OK, I just read through all the response. How come no one ever mentioned that after a while in menopause, you have no hair on your legs or underarms? THAT, for me, was a gift! I still have a few hairs here and there, and I try to remember to do a quick shave once a month or so, but it's nothing like what it used to be.

I'm still having a couple hot flashes daily (I'm almost 62, and my last period was at 50 or 51), and I'm definitely running hotter than ever. I used to sleep under several quilts, blankets, and afghans, wearing socks, yoga pants, and a sweatshirt. Now I sleep under one quilt (and often throw that off in the middle of the night), wearing only a light cotton nightie.

I was on bio-identical hormones for maybe 8 or 9 years, and just stopped using them this past summer. I'm still on a fence whether I should take them or not.

I find losing pounds and inches to be incredibly hard in menopause and beyond. NOTHING seems to work. My menopot gets bigger and bigger. From the back, I'm still an hourglass shape, but from the sides and front you see this huge pooch between navel and breasts.

Has anyone had luck with losing weight and keeping it off after age 50? I take that back, I know a lot of women have -- since I've read many of the testimonials on Diet Doctor and other websites -- but they all seem to be new to the LC world. Has anyone who has been living a low-carb lifestyle for the past 15 or 20 years been able to lose weight again?

When I turned 50 in 2005 I was 150 pounds, and then gained 45 pounds in the next 18 months with no changes in food intake or activity. In 2011 I was able to lose 35 pounds on hcg and get down to 135. Held that for more than a year before it started creeping back. Now I'm bumping the ceiling just under 200 and am getting more than a little frantic on what to do.