OTC treatments (Menersa/Ambren)

Hello! I had a lavh in October 2010. One ovary was left but from blood work - I am in complete menapause.

Last summer, I couldn't take it anymore and at the urging of my dr starting the viv dot .1 and because of other things found in the blood work - I added calcuim and vit d after having to do a mega dose of vit D for 12 weeks. I felt fantastic!

Not so much anymore. I have slowly added about 7-10 pounds despite averaging 4 trips to the gym a week(very faithfully for the past 6 months! Started even before that but wasn't consistant enough.

I tried cutting back on snacks/fats etc...eating better figuring with the gym I would lose slowly - NOT

Tried WW for a almost 2 months - NOTHING

A friend as well as my sister had great luck with low carb (Protein Power) so I am trying that for the past 8 weeks or so and I admit - I was doing it wrong! I meet with my GP and showed her the book - she gave me great tips and straightened me out on a few points. I found a free website and I log what I am eating. I feel like I have done the program correctly for 4 weeks....down 1.5 pounds!!! Are you kidding me?! I would rather drink wine.....

I keep hearing about Menersa and Ambren helping with weight loss - anyone have any thoughts/suggestions?

I am 46......and now abut 205 pounds.

If I do add Menersa or Ambren - do I stop with the patch?

Hoping someone out there has some suggestions!

Christine

Sorry you are having problems with weight loss. I would walk or do some kind of exercise everyday for about 30 min. where your heart rate goes up some.
The way of eating that has helped me is small portions, no beef, no caffeine or alcohol, low fat.
I eat grilled or baked chicken, fish,turkey, pork loin , and beef only once a month. Beef is high fat pretty much. I eat all kinds of fresh veggies steamed, grilled, little olive oil, baked sweet potato, brown rice, red potatoes, whole grain bread, pasta . I don't cook with rich sauces , gravies , or butter. I pretty much go by the Mediterranean eating plan. I eat some low fat yogurt, no sugar in it and add frozen fruit and a little of the natural sugar Stevia. I drink Almond milk low sugar.

I eat a lot of green salads with all kinds of veggies in it and use a low calorie dressing and no more than a tablespoon or two of dressing. I don't buy any snack foods any more or cookies. When I am hungry I drink water, eat fresh fruit instead of other sweets. I drink herbal ice teas , no sugar. I have gotten off of all diet and sodas. I like real brewed tea, but do the decaf. I drink water when I go to a restaurant and order low cal things.

I have been eating like this for some time. If I get invited somewhere I may cheat a little , but get right back on my way of eating right away. I don't believe in diets just small portions, and healthy foods and exercise. I work out for 30 min. several times a week. I ride the bike and the elliptical. I would do everyday except I have joint problems and my body needs a day of rest to feel better.

I have found that menopause has made it twice as hard to keep weight off or lose. Keeping active is key and what foods we choose.

You can do a Search on Amberen and some posts will come up. http://www.hystersisters.com/vb2/sea...earchid=773189

I don't think I would take the Amberen or Menersa with my patch.

I have found that the patch or any estrogen made me hungry. I am no longer on estrogen.

Good luck and don't give up on exercise and healthy eating.

I too have been eating right and excercising and despite everything continue to gain weight. I am on the patch and apply 20 progesterone creme - half in am and other half in pm. Also taking supplements- coq10, omega3, e,d and magnesium. Interestedly , I had tried the patch and progesterone before - twice for about 4 days each time but felt so horrible I stopped each time. However, each of those times I lost a noticeable amount of weight within the 4
Day period. Dr asked that I try taking hrt one more time before giving up completely. I did and this time was able to tolerate it much better . But I have been gaining weight every since . No diets have helped. Ww did not help. I Never had a problem losing weight before and am miseable because of it. Clothes have to be adjusted every month . Anybody have any suggestions???

Have y'all tried some weight training to go with the cardio work that you've been doing? Also, have you brought out a tape measure to go along with your scales? If you are exercising more but weigh the same, it's quite possible that you've increased your lean body mass at the same time that you've lowered your body fat. If the tape measure shows a smaller size despite the scales not budging, this is quite likely the case. Weight training helps maintain or build strength while increasing muscle (lean tissue).

But don't fret if you are actually smaller by the tape while the scale holds stubborn-- increasing lean (muscle) mass is a good thing, as is reducing your fat. Just think about all of those bodybuilders out there with their enormous muscles. Their scale readings would be quite high, but so is their lean body mass.

Remember, too, that there are basically 2 kinds of fat deposits: subcutaneous fat, which is the accumulation of fat under the skin, the "visible fat".... and the fat which is stored deep in the body around the organs, called visceral ("VISS-uh-rul") fat. This is the fat you don't see. Even skinny people can have a lot of visceral fat, while some people with significant subcutaneous fat deposits may actually have very little visceral fat.

I've always been slim, to the point where people think I have an eating disorder. Nothing could be further from the truth, LOL! However, I cycle and work out so I have a ton of lean tissue. I had lost some weight and wanted to gain it back as I was a tad underweight (I know, such a big problem! But it really is...). I began eating more calories on a careful training diet and lifting weights in addition to my usual cycling. I didn't see any increase in mysize. I still feel like a stick or a skeleton sometimes, but I've actually gained the weight back! However, I gained it back as lean mass (muscle).

Try this experiment-- have a butcher cut you off 2 equally-sized (by visual size) portions of scrap, or do it yourself when you are prepping meat for cooking... one portion being all fat and the other being all lean meat. Now weigh them. The lean portion should weigh a bit more by size in comparison to the fatty portion. Now, get some lean meat and weigh it. Then take some fat and put it on the scale, and note how much fat it takes by volume to match the weight of the lean meat. The fat portion will take up more room (be "bulkier") than the lean meat.

Hope that helps.

~Wheels