Hi Ladies,
Suslosue I know how you feel with the hot flashes. I just went through a 4 week stretch of the worse hot flashes you can imagine. Good news is they eventually go away. Atkins has really helped with the hot flashes and my night sweats are totaly gone. My Doctor says the hot flashes will come and go and eventually go away. I'm not taking any hormone replacement and I don't plan to. Before I retired I was a manager at a large retirement home. I was in charge of several dining rooms and I handled all of the catering for the building. My crews use to laugh I me because when I had a really bad hot flash I would go stand in the walk in cooler or the big freezer. It got to be a standing joke. When the crew saw me headed for the kitchen they would yell Hot Flash Alert !! My ears would turn bright red and I would be soaking wet. So, ladies if you feel like someone has just stuck a hot poker up your backside take heart in knowing there are others in the same boat. I'm still having my menses but they are not regular. I will go several months with out one and then it seems like someone has opened up the flood gates. I know alot of women who can't stand the thought of going through menopause because they feel like with out the menses they are somehow less of a woman. To these poor misguided creatures I say Get a Grip !! I can't wait to be rid of this once and for all. Think of it ladies. No cramps, no bleeding, no bloating, no headaches. I for one don't know what normal is but I can't wait to find out. Have a nice day and keep in touch.

Ladies,
I'm still having my TOM"S but they aren't regular. Since I've been on Atlins my hot flashes are almost gone. I retired a few years ago. I ran the catering service and managed several dining rooms for the Holiday Corporation. It was a running joke with my crews when it came to my hot flashes. I use to go stand in the big cooler or the freezer at work when I goy a really bad one. My ears would turn beat red and I would be soaking wet. Everytine I headed for the kitchen someone would yell, Heads up , Hot Flash time. So ladies, if any of you are feeling like someone just stuck a hot poker up your backside, welcome to my world ! I have several girlfriends that are whinning about not be a complete woman once they go through the chance. I say , Get Over It !! Think about it ladies, no more bloating, headaches, cramping or mood swings. The trick is to survive to the end. Hang in there and I'm here anytime to listen. Good luck to all.

I wish it were over already! I'm 50 and still have regular periods. I find it a very big inconvenience. No flashes or anything yet about menopause, not that I can see anyway. My mom had her tom till her late 50's so I guess that's what I'm in for.
When I first began LC it did affect my period, it felt heavier, yikes.
now I'm just kinda plateaued, but have decided to watch my calories.
Oh I hate being hungry though!
But the only way I can really count every calorie is to eat very pricise portions, so I'm doing the LC drinks twice a day, then a small lc meal for dinner.
It's the evening eating that always seems to be too much, almost like I get the munchies after dinner, wanting something who knows what, sometimes sweet sometimes carby..always bad news.

i started the menopause when i was 47 my monthlies just stopped dead i did have a few flushes in the first year which i loved like going on your own little holiday especially in the winter
im now 58 so i have been lucky

Arizona B, you made me laugh....thank you! I agree with ya on the waste of time that TOM feels like when it should be over. I had a weird situation with regards to hot flashes. I didn't get them, but I was cold, cold, cold to the bone. I had a space heater in the office and would wear a sweater in 70 degree temps and run the heater. I have been on synthroid since I was 12, so I had my thyroid checked and it was fine. I was still cold all the time....and then.....one day while clicking around the internet for symptoms of menopause, I found out. SOME folks don't get hot flashes, SOME are cold! I didn't know that!

Just noticed that I last posted on this thread 2 years ago....time sure does fly!

I've never had any menopausal symptoms (I'm now 61), other than (possibly related?) weight gain. But the weight is now off and I'm maintaining where I want (130 pounds at 5' 7"), and I've noticed that my knees are much better than they had been, wrinkling is somewhat minimized, and sore joints have loosened up.

I think the improvement in my health can be attributed to loss of weight, regular exercise, and eating well. I still "low-carb" but no longer "count my carbs", just make sure that what I eat is healthy -- no sugar, flour, white bread, etc. -- but I do eat whole-grained bread occasionally, even have a slice of real pizza every couple of months.

My last post was over a year ago, since then, i had plateaued with the weight loss and so I began eating carby things again. I was getting so obsessed with counting carbs and calories I just got fed up. Understand, I have been on diets since age 11! I'm 51! enough already.
Still, I now weigh more than ever at just over 250, and feel pretty crappy. Don't know what to do but the dieting thing just doesn't attract me anymore, too tired of being hungry and cutting entire things out of the diet. I LOVE PIZZA AND PASTA.
Anyone out there having this sort of feeling? Please be honest!

Blessings~

siamo tutti figli della terra

MariaDiana:

Sorry to hear that your weight has crept back up ...

I have fairly well gotten over my cravings -- haven't touched pasta in years, pizza is an occasional treat ... so no, I haven't returned to carby food, nor do I plan to.

I think that something that helped me get over craving carby foods was the realization that, once I've finished eating, it makes absolutely no difference what I ate. There is no lingering "feel good" from eating incorrectly (and frequently there is actual stomach distress) -- so if I'm hungry and eat a piece of meat rather than a plate of spaghetti, then 15 miutes later I don't feel any different then if I had eaten the spaghetti -- so I might as well eat correctly and enjoy wearing size 6. I htink this is perhaps part of the reason that Atkins always encouraged eating enough to feel satisfied....

I've also very carefully "tasted" food -- and I found out that many foods that I used to cram into my mouth and overeat I actually don't like the taste of (for example french fries) -- somehow my body was requiring whatever they had (sugars/grease?) and I would wolf them down, never really tasting them -- but for some reason feeling that I just had to have them. I have since discovered that many of my old favorites were just mindless "have to haves" and taste pretty yucky.

I think that I've discovered how to eat food that tastes pretty good (to me, at least!) -- and I really appreciate the taste of blackberries, peaches, etc. -- and I savor these tastes rather than eating them quickly.

As usual I've rambled all over the place -- hopefully I've raised a few things to help you with.....

I'm 54, had a partial hysterectomy(still have ovaries) at 30, been having hot flashes for about 7 years, to varying degrees. I've been on and off HRT, currently on. I have a question...have any of you ladies had an increase in hot flashes after starting a low carb diet? It seems once the HRT gets my HF's under control, I have break through HF's when I'm low carbing. This doesn't keep me from low carbing, though, as I always feel better in general when I do. I was just curious.

hey ladies. i hope you don't mind havin a youngin in here. i feel kinda lost at the moment.
i am 25 and this is my 3rd time on atkins. i thought i was on maint. but i was diagnosed with pcos (along with a world of other health problems ie. fibromyalgia, sjogrens, transverse myelitis, to name a few) this past week i was told that i am insulin resistant, and that i am not producing estrogen and that i am going through menopause. i am now 11 months out from having a cycle. i suffer from hot flashes, night sweats, headaches, insomnia, depression, anti-social, and a rapid 30lbs in 3 weeks, weight gain. (all going to my mid section, along with major water retention) which is what prompted me to go to the dr. and that is how i found out i was suffering from menopause and i am insulin resistant. i was advised to go back on atkins (this time for good). i find that atkins is a LOT harder this time around. heck i went from 285lbs to 135lbs and that was ok. but for the life of me i can't get focused to go from 135 back down to 115-120lbs. my cravings are 10x's worse, and i feel like i go into a sugar binge fit (something i NEV ER had b4. is this something related to menopause. this is such foreign territory for me. and to be honest with you i am quite scared. i am way to young to be dealing with ALL these health problems. and i am a risk for potentially getting type 2 diabetes. and i cant stay focused. is atkins harder when youre in menopause? (is water retention / swelling common? if so, how do you / did you fix it?) i dont want to take hormones because my dr said there is still a possibility that my body may regulate, so i want to get fixed back up on atkins and get back on track and then worry about hormones. i want to try it MY way first. is this wrong?

Good Morning Ladies,
I'm 52 and have been having hot flashes, night sweats, and mood swings off and on for the last four years. I've gone as long as 8 months without a perod and then all of a sudden I will have one. I've been on and off Atkins for a couple of years. I still watch my carb count but I'm not as strict as I was at first. I exercise 30 minutes on my treadmill in the morning, do a 40 minute tension cord workout with Richard Simmons, and in the afternoon I go to Curves. My daughter gave me a book to hear by Bob Greene. It's called the Total Body Makeover. This is my 6th week following the basic program and I've lost 13 lbs and 7 1/2 inches. The exercise is helping a great deal not only with the weight loss but with my hot flashes and night sweats. I don't have night sweats anymore and my hot flashes are not near as bad or as often. Alcohol will make the hot flashes bad as will hot spicy food. I"ve never taken hormones and I'm not going to. There is so much you can do naturally without putting yourself at risk for a heart attack or stroke. Before I quit working I would go to the big walk-in cooler we had at work and stand in it until the hot flashe went away. I had a crew of 32 and everytime I headed for the kitchen they would laugh and say there goes B to the freezer. If one of them couldn't find me they would always check the freezer to see if I was there. The Head Chef one year at Christmas gave me a stool for the freezer just in case I got tired while I was in there. My dear husband should get a medal for putting up with my mood swings. He doesn't have a weight problem but he eats low carb right alng with me and he exercises everyday to help me stay focused. Everyone keeps telling me that things eventually get better. Well, I'm ready ! I have found that Flaxmeal makes the hot flashes much better. I have a recipe for Flaxmeal bread if anyone wants to try it. The Fiber cancela out the carbs and it's really tasty. Some of us use it for open face sandwiches or if you put sugar free sryup on it it's fantastic. I've been making a single serving every morning for breakfast and I don't get hungry in the middle of the morning. I alos have been using soy milk and it helps alot too. Well, go to run for now. I hope everyone has a wonderful hot flash free day.
Brenda

Bonnie, I'm so envious of your 15 mos till retirement! That more than anything is something I am so eager about. And I have way too long to go yet, I'm just a babe at 51, but I do plan to retire as early as finances will allow. I really hate working in the corporate world, and it's the only thing I have been trained to do.
Saracidal, you are correct, you ARE too young for all that you are going thru, but one thing I have learned, it doesn't matter what age, when something decides to happen that is part of your nature, for whatever reason, we gotta go with the flow. I know that's easier said than done , believe me, but to fight only makes it worse.
So I guess I'm saying that you need to take good care of yourself, do all the right things but without going to crazy extremes and knowing all the while that you are taking care of yourself. And that's the best you can do, not beat yourself up over it.
The same could be said for me, Good advise, I need to take it myself.
I actually took a "mental health" day from work, calling in sick because my mind and soul did really need a rest from the stress.
As far as lowcarb this time around, my experience tells me that the body resists EVERYTHING when we do it again, even low fat, etc...our metabolism is always striving to lower itself in order to keep us alive, that's what it is programmed for, so as we age, our bodies become actually more and more "efficient", which is a problem for some of us who have this tendency to be fat.
Brite Blessings to all and enjoy the fall!

I'm 58, had a partial hysterectomy when I was 30 and have been suffering from hot flashes for the past 8 years. I wonder if it will ever quit. I have been thinking about taking hormones but I already had a hard enough time losing weight. I try exercise but feel too tired most of the time. My mom sailed through with nothing but some headaches. Why didn't she pass that on to me?

you guys are awesome here, and i am so blessed that my mom stumbled upon this place. i know i am within good graces. and you're right i just need to go with the flow. things will work themselves out in due time.

Saracidal,
I'm sorry to hear that you are having such a rough time. I find that if I drink at least 6-8 glasses of water a day my water retention is much less. As for the night sweets and hot flashes. Stay away from spicy food, alcohol, sugars, starches and more than anything else exercise. I have added Flaxmeal to my diet and it really helps with the hot flashes not to mention I don't get hungry or have all of the cravings I use to get. Staying on Atkins will stop the cravings in a few weeks and low carbing will get your sugar under contol. The weight gain is due to menopause and the low carbing will help with that as well. Try adding soy to your diet. Research has shown that women in Japan don't suffer all of the symptoms America women do when they are going through menopause. The main reason is because they eat and drink a great deal of soy. Allot of medications will cause rapid weight gain and water retention so talk to your Doctor and see if that could be part of the problem. Menopause is difficulft for alot of women but I find it helps me to know that there is an end in sight and this is the beginning to a new phase in my life. I have good days and I have bad days. I get up every morning and tell myself this can be a good day it's all up to me. I'm here anytime you need to talk. I almost forgot if you are having sugar cravings at night you probably aren't eating enough protein during the day. I have a recipe for Flax meal bread that is wonderful. I make a single serving in the microwave every morning for breakfast and eat it with cream cheese or sugar free sryup. Let me know if you want to try the recipe.
Brenda