Me enjoying the summer weather
Me enjoying the summer weather

Me enjoying the summer weather

Date: Sunday 19 March 2017
Current weight: 159 lbs (I continue to make assumptions as my scales are still in storage)

We all know that the struggle with weight is real and if I was to give advice to my younger self I would say

make sure that you get rid of any extra weight you are carrying by your 35th birthday”

Why? – because thirty five is the age when fertility doctors no longer accept a woman’s eggs for egg donation in the UK because they believe that the quality her eggs at this age have fallen off a cliff. The age of our eggs is relevant to weight loss because the sex hormones that have an effect on egg quality also affect weight gain amongst other things. The other fall women have to cope with is that of our hormone levels again from the age of 35 it would appear  and by the age of 45 the decline becomes so steep  that a lot of fertility doctors treating patients of that age will only offer IVF treatment with eggs donated from younger women. Women over 45 are assumed to be in the twilight zone otherwise known as peri-menopause and travelling rapidly towards the final destination called menopause which happens on average at the age of or 51 or 52 depending on what you read. Menopause is confirmed once a woman has not had a period for 12 months.

Apparently 90% of women will struggle with weight gain between the ages of 35 and 55 and while good nutrition and appropriate exercise helps, the odds are not stacked in our favour. At the moment I feel like no matter how hard I exercise and diet, my body is engaged in a peri-menopausal civil war against me and would if it could convert the water I drink into fat in a desperate bid to source extra oestrogen, progesterone, testosterone and any other hormone that would enable my body run more efficiently. I have an unflattering cortisol belt which I believe I have acquired from years of career and life related stress. The belt has reduced in size and changed shape for the better but it looks like it would like to hang around for good. Obviously I am not happy about that prospect at all.

I was watching a re-run of a reunion of The Housewives of Beverly Hills and noticed that when Lisa Vanderpump asked Yolanda whether she was experiencing depression related to menopause, Yolanda confirmed that she was on HRT and to that end was not experiencing any menopausal symptoms including depression. As most of the housewives are within or close to the age bracket to experience a drop in female hormones I wonder whether most of them are on hormone replacement therapy and if yes, what are they on? The Housewives are all slim and seem to be physically fit and I wonder how they achieve this with such busy lives.

I understand also that it is not a good idea to be on HRT even those of the natural variety sometimes called Bio-identical HRT for more than 5 years and that at the end of the 5 years women then have to face the symptoms of menopause that they avoided by going on HRT in the first place except that at this point such women are 5 years older and the symptoms feel at least 10 times worse. At the current time I am tempted to try Bio–identical HRT just to blast off my cortisol belt.

What would you do?

Until next time it’s

#nototheyoyo!
#yestostableweight!

Me, doing some reading

Me, doing some reading

 

 

Julie

Author Julie

Lawyer (co-founding partner/solicitor of a legal aid practice), blogger, feminist, lover of fashion & beauty. I believe that there are two types of people - the living and the dead. Age has nothing to do with it.

More posts by Julie

Join the discussion 2 Comments

  • Victoria Nwogu says:

    Hmmmm. I lost the most significant weight at the age of 32, and I’ve spent the past 9 years since then fighting to keep it at bay. You’re dead right the odds are stacked against us because it’s a huge struggle. I resent the fact that most people can eat anything and get away with it but if I so much as stare at a piece of cake, it’ll grow on my hips. SIGH! In these circumstances, HRT might seem tempting enough but I’ve also resolved that quick fixes are not for me. When it comes to decision-making I’m a ‘blinker’ but if something sounds too good to be true, I’m the one to spend a long time examining it until I find the rusty edges. Ah well! I’m resigned to strict eating and workout regimens, so help me God. Amen!

    • Julie says:

      Hello, Victoria! Thanks very much for stopping by! By losing a significant amount of weight at the age of 32 you have in my view avoided the worst ravages that falling hormones can have on our bodies. More importantly by keeping it off for 9 years – I think you have beaten the odds. I am no medical professional but I do not see you ever needing HRT for weight loss. Apparently, once we are able to keep off dropped weight for 2 years then there is a good chance it stays off for life provided we maintain reasonable exercise and sensible eating which I know you do. I did a blog called Channel 4 Super Slimmers: Did they keep the weight in – in which I explored keeping weight off. Basically the odds are all in your favour.

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