Rounded bellies on otherwise slim women

[blessemall]

I've always been slim, but with a rounded belly - I remember pushing it out as a child, pretending to be pregnant to impress my friends. This was the late seventies/eighties and I was never called fat or overweight, but always had a belly. As an adult, if I put on weight, it was only ever on my belly. Occasionally people asked me if I was pregnant. Now I'm 53 and menopausal, I've put on more weight around the middle, but not otherwise overweight. I eat healthily and get a reasonable amount of exercise - gym and regular walks.

If you have a body shape like mine, what clothes do you find suit you? I'm conscious of my side profile. I usually find trousers/skirts and loose (but not too long) tops work best - dresses always look like maternity wear.

Also, have you experimented with your diet? I haven't tried giving up dairy or gluten, to see if it helps, but I sometimes think I should give it a go in case I've had a lifelong intolerance without ever realising it.

Diastasis recti? Physio may help (might have to be private though).

Diastasis recti and lactose intolerance here. Strict lactose avoidance helps, plus belting high waisted trousers.

I’m just the same.
I have been slim all my life but have never owned a washboard stomach, I am now 51 and in peri and although still a size 10 & 9 stone with a bmi of 20 something I am getting a right old jelly belly, I hate it.

I wear oversized sweatshirts/t shirts and leggings and for smarter wear a blouse/shirt to hide my tummy and a blazer.

I follow a special diet as I have gut issues but it’s still too carb heavy so I’m looking to lower my carbs and up my protein more.

I have a similar issue and am a similar age . I’ve found trying to limit UPF has made a difference to how bloated I get and means my belly is less prominent . I’ve started eating sourdough rather than normal bread which helps . On the whole too I’m trying to eat less carbs though not gone nuts about that !

I find wearing tops tucked in is more flattering than loose over the top of things .

Im also battling the baggy upper arms and rosacea - what fun getting older is 😂

This is me. Even with a BMI at the bottom of healthy my tummy sticks out like I'm pregnant. Even worse as I'm flat chested. I find high waist, wide leg trousers (fitted top tucked in) or empire line dresses are the only things that hide it. I have had some good trousers from river island.

I've had a belly that looks 5 months pg since I was a teen. The only time I've managed to flatten it was when I stuck to a very low carb diet for a year, but it was not sustainable long term, so the belly came back. I used the low carbing bootcamp and threads on here.

When I was younger, my stomach was positively concave and went in so far I was embarrassed by it, but over the decades it has crept outwards rather a long way. Pregnancy didn't help either. My stomach muscles have never been the same again. I find that cutting out white bread and pastry, and reducing other carbs such as potatoes, rice etc really helps. Trouble is when you are well menopausal, you get carb cravings...

I can really relate to this. I don't have any answers but thank you for this thread as I'm keen to hear any top tips from anyone else.

I'm really struggling with just not knowing what to do. I'm a healthy weight, thin arms/legs but genuinely look 5 months pregnant. I'm also quite short, which doesn't help.

In my case, I followed a tip and had Keffir.
The difference is amazing. I have to keep it up, though, or I swell up again.
So, maybe any probiotic would work?

Are you just an apple shape? It wouldn’t matter how thin I got I would still carry the majority of my weight on my thighs.

Depends on your definition of apple shaped. I'm 5' 8"", so definitely not as wide as I am tall. But rounded in the middle, so maybe sweet potato shaped? 🙂

This is me! My BMI is low end of healthy weight, I have a massive thigh gap, small waist...but a little pouch of a belly! I've always been the same so can't blame age (46), hormones or pregnancy...

I can't give any tips on what to wear. I have long legs and a really short body (I suspect this contributes to my belly protruding) so need to wear low waisted trousers most of the time. Skirts are a nightmare for me and dresses always have a waist sitting in the wrong place...

I've always had a rounded belly too. I have a tendency to bloat, although it is rounded when not bloated.

I tend to wear jeans often , and I like to wear an unfastened jacket too . Tops are trial and error , but I don't like anything tight.

I have really skinny legs too

Won’t be popular but worked for me, I gave up dairy and meat products- ate lots of pasties, burgers, cakes etc. Alcohol is not my friend either. I still love wine but try to refrain from lager/cider as I boost badly when drinking, which leads to the munchies.

Thanks for posting this, I felt like I was the only one with this and I've always wanted flat abs but I dont think I'll ever achieve them. Even when I was young and underweight for years my stomach poked out, it isn't bloating cos it doesn't change.
I've not worked out how to dress for it or manage it through diet, I'm just focused on trying to accept it and not have a negative self image as a result. (I still do)

Is it hip width, I wonder? Or spine shape? I have a duck-shaped lower back into arse and quite narrow hips for my height.
Even at my slimmest I have a pot belly. Weirdly, it's smaller now than in my 20s, even though everything else is the same. But then, now I can go from mango to football in minutes.

I'm similar but I know mine is from diastasis rectis with some gut issue on top. Also perimenopausal.
I agree with the PP who said high trousers with top tucked in.
BUT what do you all do for swimwear/beach?! I've just had an upsetting time really looking at swimsuits vs my shape, I finally bought one with a false waist band under the boobs and a low cut back, if the back was too high I looked like a roly poly.
I've had 2 pairs of waist high bikini knickers, and in this season decided to keep the high cut leg ones and bin the ones with more bum coverage for the same reason.
I think I have to just look at my side view in mirrors less and only look at front view. We are probably the only ones who notice!

I'm the same, I've always been apple shaped but peri has amplified it. I'm 5'2" and short waisted so it's like my boobs end and my belly starts. I can take off jeans without undoing them as there not much difference between my waist and hips.

I have experimented with diet and a week or two without bread or cereal definitely eases everything up, makes stomach look less etc but tbh I’m very much at a ‘I’m too tired to be stopping myself eating foods I really want to!’. People may disagree but I think we have the worst body shape- I’m 38a boobs and size 12 but with a belly on I find it hard to carer for!! I generally go skirts and tops/ medium rise trousers and tops for the break aspect, dresses accentuate too much!!

I'm the same. I always put weight on around my middle while legs and arms (and face unfortunately) remain very thin.

I live in skinny jeans or jeggings with a non-structured top that sits just below my waistband.

I'm 5'6" and weigh around 8 stone 4 but my stomach is enormous. Always has been.

Mine was carbs!

I was 18 stone and carried the vast majority of it on my stomach. I lost 8 stone and my stomach disappeared.

If I eat carbs now I get horribly bloated and the weight goes straight back on my stomach.

Yep. I look pregnant. I lost weight and it reduced a bit but so did everything else and I feel like my arms and legs are almost too thin now. And the belly still sits there.

Have a look at Carys Whittaker on insta, she has the same and does loads of outfit ideas etc.

I bet you all look beautiful ❤️

Yes! When I tried consciously losing weight in my twenties, people commented that my face looked thin, and they didn't mean it as a complement.