me to 5:2 says “It is just one day, and you can do anything for just one day.” and of course it is worth it for waking up the next morning feel so empty and light and knowing you can have breakfast!

Good on your husband for giving it a try.

Hope you managed to pop into the chemist for eyedrops. Your poor red eyes.

Best wishes.

LuBLu

9:28 am
19 Mar 21
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I can totally relate!
I am 48 and peri too and have found over the past 6-9 months that I have started gaining weight that I now can’t seem to lose.
I also relate to the fact that being short shows every damn pound! (I’m only 5ft)

I have done the 5:2 for about 8 years and lost a stone and kept it off and was really happy. For some reason I started reading and researching more and more about fasting and wholefood diets etc (which isnt a bad thing), but I’ve found my eating has become more and more disordered. I eat all the “right things” and practice yoga and walk daily.

Peri and recent stresses seem to have made things worse and although I only want to lose 6-8lbs – I dont want my weight to keep increasing so that I have to lose more. I started HRT in August.

My husband isnt supportive as he can’t see the problem – whereas I see possible future problems and want to nip things in the bud before it gets out of hand.

Really fed up and feeling horrible when clothes dont fit as well as they used to etc and wonder whether stress impacts on weight as much as think it might do.

Working at home for the past year has definitely had an impact too – no usual exercise classes, no connection with people and waaaaaay to close to the fridge!

I’m sure we are giving ourselves a really hard time and thats not going to help either and I know for a fact that my motivation is pretty low.

Just wanted to wish you luck on your journey and let you know that there are others feeling the same…..

Iona72

9:38 pm
19 Mar 21
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Parker- good to hear you have lost 2 pounds after being so low before. I am a big fan of Jason Fung, a well respected Fasting expert, check him out on YouTube. I fast most days whether it’s for 12 hours or 20+ hours and I am seeing results, not always on the scale so make sure you use the tape measure to track your weight loss too. Good luck on your journey and keep us posted on your progress.

rustybucket16

7:39 am
22 Mar 21
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Hi
It was good to read that there are people like me, especially Clinque, I too am close to you, im 52, peri menopausal, hypothyroid, 5’2 ‘’ but was 14 1/2 stone . my weight has gradually crept on over the years. it has never really bothered me that much apart from so much of it goes on my stomach. a year ago our lives changed dramatically, we had lived in France for 18 years and had a restaurant and small hotel, we were closed down on march 14 due to coronavirus. six months previously my husband had a stroke at 57.
we had no choice but to return to the uk to live.
I have gone from living a busy life to not working and my thyroid has gone haywire after being stable for years. ive just found out i have seriously high blood pressure and have been put on medication for that.
I know that loosing weight can only help my blood pressure, after the shock of my husband having a stroke I don’t want the same thing to happen to me so decided to be pro active and do something about it. I hopped the 5 2 diet would be the answer.
Instarted 2 weeks ago and also started the nhs couch to 5k app, i have never excersise in my life so find this extremely difficult. i’m also doing 10000 steps plus a day.
In week one i lost 4 pound, i was so pleased, I was hopping to loose 1.
I am on my period this week after not having one for two months, i weighed this morning and have put on 1 1/2 pounds, really disappointed as ive worked hard this week and feel it was all for nothing.
My husband and I are both chefs so make the effort to eat healthily now ( in france he would do a lot of baking which we would eat ) no cakes now , this is my downfall and what i really miss.

I hope that I can feel motivated to keep going with the 5 2 and that in the next few weeks my thyroid meds will kick in and the weight will come off a bit more easily. My goal at the moment is to get to 12 stone. which I know is still overweight but I feel thats a sensible place to start.

im looking forward to hearing all your tips