Hysterectomy, weight gain and HCG

Question
I'm a 46-year-old woman in reasonable shape. I'm very healthy and never had major health issues like most people my age, except that I tend to be overweight and that's why I diet most of the time. For the last 10 years I've been able to mantain a healthy weight (I'm 4'11" and my weight varies between 115 and 125 lbs.) but a year ago I had a partial hysterectomy and I quit smoking at the same time and then I gained about 20 lbs. in a few months. I'm not sure if it was because of the fact that the pain after the surgery did not allow me to move much for 6 weeks, the hormone imbalance (even though my ovaries were not removed), the anxiety for not smoking or the combination of it all, the fact is that I've been having the hardest time of my life to lose and control my weight. I've heard of cases of other women that gained between 10 and 40 lbs. after having hysterectomies and I wanted to ask your opinion. About a month ago I started with the HCG spray and diet and I was able to lose 10 lbs. but only in the first 2 weeks. Afer that the scale hasn't changed much, even when I do the "apple day". At the HCG clinic they started giving me some fat burner shots that are supposed to help me lose weight and I can have them as often as 3 times a week. I'm also thinking about switching to HCG injections instead of the spray. What do you think? Please help, I hate to see myself this way and not being able to wear any of my clothes. Thank you in advance.
Gabrielle

Answer
At our age, almost everything can decrease our ability to burn fat.  I can't prove it, but I think the female body tries to hold onto fat to store estrogen to prepare for menopause. At any rate, it takes more work with the factors that you indicate.  My worst weight to lose was the 15 pounds after smoking.  It just would not come off. I hear that often.

As far as HCG, I don't like the prescription version because of the side effects.  I used the homeopathic.  I know they came under fire; however, the HCG1234 that I used worked well for me.  The third week of HCG usually results in no loss. Then, it starts again in the fourth week.  If the third week corresponds with ovulation or when you are supposed to ovulate, you can count on that being the reason. Drink lots of water!

On another note, when you are finished with the HCG, find a workout that you can enjoy for up to an hour each day.  It doesn't have to be 60 consecutive minutes.  It can be 10 minutes, 6 times.  Also, please begin strength training.  As we women age, we lose muscle mass and strength easily.  It is so important on so many fronts to increase muscle.

Start looking to make sure your foods are as close to natural as possible and eliminate or reduce processed foods.

Lastly, always keep a mental journal or a paper journal of what is eaten because you might begin to see problem patterns or foods that correspond with water retention.  As we near menopause, water retention increases drastically. I am not saying that is the reason for your weight gain, but it doesn't help when we see the scale rise.  Psychologically, water retention brings us down when we are trying to maintain.

I hope this helps!  I am doing the same dance as you!  I work out quite a bit though, so it is easy for me to drop the weight quickly.  

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