At what age does middle age spread begin?

[lounellie]

Hi all, bit of a random topic but please bear with me.

If you don't have children and you keep your weight stable, at what age do most women's waists start thickening?

I am 35, no kids, same weight and size as ever, but I have been noticing a change in my waist in the last couple of years and I am trying to understand if it is a matter of fitness or just my body changing with age.

Thanks for your thoughts!

@Lilifer thank you for your reply. I am 34 and have recently started intermittent fasting but a bit wary of it as my bmi is near the cut off point of 18.5. How often do you fast? I've started 1-2 times a week.

I'm slightly genetically blessed in this area so my view might not be that helpful but I'm 44 and I don't really have it at all.

I did gain a lot of weight in the pandemic which was more all over.

I then did Fast 800 and lost it all and returned to an hourglass shape. I then realised I'd lost lot of muscle mass so I went to the gym for six months with a PT. We did a calorie surplus where I gained a stone and then a calorie deficit where I lost a stone. It was a bit white knuckle seeing the scales go up but strangely liberating to intentionally gain weight. At the end of the deficit I'd gone from 29% body fat to 22% body fat. My cellulite visually improved and almost disappeared. I was lifting heavy though I.e. squats at 60kg and leg press at 150kg-200kg - the calorie surplus was key.

If I don't track my nutrition here is what happens - my appetite isn't that high so I won't eat huge portions but by mid afternoon I will reach for a cake or cookie. That adds up over time and I will gain weight. I do notice that now its more likely to go on my waist. I suspect cortisol plays a role.

If I do track my nutrition I eat balanced carbs protein and fat. Weight drops off my waist.

The other thing to add is if you strength train it tones up the waist and makes it look smaller just by having a strong core. If I don't strength train there is no way my waist is looking like it did in my 20s. But if I do strength train it looks the same as my 20s.

I feel like the majority of women are going to get this, no matter what they do.

I've lost tons of weight so not the same but even though I got back down to my teenage weight my waist is still 5ins bigger then it used to be.
I do plenty of cardio, weight training and pilates but my hourglass figure is a lot chonkier!

Delatron
You need to eat sufficient protein. You can’t spot reduce fat so it’s all very tricky!! I don’t have the answer but I know to have a flat stomach I would need to cut my body fat to a degree that I’m not prepared to do. My core is strong it’s just covered in a layer of fat these days and I’m often bloated.

This describes it really well actually - despite regular Pilates and weight training and a strong core, even though I'm a size 8-10 and can plank for several minutes, I still have a small layer of abdominal fat that just wont budge. Very annoying.

In order to get rid of it, I think I would have to drop weight to lower than I'm comfortable with, and would probably lose my boobs and bum, and look gaunt, which I don't want. So I begrudgingly live with it.

Hiya
Yes I am about the same. I've always been slim but flabby after perimenopause and especially around waist. My trousers started to feel really tight and uncomfortable around my waist so I decided to try intermittent fasting with the aim of losing around 7-10lbs around my waist.
At the same time I also took up pilates (just at home from a you tube tutorial) and bought a couple of light weights for my arms.
It took me about 3-4 weeks to see a change. The first week I tried 12 hour fast, then second week 14 and finally settled with 16:8, which I now do about 4 or 5 times a week to maintain my current weight.
I highly recommend you check out Dr Jason Fung on You Tube before you start this as he will keep you right. Don't worry about losing a lot of weight, you won't necessarily do that as you can fast less days if you want. Primarily the fasting targets the belly weight, that is where all the weight came off for me.

I do have a kid and feel like my whole body is bigger since having my dc even though I’m the same dress size. I’m in my late 30s. I did slimming world for a few months and shed a few pounds which made me feel so much better. It’s definitely harder to stay slim but I wouldn’t go so far as to say I have middle age spread yet. I’ve heard that for many women menopause escalates it.

I'm a yo yo dieter and at 44 and a size 10/12 I'm slimmer than periods in my teens and 20s BUT my fat distribution has changed. Always had an hour glass figure even when I was a size 20 but now I definitely carry more weight on my stomach/have a less curvy figure. I'm more of a block shape than an hour glass now 😭

It happens if you let it happen. If you look after your figure then it won't happen!

Admittedly genetics play a part.

I'm 44 and still have a decent waist

I'm a size 8 and have been a size 6-8 my whole adult life

Since I've been about 40 I know I need to work at it so plank religiously for at least 2 mins a day (in quick bursts not all at once)

I run regularly and do 3-5k every time and I really go for it

I also do intermittent fasting. I'm also on a low dose sertraline which I think curbs my appetite but that's a welcome side effect as I take it for anxiety

No idea if this all helps or it's a coincidence and I'm lucky so far

If I start gaining belly weight I'll probably have lipo or a mini tummy tuck.

I thought I was going to swerve it, but in the last year I am definitely thickening despite not changing a thing

I am late 50’s. Nobody else has noticed, but I have.

@iloveshetlandponies hi thanks. I plank daily and am a regular runner too. How often do you fast?

I never thought I'd have to watch my weight and always been a size 10 and eaten what I liked, and low exercise as I got older hasn't affected anything . But sadly aged 45 I have suddenly put on a stone and going to try and cut down on food and include more exercise as for the first time in my life it needs an actual effort.

I’m mid 40s and at 5ft 1, it is so depressing to see my daily calorie allowance and next to impossible to stick to, hence the extra stone(s) I’m carrying. I started putting weight on during my second pregnancy when I was in my thirties, after my third baby I just kept getting bigger. I don’t massively overeat but at my age/height a chocolate bar a day equals weight gain.

In my family there is a pattern of slim teenage/twenties, weight gain in 30s, fat 40s and 50s and weight loss in 60s/70s, malnourished 80s. I remember my grandmother saying that one day you just aren’t interested in food anymore.

I’m 59…..i weigh less than I did in my 20s and 30s ( was around 9.5 stone and now a few pounds under 9 stone) …..but I am now a bit more flabby round my waist and have a softer belly…..i guess I could go the gym to tone up….but just couldn’t be bothered

I was 42. Prior to that I was pear shaped, so bigger legs, bum, hips and tiny waist, stomach and chest. My stomach was literally flat even after 3 kids, but then it literally just started to stick out now I permanently look 6 months pregnant.

I go to the gym 3x a week, do 90min of walking a day. I do Pilates and yoga. And I eat healthily. Still sticks out

When I was twenty I never exercised and lived on pot noodles, crisps and cider.

I was so skinny!!

I do 16:8 or 17:7 most days

Have the odd day off!

I also try to make myself eat as much fruit and vegetables as I can and also nuts and pulses X

Same 😩😩😩😩

@iloveshetlandponies most days omg! I thought you were going to say twice a week or something. I don't know if I can manage most days.

When I was in my twenties I ate like a horse and was always slim!

I think we know this. But when nothing on you lifestyle changes and the creep is slow it can be a hard adjustment.

Mine stated at 46. Weight crept on and put on around 4 kg in a year. Need to adjust almost half a century of habits all of a sudden. It’s rough.

I’m 54 and I’ve noticed that I get a thicker waist when I eat more and a thinner waist when I eat less. Maybe it’s my body shape, but I’m not particularly aware that when I eat normally, I’m getting any more fat than I ever did.

Intermittent fasting eg 16:8 is an everyday, day in day out thing. A couple of days a week is unlikely to make much of a difference.

You get used to it though, I don’t even notice anymore

Slimmer now at 45 than 5 years ago when I had my last baby. Intermittent fasting works well.

Always assumed I had a tummy because I ate too much cake. Stopped eating cake, no more tummy bulge. Wasn’t hard, just willpower 😂

I have naturally fasted most of my adult life, I rarely eat later than 8pm, only drink herbal tea in the mornings, and don't eat until lunch time, so I fast 16 hours a day somewhat unintentionally and my BMI has ranged from 21 to 24 through my adult life, doesn't seem to make a blind bit of difference unless I restrict what I eat in other ways.

45 for me, things I would have done previously if I saw weight creeping up don't work at all.
1year on, I'm finding sleep is really important.
I've increased my weight training. I'm still a different shape though.