INTRO Hello from the PNW!

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Slovestolearn

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Hi! My path on this road began 7 months ago. I've been reading posts, articles and more daily, trying to soak up everything I can. Tirz was my starting point, and for roughly 4 months it brought a big drop in inflammation along with some pleasant, steady weight loss. Then came a 3-month stall, and the inflammation plus the weight began creeping back. I'm now raising the dose gradually and beginning to notice small shifts once more. Still, I have a hunch there's more I could be doing to move things forward. I eat healthy, exercise 6 days a week, walk every day, and my job keeps me very active. So I'm here to learn more and work out what will help my progress, especially with the inflammation, while continuing to learn about this world.
 
Another thing I've picked up on: carbs are what I naturally reach for, they've always suited me best, and losing weight hasn't been an issue even while eating them — the healthy kind, plus a sweet treat now and then. What I'm also seeing is that fat doesn't feature much in what I eat, yet whenever I do include some healthy fats, my hunger gets noticeably turned down. Perhaps that's stating the obvious, but because protein and carbs are my default choices, I keep struggling to remember to work those healthy fats in. I'd love to hear how this has gone for other people.

And for context — I'm perimenopausal and began HRT not long ago — thank goodness for HRT!! I felt like an empty shell of a person, zero patience, no spark, brain fog and constant exhaustion. So far it feels miraculous to come back to life.
 
Another PNW person here! These days I live in the south, though Oregon will always be home to me.

Perimenopause hadn't crossed my mind at all… at 38 I'm likely nearing that stage. My energy is completely drained, but since I've been dealing with plenty of other health problems too, I figured that was the cause. What made you realize it was perimenopause?
 
GumdropSoup said:

Another PNW person here! These days I live in the south, though Oregon will always be home to me.

Perimenopause hadn't crossed my mind at all… at 38 I'm likely nearing that stage. My energy is completely drained, but since I've been dealing with plenty of other health problems too, I figured that was the cause. What made you realize it was perimenopause?
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A hormone panel is something you can have done; it won't cost much and is definitely a good idea when you have that suspicion. If hormonal decline is something you avoid entirely, then bone density, sleep, and overall wellbeing could see huge gains, measured against a version of you that never used hrt. Thyroid testing is another one I'd suggest—it might surprise you how common slightly low levels are, and something like armor thyroid can give a solid lift, that is, if a diagnosis is made.
 
Oregon looks gorgeous! I'm located up in WA 🙂.

Since so many different factors might be behind it, this gets genuinely puzzling. You've still got plenty of youth on your side—meanwhile I'm 52, and my symptoms began creeping in around 2 years back. A friend and I got to chatting and noticed our symptoms overlapped. The biggest issue for me was nighttime hot flashes wrecking my sleep, but once we dug into it further, we saw we shared plenty of other symptoms too. She'd seen her practitioner, had blood work done, and after starting HRT told me it changed everything. So I followed the same path. Turns out my numbers were terrible, and they lined up with what I was feeling.
 
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