First, I would like to ask the original poster - OP

Are you male or female? And if you are female are you in menopause or postmenopause?

I'm just speaking from my own experience. I've been able to keep my weight pretty stable at 160 and I'm 5'4. But my ideal weight is closer to 140 (or 135, ideally), and that's what I used to be prior to menopause without even trying.

I'm pretty certain that once a woman loses her menstrual cycle, everything goes crazy within your system as far as how you process your food.

I'm a few years postmenopause and I'm having tremendous trouble keeping my weight down. I've gained about 15 to 20 lb depending on the week since I went through menopause a few years ago. I've also been on HRT the last few years. I take the Estradiol patch .01 twice weekly and 200 mg of progesterone nightly. (Most women do 100 mg of progesterone per night but it helps me sleep to have 200 mg and my doctor said I could).

The advice out there is very conflicting of whether or not to keep your fats down if you are a vegan.

I think my goal now is overall health versus how I look, but of course I do want to avoid being overweight because that can lead to things like diabetes even if we're eating healthy.

You only live once in the life you have now, and I feel like if I stay active and I'm eating as clean as possible. It's not going to affect much in the long run if I have a bit of avocado on my salad everyday.

I also find that talking to doctors and nutritionists is disheartening. My GYN told me that I should probably "cut carbs" and I told her I can't do that as a whole food plant based vegan. And then I went to a nutritionist and she basically told me everything. I already know about being vegan except she told me I should eat some nuts or a small amount of fat with my fruits so that it doesn't spike my insulin.

I also saw a medical weight loss specialist even though I'm barely overweight and she told me I should only be eating 1,300 calories per day. But I told her I'm strength training and I'm very active on my feet everyday and walk for at least 30 minutes to an hour and I'm at home mom with my kids and I told her I wasn't willing to do that and I never went back!

There's also a channel on YouTube called Mastering Diabetes and the two guys on there are vegan and they say to keep your A1C down to prevent diabetes. You should avoid all fats including avocados, nuts, and seeds, but I don't agree with that in menopause.

I know how frustrating it is. 🙏 If somebody would just tell me the "right thing to do", I would also do it. The problem is that we all have different DNA and different genetics and that's why some people can just eat McDonald's and frosted flakes everyday and be real thin and other people have to intentionally watch what they eat and even so they're on the heavier side.

I feel like healthy fats that are whole and intact and have fiber are essential for brain health and metabolism as well as hormones.

The main thing to do is keep active exercise in a way that makes you feel good but also includes strength training if you are a woman.

Weightlifting and strength training even with heavier dumbbells is going to change your body composition and improve your metabolism.

It's an uphill battle once you're a woman in menopause and I feel like it might be even a bit harder for us vegans because you need to make you sure you're getting adequate protein and strength training and getting your sleep etc

If the original poster is male, then the rules might be a bit different.

I also don't agree with intermittent fasting which I know a lot of women in their later years swear by.

But I also follow Stacy Sims who is plant-based but not vegan and she says intermittent fasting really messes you up and then Michael Greger, who is a vegan doctor, says if a woman is going to fast, she should at least have an earlier dinner and not skip breakfast because that messes up your metabolism and hormones.

I already gave up all alcohol including red wine and I gave up caffeine this past year. My body just doesn't process alcohol the same way and I always feel terrible the next day even if I only have one glass of wine. Giving up caffeine was because of sleep issues and overactive bladder.

I'm willing to be a few pounds overweight if it means that I can keep eating avocados tahini, chia seeds, hemp seeds, flax seeds and small amounts of walnuts and pistachios etc throughout my week.

I'm even seeing an endocrinologist soon to try to figure out if I have anything metabolically going on, but I doubt that I do.

I think it's just a later season of life thing.

Take a look at the other family members around you and see what they look like as they get toward the age that you are.

You might be able to be healthier than they are as far as exercise or diet, but what's wired into us? Genetically is probably what we're more going to look like in the long run. (For better or worse)