ABSTRACT
Except for being a fat baby at birth (more than 8 pounds), I have always been on the lean or thin side. So, contrary to the old wives’ tale, being a fat baby did not mean that I would be a fat woman. Whether this was due to my genes, or the fact that I have always eaten a fairly well-balanced diet, avoiding preservatives and emphasizing natural substances, fresh fruits, and vegetables, or that combined with the fact that I have generally been a physically active person, I do not know. I have monitored my weight on a yearly basis and know that I have changed over the years from a young adult weight of about 140 pounds, to 155 to 159 pounds in 1981, the year of my menopause. I do not know whether menopause had anything to do with weight gain, but I do know that in addition to weight gain, I experienced a redistribution of body fat. My body was changing, and areas which never had any fat, such as my abdomen, suddenly developed a “menopausal belly.” After three months of reducing food intake, eating a well-balanced diet, plus increasing in physical exercise during the summer months, I returned to an earlier weight of about 141 to 142 pounds, and maintained this weight until the summer of 1983. I then took a new job, full of new stresses. I was experiencing hot flashes, and my physical activity had decreased, largely due to the fact that I wasn’t riding a bicycle to work any longer. I slowly but surely put on about 10 pounds, which put me up to 152. But while I put on the weight, particularly when I increased to about 148 and above, I noticed a reduction in the frequency and intensity of my hot flashes.
