Would love to hear from post menopausal weight loss successes.

jorieob

Kimberly, thanks for sharing your details. I have been using Cronometer keto macros for a little over a week and with the info you provided I will continue. I received the book yesterday and attempted to read some before I went to sleep but the Sandman got to me first But it seems like I can follow the macros in Cronometer while I read the book. While I'm anxious to lose a few pounds I'm curious about whether the hot flashes will calm down. Also, by tracking food I can see how little protein is required while other Keto diets boast about how much protein you eat.

ConnieSC

@Kimberly,

SO very happy of the success you have had. Every success story encourages the next person who has not taken the plunge yet. And every person who succeeds in turn is someone who is possibly saved from the Food, Medical & Drug establishments--which is a very good thing.

Also, it's great the way you went into a totally unknown food environment, and you were able to find food that complied with the program.

Again, good job and congratulations!

Kimberly

jorieob - good for you that you're chugging away! I'm oh so thankful to say, my hot flashes of 18yrs (no exaggeration) lessened dramatically when I got off all sugar, bread, pasta, rice and now on Keto, I don't know what a 'hot flash' is!
As for the protein issue, it has baffled me as well. So I dug in and started researching it and I've found so far that it seems "Keto - the Atkins way" is more the 'moderate' setting on the Cronometer app rather than the 'rigorous' setting which seems to be more in line with "Keto - Dr Mercola's FFF MMT" approach. I'd like to know what others have to say about it too.
Thank you 'ConnieSC', and back at ya!!

Foodie

Following! I am hungry, lol!

Flowers4Julia

Hi there, I'll join in too. I'm 59, post menopause for 6 years. I follow a KETO eating plan. I am EASILY able to maintain my desired weight AND. I stick to my calories! Eating over would cause weight gain. That said, high fat = highly satiated .

I have my macros set at 24% protein, 8% carb, 68% fat. I had found a calculator on Pinterest that figured that after I gave it my personal info. I do use the urine testing strips occasionally to double check for ketones. So for me, it is working and I'm satisfied and happy! I have mentally lost the desire for any of the "bad" foods that the standard American diet has....(grains, sugars, processed junk,etc.). I do use Erythritol as a sweetener....which I like better than white sugar. I bake with it too with much success. I began with the Paleo/Primal eating template in 2011 and have stuck with it in terms of whole foods, naturally found in nature and based on what our bodies where designed originally to eat. So animal proteins, good fats, and carbs from non starchy vegetable to round out my vitamin and mineral needs. Like I said, it is easy for me, I have no real cravings to speak of. High fat, high fun!!! ;-)

Foodie

Great info! What are your favorite high fat foods?

Foodie

Also, some have mentioned hot flashes. Mine went away completely after removing all soy, even soy lecithin. Enjoy life chocolate is soy free. 😀

joan1

I was having hot flashes, I was getting to the point of asking the doctor for something. The I discovered that if I took some apple cider vinegar, did aerobics and stayed away from chocolate the hot flashes lessened. But that didn't always work. Now that I have been following keto diet the hot flashes have stopped completely. We had gone on vacation a couple weeks ago and I was alright for the first 8 days but lost it for a few days and had way more carbs than I wanted. Sure enough the hot flashes returned along with the belly bloat! That was enough proof for me.

Flowers4Julia

Hi Foodie, Hi Joan1. I have actually been using a transdermal estrogen patch in a very low dose for about 4 years. My hot flashes weren't just hot and sweaty, they were painful and caused chest pains. My gyno explained that it was something to do with a fast blood vessel dialation that my body does. I'm okay with the patch for now, but the best news is that I've cut my patch dose in half, so now it's a super low does.....and no hot flashes!

How that relates to a keto diet I'm not sure, because I don't want to experiment with going off the patch and seeing if the diet would reduce or help the flashes. I'm very motivated to stay on keto because my mother has "Alzheimer's". I've been reading so much lately about the keto diets protective effect with that and other brain/nervous system issues.

Some of my favorite high fat food! Coconut oil in my coffee, avocado oil on my salads, in my smoothies and on vegetables, pork rinds and guacamole for a snack, I bake no sugar mini cheesecakes with almond flour/butter crust, and also make sugar free chocolate chips. Then there is bacon!

I'd love to hear about what you all eat and snack on!! Thanks for your kindness

Hilary

@Foodie , Have you tried asking the Oracle to suggest High fat foods for you yet!?

jorieob

Thank you for all the interesting feedback, ladies. I've read that for weigtloss exercise is not as important as what you eat. I'm starting to think that in my case, with only wanting to lose 8-10lbs, exercise may play a bigger role. I seem to only lose a couple of pounds on the Keto/High Fat protocol on Cronometer. Sticking very close to the recommendation but the weight is not coming off as anticipated.

Hilary

@jorieob The Help Page on Cronometer can help you to find a professional in your area to help you use Cronometer in conjunction with other methods to help you reach your goals! There are lots of resources out there! Best of luck on your journey!

joan1

Nuts! I love nuts and for so many years didn't eat any because of the fat content. Even my husband has noticed that just a hand full of nuts is so satisfying.
As for exercise, I exercised every day, aerobics, weight lifting classes, biking. My job I routinely put in 12-14,000 steps per shift and never lost an ounce. I do think exercising is important, I keep doing it just for the energy. I've noticed that when I have gotten discouraged and stopped my energy level goes way down. And suddenly I am wanting to take naps. This is an exciting journey!

Susan_RD_101

Nuts are fantastic! They don't always fill us up the moment we eat them, but because they are high in fat and protein, they tend to delay hunger later in the day. My go-to afternoon snack is pumpkin seeds with berries. And before I go to a restaurant or a dinner party, I always eat 1/4 cup of nuts. As a result, I'm less likely to overindulge and nibble while chatting away.

And fun fact! Did you know that you technically only absorb 80% of the calories found in raw almonds? The other 20% is used in digestion.

Foodie

Thanks for all the healthy fat snack ideas! You have really helped me. Adding homemade guacamole to the list, I put it on so many foods! Thanks again, and I look forward to continuing this thread.

jorieob

So, double checking. Do you measure fat, carbs, protein by weight or volume?

Flowers4Julia

@jorieob i measure by weight, I find it helps me a bit more accurately. I have a simple kitchen scale that weighs on both grams and ounces. For me it is invaluable. And.......I like science

jorieob

@Flowers4Julia, thanks for your response. Two other questions come to mind...what macros are you following or are you entering your own custom formula? I'm using the keto protocol but am struggling with meeting all the macros while keeping within the carb, protein, fat allotments. And it's impossible to get the potassium in they say is needed eating this way. I get leg cramps from time-to-time and have heard potassium may be responsible. Thanks.

Flowers4Julia

Hi there @jorieob I do set my own custom values. I figured out the percentages of each macro using one of those online keto calculators. But what that amounts to basically is figuring out protein needs first, then limiting net carbs to 25 grams......THEN figuring out the rest other calories from fat.

And yes, I do get leg cramps most nights and they are miserable! After researching quite a bit, I have found that many keto bloggers suggest more sodium/salt. And so I've upped mine to 3000-5000 mg. (Some keto folks recommend 5000-7000). One of my tricks is to eat plenty of pickles and olives each day, as they are high in sodium. As well as low carb and healthy fats. Other folks drink bouillon......also very high in salt, throughout the day. So maybe up your salt intake as well as the potassium.........and for that I add a product called NuSalt, which is potassium based shake on product sold in the salt section, tastes like salt almost. I know it is bad to overdose on potassium.......so research that. Obviously natural foods are best I know all the electrolytes need to be in balance....so magnesium, potassium, calcium, and sodium. Too many of us were taught to fear sodium! Not true, because it balances out the other and helps the cells do the proper thing. Lots of fun research on that too!

How much weight do you need to lose?

I am maintaining at this point. I plan to eat this way for the long term as I am interested in it's brain health benefits....as well as weight management.

They say that sleep is a big key to health, so solving those leg cramps will be invaluable.

joan1

I just picked up some olives from the olive bar at the grocery store. What kind of pickles do you get? I looked for some but they are all so high in carbs, and I wanted some that are fermented.
I have been so discouraged, I've not been able to lose any of this weight. I'm back to feeling hungry all the time. Yesterday I decided that I needed to go back to the very beginning to watch and read everything I could on keto again. I came to the conclusion that I'm just not getting enough fat and too much protein. It's been only 24 hours now but my stomach bloat has gone down and I'm not feeling like I could eat a turkey by myself.

Flowers4Julia

Hi @joan1 I buy dill pickles. The actual brand is from Costco and they are "petite dills". But, I have looked around my regular grocery store and all the dills there are less than a carb per serving. I have found the store brands sometimes have sugar in the brine, but name brands, not as much. I know fermented pickles have great probiotic properties- I'll check for them next.

I know what you mean about too much protein and not enough fat. They say that can stall weight loss. I've settled on the formula of .8 grams of protein for each pound of lean body mass. But I know everybody is different and there is a range depending on age, activities, etc.

I'm glad the bloat is going down! I can bloat too and for what reasons I couldn't tell you. Even if I think I eat perfect, some days I'll still just bloat! Frustrating! This time of year is tough......but as we get to the New Year, things settle down.

joan1

This is frustrating, I need to lose about 50 lbs, and nothing seems to work. I keep eliminating foods but nothing seems to make a difference. I read about adrenal fatigue and every symptom on the list I have so I started making changes. I stopped working out, I mean like the hard workouts, step classes or body pump. I noticed that when I do one of the hard workouts I am exhausted but I don't sleep that night. I changed jobs, eliminated my high stress senior care facility to a low key job. I'm definitely feeling calmer but still no weight loss. It seems like I keep taking things away but not getting any benefits. ok, I think that 's my whine for the day....

Flowers4Julia

Hi @joan1 I understand your situation and I am so sorry. You are very frustrated for sure. The changes you made so far sound like smart ones and in the longer run they have to help. What about calories? Have you been able to figure out your real needs or TDEE? I was thinking that before I really dialed in that, I was just trying to eat too few calories and my losses would stall. So many women in menopause eat too little I read. Ya know, too much of a calorie deficit, and it makes the body hold onto weight, kicks in that "famine" instinct our bodies have.

Also, have you used one of those online keto macro calculators. I like the on the website keto-calculator.ankerl.com. It asked a lot of questions and gives calorie deficit options. The keto setting here is a little too low for me.

The other thing that was very important for me was consistency.....i just had to stick to the numbers.......and face my emotional eating habits

I hope anything I can say can help. I feel like there is always a solution! Have a good day

joan1

Thank you Flowers, I don't think I'm having a calorie deficit. I took my blood sugar this morning and it read 113, so I'm still eating too much, even low carb. I get this irrational hunger, I've believed it was emotional all these years, but really? I do use the chronometer here and it seems like I'm within range and I try to get at least 16 hours from my last meal in the evening to the next day/meal. I'm just so tired of this fight with weight. Wow, I'm struggling, and guess I'm not done with my whine..

Mistea1

@joan1 I hear you. I used to be a diabetes educator and am familiar with the diet issues. So think about this. I used to live in NM until about 5 years ago. Plenty of light. Then I moved to NE Ohio to be closer to family. I did begin to crave a lot more CHO and I gained about 30 lbs. Belly bloat, yikes. I never had that at all. The light in NM is about 97% compared to OH at 19%. Last year I was so sick from Jan on. I'm wondering about Vit D addition. I ordered a book from the Townsend Newsletter which seems promising. I also started using one of those full spectrum lights. Im just now starting to go back to the ketogenic diet. I am well over menopause age and my energy is still not good, although when I moved here it was very good. So we will see what happens. I am glad to be here. Happy New Years to all.

Foodie

Mistea1, so interesting! Happy New Year to you.

joan1

Interesting Mistea1, I am in Arizona, recently moved here from Minnesota. I have gained about 15 lbs since the move. I am so much less active here than in MN. I don't deal well with the heat, I know what to do in -20°, but not 115°. We moved down here to help out aging family. Maybe it's just the change in climate. But I've also been considering getting K2&D3 vitamins.

Mistea1

Thanks,@ Joan1. Well that shoots down my idea of 'it's the sunlight.' But I do remember that after a while I got a very painful rash on any exposed body parts (forearms especially) even through the car windows in NM. I think part of it is the stress of moving too. I was so stressed from the move to Cleveland that I quit eating, etc. You mentioned "we" so you must have some support, yes? I think that helps. Well, I will continue on with my D3and K2 vitamins and some immune support supplements and hope for the best! And the best to you too.

jorieob

So I'm almost a week into using Cronometer--following Keto/High Fat settings and "rigorous" in the strictness category. Not sure how changing the "strictness", for example to moderate, changes your program. I have selected to lose one pound a week and noticed changing the strictness does not seem to impact calories. Anyone understand this issue?

Patti

Keto doesn't count calories. I've been a Keto coach for 15 years and have recommended the cronometer for most of that time. As for menopause.... Noone can tell you what your body is going to do, ie get better, worse or stay the same...menopause is a totally personal experience...even family history doesn't seem to have much baring by the thousands of women I've coached, most in the age range of 45-80. Having said that, there are a few things that will exacerbate menopausal symptoms, like spicy food, alcohol and even dairy for some women. What I recommend for my clients is to use Ketogains calculator to get your macro's personalized then take those numbers and put them into the cronometer. For Keto, there are many many other refinements that the cronometer offers to hone in on nutrients, electrolytes etc as well, that are important to monitor for a successful Keto lifestyle.