Anyone else hit the menopause & their tummy suddenly gone spacehopper, after a lifetime of being slim?

[BillyBusStop]

Sigh. Whatever I do now, the dreaded tummy is in the way. If I try to paint my toenails there's this socking great cushion of tummy stuck in the way. I am two stone overweight which I put on in the last year after never having to look at scales in all my life. I want the bloody thing gone & my old body back.. Anyone else in the same boat?

I'm just not willing to subsist like a rabbit in order to be thin.

I agree horse. I try to cut down and be sensible but life is too short to be in permanent denial. I have eaten very healithly today, and been out for a short jog (best i can do) but equally i am now enjoying one of several gin and tonics.

...which explains why i can' t spell healthily!!!

It is a slight comfort to read so many women going through similar changes to those I am experiencing, especially those who say they were always effortlessly thin before, as I was. I wonder though if anyone would be prepared to show a photo of themselves, face obscured of course, because part of me thinks you are either exaggerating your body shape or understating it. Also, is there real medical evidence that a rounder woman is healthier in later life than a thin one? That sounds like the sort of wishful thinking I feel does no-one any favours, but I am happy to be proved wrong.

I have always been a fan of listening to your body as opposed to so called “experts” who seem to change their minds daily! Our species has survived for millions of years on that basis alone. When I eat too much crap my body protests and craves more healthy options. I don’t like being podgy, but why is that? It’s because society says it’s unattractive. It’s because the apparent “dangers” of an expanding middle are drummed into us. There has never been more pressure on women to look “healthy” than there is now. After scientists have got so many things wrong over the years, why are they suddenly absolutely right about everything in 2019? Have we reached the peak of scientific/medical research? I doubt it very much. Listen to your body, nurture it but don’t starve yourself. Yes it’s hard facing up to ageing but celebrate the fact you have lived this long and be grateful.

Yup, I've turned into a barrel.

I'm 52 and now look like a bee - giant belly and skinny legs. My legs aren't even that thin - it's just that everything's relative!

I used to be a pear and hated it. I'd give anything to be a pear again.

Why not provide a photo of yourself since you're so curious, Fran, because part of me thinks you're judgy as AF.

Signing in......... waiting for someone to come on to the thread and say it's okay, we will go back to slim after 3 years or something

@Frangipane - yes there are studies that if lean women gain some weight in older life it does not affect mortality and it is protective against hip fracture - but that is gained to the point that still with BMI within range at the top end or up to about 27. Obesity is associated with lower quality of life and shorter life.
@Asta19 Totally agree about being grateful for still being here. I refuse to spend what could be around one third of my life hating myself and the shape that nature has given me.

I have had a mum tum since way before having the DCs, and I didn't even give birth to them, sadly. Welcome to the apple club.

No need for a sneery face Sihtric (and incidentally I do wonder every time I see your name as Withere was Uhtred's horse, not Sihtric's) I am not being a cheeky fucker, I am a post menopausal woman looking for reassurance and a bit of post menopausal bonding the same as others here. But in the interests of remaining friendly, this is me at the point when I realised I had to stop the slide into fat, with my effortlessly slim dd, and yes, I am holding my breath as the photo was taken.

There is a middle line between thin and fat.
It always goes this way with anyone who is sensible being described as thin and starving themselves.
Being very thin is not healthy but no one here is pushing that agenda at all .
Being thin will make you at risk of osteoporosis and hip fractures due to malnutrition so its common sense to eat well .
The thing that actually protects you is muscle.
The idea being that muscle maintains your ability to balance and prevents falls in the first place!
Plenty of studies show that the higher your abdominal fat the more likely you are to fall.
Im going for health-I dont measure myself and Im not starving myself either.
Muscle increases your metabolic rate so the more fat you have the slower it gets .

Women over 40 lose muscle rapidly and so exercise is vital ,as is good nutrition.
Fat around the tummy is not protective,its associated with heart disease and cancer.

'stop the slide into fat' sounds quite judgemental, Frangipane, it doesn't sound friendly or non-judgemental at all, and your first post sounds like the equivalent of 'photo or it didn't happen'. People are here sharing that their shape changed, why not take their word for it?

Well yes, I am being judgemental......of myself though! I am not meaning to imply any judgement of anyone else. I just wondered if we were all talking about the same sort of weight gain. It's ok, if everyone feels got at by my enquiry, I will back away from the thread. I admit I feel deeply uncomfortable having my photo online, so I can understand why others would to. Honestly, no offence was intended to anyone, I obviously misread the situation.

I'm 52 this year. Have always been slim and still am. I do exercise a lot though.

Frangi Ive pmed you some interesting info

@Skippy what do you regard as exercising a lot? Am just wondering if I need to do more. Do u watch what you eat? I swing from hating my tummy to feeling that actually compared to a lot of older women I am not too fat. The hard thing for me is adapting to my new body shape. In my head I am still young, then I catch sight of myself and realise I am a middle aged mother. I hate photos of myself. My face also looks round, yet in real life I don't think it's that bad. I went to a party without hubby on my own at the w/e and I missed not being chatted up by someone!

I gained a middle aged spread about 6 years ago without realising it. Weighed the same, but different shape; my waist disappeared.

I have no idea what happened, but I remember actively cutting out bread, (not even a slice a week now) and it has made a difference and I am more mindful

I lost a stone + and now its normal to eat less and I just think about what I am scoffing. Still drink wine, but have never been a chocolate fiend. Luck in my case I think

Oh and I am now 53, no periods for two years

I have been on belly watch for 3 years. I'm 47 and still getting my periods but I'm am so afraid of getting the snake that swallowed a ball look that I'm constantly on the look out for any changes.
I'm hoping that I'm prepared to make the necessary changes to my life style as although I am still very active, I also love my food and drink .

My 50 year old plus friends who are going through this say I have plenty of time, I still look great and shouldn't worry but they fail to see the irony in that it just crept up on them overnight and they thought it wouldn't happen to them. I just want to be more prepared.

Never ever had to think about my weight before. In fact there were times I would have like to have been bigger when younger.

I'm now 51 and need to lose at least a stone. It's crap.

Does HRT make you lose weight?

Gosh, this thread is eye-opening. I have been like this all my life! I strongly suspect (for a variety of reasons) that I have a hormone imbalance that perhaps mimics menopause in some ways, but the NHS has never been willing to investigate! So I can tell you that I have been told over and over on MN threads that I can’t possibly eat what I do and weigh what I do and that I must be underestimating when in fact I put on weight, mostly on my stomach, if I go above 1200 calories and am currently obese in any case based on that diet. Goodness knows what my imminent actual menopause will do.

I know bring I was teased for being skinny

Not these days

What happens if I’m already fat...will I just get fatter