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Mary Dude



Quit Date:
June 15, 2004

Posts: 4803
Location: Pittsburgh, PA

PostPosted: May 13, 2008 3:25 PM    Post subject: I count my blessings.... Reply with quote

Menopause?? Been there....done that...everything all sort of lumped together for me. I was already in peri-menopause when I quit smoking, and then starting with the Weight Watchers and Curves and losing weight and getting healthy and back in uniform and deployed - I'm officially post-menopausal. I think that taking the zyban (initially for smoking cessation in the double blind study) and then continuing with Wellbutrin (same drug - bupropion) made the progression of menopause less noticeable from the mood-swing perspective and in treating the depression I was more able to stop the emotional eating and be more "in control" when it came to food. But overall - except for hot flashes and night sweats - my menopause symptoms were minimal - and I count myself lucky! My overall sense of well-being is great. I do think I saw my weight loss slow over the 2+ years it took to get from 276 to 155. It took forever me to lose the last twenty pounds. And I'm working diligently trying to maintain - but it has been very challenging eating in army dining facilities (mess halls) for the last 10 months - I put back on almost 15 pounds - but I'll get them back off. I blame some of it on working night shift and most of it on just general stress - I am a stress gainer - not a stress-loser. I'm very glad to say that it hasn't been hugely difficult to stay smoke-free. There have been moments here and there when the thought has crossed my mind - but I am not going to make that choice again. I did it once - and I regretted it for years - and I am determined to not return to being a slave to my nicotine addiction. I refuse.... Menopause isn't fun - but it is part of being a woman and it is just another change we must go through. I did not find any of my symptoms so extreme that I felt I needed to work with my doctor to make them more tolerable. Good luck on your journey through the marshmallow years....
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Mary D.
Smoke-free one day at a time!
Worry doesn't help tomorrow's troubles, but it does ruin today's happiness!
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Guest



Quit Date:
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PostPosted: May 13, 2008 8:52 PM    Post subject: Reply with quote

Very Happy Hi Mary,

I admire you for all the weight you've lost. I didn't go through the emotional part of menapause but then I never got PMS. I was lucky also.
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Gidget



Quit Date:
March 14, 2008

Posts: 693
Location: New Haven, CT

PostPosted: May 14, 2008 6:38 AM    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mary, thanks for sharing.
I'm not there quite yet (menopause), but I look at the way you were determined to change things in your life that you could, and I admire that determination. I also see you as a very strong woman and you have proven me correct in the above post.
Gidget
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My choice; my responsibility; win or lose, only I hold the key to my destiny.
-Elaine Maxwell
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Rusty



Quit Date:
December 13, 2004

Posts: 497
Location: North Florida

PostPosted: May 14, 2008 8:53 PM    Post subject: Reply with quote

What they said, Mary. You are a great role model for everyone.

I would not say that menopause was too horrible for me, but my husband thought I had terrible mood swings. Who, me??? Anyway, the worst part for me was night sweats and not getting full nights of sleep. That just drove me nuts. At first I thought I could get through it, but a week or so of not sleeping sent me to the doctor. She put me on a mild hormone which made everything normal again.

I have heard that how a woman experiences menopause might relate to how she experienced periods, both physically and emotionally. I never had bad periods, so I think my relatively easy "change of life" as they used to call it reflected that.

Rusty
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The Buddha says: Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful.
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Snowlover



Quit Date:
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Posts: 566
Location: Northern California

PostPosted: May 14, 2008 8:58 PM    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hot flashes or night sweats were scary. The feeling of not being able to control what is happening to your body was hard. My hubby and I read "The Pause" together. He appreciated knowing what I was going through and was very patient.
I remember apologizing to co-workers when I would realize things I had said that I would never have said otherwise. I didn't realize what was happening until a friend told me what I was describing was 'the pause'.
I also loved it when I found a female OB/GYN and she had a female Nurse Practitioner too. They asked questions about things a male doctor would never know to ask even with all their knowledge.

This Too Shall Pass.
The bad passes and the good passes.
Such is life.

Kaye
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Gidget



Quit Date:
March 14, 2008

Posts: 693
Location: New Haven, CT

PostPosted: May 14, 2008 9:04 PM    Post subject: Reply with quote

I haven't experienced Menopause yet, but I must say, when my body does stuff that I don't expect or understand or control, it scares me too. I think that was a huge hurdle for my eventual quit. I really can't stand my body not listening to me!! As I am writing this, I do know I've been experiencing hot flashes for a few years, but I don't think I'm even close yet...My fear is that I've been told I get the flashes already because I will have an intensified experience in relationship to my mom. She had hot flashes for 30 years and still gets them a little! I hope my state of denial is enough to make those predictions UNTRUE! I'll keep ya'all posted!
Smile
Gidget
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My choice; my responsibility; win or lose, only I hold the key to my destiny.
-Elaine Maxwell
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Doggygirl



Quit Date:
February 26, 2007

Posts: 788
Location: Joliet, IL

PostPosted: May 15, 2008 9:29 AM    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mary Dude, thanks as always for sharing your wisdom. Wow - that is an impressive weight loss. I think I just have to accept that it's not going to be nearly as easy to lose now as it was to take off a few extra pounds back in my 20's / 30's even mid 40's.

I'm also going to have my hormones checked to see if things are in balance or not - especially thyroid.

And I need to get my butt back to Curves and just keep working at it - no matter how long it takes. I'm also trying to work on my attitude - I may never be the shape and size I prefer ever again. Love me for me and all that jazz. Luckily Mr. Doggy loves me for me and I count that as a big blessing!!

Anyway, enough rambling. Mary Dude, I'm curious to know what type of a food plan you try to stick with. (Despite the difficulties of the mess hall - which I'm sure are challenging!)

DG
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Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same. ~Francesca Reigler
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Mary Dude



Quit Date:
June 15, 2004

Posts: 4803
Location: Pittsburgh, PA

PostPosted: May 15, 2008 4:49 PM    Post subject: Reply with quote

DG - I hope you give Curves a good effort - It really made a difference for me! I can't wait to get home and get back to my efficient fitness routine. I was so excited when I was on leave to be able to exercise - I think I got in nine or 10 visits over the 15 days I was home. I've lost a lot of the muscle tone Curves gave me - but I know I can get it back with three or four visits a week. My food plan here - its way to hard to count weight watcher's points for what I find in the mess hall - but I try to keep in mind their "core" plan. I do watch my carbs and fats. I choose baked or broiled over breaded and fried. I choose a protein (lean if its available), and veggies - lots of veggies. I try to have a cooked veggie and a raw veggie - cuccumbers, lettuce, salad. I splurge with a starch one or twice a week. I'm a big mac and cheese fan - but go for a small portion. I skip most desserts and opt for fruit or cottage cheese or yogurt. I don't even look at the pies, cakes, cookies or ice cream. I know I don't get enough calcium in my current diet - so I take a supplement and a multivitamin. I also try to make sure I stop eating when I'm full. I grew up a member of the clean plate club - but because we don't serve ourselves and the servers are very generous with portions - I have to recognize when the serving is too big - but I hate wasting food. I also try to not eat fast - its hard sometimes because we are in a hurry because the mess hall is full and people are looking for seats to sit down and eat. I try to not snack - and that is probably my biggest challenge. There is food everywhere here in the office. Chocolate and cookies and candy and chips and jerky and popcorn.

When I feel like I'm out of control - I go back to keeping a food journal - and write it all down - even the six m&m's or three hershey kisses. You'd be surprised at the things that go in our mouth mindlessly. Unconcious calories. There ya go....weight management ala Mary! It all comes down to choices. And unlike smoking - we HAVE TO EAT...can't just not do it. Make good choices - and when I mess up with a bad choice - I have to make sure the NEXT choice is a good one - no two bad choices in a row. One day at a time will do it!
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Mary D.
Smoke-free one day at a time!
Worry doesn't help tomorrow's troubles, but it does ruin today's happiness!
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Doggygirl



Quit Date:
February 26, 2007

Posts: 788
Location: Joliet, IL

PostPosted: May 17, 2008 11:52 AM    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank you so much Mary for taking time to outline what you do. I DID have success at Curves working out at least 3 X per week for two months (I know, such a short time!). I got depressed because that level of working out in the "younger days" would have bred MUCH bigger and faster results than it did. Then I quit. Well, I didn't quit in anger or anything...just sort of drifted away from the working out habit.

But..Over the last 4 months, I've certainly seen where NOT working out gets me. And of all the "forced exercise" I've ever done in my life, I really enjoy the Curves atmosphere and routine. I think at 50YO, I just need to re-set my expectations. Nothing I do these days will make be look like my old 18 year old self again! I'm really trying to wrap my brain around the benefits of exercise - for the many benefits beyond possible weight loss. And food for the nutritional benefits - not for any other purpose, etc.

Oy. Menopause (aging) sucks. Can I say that here? But...I am determined to make the best of it. Thanks so much for your words of wisdom!

DG

PS - A fellow Mac 'n' Cheese lover here. Can we say "Comfort Food??"
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Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same. ~Francesca Reigler
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Mary Dude



Quit Date:
June 15, 2004

Posts: 4803
Location: Pittsburgh, PA

PostPosted: May 18, 2008 6:31 PM    Post subject: Reply with quote

Someone was saying they give themselves a grade at the end of the day - factoring in food choices as well as exercise and activity - and they figure if they have more days that are A's or B's than C's or D's (or F's) that they are making progress and headed in the right direction. As I approach 50 - I KNOW that I'm much healthier and happier than I was at 40 - so I'm setting my goal to making sure that I'm even better at 60 than I will be at 50! I figure if I can exercise and gets some muscles - I can eat a little more - than if I don't exercise. And Curves is a very efficient exercise program - the rewards are great for a small investment of time and energy - and for me that circuit really was "fun". I have to spend a lot more time walking to burn the same number of calories as my usual Curves workout. I agree menopause isn't fun - but it isn't going to be any easier in three or four more months - so there's no time like the present!

Oh...and the exercise really adds to my sense of well-being...Good Luck to you DG - you can accomplish great things with determination.... you quit smoking...you can do this too!
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Mary D.
Smoke-free one day at a time!
Worry doesn't help tomorrow's troubles, but it does ruin today's happiness!
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