Menopausal Weight Gain: It's Not Your Fault!

Choosing a doctor was not easy. You don't go into the yellow pages and look under "Doctor's for Menopausal Weight Gain" I finally chose a doctor recommended by several people because in addition to being a regular M.D. he believed in natural healing and vitamins and a holistic approach. I needed a sympathetic ear. 

The doctor seemed very nice and listened to my tale of woe. We first discussed diet and exercise. I told him what I ate, and that I have been going to the gym for many years, six days a week (with Sundays off for good behavior). I usually worked out for 1-1/2 hours, doing cardio, toning with weights, and the occasional aerobics class.  The doctor said that I was doing all the right things, but obviously my body was doing something to make me gain the weight. The first thing he said that we would do was to take a special test that most doctors did not know about. It was exclusively to check out weight gain, and would even pinpoint certain areas of the body where the weight was accumlating and causing bloating.  I laughed and told him that I did not need the test. I knew that I had gained weight and most of it had settled in my stomach. The doctor did not smile at my attemt at humor. In a way, though, I guess I was glad that someone was finally taking my problem seriously.  He insisted though, that before he could treat me, he needed this test. I agreed, and then found out why he was so insistent that I take this test. It cost $100.00. Oh yes, and it was not covered by any medical insurance. I started to smell a scam. I told him "Thank you, but no thanks". I already knew where my weight was distributed. Couldn't we skip this step and just get started? Obviously not. I started to cry because I thought he was going to be the answer to all of my problems. I don't usually cry at the drop of a hat or in the presence of strangers, but I had really thought that this great and learned man was going to be my hero. Little did I know that this was just the first of many long grueling steps down the yellow brick road. The doctor appeared to be very upset at my crying, but I later realized that he was probably less concerned about my feelings and more upset because I didn't want to part with $100.00 for his precious weight loss test. Frustrated, because I felt that I really needed help, I agreeded to pay the $100.00 for the test. At this point I was a little leary of this doctor, but he had received such glowing recommendations, his office was full, he had written several books...and let's face it, I was a desperate woman.

I came back the following week for the special miracle test. As instructed, I had fasted 12 hours, and did not shower, use deotorant, perfume or makeup of any kind, and did not brush my teeth.  (I was sure at this point that I would run into an old boyfriend, or maybe be caught on Candid Camera or This Is Your Life, but luckily none of those things came to pass).

First a techniction drew some blood which would be analyzed right there in the office. Next I was ushered into a treatment room for the exciting test. A young, overweight (overweight, this upset me) female technicion was to administer the test. She told me to undress completely except for my underpants. For the next hour and a half, she told me to stand up straight and try not to move at all, while she touched me with a wand from the top of my head to my ankles. The wand was attached to a computer screen, which made horrible screeching noises. When she finished, she pulled out a printout of squiggly lines on a graph and told me that the doctor would review them and see my shortly.

When I saw the doctor a few minutes later, he smiled at me. "I have carefully reviewed your test results. Please smile" he said, "because I am going to help you without a  question. You will lose weight!" "Thank you! Thank you!" I gushed and gave him a great big smile to make up for my earlier tears. He held up his hand to silence me. "Please let us begin".

He started thoughtfully at the squiggly lines on the printout sheet. "You have gained some weight recently". (ROCKET SCIENTIST, I thought) "Most of it, I see by the computer printout has settled in your stomach." (GENUIUS!) "We are going to start you with a simple regimen, he told me.  Your blood tests show a borderline low throid. I would like to start you on a natural thyroid pill. I don't believe in the syntetic ones. (Everyone I ever knew who had a thyroid problem was on Synthroid which was synthetic, but who was I to argue with this genius?) He handed me a packact of pills for 1 month. These will make you lose weight immediately, guaranteed. I wanted to gobble all the pills up at once, but agreed to take 1 pill daily and return in 1 month's time. "You are not smiling," he told me, "but in 1 month I will see a big smile on your face. You will get back in shaoe."He stood up and shook my hand. I thanked him profusely and guarding my precious pills went home to shower!

After a few days I noticed that I felt more bloated than usual and my pats seemed to be fitting tighter. By the end of the week I got on the scale. I had gained an additional 10 pounds in 1 week! This was the most weight that I had ever gained in such a short period of time. I called the