Menopause kicking my arse :)

[Candice]

Hi Ladies,

I've been dabbling with primal eating since starting Crossfit a year ago. I'm a trainer and lived an athletic life since college so I've always had a "clean" diet. Since the onset of menopause I've had to explore and make changes to my nutrition and everything I've read points to paleo.

My symptoms are pretty low given the horror stories I've heard but I'm mainly afflicted with sleep disruption due to hot flashes ( which are more frequent at night). I also have gained weight ( body fat) even though I'm active and for the most part my diet is good. So I've been playing with carb macros as I have been getting aprox 100 -120 grams day ( from fruit & veg as I eat NO grains). I've read some of the posts and think that I need to get more fat to increase calories whic are normally 1300-1500. Low

My thing is that I have such INTENSE cravings at night for carbs (sugar). Fruit is what I go for but I think that's what is sabotaging my fat loss. Ugh. Seems getting ( and staying) asleep is hard enough with the flashes that when I resist the cravings it makes it that much harder.

Anyways, I'd love some feedback from anyone who is in this life stage and tips on succeeding through it without feeling like a washed out sponge bob

Cheers,

Candice

[Maeva]

Hi Candice,

I am 44 years old and I have been peri-menopausal for several years.

You may want to try making your breakfast and lunch more protein and fat focused. Make dinner more carb focused, but go easy on the fat and protein. I find I sleep better this way. 400mg of magnesium citrate in the evening will help relax you as well.

Hot flashes? Try eliminating caffeine, or restricting your intake to the hours before noon. The only caffeine I take is in my green tea; (the antioxidants seem to buffer the adverse effects) and, of course CHOCOLATE, (but never in the evening). Sugar and alcohol are also problematic (just ignore what I am doing in that picture up there).

I use a low dose of bio-identical progesterone cream about 14 days in 30 to smooth out my symptoms of estrogen dominance. It has helped over time. I also avoid estrogen-like substances.

I don't know if any of this is helpful, but I hope you find relief. Hang in there

Maeva

[Therese]

I too have had tremendous problems with hot flashes interrupting my very inadequate 4-5 hours of sleep. Prior to starting Whole 30 I used time released melatonin for about a week to help me stay asleep; some nights I didn't wake at all, other nights I was able to roll over & go back to sleep. This enabled me to sleep for 5-1/2 to 6 hours a night -- a tremendous improvement. For the hot flashes I invested in a gel pillow that helps keep your head cool; initially it felt quite cold but now I don't notice it at all. I have found that keeping a fan on low all night keeps the air circulating which helps. Since starting the Whole 30 I've actually slept 6-1/2 to 7 hours every night! This is a miracle. I have a feeling it's because I'm eating more protein and fat & have completely stopped eating anything that was causing inflammation. Celebrating even 15 - 30 minute increases in the amount of sleep each night helped me see I was making progress.

[Michele Larocque]

Hot flashes are a wonder of nature (just kidding). I've found that since going back to the Whole 30, this is my second, and it's only been 5 days, they have virtually disappeared and they'd been getting more intense and frequent over the last month since I'd started eating pretty much anything. Now my diet was "clean" (no junk food, no processed food, mostly organic) 80% home cooked, to begin with. But sweets, wine and an overall higher carb intake seems to push me into the hot zone.

[Roberta Morris Zukauskas]

This is a timely topic for me - it is Day 7 for me - and I have been having more frequent hot flashes. I had caffeine this morning, so that may be the trigger for today, but I don't normally have caffeine, just decaf green tea. Any ideas on why mine are more frequent?

[ClaireDeluxe]

Yep, I hear ya. I'm 49 and just now really starting to feel symptoms, although I'm still regular (which is kinda irritating). I get the massive sugar cravings at night and honestly, there are some nights where I HAVE TO HAVE something sweet or I'll die (or kill). I've taken to eating a kiwi fruit or 2 over the sink then going upstairs and going to bed. Other nights, a handful of olives or a spoonful of cashew butter take the edge off.

Sleep...that's just not fun right now.

[kb0426]

I am on day 14 of the whole30 and can happily report that my bed soaking, sleep disrupting, swear inducing hot flashes are gone.

I guess I am fortunate to not crave sugar at night!

[splash883]

Fortunately for me, I started a hormone balancing supplement program a month before doing the Whole30. My night sweats have disappeared and I'm not crazy w/my emotions. I think cleaning up my diet is helping a lot, as well. All I can say is this: do your research, ask a ton of questions and go the road that works best for you. There are a lot of opinions out there, but only you can choose what works for you.

[sharbear]

I am 70 years old and I'm on HRT because of osteopenia so no hot flashes but I can't help but think this medication messes with me. Does anyone have any thoughts pro or con? It is the only prescription med I take. I'm 23 days in and I haven't noticed any differences in the way I feel but I didn't have anything serious going on. I haven't weighed but there is no difference in the way my clothes fit so no weight loss or inches gone. I was really hoping to get rid of my "muffin top" which is turning into a bunt cake even though I'm not overweight. 5'4", 124 lbs.

[Julie Henderson]

Roberta - I had the same experience of my hot flashed increasing in the early weeks of my Whole30. What I realized is that for me, detoxing also results in major hot flashes. Hope that by now they're starting to subside for you. I now rarely have one, unless I eat something that triggers them (chocolate). I'm now in the re-entry phase of the program and whether or not something triggers a hot flash is a top criteria for me.

[Roberta Morris Zukauskas]

Julie - I wondered if that might be the case. They were better after about 14 days, but now at days 21-24, they are worse again. I will probably wait on reintroducing things back into my diet, as it sounds ilke I may need extra time to detox.