weight gain & swelly belly & broken ankle!!

OK..I'm not sure I am in the right forum, but thought I would give it a shot. I had total hys. Dec.19. Because of problems for the past several years dr opted to take ovaries. She said I should now be able to lose weight a little easier! Well...I haven't. If anything, I feel I have put on a few pounds. I eat the same and maybe less. I still get tired. On top of everything else, I fell 5 weeks ago and broke my ankle. So I feel like I'm falling apart. When I look in the mirror before showering, I think UGH!! I'm not sure if the hormone therapy may be causing me to not loose as the dr. thought. Any suggestions or help??? Thanks in advance for anyone that can.

Oh, You poor thing-healing from your hyster AND a broken ankle!

I would think it would be very hard to get any exercise with a broken ankle!!

I read somewhere that you need about 100-400 less calories after menopause. But I personally have found I really have to cut out all the bad carbs. My food pyramid is all the fruits and veggies I can eat, fish 3 times a week, little fat, and some protein with every meal or snack (nuts, turkey, etc) And over an hour of exercise 6 days a week.

But I was always heavy-I have managed to lose 55 pounds before the hyst, and have kept it off since. I am 8+ months post op.

But I read a book by a Dr Strand called Releasing Fat. He claims he has seen women on certain kinds of estrogen gain 30 pounds in a year that never had a weight problem before.

Try not to get too discouraged-you are still pretty early post op-and spring is coming, your ankle will be better and you will be able to walk outside-hopefully!

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My heart goes out to you.

Don't be too hard on yourself though.

So many of us are plagued by the swelly belly months later. I had my surgery in August and still have trouble when I overdo it.

You didn't say how old you are, but I'm curious why you had the hyster and why your doctor took your ovaries and said that would help with your weight? Put your doctor on the spot - this was serious decision on his part to remove your ovaries and as you can see it's got far-reaching ramifications for your entire body.

A broken ankle and recovering tissues need extra nutrition, so don't skimp on the food at the expense of keeping your bones healthy. High fiber, lots of fluids, enough high-quality protein and low in saturated fats. I like whole grains like brown rice and bulgur wheat dishes with lean chicken and fish and lots and lots of fresh fruits and nuts for snacking. You might want to look into some low impact exercise like yoga (my doctor recommended post-natal yoga, as they pay special attention to the healing abdomen and awareness of changing hormones) or tai chi. Some can even be adapted for a healing ankle.

Balancing hormones can be very tricky and if you find that you're not getting the answers or attention you deserve, you might want to consider seeing an endocrinologist or another gyno that specializes in surgical menopause. I hope you'll look around the "hormone jungle" forum to help educate yourself about current hormone therapies and things to watch out for.

Take care.